Steve's Club Camden

Running the Streets of Centennial Village...

1 Mile Run

Two minutes of each: 
AMRAP (As many reps as possible)
Air Squats
Dips
Thrusters
Tuck Jumps
DB Swings

                           Big Chris giving a strong effort.

                Chris aggressively swinging his hips into the swing!           

 

                               The result of maximum effort!

Explained to Chris that there is a better way to handle the situation and offering Maurice an apology was his first step. I said, "Chris, if that same situation happened to you, you would have been just as pissed." You owe Maurice an apology and handling like real men involves talking it out and shaking hands.

Man, 19, charged in Camden slaying

                                             

USD10.00 - Micro Donation

Athlete of the Day!

Workout at the Park
Skill work:
Pistols (one-legged squats)

Jumping Squats (25 lb. weighted vest)  3 sets of 10
Pushups (25 lb. weighted vest)  3 sets of 10
(3) 400 meter Sprints with 2 mins rest in b/t rounds.

                                    
                              Justin shows off his pistol!

                  

Justin doing squat jumps with a 25 lb weighted vest



                                    The result of hard work!

Justin is proudly sponsored by the good folks at the Chaos Compound, Home of the CrossFit Chaos where Justin keeps a weekly journal to track his athletic and academic progress.

"We are all minorities at the Chaos Compound. You will find no affirmative action/Access BS to hide behind.  Everyone pays the MAN.  The 'Suck' is universal and we suggest that you embrace it. This keeps it raw, real and defines the quality of character , and quality of character matters to us."
-CrossFit Chaos

            

             

               

 

             

            

         

Workout of the Day

3 Rounds for Time

Complete 45 seconds of each of the following exercises:

Wall Ball
DB Swings
Medicine Ball Clean
Broad Jump
Overhead Squat

Rest 1 minute between rounds.

         Dwight and Justin toughing out some Overhead Squats

                       Damu gives it his ALL!

"Fatigue makes cowards of us all."
-Vince Lombardi

Okay, by now we all know that CrossFit is a very effective GPP strength and conditioning program that is designed around constantly varied, functional movements done at high intensity. Scroll around the mainsite and it won't take you long to see that the proof is in the pudding. Dedicated men and women regularly participating in the daily WOD (workout of the Day) chasing personal performance records and motivating one another to reach extraordinary high levels of fitness. Its not a stretch to say that CrossFit has revolutionized the fitness industry completely changing the rules of the game. Wait your telling that I don't need a membership to a supermarket sized health club filled with a thousands of dollars worth of machines and weights, locker rooms, spa and all the other amenities to get in the best shape of your life?  What you mean I don't have to spend an hour at the gym doing bicep preacher curls or running on the treadmill like a lab rat until my legs off?  No! Not unless that is your thing. Instead, with CrossFit, its not about where you workout that matters, but who you workout with and how you workout is what really counts.

Ok, so what's all the hype about?  High intensity circuit-type training is nothing new, neither is working out in a group setting?  So what makes CrossFit so special and unique you may ask?  Well unlike other programs, CrossFit focuses on maximizing neuroendocrine response, developing power and cross-training with multiple training modalities. What this means is CrossFit has found a special concoction of exercises, methods, tools, drills and program design to make the preferred weapon of choice for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide. I can go on, but for my sake and yours, you can learn more here and here.

More than just a high powered workout program though, CrossFit has successfully brought together thousands (millions ?) of like minded individuals from various backgrounds and education levels. And this is the reason for this post. CrossFit is a community. A community of people who are very passionate about health, fitness and genuinely helping one another bring out and achieve the best they can in life. If you are not already a member of the message board then you are greatly missing out. Not only will you find tons of information to better yourself as an athlete (used loosely for anyone engaging in physical activity), but you'll make friends from all over the place. And unlike most message boards on the net, you won't find people bickering and calling each out. Instead, you'll discover a community of individuals who consider themselves a part of something larger than a fitness community alone. It goes far beyond just working out, as we all know optimal fitness and health is not something you can just turn off and on. Its a lifestyle. Its the power of community.

Just to illustrate my point, the other day I started a post on the CrossFit message board to see if anyone has some extra space to house myself and a few of the boys from the Club for this year's CrossFit Games on July 5-6th in Aromas, CA. As you probably already know (sorry if this is the 100th time hearing this!) but I'm taking a few of our boys out to the Games for a trip of a lifetime (details to the right). Anyway, within a day of posting Ronnie Boose, the owner of CrossFit NSC was generous enough to offer us a place to stay for the weekend. Maybe this doesn't seem like a big deal of the surface, but if you stop and think about it, it just shows how strong this community is.

My point and yes I do have one (I hope your still reading!) is that without community and a sense of belonging, losing focus of the main goal (achieving optimal health and wellness or whatever) becomes more of a chore  than a life-long, pursuit while enjoying the process along the way. As I tell the boys, we're ALL in this together.  It's a team effort!

Steve's Club featured in the local Sunday paper!

Full Article

VIDEO

Stronger by the Day!

Turkish Get-Ups   1-1-1-1-1
Deadlifts   3-3-3-3-3

Skill Work:
Single Leg Squats (aka "pistols")
Weighted Pullups
L-Sits

                   Charlie works on his form before going heavy.

            Damu rises his chest while keeping his back "arched."

"I succeed on my own personal motivation, dedication, and commitment.  My mindset is: If I'm not out there training, someone else is."
-Lynn Jennings {American Runner}

This past Tuesday, I wrote a post about a frustrating day I had at the club when two of our boys went into a fury over Doc getting all the attention from the camera guy of the local paper. They were mad because they felt like they were getting shafted and not recognized despite their hard work and commitment to training at Steve's Club. Upon calming the boys down, I used the team-based workout we did that day and sports as an analogy for a real life lesson. "Fellas, we're a team and we're all on this together. Just like in sports, there may be a game in which your teammate may score 4 touchdowns and you score zero. It happens. Next time it might be the opposite. Remember, its a team effort." Fortunately something I said got through since both called me later that night on my cell phone to apologize to me for there behavior. Accepting responsibility and acknowledging that you did wrong goes a long way in my book. Although I did get mad that day, I was very happy with the outcome and the way it was handled. Told me a lot about those particular boys.

The next day I received an email in my inbox from one of our sponsors offering his perspective on the situation. I thought it was a really good insight and one worth sharing here on the blog. (PS By the way, please keep sending me emails. I love to hear your thoughts.)

"However I see what happened with the kid squawking because of the reporter as something else. I think of it as a priceless moment where Steve's Club transcended beyond making them fit and into their character development. You were there during a rare moment outside of sports when a real-world situation occurred that questioned their ego. This kid made the decision to make a fuse and you were there to share the perspective and thought process of a successfully, positive role model. Next time a similar situation comes up he's going to know what Steve would do.

 

These moments are very rare and have larger life changing effects than getting a PR on Fran.
Keep up the fight! 

Your changing the lives of these kids and the people around the world who you inspire."

[Update: Received another inspiring email from a reader. Thanks so much!  Please keep em' coming!  Although I don't always see it myself, I believe there is always a greater lesson to be learned in everyday moments like this.]

"I read the last two days posts today. You didn't make something out of nothing. I think you hit the nail right on the head with what the problem was and how to best handle it. Those boys needed their attitudes checked and thank God (literally) that if it had to happen it was you and not someone that they have no respect for. I think that there is a lot more going on at that club than just sweating. Hold the line coach! I didn't realize that you drove around and picked them up everyday. Geez. You've really got something going there. Those boys won't have the full understanding of what this experience is creating for them until they're grown."

PS  Congratulations to Keith for getting 395 lbs today on his Deadlift max, his new personal record (PR)!!!

Another Team-Based Workout!

We broke our group into teams. 4 people to a team.

250 Push Presses (#65)
250 DB Swings
250 Dips
(4) 400 meter run

"There's hundreds of thousands of ways at looking at him, and at anyone for that matter. He learned something in that bus, deep in the middle of nowhere, namely that happiness is nothing, unless its shared. That's a lesson I've known my whole life. All of my accomplishments have been magnified by the presence of loved ones, and when they're gone I miss them terribly."
-Jason Nark

No matter what you do for a living, everyone has a bad day at work, from time to time. Today was mine. It wasn't so much bad as it was frustrating. It was so frustrating that for a few minutes, the only thoughts that crossed my mind was to throw in the towel and never return. Screw Steve's Club, I said to myself! It started as a typical day in the sense that I picked all the kids up at their houses in our 15 passenger van (the kids call it "The Big White Dune Buggy") while a several others met us at the Community Center where we workout in East State Apartments in North Camden. Figured it would be an exciting and special day for the boys since the local paper was sending over a photographer to take pictures of us in action for an upcoming story they planned to write. Camera guy came and took hundreds of pictures. Some still shots, others in motion while the kids stormed through today's workout of the day (WOD). As the kids finished up their workout, the camera man picked out one of our older members out of the crowd to ask him questions for the camera (for the digital version). In the middle of the interview, I've overheard several of the other kids squawk with each other about how unfair it was that they were not being interviewed and how much more they deserve to be in the spotlight. The complaining only got worse and louder from there. I tried to quickly squash it in the butt by addressing the crowd and then pulling aside the one boy and reminding him that it was for the benefit of the club and not about him today . Using today's team-based workout as a analogy, the lesson was simple and straightforward. Some days you'll get the glory, other days someone else will. Learn to support one another and your opportunity to shine will come along in time. Just be patient and ready to rise to the occasion when your turn does come.

While I'm very reluctant to "preach," (prefer to show by example instead), I'm confident that my message got through. On my way home in the truck, it dawned on me that this small episode tonight might say more about a generation of kids than it does about a few of the individuals that lashed out tonight at Steve's Club. This certainly wasn't the first time that I've observed this mindset or way of thinking from this age group either. Perhaps its because I'm on a short rant here, but the truth is that many of these young kids today think as if "ITS ALL ABOUT ME". Maybe growing up in a time when instant gratification is the order of the day and material accumulation in the name of the game doesn't help make matters any easier. Kid wants an IPOD, kid gets an IPOD. Thats the crux of it. Enough said. Yes, I know there is more factors at work here (i.e. how you are raised, etc) here and I'm painting with a broad stroke but I think the point is made.

This is the generation of the young in which everything is based on material wealth and the only happiness they will ever have will come to them through individualism and focusing on their self-centered needs. Everything is about what you can accomplish, what you can do, and how better you are at something than the other guy. So the question is can this line of thinking be changed? Can you teach people to be unselfish putting others first working to create a just society?

I for one, do not have the answers BUT I am very intent on trying to do my part to educate, teach and SHOW our youth what's really important in this world and ways to ward off the greed and selfish lifestyle that society (especially the entertainment biz), seems to regularly promote.

It may very well be that this is just one isolated incident and I'm making something out of nothing, but I'm convinced this new generation of young people live in a world filled with greed and self-indulgence.

This must stop. While its a very tall order to fill, we all must do our best to plant the seeds of effort to shift the focus from ME to WE.

Remember, WE are all in this together.

 

Its all about Cooperation today, not Competition!

We broke our group into teams. 3 people to a team.

200 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (#65)
250 Air Squats
250 Push ups
250 Tuck Jumps

*Each team completes the desired number of reps on each exercise without rest.

 

 

“I CAN is 100 times more important than IQ.”
-Unknown

 

 

“I CAN is 100 times more important than IQ.”
-Unknown

Preventing Weeds!

It’s every gardener’s dream to have a beautiful weed-free garden. Weeds are simply plants that are not wanted - or at least not wanted where they’re growing. Weeds are naturally prolific, resilient and suited to local growing conditions: they’re survivors. While weed seeds can remain dormant in the soil for years once they’re brought to the surface, with a little water and sunlight, they’ll grow (and sometimes like crazy!).

Gardeners also knows that the easiest way to control weeds is by preventing them from getting started in the garden in the first place. But, once weeds make their way to the surface prevention strategies quickly fall by the wayside and control strategies must be implemented. The most common method of control is done by destroying the weeds by hand pulling, hoeing, tilling, or digging and removing the underground portions of weeds. While this method is quite effective, it takes a great deal of time and energy for the gardener. Often as a last resort, some gardeners will apply chemicals and herbicides in the soil to kill the weeds. Unfortunately, this method is expensive, difficult to apply with accuracy, drifting may negatively affect other desirable plants, and not to mention proper storage and handling can also be a problem.

I use this analogy to distinguish Steve’s Club from government programs.

There are many government programs in place today that are drowning the soil with chemicals and herbicides – programs to address the issue of child violence and delinquent behavior that it is. Like the various methods of weed control, these programs are essential but ultimately inadequate. They’re ultimately inadequate because they’re essentially reactive. Like the chemicals used in the garden, they can’t make good things happen, they only make bad things less bad. They don’t bring into being something good or PREVENT weeds from sabotaging your garden, they only drag their feet against something bad.

If there’s any attempt to prevent weeds from ruining your garden you can be sure they will take over year in and year out, because chemicals (useful as they are) just don’t have the capacity to stop them from growing back. If there’s no new vision for Camden, then you can bet the farm the problem will only continue to worsen, because programs (useful as they are) just don’t have the capacity to stop the weeds from returning and reproducing.

A perfect example of this analogy was when Steve’s Club was operating out of the Camden Police Athletic Building. While we occupied the downstairs space with a room full of kids running around, working out, and offering support to one another, upstairs the city of Camden ran the Multi-Agency Life Line (MALL) Program. From what I understood, a juvenile who committed a misdemeanor or got in trouble with the police was forced to attend the 12-week (?) Program. The program run mostly by police officers (which by the way not one of them ever spoke a word, said hello, or interacted to any one of our boys in the 6 months that we were there) used passive aggressive tactics to talk to the kids and teach them right from wrong. It was not rare to hear an adult upstairs screaming and scaring the kids straight to address whatever problem they were trying to address (however, there was one counselor (not a cop) of the program who always made a point to come downstairs, shake our hands and (on several occasions gave the us some snacks and waters to pass out. I thank that individual for his kindness!).

It was a great paradox. Steve’s Club running classes on the first floor to prevent kids from having to attend the government’s program upstairs.

How’s that for crime prevention! 

Pressing on!

For time:
5 Rounds
15 Overhead Squats (#35-45)
400 meter run

 “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
-Calvin Coolidge

Damu speaks out about Camden PAL kicking us out:

Brandon ("B") talks a little about Steve's Club.

PAL and the City of Camden kicks Steve's Club to the curb.

Today it became perfectly clear to me that the Camden Police Athletic League and the City of Camden could care less about serving the kids in the community and supporting those working for change.

Let’s quickly rewind. Last week, the administrator of Camden PAL requested a meeting that included myself, the administrator, and two police officers who both serve on the PAL Board of Directors. While their positions with PAL are on a volunteer basis, all three are employed by the city. The reason for the meeting was to discuss the partnership agreement that we signed on November 7, 2007. It was immediately brought to my attention that along with violating the agreement on several accounts, the Chief of Police was made aware of the situation at hand (How this even made to the Chief's desk is beyond me....talk about priorities being screwed up!).

The first violation of the agreement was as a result of Steve’s Club running a free ad in the local paper promoting our Summer Student-Athlete Youth Fitness Camp. Not long after the ad was run, the city of Camden (who donated the building to PAL) caught wind of the fact that Steve’s Club was operating out of the PAL building. Apparently, this did not sit well with the city. The city did not like the fact that we were running an organization without a business license (okay fine the city has there hand out…nothing new here right? I can handle that. Just tell me how much.). The other problem involved us charging a program fee for the summer program (I guess they wanted a piece of this too). And the last violation, was a result of us not using the Camden PAL name as a partner on the ad. Strange considering all inquires for the summer camp were directed to PAL.

Obviously, its not about the violations. Those were all trivial in the grand scheme of things and easily fixable. Rather it boils down to one thing and one thing only: MONEY. The website was the real kicker. They were completely shocked that I had a website that accepted donations. We spent a good portion of the meeting talking about the WEBSITE. Apparently, and according to PAL, I was supposed to put any funds or donations that I accepted into the PAL account. The agreement specifically states: “Any donations made in the Police Athletic League’s name will be placed in Camden’s PAL account for youth programs including Steve’s Club.” Sorry but all donations were made to Steve’s Club. The other term in the agreement states: “Any fundraising done in the Camden’s Police Athletic League’s name shall be held in the Camden PAL account for Steve’s Club. Sorry again guys…but the money we raised for our summer trip in July to the California CrossFit Games was also done in the Steve’s Club name (we have our own 501c3).

Keep in mind that everything was going as smooth as can be up until this point. It was only when the city discovered that Steve’s Club was accepting donations and raising money using their building. They saw an organization accepting donations (again we are a 501c3 with expenses like any other org), they immediately wanted in on it. Well, lucky for them it just so happens that the partnership agreement that we signed 6 months ago from today was about to expire barring a decision whether or not to expire or renew the agreement.

So what does PAL do?   Here’s where the story gets better!  I was told on Wed. April 23th that I would receive a phone call after the City law department made a decision regarding our status at PAL. Several days later, I followed up with the admin at PAL, but was told that they are still waiting on the city and would call me within a few days. Another week goes by (its becomes obvious that they are simply waiting for the agreement to expire). Follow up again on Mon. May 5th but get the same run around. We’ll let you know. So considering today is Wednesday and the agreement comes to an end, I guess its safe for me to assume that they are not renewing the agreement or trying to get us back. Not even a phone call, nothing.

Actually looking back at the meeting I should have seen all this coming. One of the PAL Board Members asked me during the meeting, “What’s in it for us?”  Then they went on to say how they were not going to risk their pension plans over problems that as such that would bring negative attention to PAL. I can still hear those words are still ringing in my ears. By the way, in case you are wondering my response to their question was, “serving the kids.” “Isn’t that what were here for...to serve the kids?” I went on to say that, “to be honest with you, you’re not hurting me. I haven’t made a dime from this at all. It’s all volunteer work. You are hurting the kids.” She replied, “This is volunteer for us too, and despite your best intentions to help the kids out there is a risk involved from an insurance standpoint…blah blah blah….” (Is it considered volunteer work when your getting payed to be there?  Yep, our tax dollars at work people!).

To add further insult to injury, the building sits empty all day until we show up. Not too sure what they’re going to do now besides babysit a building all day. Perhaps, sit around all day finding more reasons why we violated the agreement. I know it won't be serving the kids and supporting organizations that are trying to "lift" the city up.

At least not unless there is MONEY in it for them.