January Newsletter

January Newsletter - CrossFit Fringe - Columbia MO

Happy 2018!

We are so excited for the January Newsletter because we already have so many things in the works! We have a TON going on in these first few months, so make sure you read all the way down!

There is still time to fill out our 2018 Annual Member Survey!

We wanted to start by saying thank you to everyone who has already taken the time to fill out the Annual Survey (it’s open through January 8). We take that feedback very seriously in shaping our decisions and priorities for each year, and we’re already putting it to work as you’ll see in this issue. There’s still time to fill out the survey, so help us plan our year by filling it out!

Follow this link to complete the survey: https://goo.gl/forms/QQ1EJVbWgpCMab0k1

Starting January 1: Now with Two Locations — For Everyone

Having two locations makes us a unique gym in the area and one of the goals we worked toward last year was making a single back-end structure possible so that we’d be able to offer the full benefit of having two locations to everyone! That time is NOW! Get excited!

Beginning January 1st all members of CrossFit Fringe will have access to both locations. Any class, any location, anytime. Things we are going to need your help with as we transition is making sure you are reserving classes in advance. With the ability to jump back and forth between gyms depending on how you feel and what your schedule allows for – it means class sizes may be in flux as people try new classes and class caps may have to be implemented. But we hope this will allow you added convenience moving forward as we continue to make additional changes to add more class and weekend Open Gym time! Keep reading!

Remember PushPress now has an easy to app for your smartphone that makes the process of reserving classes as simple as a click. Check iTunes or your app store and download!

Starting February 5: More Classes and Open Gym

To coincide with having access to two locations, we wanted to expand the class offerings and access to Open Gym as well. Many of your survey responses said you wanted more open gym time on the weekends and that you’d like to see more options during the week — done and DONE.

We know our West location tends to be the morning crew and busier earlier in the day, while our East location tends to be busy later in the day. Keeping those things in mind we came up with the following:

Starting February 5th our NEW schedule will be:

West

  • Mornings: Monday-Friday same hours
  • Evenings: Classes will shift 30 mins back and begin at 4:00/5:00/6:00 pm Monday – Thursday; Friday 4:00/5:00 pm
  • Saturday: 9 am class, with Open Gym staying 10:30 am -12:30 pm.
  • Sunday: 10:30 am -12:30 pm Open Gym (to match Saturday)

East

  • Mornings: Monday-Friday same hours
  • Evenings: 4:30/5:30/6:30 pm MTWF remain the same. On Thursday will only have 4:30/5:30 pm classes to accommodate a growing CrossFit Kids Class
  • Saturday: 11:30 am class, with Open Gym hours from 1:00-3:00 pm.
  • Sunday: 1:00-3:00 pm Open Gym (to match Saturday)

East will be canceling the Thursday 6:30 pm class moving forward to give our Kids program a chance to grow and develop further; and the Kids classes will shift back to a starting time of 6:30 pm on Thursdays to no longer overlap with our adult classes. There are no changes to the Sunday CrossFit Kids classes.

Starting March 1: Rate Increase

With these changes and more in the works, we will be instituting a very slight rate increase of $5.00 per month beginning March 1. As much as we hate to talk about money, we know many of you like to plan ahead and some of that planning is creating a budget for 2018. The additional adjustments outlined below won’t go into effect until March 1.

  • On March 1, all “special case” discounts will also end. As of March 1, there will be no more grandfathered rates or discounts.
  • To help ease the transition, we are offering a one-time prepayment option that will allow you to prepay for up to three months at the current rate. The payment in full for three months is due on or before March 1.
  • We will move to a flat rate for married couples, students, and first responders.
  • For our corporate partners we have created a discount on our CrossFit Elements program. This is an option for those new to CrossFit and new to CrossFit Fringe.
  • We are also working to expand our influence with other healthcare providers, most recently UHC as well as others, so that you may potentially be reimbursed for part of your membership through your healthcare for doing what you’re already doing and attending classes.

As I said, I don’t like talking money. I dislike it so much that we haven’t increased rates at CrossFit Fringe since 2013 when we first formed the revised affiliate. And we have come so far since then. What started in a storage unit with one bathroom with a broken lock and no showers or mirrors, to two top-of-the-line facilities with more than double the staff. We now have some of the most devoted and knowledgeable coaches in the region. We’ve evolved on an unprecedented scale for CrossFit and that is because of you.

I don’t want that momentum to lapse. I have big goals and desires for Fringe moving forward. From equipment to expanding square footage, to being able to help our staff continue to work on their education with certifications and seminars, I’m committed to making your experience unparalleled and ensuring you have the expertise and results you deserve.

I’m really excited about kicking off these first few months with two locations for all members, several new equipment upgrades, the kick-off of our annual Whole30/Nutrition Challenge (complete this year with InBody measurements for greater accuracy), and the newest iteration of our Intramural Outlier Open with more participants than ever! And that just brings us to March.

Thank you sincerely for allowing me to live out my dream and continue to create opportunities for full-time coaches and to be involved in your fitness and wellness journey! If you have questions about this or anything else about our community, please email me directly at [email protected]. Hearing from our community is the highlight of my day and I take each of your notes to heart. I really am grateful for each one of you.

Equipment Additions and Facility Updates – Ongoing through March

  • New plyo boxes, both 20x24x30” as well as smaller size of 12x16x20”
  • More low pull-up bars to continue working on pull-up progressions and BarMU progressions
  • Added med balls, lighter weights
  • Added dumbbells in preparation for the Open
  • Added ropes for climbing/pulling work
  • 4-5 new air bikes!
  • Biggest yet! Construction beginning on new, bigger outbuilding at Fringe East (late spring/early summer!)

As always, we are constantly working to update, fix and improve both our facilities! West has already had both heat and AC looked into and fixed (while a little chilly still, the heaters haven’t turned off in a month!). Flooring fixes are also in the works to remove the holes at West. East recently updated the front desk area to better help fill our members’ needs and make check-ins easier, and work will continue to make better use of the basement. There will also be lots of paint touch-ups coming!

The Nutrition Challenge kicks off January 8

If you’re like me, you had the thought immediately after your fifth holiday meal of “I can’t wait to be done eating.” That usually signals to me that our Annual Nutrition Challenge is near and more than necessary!

The 2018 Nutrition Challenge will be our BEST yet!

The Nutrition Challenge starts with our Kick-off Meeting on January 6 at 10:30 a.m. at Fringe West. During this meeting, we will discuss all the specifics of the challenge options and answer all your questions.

The Challenge itself begins January 8. You have three ways to participate in the challenge and can choose the one that works best for you! All options are a part of a 30-day nutrition challenge that prioritizes healthy eating and better habits. You will make it your goal to eat lean meats, plenty of veggies, some fruit and good fats. While dedicating 30 days toward resetting your digestive system is a good start, we believe that the best results will come from longer dedication, as well as learning what personally works for you and your long-term goals through continued experimentation.

This year we’re adding the option that rather than tape-measurements, you can get an InBody Scan courtesy of Nutrishop! These results are highly accurate, work better than our previous measuring tape efforts since they take user error out, and allow us to delve much deeper into how you’ve done on your challenge. Hopefully, you all know there’s a lot more than meets the eye when we are talking about body weight! Making use of the InBody scan, we will be able to have a better of idea of your body mass divided into fat mass and fat-free mass. These two categories can change significantly in a short amount of time and the scale may not change much at all. Using the InBody is a great tool for you to see real metrics, to better understand your body, and to celebrate changes you have going on even when you don’t see them on the scale.

On top of that, we are working with a local restaurateur, Matt Jenne of Addison’s & Sophia’s, to offer a different Whole30 compliant menu item each week. This year we are really stepping up our dynamics and trying to set everyone up for the highest level of success ever, while also trying to make compliance easier for you all to maintain.

You can get all the details about the Nutrition Challenge in our very thorough blog post!

Fringe Vitality adding another day

Beginning February 5th, we will be changing the start time for our Vitality program to 10:15 am. Our home base will remain at the West location. Additionally, we are adding yet another class for Vitality members, now offering them a 3-day per week membership option to continue to improve their fitness and work towards their goals. Class offerings will be Monday-Thursday at 10:15 am.

Haven’t heard of Vitality?
Fringe Vitality, our newest class offering, is specifically for older adults, ages 50+. In addition to increased metabolic and cardiovascular fitness, this program will offer athletes a focus on improving mobility, balance, agility, strength, and confidence in all daily activities. This class may also appeal to those who are severely deconditioned and feel they need more of a learning curve before starting regular CrossFit classes.

While there is no specific age limit for this program, we think it may appeal to those athletes who find themselves well into adulthood without previous sport or exercise experience.

Spread the word! Tell your family, colleagues, and friends about this new Fringe fitness opportunity – especially as we approach all those New Year’s Resolutions! If you have questions about Vitality, you can email [email protected] or use the button below!

Too many toys around after the holidays? Consider helping us refresh the Childcare rooms!

If you are like us, you have so many toys laying around they are creeping up the walls. And the thought of more finding their way to your home is terrifying. If you are looking to thin the herd after the holidays, consider helping us refresh the childcare rooms with more books and toys to entertain the kiddos while you train! If you’d like to help us out and have toys to donate, just drop us a line at [email protected]!

Congratulations to our newly engaged Coach and Owner!

Congratulations to our newly engaged staff!

Over the Christmas holiday, our staff saw TWO engagements! Congratulations to Erica Hopkins and Austin Crane, and our fearless leader Tyler Lasley and Shannon Hempstead!

Coach Liz completes her CF-L2 Seminar

Over the Christmas holiday, Coach Liz piled her kiddos in the car, drove to Georgia and completed her CrossFit Level 2 Seminar. We don’t know if we’re more proud of her accomplishing the seminar or impressed at her doing it with her kids along for the ride — Definitely both! Coach Liz plays a huge role in our Fringe Vitality program, and we can’t wait to see her newly acquired expertise and skills at work! Congratulations Liz!

In case you are keeping count, we now have THIRTEEN CF-L2 Trainers!

Upcoming Events

FROM THE QUESTION/COMMENT BOX

Question: Why is Whole30 good for a Nutrition Challenge but not a sustainable lifestyle?

Hitting the reset button in real life rarely is achievable — but we feel like 30 days of trying and committing to something new and difficult can often be the kickstart needed for great strides in understanding ourselves, how our bodies react (to eating), and how we can create better habits.

While the Whole30 is not a magic bullet, it can act as a bit of a hard reset for our bodies. When we have to consciously examine everything we put into our bodies, we discover a much deeper understanding our relationship with food and how it works for or even against us. The Whole30 does a great job of exposing food issues we may have and how important properly fueling our bodies really is. We see habits change, how our emotions play into our eating (especially around that one week mark), how our workouts change based on our nutrition and how our overall mood and appearance can change simply from what we put into ourselves! Like nearly everything we provide you at CrossFit Fringe, Whole30 is a tool. It is not an end, but a process and a beginning with plenty of support before, during and after.

The best diet out there is the one that you can maintain and sustain. We firmly believe in the value of Whole30, but we don’t view it as something that will sustain the majority of our members forever. Therefore, we use the program as another tool to get you further along your journey to health, wellness and fitness.

COACH FEATURE: ERICA HOPKINS

How did you find CrossFit? What was your impression when you first walked in the door?

Erica and the crew after “Murph” in 2012

I found Crossfit via a Groupon back in July of 2011. I was using the Nike Training App at the time but was looking for something more. After my test out with Nate Bacott I realized how out of shape I really was and that I pretty much sucked at CrossFfit…which kept me coming back for more.

What was your feeling after your very first CrossFit workout?

After my very first workout, I thought “I’m not sure I will survive many more workouts”. With soccer being the sport I played from 13 to 20, nothing quite prepared me for constantly varied, high-intensity functional movements.

What was your first big memorable achievement?

I think it may be a tie between finally getting over my box jump fear and hitting a 20” box jump and my first strict pull up.

Having been around this box since nearly the beginning, what memory stands out the most?

When I first began in 2011, CrossFit was still so new that I pretty much got 1 on 1 sessions almost every time I went to class (there was no Elements Program, you just learned as you went). Nate helped me so much in the beginning and I am forever grateful for that. But mostly, I’ve got to experience our Crossfit community grow over almost 7 years and I’ve met some awesome people and made great friends.

How has your approach to CrossFit changed since first starting?

My approach to CrossFit has evolved over the years as I’ve aged and gotten stronger. From learning the basics to now, getting to help people learn the basics, it has come full circle. At 38, I am now less concerned with the competitive aspects of the sport and more concerned with technique and being a more well-rounded athlete. Every year my focus changes a bit.

How did you choose Pharmacy as a career?

Erica Hopkins, just your friendly neighborhood pharmacist.

As a biochem major in my undergrad, I knew I wanted to pursue a science-minded career, but wasn’t interested in becoming an MD. A family friend suggested I look into a pharmacy program, which actually had just about everything I was looking for in a career: science and helping people. Ten years later and I still love it! My motto is “I want to put the Phun back in Pharmacy”

And you are newly engaged!? How did Austin pop the question?

I was completely surprised this Christmas as I thought I was getting a squat rack, but when Austin went into the laundry room to get my gift I knew something was up. It was simple and sweet with just the two of us as he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I, being the goofball I am and in complete shock, kept saying “Are you joking!?”

What are your goals for 2018?

Learn pistols, get my nutrition back on track, and coach as much as possible.

Okay, lightning round!

  • Favorite food? Mexican or pizza
  • Favorite workout? Anything with power cleans
  • Least favorite? Anything with OHS
  • Favorite place in the world that you have been too? Disney World
  • Dream destination? Bora Bora
  • Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Competing in some comps as a masters athlete, still coaching, and livin’ the dream.

Have an amazing month of love, lifts, and GAINS! As always, if you need anything, you can reach out to us on social media, or email [email protected].