Track & Field Joins Yarmouth PD in Tribute to Sergeant Gannon
YARMOUTH, Mass – On April 12, 2018, 32-year old Yarmouth Police Department Sergeant Sean Gannon, a K-9 officer, was shot and killed while helping to serve a warrant in Marstons Mills, Mass. His K-9 companion, Nero, was also shot but thankfully made a full recovery. Sean has a close connection to the Academy community having graduated from Massachusetts Maritime Academy with a Master's Degree in Emergency Management in 2011 and was a co-worker on the Yarmouth Police Department with the husband of Buccaneer track & field head coach Cathy Lohse's.
Sean Gannon was a New Bedford, Mass native who graduated from Bishop Stang High School in 2003, then from Westfield State University with his undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice in 2007. Following internships with the Nantucket and Westfield police departments and gaining certifications as an EMT and Life Saving Instructor, Gannon joined the Yarmouth PD in 2010. He then graduated with his Masters, with honors, in Emergency Management from the Academy.
Since his passing in 2018 the Yarmouth Police Department holds a 5K race each year to benefit Sergeant Gannon and other fallen officers and first responders, YPD 5K – Run for a Reason. Due to the current global crisis the 5K was cancelled for 2020. In lieu of the run, many Yarmouth officers decided to do a CrossFit style workout since Sean enjoyed CrossFit and they wanted to still do something in his memory. Coach Lohse challenged her team to join the YPD officers in the voluntary workout. Six athletes and head athletic trainer Chris Barry took part in the workout on Easter Sunday.
The workout consisted of a mile run followed by nine rounds of four burpees, 12 push-ups and 18 air squats. The reasoning for reps represent the date of Sean's passing, four burpees for the month of April, 12 push-ups for the 12th day of the month and 18 squats for the year 2018 and nine rounds because he was a K-9 officer.
Thank you to all of our outstanding student-athletes and Coach Barry for joining YPD in this incredible tribute to Officer Gannon.
