Sports has to be the most convergent of all human activities because athletes know that there is no fundamental difference between body, mind, and spirit. To be truly great, an athlete must develop all three together, exercise them all together, and bring the strength of all of them to bear on the contest. Only then is greatness possible, and only then does victory have universal meaning because it reflects the fullness and richness of the human heart.
Muhammad Ali
Steve’s Club National Program understands that a kid’s personal development rests not just on the development of strength through Sport, but – as Ali put it – it’s about the development of body, mind and spirit. When we do our job right, we’re exercising “all three together.”
Steve’s Club National Program has several local clubs that are dedicated to that idea, and we want to recognize their great work.
This Local Club was started by Brian Terpak, a teacher at the Girard Academic Music Program, a magnet school in South Philadelphia. He’s a Crossfit L1 trainer with additional certs in Olympic lifting and Mobility, and has built his program using the school cafeteria space, where he trains a group of kids after school.
Brian uses “the principles of CrossFit to inspire and invigorate the bodies and minds” of his students. What his program is all about:
“We move to build. We build muscles and invigorate spirits. We build dreams and conquer nightmares. We build community and develop selflessness. We build faith and abandon despair. We are The Movement Program.”
Below: "Charlie's Angels" from The Girard Academic Movement Program.
This Local Club, spearheaded by Laura Cook of CrossFit Covington, started with an open house back in November to get the community involved.
Laura says of the program, “The community not only acts as a positive support but provides youth with role models, and guidance. As an affiliate we are very excited to share our passion for fitness with youth and watch as this program positively effects one youth at a time...”
It’s truly amazing to see our National Program thrive in so many different parts of the country. Those who have been inspired to start Local Clubs are uniquely acquainted with the needs and challenges of the kids they serve, and are able to address those needs with a perceptive and willing spirit while helping kids to develop in body, mind and spirit.
Danny, a Steve's Club Camden athlete, hit a 210 lb. clean at just 130 lbs. bodyweight - and he's 14 years old! Amazing work, Danny. A truly awesome achievement!
As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:
10 push presses (115lbs)
10 kettlebell swings (55lbs)
10 box jumps (24″)
We did a group workout today bringing together the kids from Steve's Club King Of Prussia and Steve's Club Camden. The workout was skyped/telecasted to troops in Kandahar, Afganistan who did the workout along with us (It was 11pm in Afghanistan). After the workout the kids wrote letters and we will send it all in a care package. We also sent - per their request -a most needed set of supplies gym chalk, PaleoKits, etc. Such a memorable event!
“The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
One of the most amazing things about our Steve’s Club community is its diversity. No one kid is just like the other, whether that be in cultural background, interests, talents or life goals.
It never fails that, when we chat with our Steve’s Club athletes, we learn something new. Often it’s an unexpected moment – in the course of normal conversation a kid will share a tradition or thought that is as enlightening as it is culturally unique.
We have learned through experience that the most enriching moments of our lives have been those sudden realizations that you’ve been lucky enough to learn something that day.
Recently one of our Steve's Club Fire-breathers, Danny, came in at 1pm. Danny is an amazing athlete and a huge asset to Steve's Club.
We were surprised because it was a school day, and typically the Steve's Club class is from 4-5pm. We love that Danny knows he's always welcome to come to the gym (and that Steve and Lee are always here)! But of course, we had to ask him...why aren’t you in school today?
Danny explained that his family celebrates "Three Kings Day," a Puerto Rican holiday. This was new to us, and we knew it was probably new to others as well – and this lesson would interest more folks than just the ones in the room at the time!
Three Kings Day, Danny said, is a Christian celebration of when Kings from afar visited Jesus after he was born to present him with gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.
Danny writes:
"In my family we celebrate Three Kings Day and we take off from school and work, just to be with our family. When I was little, we did this tradition where we would put grass and water for the camels and the Three Kings would bring us a gift. For my family it's like another day of Christmas. The Three Kings Day is the day that they followed the light in the sky that led them to where Jesus was, and the world brought presents and blessings to him. That's what my family celebrates and believes in."
While Steve’s Club always seeks to explore, learn, and share the extraordinary and diverse traditions, ideas and interests of our athletes, sometimes we’re lucky enough to simply learn them organically. It’s one of our greatest strengths, and part of what makes our work so rewarding.
This has been a busy year for the Steve’s Club National Program. We’ve had some successes we’re immensely proud of – and we’re excited for more progress to come in 2012!
The Steve’s Club Mission, and that of our participating members, is to “provide a national network of programs through which at-risk or underserved youth of any socioeconomic background can join in the CrossFit Community at a reduced, low or no cost structure."
Steve’s Club started in Camden, NJ in 2007 (see our history here)
In September 2010, Lee Knight and Steve Liberati envisioned expanding the Steve’s Club mission. With the generous pro-bono legal expertise of Latham & Watkins, Steve’s Club National Program received 501 (c) (3) status and proceeded to establish the infrastructure for a national network dedicated to bringing fitness, nutrition, mentorship, and personal development to at-risk kids.
As of September 2011, we had 6 official local Clubs as part of Steve’s Club National Program:
Steve’s Club Camden (Camden, NJ); Steve’s Club NYC (CrossFit Virtuosity in Brooklyn, NY); Steve’s Club KoP (CrossFit King of Prussia, King of Prussia, PA); Kaizen Youth Club (Mission CrossFit, Orange County, CA); Kelly’s Champions (Houston, TX); and Project Guerilla Youth (Guerilla Fitness, Montclair, NJ).
In 2012, we’ll see a number of new Local Clubs join Steve’s Club National Program. We have established plans for Local Clubs in Washington, DC; Kentucky; Detroit; South Philadelphia; and hopefully Boston and Oakland.
In order to reach more kids in the heart of Camden, New Jersey, we’re also adding another location to the Steve’s Club Camden program.
In addition to these amazing local clubs, more than 30 CrossFit Affiliates nationwide supported Steve’s Club by participating in our annual “Beat the Streets”/Suggested Donation WOD. In 2011, Steve’s Club National Program raised close to thirty thousand dollars in generous contributions!
Steve’s Club has engaged the kids in enrichment activities whenever possible. Steve’s Club sent a National Team to compete at the 2011 CrossFit Games’ Teen competition, where athletes from new local Steve’s Clubs competed at the Home Depot Center. At our first Career Day at Steve’s Club Camden, the kids learned about different career paths (an activity we hope to repeat with Reebok HQ). To further the goals of one of our Steve’s Club “graduates,” we sent him to a Level 1 CrossFit Certification. We also hope to bring the kids to the upcoming CrossFit Regionals, and – of course – have them compete again in the Teen Competition at the CrossFit Games.
We are also developing more mentoring and personal development programs to add to the Steve’s Club “curriculum.” We know that a strong mind and a strong body go hand-in-hand.
We know our mission is succeeding when we see our kids achieving. Two Steve’s Club Athletes in Camden, both 14 years old, have achieved muscle ups for reps, can do 100 double-unders unbroken, and can front squat 185 lbs! Every workout they do, they approach with heart and fearlessness. They push each other to improve, set training goals, eat well, and track their progress in their journals.
Most importantly, one of our Steve’s Club Athletes told us that he turned down a job working for local drug dealers, who were going to pay him to watch for cops on a street corner. Danny said, “I don’t have time - I have to go to Steve’s Club so I can get better at CrossFit.”
These kids are living fuller lives, thanks to your support.
We’re incredibly blessed to have had the support of CrossFit HQ, the CrossFit Journal, and Reebok. Steve’s Club has been featured on the CrossFit Main Page at http://www.crossfit.com and in the CrossFit Journal. Reebok has generously donated gear to the Steve’s Club athletes, and has also supported us through purchases of PaleoKits.
Several of our athletes had the pleasure of meeting CrossFit Creator Greg Glassman at the CrossFit Games! A huge thrill.
We receive daily emails from people who want to support our mission either by creating a Local Steve’s Club, by making a donation, or by purchasing Paleo Kits.
We’d like to thank everyone for their support - without those who share our mission, donate, purchase Paleo Kits, and keep us in their hearts, we wouldn’t be where we are today – carrying out our deepest values in the community we love.
Get Involved With Steve’s Club:
There are many great ways to get involved! You can:
• Get your CrossFit Affiliate to host our “Beat the Streets” Suggested Donation WOD in June (exact date TBD)
• Donate online - click here.
• Buy PaleoKits (a portion of these proceeds go to fund Steve’s Club National Program)
• Tell people about what we’re doing – “share” our facebook page with others!
