By MICHELE SAGER, The Tampa Tribune
Published: December 11, 2007

TAMPA - While most of his neighbors slept, John Fletcher stood alone on his dimly lit cul-de-sac, staring into the darkness. He occasionally glanced at his watch while he waited for some sign of movement. Finally, a shadowy figured darted though the pools of light beamed onto the asphalt. A runner's pant and rubber soles pounding the road broke the silence. The face of a tired teenage boy soon came into focus and Fletcher knew it was time to jump into action. He shouted words of encouragement as the teen ran past him.
"Come on, Carter, you can do it!" he yelled. "Way to be here, way to push it out!" As the teenager whizzed by him and again slipped into the darkness, a smile grew across Fletcher's face. "That kid right there is what this is all about," he said. "That's what gets me up in the morning. These kids are my fresh air."
Fletcher is the force behind a group of workout warriors who take to the streets of New Tampa before dawn. They do dozens of pushups. They scale obstacle course pieces. They run miles before the sun rises. The former Navy SEAL leads high school students through rigorous workout routines that challenge their physical and mental limits. But this 43-year-old married father of two didn't set out to be the workout mentor to a bunch of high school kids.
'I Figured They Would Come Once'
Fletcher's day job is a financial adviser at Raymond James Financial. An exercise fanatic, stemming from his days in the military, Fletcher performed rigid workout routines through his Pebble Creek neighborhood to maintain his own runner's physique.
So when a couple of teens wanted to shape up SEAL-style five years ago, a neighbor suggested the boys contact Fletcher.
"When they asked if they could work out with me, I told them to show up at 5 a.m.," Fletcher said. "I figured they would come once and I would never see them again." Something else happened instead. The boys stuck with the program and told their friends. Then those friends told more friends. And what started with a couple of students turned into a pack of about 20 followers who still show up for predawn workouts four times a week. Jumping into Fletcher's workout program is no easy feat. Fletcher often asks his military buddies to help lead the workouts. The teens perform maneuvers like pushups with another student sitting on their back or while dangling from their feet.
While Fletcher offers encouragement, he often shows no mercy. Sometimes he runs beside them, barking commands like a drill instructor. He teaches teamwork through mental challenges. If one student lags in exercise, it often prolongs the rest of the crew's routine until all are up to speed.
Ryan Irwin was 13 when he became one of the original participants. Irwin said he didn't realize he was that out of shape. "I couldn't even run a mile," he said. "I puked at the bus stop the first day after our workouts." Five years later, the 18-year-old runs 5-kilometer races, dashes through a set of pushups and hurls through an obstacle course in record time. He graduated from Freedom High in May and wants to be a Navy SEAL. "I wanted to get fit because I want to defend my country," he said. Fletcher "doesn't just focus on the physical challenges. He has taught us to be mentally stronger. He is preparing us for the real world."