GRAVETTE – Gravette may not be where most expect to find an athlete competing on a global stage, but maybe that’s just because Madie Edwards knows how to keep a low profile.
“She’s done a really good job of existing here without anybody knowing,” Gravette Middle School Assistant Principal Cory Briggs said of Edwards, a physical education teacher and the school’s head track coach.
Edwards was recently ranked the No. 1 Fittest Educator in the U.S. and No. 2 worldwide in the 2025 CrossFit Service Cup, an has earned a spot among the top 1% of athletes in the world.
“She doesn’t want people to know,” Briggs said. “But I told her, ‘I’m telling people. This is too cool.’”
For Edwards, recognition has never been the point. She’s focused on the work at hand, helping students grow in…
GRAVETTE – Gravette may not be where most expect to find an athlete competing on a global stage, but maybe that’s just because Madie Edwards knows how to keep a low profile.
“She’s done a really good job of existing here without anybody knowing,” Gravette Middle School Assistant Principal Cory Briggs said of Edwards, a physical education teacher and the school’s head track coach.
Edwards was recently ranked the No. 1 Fittest Educator in the U.S. and No. 2 worldwide in the 2025 CrossFit Service Cup, an has earned a spot among the top 1% of athletes in the world.
“She doesn’t want people to know,” Briggs said. “But I told her, ‘I’m telling people. This is too cool.’”
For Edwards, recognition has never been the point. She’s focused on the work at hand, helping students grow in strength, confidence and discipline, she said.
“I tell my students they don’t have to be the fastest or the strongest,” she said. “If they give 100%, that’s all that really matters.”
Edwards traces her approach to fitness and education back to her upbringing in a family of athletes. Her father, Rick Edwards, coached youth sports, too, and he encouraged his children to stay active and explore.
“I didn’t want to push her into one sport,” he said. “I wanted her to find what she loved, so the drive came from her, not me.”
In high school, soccer became Edwards’ primary focus as she competed in a premier interstate league. She went on to play for Upper Iowa University, setting multiple school records before continuing her education and competition overseas. While earning a master’s degree in exercise and coaching science at University College Dublin, she was introduced to CrossFit and discovered a new kind of challenge with its emphasis on versatility and constant adaptation.
CrossFit is built around the idea that athletes should be ready for anything. Strength, endurance, agility and mental toughness are tested in constantly changing combinations designed to reward the most well-rounded performers.
That versatility paid off. Along with earning the title of 2025’s Fittest Educator in the U.S., she placed fifth overall in the Public Service Cup, competing against thousands of firefighters, medical professionals, law enforcement officers and military athletes worldwide.
For Edwards, the recognition reflects consistency more than any single event.
“It means a lot,” she said. “It’s proof that hard work pays off. I give 100% in everything I do and never give up.”
Gravette physical education teacher and head track coach Madie Edwards says she seeks to teach and train her students to do their best in their fitness efforts. (Courtesy Photo/Gravette School District)