ALERT! We've decided, at the last minute, to run an OnRamp Group in December (starts Nov. 30.) We have 3 people signed up; to make the group fun, we need six. That means we're looking for 3 people in the next 6 days. $199 for coaching – 21 straight days – lifelong improvement – a new habit set in stone by Christmas! Can't beat it. Call 256-1344. We're only taking 3 more people!
Christmas Vacation Groups:
This year, if you're a high school student, you have an amazing opportunity to improve POWER and SPEED while your opponents are getting fat. One hour per day for five days, you'll train your heart out with Mike Watson at the Park. You'll jump, you'll throw, you'll push and pull and carry. You'll emerge from the five-day cocoon as a more powerful athlete in every way.
YOUTH SPEED AND POWER DEVELOPMENT CAMP
DECEMBER 28 – JANUARY 1 – INDUSTRIAL PARK LOCATION
10am – Boys Aged 10-13
11am – Girls Aged 10-13
1pm – Men Aged 14-19
2pm – Women Aged 14-19
Okay, we admit it: FranFest was awesome! True story. 22 teams of two, 202 food donations to the Food Bank (loaded into the van in 1:33!) 4 hours of mayhem divided up into 5-minute chunks of misery. Lots of suspense as teams made it from one round to another. Some great T-shirts, a gym full of spectators, and some great stories. Tyler finished in 3:03 to break the Coach record; Ray (right, with partner Nicole Kinsell) finished in 3:14 to break the Gym record. The whole write-up is coming soon…..
The Barbell Bettys competed in their first Virtualmeet, and some amazing numbers were hit: Anna Cappelli hit 310 at a reduced bodyweight; Melissa Oikari had a ridiculously-deep 215lbs back squat. Unreal. The next day, 20 women were ready to start all over. Men: your chance is coming in January. OLY coaching from Ty Belanger and Mitch Fryia, as well as powerlifting training in a 4-day split AND some METCON work for homework. Good times!
DECEMBER EVENTS:
November 30 – December OnRamp group begins, coached by Whitney Pagnucco! 21 straight days at 7am for 30 minutes. A better life. CrossFit draws the line between your couch and athleticism; OnRamp is the perfect starting spot.
December 12: King Of The Cage. Catalyst athletes Jeff Elliott, Adrian Vilaca, Ray Gowlett, and Dalton MacFarlane will enter the octogon to fight against Michigan's best in a MMA throwdown for the ages. We've got a block of 45 tickets sold, but we can always add more!
December 19 : SUPERMEET. Take the best of Powerlifting and Olympic Lifting, add a favourite CrossFit event, and compress two days' worth of heavy work into three hours. Double the monthly chalk order, and stock up on Second Skin. You'll have three hours to complete a Total (sum of your best lifts in each) in: Snatch, Clean and Jerk, Press (standing, no leg,) Squat, Deadlift, and Weighted Pullup. Take as many attempts at each as you like; prioritize your strengths as you see fit.
December 26 – Boxing Day Fun Run and Fitness Walk – Catalyst will be joining the Sault Stryders for a fun, non-timed, non-competitive event. 9am at the Water Tower.
December 28 – January 1: TEEN SPEED and POWER camps at the Park! Get more explosive! Move faster! Jump higher! Pull harder! Throw farther! A five-week, VERY intense group with Mike Watson, BHK CSCS in an environment built for athletes. Groups are split between boys and girls, and ages 10-13 and 14-18.
At this, the start of our fifth year as Catalyst Fitness, we'd like to reflect for a moment. As we mentioned in our essay, The Original Eight, CrossFit has grown from 8 volunteers, who arrived and participated uncoached in March 2008, to a huge family of athletes. None of us may have described themselves as 'athletes' when we started, but as soon as you survive one workout, you can lay claim to that title. The CrossFit community worldwide has also exploded (we were lucky enough to feature some writing by some of its best and brightest, starting with this post). We're ecstatic about that. But our core – our reason for being here – is coaching. We believe in the Japanese concept of Kaizen – continual self-improvement in all areas. Our personal trainers have personal trainers. We compete, we compare, we continually seek a higher level. Crossfit is our passion, but coaching is our career. Luckily, the two are siblings.
In January, we'll continue to increase our coaching influence with a few new evening groups – a formal Barbell Club for the guys, finally, and a better system for booking clients, reserving space in groups, and paying for sessions online. More corporate groups – coworkers who band together and book private CrossFit times – are appearing on the horizon (if this is something you're interested in, call us 256-1344.) We'll continue to prioritize solid coaching for ALL levels in the new year. Thanks for learning along with us. Merry Christmas!