Weston gym continues tradition of honoring fallen firefighters in Memorial Stair Climb
WESTON, Wis. (WSAW) - On Saturday, thousands of people will take part in a humbling and solemn tradition. They’ll climb the steps inside Lambeau Field to honor the firefighters who gave their lives on 9/11.
At FIRE Fitness Camp in Weston, gym members and staff will continue their tradition of participating in the annual Memorial Stair Climb at Lambeau Field.
“This will be my fifth year climbing, my third year as a team captain,” FIRE Fitness Camp Owner Jen Pospychalla said. “It is once in a lifetime thing where you continue to do it year after year just because it does mean so much to our country.”
In her time as team captain, Pospychalla has had one person by her side, climbing with her.
“When I started FIRE here, I had no idea what this event was, and they have people that were climbing and they invited me, so I climbed, and then I realized what it entailed for the 9/11 climb,” Climber and Camp Member Missi Prueser said.
For Missi, the climb not only honors the heroes on 9/11, she’s also honoring a hero in her own life.
“I am a recipient of the Fallen Firemen’s Foundation, the National Fallen Firemen’s Foundation’s college grant, I received that, so it became very aware to me very quickly how much it meant to me,” she said. “So, I became a climber, this is my third year, as well as I raise additional funds in my father’s name.”
Missi’s father died while trying to save her mother, sisters, and brother in a house fire in 1993. The family then advocated for and won a case for all families of firefighters to receive benefits from the foundation.
Pospychalla says the impact from the foundation and the event is not lost on anyone.
“When you are in the middle of the climb, seeing all the police officers and the firefighters and all of their gear going up and down those steps, it’s very, very hard to put the experience into words, besides it is a humbling experience,” Pospychalla said.
“Going there and seeing it yourself makes you understand what a great foundation it is and why it’s so beneficial and why those people deserve the benefits that they didn’t get,” Prueser added.
The group from FIRE says they hope the event continues to make an impact on everyone.
“Supporting the community and the fallen firefighters and all of the people that served during 9/11,” Pospychalla said. “So it’s a humbling experience and just going from there and trying to give back as much as we can.”
All proceeds from tomorrow’s event will go to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. The opening ceremony is at 8 a.m. with the first wave of climbers hitting the steps at 9:30.
Pospychalla adds there is still time to register to climb. If climbing is not your thing though, you can also donate to the Foundation or simply spectate and support all the climbers.
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