Beat the Streets 2012 was a resounding success! We are absolutely blown away by the community support for our expanding mission to serve at-risk youth with fitness, nutrition guidance and mentorship. The feedback from our phenomenal coaches, hosts and participants across the country was incredible, and we’re thrilled to share it with you; along with some inspiration from the Beat the Streets event held at the flagship Steve’s Club, Steve’s Club Camden!
From our national coaches and supporters:
I had a blast this year. So much support, it was unbelievable. – Kelly McQueen, founder of Kelly’s Champions
"...the feedback I received from those that participated in the Beat the Streets fundraiser was by far the best yet...Steve's Club does a great thing reaching out to youth and has my utmost respect for trying to better the communities they are located in, and even more so, the youth who will lead our future." – Doug D., Vertical Limit Fitness
“...we just finished the Beat the Streets workout and had a blast! We are now thinking of doing more partner workouts together. Congratulations on the success and tremendous growth of Steves Club...keep up the amazing work." – Jason E., longtime SCNP supporter
"Crossfit Fenway really enjoyed hosting [the] Beat the Streets Fundraiser! ...It gave friends and family new to CrossFit a chance to get a good feel for the community atmosphere, for a good cause...we will definitely host it again next year, and if you can, get involved too!" – the CrossFit Fenway Team
From Lee Knight, Steve’s Club National Program Director
"With over 30 CrossFit affiliates across the country also participating in the fundraiser in their own communities – like Steve’s Club NYC, Steve’s Club King of Prussia, Kelly’s Champions, Steve’s Club Nashville, and our other dedicated coaches and supporters, the greatest success of Beat the Streets is the overwhelming support from both our local community and from the broader CF Community.
"The magic is in what happened next - these new teens ( Marcus and Mikey) quickly made friends and hung around with the other Steve's Club athletes the rest of the day. CJ was showing them front levers and bar muscle-ups, and Danny was teaching them to snatch with the PVC.
"This is a perfect real-life example of the Steve's Club's mission - helping to introduce new at-risk youth to the CrossFit community and bring fitness, nutrition, and mentorship to a community...one kid at a time. Veteran CrossFitters were helping to coach and share their passion for fitness with them, and the other Steve's Club athletes were cheering on these new athletes and sharing THEIR passion for fitness too.
"It starts with just one interaction - helping kids find a healthy outlet, and a positive group of other teens who are all in it together. With the right mentors and coaches, CrossFit transcends age, race, and socio-economic backgrounds."
From Steve Liberati, founder of Steve’s Club National Program and the original Steve's Club Camden
"The most memorable part of our Beat the Streets event was witnessing the excitement of the Steve’s Club athletes when they met Dan Tymniski, 14th place finisher of the 2012 Reebok-CrossFit Games. While I grew up looking up to professional sports athletes like Mario Lemieux and Ken Griffey Jr., kids today are looking up to other athletes in non-traditional sports such as CrossFit...these individuals in the spotlight have an influence on these younger kids and impact how they see the world.
"After the event was over, Dan Tyminski mentioned to a few kids around him the idea of planning a visit to his gym, which of course the kids were absolutely thrilled about. Not only does this say a lot about Dan, but most importantly, it sends a message to the kids that someone they look up to cares about them every day – not just during a fundraising event. Someone wants to offer their time and resources to help them succeed.
"Every kid needs a role model, and on this special day, a few kids got to met theirs."
The greatest discovery any outsider could make about Camden is it's 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.
Much of my inspiration comes from Daniel Quinn in "Ishmael."
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