Swimming. Soccer dribble. Sack race. Obstacle course. Sprint relay. This isn’t your elementary school field day – although it’s close. It’s Battle of the Businesses for Special Olympics of Greater Dayton (known to those who participate as “Battle”).

For the past five years, I’ve had the privilege of participating in Battle with Reynolds and Reynolds. For the past three, I’ve been a coach. Battle takes place over the course of a week in June. Associates from over 30 companies around Dayton compete in various athletic events throughout the week, culminating on Saturday with an all-day field day and after-party later that night.

The events are fun, sure. The competition is fierce, yes. The fundraising takes hard work, of course. But the benefit is that Dayton-area companies raise an average of $70,000 a year for Special Olympics. They use this money through the year to fund everything from renting practice locations to transportation.

It’s hard to wrap five years of Battle into a short blog post, but if I had to put together a highlight reel of my time participating, it would look something like this:

1. Celebrating a great week of competition with a dance-off during the after party. The Special Olympians love dancing and it’s a fun way to end a big week.
2. Raising money. Cumulatively, Dayton-area businesses raise around $70,000 but Reynolds alone raises around $11,500 each year. To see the impact that money has on a program that means so much to people is truly the reason we compete.
3. Watching a team member fall down. Hear me out: The last thing anyone wants is for someone to get hurt. But this year, during the obstacle course, an individual fell and landed on her elbow. It was incredibly moving to see two of her teammates go back and help her across the finish line. That team placed second in the event, by the way.
4. Winning four straight championship trophies, obviously. Reynolds has so many people that want to help the cause that we compete with three teams. Last year, we took 5^th, 3^rd, and 1^st. It was our 11^th championship overall and the 4^th in a row. The taste of victories is sweet my friends.
5. Meeting people. With approximately 70 associates from Reynolds participating, it’s easy to meet new friends. I’ve made friends through Battle that otherwise I never would have met. Not to mention the great people you meet from other companies as well.

It’s hard to limit the experiences I’ve had to a short list. If you asked another competitor they’d have their own list, but I’m certain teaming up with coworkers to compete and raise money for a good cause is at the top.

Interested in learning how you can get involved? Reach out to Dayton Battle or Special Olympics of Greater Dayton to get started. And if you want to compete with the champs, apply to Reynolds today!