DEWITT, New York (NCC News) – CrossFit DeWitt is honoring a fallen friend with the annual “Hats on for Mike” event.
Michael Kriesel of Manlius, New York, died in a car crash at the age of 22. This year marks the 10th anniversary of his death.
Tex Jones has owned CrossFit DeWitt since 2001. He said Kriesel was a beloved member of the gym’s community – even the warmup is named after Mike.
“He’ll be remembered for a long time,” said Jones. “A lot of people have workouts. Not many people have their own warmup.”
Kriesel wore a Miami Dolphins baseball cap for every single session, despite working out in a warm basement.
“How he did it, why he did it, I’ll never know. But he did and he loved it,” Jones said.
CrossFit DeWitt designed the workout’s number of exercises to honor Kriesel’s birthday.
“We do 1990 rows, for the year he was born,” Jones explained. “Seven cleans is for the month, and 17 pullups is for the day.”
CrossFit DeWitt encourages anyone who couldn’t attend the event to send pictures of them working out, hats on, and thumbs up.