PUKIE

Results are in from the Second Annual 2009 Pukie Awards Fight Gone Bad IV Film Fest!

Submissions were off the hook this year. Thank you to all video entries and voters. Every video showed tremendous effort, creativity and skill. If you keep this up, we may have to create more categories next year! Big props to each of you!

Videos were judged on a combination of public appeal and a panel of CrossFit Judges. Winners will be notified directly. 1st Place will be sent the coveted Pukie Award Trophy and Apple iPod. Runner-Up will receive the Pukie Plaque.

WINNERS:

Best Video:
CrossFit CFT (Nashville, TN)
watch video

Runner Up:
SLC (Midvale, UT)
watch video

Best Soundtrack:
CrossFit Central (Austin, TX)
(Kudos to the editor)
watch video

Runner Up:
Guerilla Fitness (NJ)
watch video

Honorable Mention:
Bryan Kemper of CrossFit Alaska
watch video

Bryan Kemper, member of Team Crossfit Alaska, is currently deployed to
Joint Base Balad, Iraq, and decided to complete Fight Gone Bad wearing
his body armor in support of the cause. His video was taken with a
Blackberry Pearl smartphone.

2008 Winner Best Video: JoGo/CrossFit Bellingham WA: watch video

To see all 2009 submissions: click here

Thank you, and we’ll see you next year!

As the clock struck 5pm on Monday, CrossFit Culver City and Guerrilla Fitness were neck and neck vying for the highest fundraising FGB IV affiliate with more than 26 members. Donations were flying in and it was too close to call. When the dust settled, it was clear we had made FGB history. The winner was… a TIE. CrossFit Culver City and Guerrilla CrossFit will both be the recipients of a $5000 Rogue Fitness package!

National Grand Prize: A $5000 Rogue Fitness Package and a Concept 2 Rower

26> *TIED* $53,449 CrossFit Culver City – 98 members – Culver City CA AND Guerrilla Fitness – 61 members – Montclair NJ
25< CrossFit KMSF – $14,669 – 16 members – San Bruno CA

Regional Awards:
The highest fundraising affiliates in each division receive a Regional Traveling Trophy, engraved with their affiliate name and year awarded.

NorthWest:
26> Jogo CrossFit Bellingham – $5090 – 36 members – Bellingham WA
25< CrossFit Alaska – $8902 – 24 members – Anchorage AK

NorCal:
26> CrossFit Los Altos – $24,669 – 71 members – Los Altos CA
25< LaLanne Fitness/Powered by CrossFit – $7275 – 25 members – San Francisco CA

SoCal:
26> CrossFit Los Angeles – $31,620 – 71 members -Los Angeles CA
25< Oceanside CrossFit – $10,874 – 24 members – Oceanside CA

Great Basin:
26> CrossFit Las Vegas – $4989 – 36 members – Las Vegas NV
25< CrossFit Albuquerque – $3525 – 17 members – Albuquerque NM

Rocky Mountain:
26> Windy City CrossFit – $20,457 – 57 members – Chicago IL
25< Bulldog CrossFit – $4060 – 15 members – Oak Park IL

Hell’s Half Acre:
26> CrossFit Central – $34480- 152 members – Austin TX
25< CrossFit Cedar Park – $7322 – 20 members – Cedar Park TX

MidWest:
26> Forged Fitness – $29,269 – 114 members – Raleigh NC
25< CrossFit Louisville East – $3745 – 21 members – Louisville KY

NorthEast:
26> CrossFit South Brooklyn – $27,631 – 57 members – Brooklyn NY
25< CrossFit NYC – $5662 – 25 members – New York NY

Mid-Atlantic:
26> Crossfit OldTown – $21,083 – 68 members – Alexandria VA
25< CrossFit Spotsy – $7657 – 25 members – Fredericksburg VA

Dirty South:
26> CrossFit Hyperformance – $13,737 – 54 members – Savannah GA
25< Harbor City CrossFit – $4610 – 21 members – Harbor City FL

Canada West:
26> CrossFit Edmonton – $6110 – 26 members – St. Albert AB
25< CrossFit Calgary – $7640 – 20 members – Calgary AB

Canada East:
26> N/A
25< CrossFit Fredericton – $4332 – 25 members – Frederiction NB

We wanna get your tees to you ASAP, so here’s how it works:

1. Anyone who raised $150 or more by 5pm PST Tuesday, September 29 qualified for the official Forged Fight Gone Bad IV Tee. To qualify, we must have RECEIVED your $150.

3. Your size and style (male cut, female cut) is whatever you entered on the registration form. This can not be changed once the order has been placed. We do not order extras. We do not accept returns.

4. Tees will be arriving to you in approximately 7-8 weeks.

5. We will organize all tees into AFFILIATE boxes. We will ship out your tee to your TEAM CAPTAIN, clearly marked by name. Your Team Captain will be responsible for handing them out. [We suggest having a big ol' post-event party, show pics, have some food...]

Thank you to Forged for designing and producing this year’s tee! Hottest event tee ever!

Thank You From The Marines In Iraq

This is from a friend of ours who got permission for us to publish…..in case anyone was wondering what the hell we’re doing this for.

“My name is LtCol Sarah Deal. I am currently writing to you from Iraq where I am serving my second tour. As a CH-53E pilot for the Marines, my job involves carrying wounded soldiers to aid, so I see first hand the need for the Wounded Warrior Project.

I have 3 young sons and a husband at home. Some days, a word from home or a video is what gets us all through the hard stuff. And knowing about events like Fight Gone Bad makes us feel like we’re not forgotten about out here. I thank you very much. There are so many kids putting their lives on the line out here. The wounded need to know that there is support for them and that there can be life
after injury.

You have a great cause and I appreciate that you are doing it. I am sorry I can’t be there to cheer you on in person, but we’ll all be thinking about you on Saturday, watching on our terrible internet service, and know that we are grateful for your service and support and you are helping to put a smile on our faces. I just celebrated my 40th birthday on the 15th, and I consider it a birthday gift from all of you to me and the guys.”

———————

Sarah Deal Burrow is the first female Marine helicopter pilot. She graduated from Kent State University with a pilot’s license and a degree in aerospace flight technology. After Officer Candidates School, Burrow wanted to fly. With no female pilot roles at the time, however, she specialized in Air Traffic Control instead.

Burrow’s desire to fly was fulfilled when women were permitted to fly combat aircraft in 1993. She trained at Naval Air Station Pensacola and earned her wings on April 21, 1995. Lieutenant Colonel Burrow piloted a CH-53E Super Stallion heavy lift helicopter that same year.

Lt Col Burrow’s determination to become an aviator led the way for future female Marine Corps pilots.

http://officer.marines.com/marine/winning_battles/marine_corps_history/sarah_deal_burrow

Paleolicious: A Paleo Inspired Cookbook
Source: www.vimeo.com
Order your cookbook here: http://sites.google.com/site/paleopantry/home

All proceeds go toward the Wounded Warrior Foundation, and Athletes for a Cure.

All thanks to Erica Saint-Clair from CrossFit Boston. 131 sold and $1700 raised so far.

Steve Fitz

Congratulations Steve! All of us are behind you and tour dad.

For the past 18 months my father has been battling four different types of cancer. It has been a harrowing experience searching for the positive, only to find more bad news at each and every turn.  Just last week he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer the fourth unrelated and unique cancer in his body.  No matter how horrible the news, he has been a fighter, running 5k’s, working out and tackling the cancers that have stricken him.  He has been an inspiration to me and many around him. In life we face roadblocks and setbacks, but how we approach them is how we learn and get better at what we do.

The first cancer my dad contracted was prostrate cancer, which is the second leading cancer death among men.  The American Cancer Society estimates that 27,360 men in the United States will die of prostate cancer in 2009.  One of the biggest challenges around prostrate cancer is creating awareness and helping the medical community find better ways for early diagnosis and treatment.

In the spirit of fighting back and supporting my father’s ongoing battle, my eldest son (Kyle) and I have decided to raise money via an event called;  Fight Gone Bad which takes place on September 26th.   Fight Gone Bad (FGB) is in its fourth year and is a one day event to raise both awareness and money for the battle against prostate cancer.  In its first three years FGB has raised over $1.3 million for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

If you read this post and want to lend a little support, yu can find my fundraising page by going to http://fgb4.org.

Matt & Friends

When we told Matt he’d won a pair of Special Edition FGB IV Oakleys for being the top fundraiser of the day, he didn’t even know there was an award. Those are the one’s that make Bobbi smile on the way to the post office. To see a photo of Matt and two of his best friends, read on.

If one more person emails us from their iPhone to tell us that they’d feel bad asking their friends to donate this year  because of “the economy,” there’s a real danger of someone at Sportsgrants going completely postal.

If one more person who is fortunate enough to be living through this downturn without a serious life change, tells one more of our friends at other foundations who are trying to help people who are actually getting crushed, they’re going to “cut back on their giving this year,” I can’t be responsible for the outcome.

In order to diffuse this potential catastrophe we’ve compiled our, “Top Ten Reasons Why It’s Not The Economy Stupid.”

#1 If you spend more than $30 a week on coffee…“It’s not the economy stupid.”

#2 If you participate in more than three sports regularly that require helmets…“It’s not the economy stupid.”

#3 If you’re driving anything made in Germany…“It’s not the economy stupid.”

#4 If you buy a new bike made out of anything but steel this year…“It’s not the economy stupid.”

#5 If you’re competing in a major marathon not within driving distance this year…“It’s not the economy stupid.”

#6 If you buy anything made by Apple this year…“It’s not the economy stupid.”

#7 If your monthly gym membership and/or classes cost more than your cleaning person takes home in a month,….“It’s not the economy stupid.”

#8 If you had health insurance when you went to the ER…“It’s not the economy stupid.”

#9 If all of your parts are working, your bills are paid and you’re one of the 11 million people who will spend more than $1000 to compete in one or more endurance events this year….“It’s not the economy stupid.”

#10 If you can answer “yes” to any of the above, and you’re not raising $150 for charity this year….“It’s not the economy stupid.”

MailChimp

17 Days left until FGB IV. Every year this is where the fun really begins. Fun for us, not so fun for the guys at Walter Reed and the Mayo Clinic wondering if we’re going to come through with the $1.2 million all of us have been talking about since December.

This is a pretty unique solution to emailing your friends, family and anyone in your contact list. It’s being used by more than a few Crossfitter’s who’ve raised more than $1000 so far.

You can sign on to MailChimp for a 30 day free trial, upload every contact you have, and hit them all with your fundraising link in a cool email format with one click. The whole thing takes about 10 minutes to set up and run. No credit cards, no contracts, just a real free trial.

To sign up go to: http://www.mailchimp.com/signup

For more info: http://www.crossfitotr.com

An Accidental Athlete

I didn’t know I was an athlete. Sometimes I still am amused by it. People I haven’t seen in a few years aren’t quite sure what to make of it. The beauty of having goals sometimes isn’t so much in ever achieving them, but rather the unexpected twists that arise on the path.

February 10th of this year marked a special anniversary for me. That date signified the completion of two years of CrossFit training. Maybe that sounds funny. It’s just a gym, after all.

But it’s not.

I remember being active as a child. I was on the soccer team and the softball team, but I was never that great. Nobody ever got excited when it was my turn to bat. I was active, but I never excelled. For me, childhood, high school and college were all about the arts. I didn’t understand the beauty in athletics. I wanted to make music, to sculpt and paint, write and make movies. Exercise was something horrible and rarely done.

Ten years ago I moved to Los Angeles. I had plans to be an Academy Award winning feature film editor. While attending USC, I worked on a documentary that sparked something inside me. It was called “Judy’s Time” and was about a fifty-something year old woman who decided one day she wanted to be a tri-athlete. She wasn’t a runner or an athlete, she just had a dream. That first day she ran around the block. The next day she ran a little further. Eventually she dominated her age division, and even beat some of the younger men.

Then, one day, out on a training ride, she was hit by an under-aged driver and killed.

It was her daughter I was working for on the documentary, and I was moved by the dedication and the dream that her mother, Judy, had and shared with everyone around her.

I thought I would try to be a runner, too. Two days into my plan, my shins hurt so badly I could barely walk. After that I stuck to the rowing machine and the stationary bikes. Those get boring quickly. I never even ventured into the weight room. I didn’t know what to do with anything in there. There was a lot of grunting and strange machines.

I decided I just wasn’t very good at working out on my own.

I signed up for martial arts. I figured if I had someone telling me what to do, I’d do it. I learned how to stick fight on the Santa Monica Beach. I began to understand the elation that comes from sweat on your skin, sand stuck to your face, and exhaustion in your muscles.

Our class only met once a week, and I was hooked. I wanted more. I began to study other arts, and eventually found my way to Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I began to feel a sense of pride in doing a physical feat well. I began to understand the draw of competition.

My first grappling tournament, I went to shake my opponent’s hand and I thought she was going to crush my fingers. I could see the definition in her arm muscles through her rash-guard. I need to get stronger if I’m going to do this, I thought.

A teammate in Jiu-Jitsu told me about CrossFit and their website. He said they posted daily workouts for free and he sometimes did them. I went to the site. I didn’t know what most of the words meant. The things I did recognize, I either didn’t have the equipment for or I was pretty sure I would behead myself if I tried them on my own.

I noticed a list of affiliates and couldn’t believe my luck that there was one in Santa Monica – Petranek Fitness. I put the address in MapQuest. It was only a couple miles from my home.

I emailed the gym and went to a class two days later. Thursday evening, February 10th, 2005. We did a workout called the “Jackie.” 1000m row, 50 thrusters, and 30 pullups. I kept a journal from that very first day. I knew I loved it. Something in me knew it’s what I needed. Andy, the owner, had a great energy and brightness and I trusted him immediately to guide me.

But regarding that first workout – thrusters are a squat where you have dumbbells at your shoulders, and as you explode upwards in your squat you thrust the dumbbells over head. My journal says I did 15lbs on the thrusters – that’s 15lbs total, not 15lbs added to a bar, or two 15lb dumbbells. And on the pullups I used the thickest rubber band we had to assist me in doing them. I couldn’t do a single pull-up on my own.

I spent most of the next day trying to figure out how to get down my stairs without actually bending my legs.

Training at Petranek Fitness was not really in my budget. For me at that time, it was expensive. I made a deal with myself. I would quit drinking Diet Rockstar (a ten dollar a day habit at that point) and the saved money would pay for CrossFit.

I didn’t stay off the Rockstar long, but I stayed at Petranek.

Very quickly I discovered an amazing community at the gym. We cheered for each other. We raced each other. We pushed each other. We helped each other up off the floor. There is something about going through a painful and difficult experience with a group of people that bonds you to them. You don’t even have to talk about it. You know that they know.

A little over two years later and I do 65lb thrusters on the workouts that require them, and I can do twenty pullups straight with no assistance.

I’m aiming for 25 very soon.

Just recently, the gym had an open house event. It was a boisterous celebration, with students attempting all sorts of activities and personal records.

Towards the end of the event, Andy made a special presentation. I was sitting there on the floor, listening, feeling relieved the day had gone well, when I realized he was speaking about me. He tells his version of my first day at CrossFit. That I showed up in my Full Contact Fighter hoodie and my big bag of gear. That he wasn’t quite sure what to make of me. Except that I kept coming back.

“You are the living breathing example of what hard work, persistence and ‘just showing up’ will do. Your dedication and commitment are inspiring.!”

Those were the words etched into the metal. I was so touched Andy did that for me – that he said that about me. There’s not really a similar feeling to having a coach and mentor express those things to you.

I accepted the plaque from him, but I didn’t have the words to thank him. To tell him that gym, that place, is something I look forward to being in every single day. I have never been involved with a more positive and more driven group of people. I wanted to tell everybody there that each and every one of them was important to me as part of that community.

But I couldn’t say any of that; I just tried not to cry.

Somewhere along the last two years, I started teaching at the gym. I went to a CrossFit Certification and discovered that the larger CrossFit family was very similar to ours at Petranek. It was information and coaching and chaos and energy. It felt good.

I wanted to share with other people what I had learned – what I had learned about myself and what I knew about them. We can do more than we think. We have things inside us we have not discovered. Being involved with CrossFit, Petranek Fitness, and our family at the gym has opened up my mind, my body and my life to things well beyond the gym walls. I feel as if I have been given the biggest and best gift of my life and I want to give it back to everyone around me.

People talk about the necessity of possessing an open mind. But what about having an open mind regarding you? How often do you tell yourself you can’t do things? How have you defined yourself, and therefore limited your possibilities?

I never knew I was an athlete. It was an accidental discovery. I had no idea of what I was capable, and I’m positive that most other people don’t know what they are capable of either.

WODWED

This week it’s Men 20-30 yrs old and Women 30-40 yrs old fighting it out in the two divisions in the Wednesday WOD on www.crossfit.com. As always, on the honor code.

Highest score/best time for the Wednesday WOD in each divisions wins.

The RULES:
- To be eligible all entrants must be registered for FGB IV and have raised a minimum of $50.
- Times/Scores must be posted in comments at www.crossfit.com AND here on the WODWED post: http://www.fgb4.org/2009/08/25/wodwed-rules/
- Include your name, age, score/time and gender when you post.
- This week’s award is a a Forged t-shirt. www.forged.com
- Style subject to availability.
- Winner will be notified by email

With only SEVEN days left in the month of August, we thought you might like to see the numbers. By the end of last August, 68 teams raised $103,163… while this year, over 4 TIMES that number of teams have raised $150,150 to date. Cancer isn’t waiting, and sure as hell our troops aren’t waiting, are we?

August 31, 2008
891 Participants
68 Teams
$103,163

August 24, 2009
1905 Participants
308 Teams
$150,150.00

The Challenge:

Our goal is to show the world we mean business by raising a minimum of $250,000 before Sept 1.  We have SEVEN days to reach this number.  Stats would indicate that if we are able to raise this amount, we will be well on our way to reaching our $1 million goal by September 26th.  And that’s the number.

Get ‘er Dun!

Last year’s Matching Grant Challenge was an extraordinary success. That’s why The Safeway Foundation is offering its $1 Million Matching Grant Challenge again in 2008.

The Safeway Foundation promises to match gifts from generous friends like you, dollar for dollar — up to $1 million. That means $2 million more for groundbreaking prostate cancer research.

In other words, every dollar you send will double in impact. Your gift will go twice as far to find better treatments and a cure for this deadly disease.

Safeway and its family of companies (which includes CARRS, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb and Vons) and The Safeway Foundation are among our most important and devoted partners in the fight against prostate cancer.

That’s because they understand that nearly every major breakthrough in the war on prostate cancer started with funding from the PCF.

Millions of men — husbands, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, friends — are counting on us. And you.

Please donate today to invest in lifesaving research. Your investment will mean hope for the 2 million men battling this terrible disease today.

Please take advantage of this generous Matching Grant Challenge. You have the chance to dramatically increase our funding. That means we can move more quickly toward finding better treatments and even a cure.

The event was open for public viewing, so family and friends could see why CrossFit is “the principal strength and conditioning program used by Fire Departments, Police Academies, Tactical Operations teams, Military Special Operations teams, and hundreds of elite and professional athletes.” It was also to support a great local cause, because all proceeds (over $1,500) went to benefit the Northwest Burn Foundation programs and services.

The Competitors

There were firefighters from Central Kitsap, Central Pierce and Eastside Fire & Rescue, as well as the Fire Departments in Bellevue, Bothell, Kent, Kirkland, North Olympia, Northshore, Redmond, Seattle, South Kitsap and Woodinville. There were police from Redmond and Seattle. And there were military personnel from the U.S. Navy, along with Federal Agents from Naval Criminal Investigation Service and Treasury Department IRS – Criminal Investigation.

“We’re excited to see more police and military participation this year,” — Kelly McHugh of Northwest Burn Foundation.

She says, “My happy weight changes. Sometimes I eat more, sometimes I play more. I’ll be different sizes all the time. “When people talk about my weight, I’m like, ‘You seem to have a problem with it’; I don’t. I’m fine! I’ve never felt uncomfortable on the red carpet or anything.”

The American Idol winner has now embarked on CrossFit, a cardio and strength training program, because it gives her so much more energy when she’s performing. She says, “I love it! It’s like boot camp. You never work out more than 35 minutes, but it’s so intense. You do things like box jumps, then 50 sit-ups, then 50 squats and then running.

“Me, my backup singers and my hair-and-make-up girl do it together. They laugh at me, because most of the time they’re like, ‘Oh, my God, I don’t want to go,’ and I’m the one saying, ‘I’m ready!’. It makes me feel like GI Jane. It’s very empowering. I feel like I can whup ass and in my shows, everybody has noticed. They’re like, ‘Dude, you have 100 per cent more energy!’”