Marine Corps 2024 Partnership With SHAPE America
by U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Payton Goodrich
March 17, 2024

The Marine Corps Recruiting Command partnered with the Society of Health and Physical Education (SHAPE America) at the SHAPE America 2024 National Convention & Expo held from March 12-16, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. This partnership aimed to raise awareness about the Marine Corps and establish connections that would expand the pool of potential recruits and create more advocates for the Marine Corps.

The convention provided a platform for the Marines to engage with a diverse audience of physical educators nationwide and showcase the opportunities available within the Marine Corps. One of the Marine Corps-led events was a 60-minute wellness session led by Gunnery Sgt. Edwin Omanahernandez a force fitness instructor trainer. The Marines attending the session led the attendees through a workout circuit that included squats, lunges, and bear crawls while making them work as a team.

“The workout was a lot of fun; I liked how it offered some different things I had never thought of doing when working out,” said Margarette Sisk, a school administrator from North Carolina. “I loved how teamwork was incorporated and that we really had to work together, which is not something we have ever really done with our students, and made it something to think about.”

“Today’s workout was to get them to work as a team and about how constant communication isn’t as easy as it seems, and how you are only as strong as your weakest link,” said Sgt. Emma Fussner, a Cleveland native and a force fitness instructor. “I feel like these kinds of sessions get them thinking more about what we do and how it can benefit them as coaches and educators and to their students.”

In addition to the wellness session, Marines actively interacted with attendees on the convention floor and at the Marine Corps booth, answering questions and sharing insights about life in the Marine Corps. They also challenged interested attendees to try the pull-up bar or ammo can lift. The Marines also talked to attendees about attending upcoming Educators Workshops or Coaches Workshops, where educators and coaches from high schools across the country can go and experience a week at the Marine Corps recruit training at Marine Corps Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, or MCRD San Diego, California, or college and university educators and coaches can go to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, and experience a week at the Officer Candidates School and The Basic School.

“Being able to interact with the [coaches and educators] at the event is a great way to show who we are as Marines,” said Gunnery Sgt. Alon Heywood, a St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, -native and a force fitness instructor with the MAFCE. “Getting to be out here talking to them and presenting the pull-up bar as a challenge to them and pushing them to beat their own expectations is beneficial to them and the Marine Corps because it shows us as leaders and highlights our high physical standards.”

Marines also led a class on resiliency in the convention's expo hall, providing a deeper dive into how the attendees can utilize the Marine Corps’ methods of building resiliency to build resiliency within their students.

“It’s important to remember our roles as leaders and mentors and how we can best assist students through tough times and better prepare them for the uncertainty life may throw their way,” said Omanahernandez.

“I learned so much from the guided discussion today from the Marines, and I really enjoyed hearing about everyone’s perspectives of the meaning of resiliency and how it has applied to them,” said Gina Wasniewski, a University of Wisconsin Stevens Point student. “I have pages of notes that I’m excited to bring back and use in my classroom and throughout the rest of my life.”

MCRC established its partnership with SHAPE in 2023, offering various engagement opportunities such as speaking engagements, workout sessions, and engagement booths. This partnership allows the Marine Corps to connect with educators and coaches, fostering discussions on shared values, workshop opportunities, and local relationship-building.