June 2014 Newsletter

JT Scott | 06/19/2014 | 1

Hey CrossFit Somerville!  We’ve got a lot of exciting things happening in and around CFSV and the larger community and we want to let you know all about them.

CONTENTS:

• ANNOUNCEMENTS

  • Squats for a School June 21

  • CrossFits Somerville and Fenway 5k + BBQ June 28

  • Gym Closed for Independence Day July 4

  • Community Cooks July 10

  • Beekeeping Seminar July 12

  • Sasquatch Trail Race July 13

• PROGRAMMING NOTES

  • A Few Interesting Articles for Your Reading Pleasure

• CFSV COMMUNITY PROJECTS

  • Urban Ag: Bees!

  • Urban Ag: Bounty Sharing

  • Your Input: Community Involvement

• FUTURE NEWSLETTERS

Announcements

Squats for a School June 21

This Saturday, June 21, CrossFit Somerville will be running a charity WOD at the normal class time.  The Squats for a School WOD will benefit Empower Charter School, the first charter school with CrossFit Kids written into the charter petition.  “Empower will also integrate health/wellness into the regular school curriculum, and educate parents and the community about how to promote wellness at home.”

With obesity on the rise among children and many public education systems getting rid of physical education programs due to lack of funding, Empower Charter School is hoping to make youth physical fitness a priority.  As a CrossFit Athlete, you understand the importance of physical fitness, and ingraining a mentality towards health and wellness from a young age.

The WOD will be run during our regular 10am Saturday class time, and is easily accessible for all ability levels.  The requested donation for this WOD is $15, and will be in place of the standard Saturday drop-in fee.  If you are planning on using one of your regular weekly classes for Saturday, a donation is not required but would be appreciated.

To learn more about the mission of Squats for a School or to make a donation online, visit their website: http://empowercharter.org/squats-for-a-school/

CrossFits Somerville and Fenway 5k + BBQ June 28

On Saturday, June 28, CrossFit Somerville will be hosting a 5k run and BBQ for the members of CFSV as well as CrossFit Fenway.  The distance from one gym to the other is almost exactly 5 kilometers, so we will begin the run at Fenway and end in Somerville.  Once all of the runners have arrived, a BBQ will commence in the back yard.  This will be a great chance to build community with our sister gym, as well as show the folks over there all of the rad projects that we have been working on at CFSV!!  Details for timing and logistics will follow on the blog, stay tuned to the blog, Facebook page, and whiteboard for help with carpooling arrangements.

Gym Closed for Independence Day July 4

CrossFit Somerville will be closed on Friday, July 4th for Independence Day.

Community Cooks July 10

Our next Community Cooks volunteer night will be on Thursday, July 10.  Each month, a group of CrossFit Somerville athletes get together to cook a hot meal for the Ruby Rogers Center, a recovery center for adults with mental disabilities.  If you would like to get involved, please send an email to projects@crossfitsomerville.com.

Beekeeping Seminar July 12

We will be hosting a seminar on beekeeping on Saturday, July 12 at 11:30am.  Learn all about bees and get a glimpse into the rooftop bee-hive at CrossFit Somerville.

Sasquatch Trail Race July 13

CrossFit Somerville is putting together a team for the Sasquatch Trail Race, held on Sunday, July 13 at the Middlesex Fells.  The race is a very manageable 2.35 miles through the trails of the Fells, followed by a party afterwards sponsored by Notch, Slumbrew, Night Shift and Downeast Breweries.

Whether you are a seasoned runner looking for a challenge on the trails, or interested in testing out your fitness in a new way, this race is for you!!  More information and registration can be found here: http://www.vertraceseries.com/sasquatch/

When you register make sure to choose ‘CrossFit Somerville’ as your team so that we can compete for team prizes as well!!

Programming Notes

Here are some articles relating to fitness and movement that I found interesting.  If you have some extra time and are interested in some self-education, check these out!

• Why building a foundation is so important: http://www.ericcressey.com/why-were-losing-athleticism

• The thoracic spine/ scapula relationship: http://jtsstrength.com/articles/2014/05/01/the-scapula-and-thoracic-spine-a-classic-love-story-to-improve-your-overhead-position/

• A healthy approach to fitness: http://fittish.deadspin.com/fitness-is-not-a-computer-1564320515

• Building movement patterns and “why my knees hurt”: http://www.tabatatimes.com/ask-doc-develop-bad-knees/

• Don’t overthink your training, just work hard: http://bamfathletics.com/upgradedsnakeoil/

CFSV Community Projects

Urban Ag: Bees!!

Our roof-top bee-hive is humming along quite well after we introduced a swarm into their new home on June 1.  The bees have accepted the queen as their own and have furiously began making honeycomb.  They will soon be filling it up with larvae and honey, hopefully enough to share with us come the fall.

Bees are an integral part of our ecosystem, and they have been dying in frightening numbers in recent years.  At CrossFit Somerville, we are hoping to bring a healthy hive of bees into the local community to help the green spaces of Somerville to thrive.  If you are interested in learning about bees and how to keep and care for them, we will be hosting a seminar on Saturday, July 12 at 11:30am.  Attendance is free and anyone is welcome to attend, so bring your friends!

Urban Ag: Bounty Sharing

I’m sure by now most of you have seen our gardens and chickens, and some of you might be wondering how we are going to share the wonderful fresh eggs that the chickens will be providing us, as well as the produce that will be coming out of our gardens.  We are going to have a rotating schedule with teams of 4-5 people.  Each week, one team will be responsible for cleaning the chicken coop and doing the garden maintenance for the week.  That team will then be able to split all of the available eggs and produce at the end of that week.  Obviously we cannot guarantee a certain amount to each person every week, but hopefully over the course of the entire season, everyone will have 4-5 chances to collect their bounties and it will even out.

This is going to be an opt-in system, and the benefits of the chickens and gardens will be going to those community members who put in the work to take care of them.  If you would like to be a part of a care team and reap the delicious benefits of all of your hard work, please email brian@crossfitsomerville.com and I will make up teams.

Your Input: Community Involvement
As you can probably tell, we do a lot! As the summer starts up, there will be even more opportunities for us to get involved in friendly competitions and other community events.

Crossfit Somerville is a place where community members come together to do some pretty awesome things. Do you have ideas for ways that Crossfit Somerville can improve? Are there specific programs or seminars that you would like us to offer? Do you have ideas for volunteering opportunities, projects, group trips, or social events?

If you are passionate about making something happen, we will work with you to find the resources to make it a reality.  Contact projects@crossfitsomerville.com to start making the most of your CFSV experience!

Future Newsletters

Now that you’ve read what we had to tell you about, tell us what YOU would like to read about!  In addition to announcements about events happening at CFSV and schedule updates, what would interest you in a monthly update from your Coaches?  Tell us what you think and why!  Email projects@crossfitsomerville.com with ideas and suggestions.