Rush Club Next-Generation Warrior Fitness Entertainment Event At Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center

Rush Club 010, a next-generation warrior fitness entertainment event pitting veterans, adaptive athletes, rookies and fitness pros against each other to test who has the grit to come out on top, returns to the Valley of the Sun on Saturday, February 18 at Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center, 5031 E. Washington Street, in Phoenix.

As Rush Club mission statement says, "There is no quit, there is no better luck next time, there is now."

"We're in the business of removing excuses and replacing them with examples that inspire people to push past their comfort zone," said Rush Club CEO AJ Richards. "When you're watching an athlete who lost a leg in combat squatting 300 pounds or a one-armed athlete climbing a rope in ten seconds, it cuts right to the heart of the human spirit to conquer."

Despite the warrior nature of the competition, Rush Club is entertainment for all family members. The focus is not just to beat the athlete across the arena from you, but to beat your own limitations, Richards said. It is an all-inclusive event featuring team and individual match-ups, male and female participants, traditional and adaptive athletes. The trait they all share is the desire to move themselves, their opponents and the fans to action, he added.

Kicking off the event will be the return of The Ludus, Rush Club's one-of-a-kind training and competition apparatus. Forged with molten steel and standing 15 feet tall and 16 feet wide, the Ludus is the result of two years of design and production and is setting a new standard for the future of ultimate fitness battles.

"When I saw my first Rush Club event, I knew I wanted to make something as audacious as the athletes," said Dustin Bradford who designed and built the Ludus. "This rig pushes the athletes to train longer and work harder so they can tell people they were able to conquer The Ludus."

There will be six duels at the event:

1. Team Competition between locals East Valley Crossfit and CrossFit Blade.

2. Heavyweight Undercard between BRandon Lopez and Gabe Swaba.

3. Middleweight Undercard between Tommy Vinas and Zachary Moran

4. Women's Adaptive Chair Title Match between Vanessa Cantu and Cindy Ouellet

5. Women's Lightweight Title Match between Kristin Reffett and Shanna Duvall

6. Men's Masters Title Match between Shawn Ramirez and Dan Wells

"We're thrilled to work with AJ and his athletes at Rush Club 010," said Gus LaZear, Vice President and General Manager of Ability360. "Here at our facility, we stress the value of equality of access for athletes at all stages of their life. We at Ability360 are proud to further that mission with Rush Club."

Tickets can be purchased at the Rush Club website (rushclubnation.com) or through Ticketbud (ticketbud.com). General admission is $30 with children 12 and under at $15. VIP tickets are $100 each.

About Rush Club

Rush Club was founded in 2012 by AJ Richards, a veteran of the United States military. The organization's focus is on providing athletes of all levels of experience and expertise with a venue to train and compete with other similarly minded athletes. Rush Club is based in Phoenix, Arizona and is one of the portfolio companies of The Armory, the first business incubator in the United States backed by and for veterans. For more information, visit www.rushclubnation.com.

About The Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center: The Ability360 Sports and Fitness Center is a 45,000-square foot, state-of-the-art facility located in Phoenix, Arizona. Owned and operated by Ability360, the Sports & Fitness Center offers a wide variety of amenities to help you achieve your health and fitness goals including a fitness center with wheelchair accessible weight machines, an aquatic area equipped with lifts and elevators, accessible locker rooms, and more.

About Ability360: Ability360, formerly Arizona Bridge to Independent Living (ABIL), continues a 35-year tradition of empowering programs for people with all disabilities. Ability360 offers and promotes programs to empower people with disabilities to take personal responsibility so that they may achieve or continue independent lifestyles within the community. The independent living philosophy states that people with disabilities should have the same civil rights, options, and control over choices in their own lives as do people without disabilities. Ability360 is located at 5025 E. Washington St. Ste. 200, Phoenix, AZ 85034, www.ability360.org, 602-256-2245.

Photo credit: EMOM Photography.

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