ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Belmont County Juvenile Court is encouraging healthy bodies and minds, and at-risk youth are learning positive habits by participating in the CrossFit Program offered by the state.

Judge Al Davies said Belmont County juveniles adjudicated with an offense have been part of the program since 2022.

“Some kids just have too much time on their hands and can do well in the CrossFit program, and the benefits of the CrossFit program are just amazing,” he said. “We see obesity being a problem. We see unhealthy eating being a problem. It fills a block of time to help kids with a program they can do with other kids and have that mentor support through their probation offices. Transportation is provided, shoes are provided, a healthy snack is provided.”

Probation Officer Courtney Cook and wife Jessica Cook run the program. Cook is a lifelong St. Clairsville resident who has worked at the Sargus Juvenile Detention Center and Oakview Residential Center in 2004, then at the juvenile court in 2010. He heard the state was investing in CrossFit, and Davies put his full support behind the program.

Cook added that in December, Davies visited the gym and competed with the students in a push-up contest and won.

“He’s planning to come back in May and compete with the kids,” he said.

Cook has had a lifelong passion for health and bodybuilding and his wife is a Level 2 CrossFit instructor at the OV CrossFit Gym in the Ohio Valley Mall, where classes are held.

Cook said the program calls for him to be a mentor to the youth as well as a probation officer.

The Belmont County Mental Health and Recovery Board provided $25,000 in funding to start the program.

“On average, it costs about $2,000 per youth to do the program,” Cook said.

This includes membership fees, clothes, rewards and food.

“We’re feeding them really healthy, good meals. We’re eating things like grilled chicken, protein balls.”

He said teaching good habits is also central.

“One of the things we’re working on in the future is that we teach more of eating healthy foods, because you would be surprised about how much knowledge they lack about what’s a healthy food,” he said.

The program is for children who are on probation and in counseling.

“You have kids that come to the court, are struggling at their house, their parents have no activities,” Cook said.

In addition he said many children have learned bad habits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“COVID has hurt our kids way worse than anyone realizes. We had kids who were in a great groove of getting up early every morning and going to school and getting their school work completed,” Cook said. “We have kids who have never bounced back.”

The program lasts six months with classes two days a week continuing through summer. They are ordered into the program by the court.

“I’m seeing them at least two times a week. We pick them up right after school,” Cook said.

There are also activities for the youth to do on other days.

So far, there have been 16 juveniles in the class; two of three who have graduated continue to attend and have expressed interest in staying fit long-term.

“We have an average of an 85 percent attendance rate,” he said.

Cook said one juvenile quit to play sports, while another was terminated from the program.

He said the program will continue to pay until the end of the school year for the juveniles who have graduated and wish to continue.

Several probation officers and a CrossFit coach also attend. Cook said Davies may increase the number of juveniles referred to the program to 20 or more during the summer.

“We are growing at a great rate right now, with huge success,” Cook said.

A typical class is one hour and includes stretching and a 30-40 minute workout, with activities ranging from weights to cardio and exercise machines. Cook said the classes are personalized.

“Every kid that comes in gets a physical,” Cook said. “The Belmont County Health Department is doing all of our physicals. They get a physical, and we make sure they’re in counseling.

“We have every level of kid in our program. We have kids that are overweight, extremely out of shape and who have never worked out a day in their life, and we do have three youth right now who have played sports,” Cook said. “We still are able to give every child who comes into our program a workout.

“We just want them moving and working hard. Their very first day there we weigh them, measure them and do a very basic test with them,” Cook said.

He said the atmosphere is one of positive energy and encouragement, and other professionals, teachers and law enforcement come in to observe the progress and work out themselves.

“We have a lot of kids that right away they look thinner, look healthier and look better,” Cook said.

He said the youth sometimes come into the gym soon after bad experiences at home. This often calls for one-on-one training where the juvenile is encouraged to open up and talk.

“We deal with it. We work through it. We’re a team,” Cook said. “It’s always changing. Every class is different.”

Cook eventually hopes to move to three and then four days a week. There are obstacles in coordinating staffing and transportation, and all the schools dismiss at different times. He is also arranging visits by speakers during summer.

“We hope that we’ve given them an avenue to belong to something. We hope that we’ve been mentors and we motivate them.”

Sponsors and support groups include OV CrossFit, the Mental Health and Recovery Board, Friends of Juvenile Court, United Way, American Consolidated Natural Resources, INC, EZ Fresh Meals, the Belmont County Health Department, Southeast Healthcare, Crossroads Counseling & Cedar Ridge Behavioral Health Solutions and the schools.