Two years ago, I wrote a blog saying goodbye to a friend and owner of CrossFit Queens, Paul Coviello. In it, I reflected on the moment I realized CFQ was our family. This morning I woke up crying, I dreamt of this exact moment, but even in my dream, I knew it was no longer a reality. Nick and I will no longer be a part of the CrossFit Queens community. Out of respect for Nick and the people I still respect there, I will let them share the details if they so choose.
However, I will tell you that this does not break my heart as it did in my dream. CrossFit Queens is a box. It has doors, a roof, and a floor. It, like all CrossFit gyms, started as a black box. Glassman, many years ago, would explain that CrossFit can be done anywhere. The Black Box Theory, was that one can take any space, fill it with the proper tools, and build a successful CrossFit Gym. I would like to extend this theory to my favorite aspect of the sport of fitness, Community (yes, I capitalized community because it deserves it). Nick and I, and many people like us, have held fast to our beliefs. We use social media to broaden our knowledge and interests within the theme of CrossFit. We visit different boxes, talk to coaches, and members. We cheer on our friends during WODs, but we cheer on those we do not know even louder.
Our walls are gone, there is no floor under our feet or roof over our head, but we still have Community. But you see, if you have a box without walls, you can fill that box with limitless resources. We can squat, sit up, burpee, and jump rope anywhere. We will visit our friends around NYC and pick things up and put them down. Nick and I have plenty of places to get sweaty.
Last weekend, I had a moment, similar to the day of my friend Tomy's birthday. I looked around while at the Pump Games and realized how much our family had grown in the last three years. Our friends wore shirts from Virtuosity, Dynamix, Poughkeepsie CrossFit (Nick's brother's box), Brick NY, Black Box, and Reebok CrossFit 5th Ave. We spent time talking to owners and employees at Kettle Bell Kitchen, Tea-Rex Paleo Cookies, NYC Affilitate League, Afro Brutality, and Lurong Living. I massaged sore shoulders and forearms. I tended to wounds after ripping on pull ups. Some of the people were not my friends six months ago, some not the week before. However, we came together to cheer on the competitors, talk strategy, and peel those that couldn't do it themselves off the ground after a WOD.
This weekend solidified that feeling, but closer to home. Nick and I had the pleasure of supporting Lift4Lymph, a WOD to benefit the Lymphatic Research Foundation. This event is the brain child of one of my closest friend's Mamie Frank. She brought a few close friends together that had the know-how to put on a successful fundraising event, year after year. In addition, Lift4Lymph did something else yesterday. It knocked the walls down at CrossFit Queens. We had over seven boxes represented at L4L, rival gyms, former CFQ members, our friends from the far West (a little town called Manhattan). They all came to support this cause, a cause that is very close to my heart, because my friend Mamie suffers from this chronic disease and I don't want her to suffer ever. There were some people missing, the people that couldn't break down their own walls. They could not look past their personal issues to see the beauty, but that was their loss. They may be a part of CrossFit Queens, but they are not a part of my Community.
After being informed that Nick was fired immediately following this very successful event, our Community shared new opportunities, they gave really great hugs, and words of support. Nick and I left the after party feeling confident that our box without walls, a floor, or a roof, did indeed have a safety net.
