RJ, a devoted rugby player and CrossFitter proudly sponsors a Steve's Club athlete. 
The greatest discovery any alien outsider could make about Camden is its overriding response to failure: If it didn’t work last year, do it AGAIN this year (and if possible do it MORE).
Every year they pass more laws, hire more police, build more prisons, and sentence more offenders for longer periods-all without moving one inch closer to “ending” crime. If it didn’t work last year or the year before that or the year before that or the year before that, but you can be sure we’ll try it again this year, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that it won’t work this year either.
Every year they spend more money on schools, hoping to “fix” whatever’s wrong with them, and every year the schools remain stubbornly unfixed. Spending money didn’t work last year or the year before that or the year before that, but you can be sure we’ll try it again this year, knowing beyond shadow of a doubt that it won’t work this year either.
Every year they try to make the criminals go away, and every year they remain with us. We couldn’t shoehorn these criminals back into the “the mainstream” last year or the year before that or the year before that or the year before that, but you can be sure we’ll try it again this year, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that it won’t work this year either.
Maybe its time to TRY something DIFFERENT.
Afterall, IF Camden is saved, it will not be saved by old minds with new programs but by new minds with no programs at all. 
Deadlifts
1-1-1-1-1-1
Photo below taken from the cover story in today's local paper. Yep you guessed it right, that is Rick in the picture.
Several of the kids that come to Steve's Club every day reside in Ablett Village (pictured above), a housing complex in Camden known for drugs, gangs, and murders. Without getting into details, I've heard more than enough stories from the kids about the atrocities of the neighborhood that I need to know, and let's just say it is not a nice place to grow up in.
Yesterday, a 16 yr old boy was shoot several times one time in the neck that left him to die on the sidewalk of Ablett Village as Camden's 17th murder victim this year.
There were 28 homicides at this time last year. Of the 52 homicide victims last year, eight were age 19 or younger.
The kids talk about crime and murder like its no big deal. Its just a part of growing up in Camden and "the way it is."
But the more time you spend hanging out with the kids and the more you get to know them, you'll quickly find that despite what you hear in the news, you cannot make the mistake of stereotyping all kids from Camden as the monsters they are made out to be in the news.
Over the last several months, I got to know Anthony, Chris and Rick very well (all who live in AV) and there is not a day that goes by that I wonder what life would be for them if they grew up somewhere else, like in Moorestown (ranked as one of the best places to live in America) which is only 20 minutes away from Camden.
But of course, the fact of the matter is they do live in Camden, one of the most dangerous cities in America and there own perceptions of life and experiences there will largely shape the people they become and the life they live.
While some kids will use their tough upbringing as a trap and failure to their devices, others will use it an opportunity to be honest, hard working individuals willing to perserve and succeed in life despite the challenges and obstacles thrown at them.
I'm 100% sure these three young guys are included in the latter, and will hopefully will look back one day and attribute a portion of their success to what they learned crossfitting everyday at Steve's Club.
FAVORITE ATHLETE: Michael Vick
FUTURE ASPIRATIONS: Pro Football Player
FAVORITE SUBJECT: Art
FAVORITE EXERCISE: Pull ups
FAVORITE FOOD: Macaroni
FAVORITE THING ABOUT STEVE'S CLUB: "The workouts"
FAVORITE ATHLETE: LaDainian Tomlinson
FUTURE ASPIRATIONS: Pro Football Player
FAVORITE SUBJECT: Math & Social Studies
FAVORITE EXERCISE: Deadlifts
FAVORITE THING ABOUT STEVE'S CLUB: "That we are building muscle and getting stronger for our sport that we like to play."
FAVORITE ATHLETE: LeBron James
FUTURE ASPIRATIONS: Pro Basketball Player
FAVORITE EXERCISE: Air Squats
FAVORITE FOOD: Ribs
FAVORITE THING ABOUT STEVE'S CLUB: "Gives me something fun to do at night and gets me in great shape."
FAVORITE ATHLETE: Reggie Bush
FUTURE ASPIRATIONS: Pro Football Player
FAVORITE EXERCISE: Dips
FAVORITE FOOD: Chicken
FAVORITE THING ABOUT STEVE'S CLUB: "I like you lift weights and exercise to get strong."
FAVORITE ATHLETE: Reggie Bush
FUTURE ASPIRATIONS: Police Officer
FAVORITE EXERCISE: Clean & Jerks
FAVORITE FOOD: Chicken
FAVORITE THING ABOUT STEVE'S CLUB: "The workouts of course!"
FAVORITE ATHLETE: Terrell Owens
FUTURE ASPIRATIONS: Police Officer
FAVORITE SUBJECT: Math
FAVORITE EXERCISE: Box Jumps
FAVORITE FOOD: Cheese Stacks
FAVORITE THING ABOUT STEVE'S CLUB: "Getting in shape and learning something new."
FAVORITE SUBJECT: Math
FAVORITE EXERCISE: Box Jumps
FAVORITE FOOD: Pizza
FAVORITE THING ABOUT STEVE'S CLUB: "The workouts that are always fun and challenging."
FAVORITE ATHLETE: Carmelo Anthony
FUTURE ASPIRATIONS: Pro Basketball Player
FAVORITE SUBJECT: Math
FAVORITE EXERCISE: Dips
FAVORITE FOOD: Cereal
FAVORITE THING ABOUT STEVE'S CLUB: "I love the workouts and the changes to my body that come with it."
Steve,
So sad.
Thank You for the positive efforts you and your team are putting out there.
Posted by: Mikki | June 25, 2009 at 03:19 PM
That's a sweet looking deadlift by Justin.
Posted by: Jason | June 26, 2009 at 10:20 AM