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The BASE CAMP graduates from July & August!
Not familiar with someone's name or have yet to meet one of our amazing new athletes? Make sure to introduce yourself and make them feel at home!
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Starke hosted our first ever STARKE GAMES! Not only did we have some great competitors come out from local CrossFit gyms and even a few from Ontario, but the weather was perfect!
The day started out with a swimming challenge at East Kildonan Pool and ended with a modified version of "Hercules". All the athletes were great sports throughout the entire day working their butts off and annihilating every workout handed to them. Not only did they trek through all their own workouts, but they took the time to motivate and cheer all other competitors on and THAT'S what the CrossFit community is all about. That's what Starke LOVES about this community!
We definitely could not have done this without the volunteers, judges, and athletes! Thank you so much for your support and dedication and we cannot WAIT for next years event. Book it in your calendars now ladies and gents...August 6th (and maybe even 7th), 2016.
Are you Starke?!
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Everyone did "ADAM" this month...A workout dedicated to Adam as he had decided to leave us to go live with his fiancee in Toronto (for those of you whose minds were in the gutter). I suppose we can accept the fact that Adam wanted to be with his lady, but we will miss the little bugger and will always have open arms for him whenever he wants to visit!
For those of you who may have missed our "Adam" video where we shared how it was to do adam, check it out here: https://youtu.be/ooo7GZnSPYk
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RIDING MOUNTAIN TRIATHLON
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Starke had five athletes compete in this years Riding Mountain Triathlon. Huge congrats to you guys for the drive it takes to compete in such an event and especially in the humid and challenging weekend that presented itself to you.
The beasts who competed were:
Paul Dyck
Lorrie Gren
Cathey Gornik
Caitlin Ring
Nicole Lester
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WHAT'S COMING UP?!
Questions? Concerns? Interested in signing up for any events?
Contact cat@starkestrength.com today!
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BASE CAMP
Our next BASE CAMP class starts on September 1, 2015. This will be a 90 minute class for four weeks every Tuesday and Thursday evening at 7:30PM for $150.
If you know of someone who's interested, get them to pop in for their free class and have them sign up for Base Camp!
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CLEAN EATING CHALLENGE
Our Clean Eating and 60 Day Challenge has been postponed. We will host our CLEAN EATING WORKSHOP on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 at 7:30PM. Please ensure you're available to attend this workshop as we will be doing all weigh ins and measurements.
There are three options to choose from:
- 4 WEEK CLEAN EATING CHALLENGE: Registration will be $100 (incl. Clean Eating Workshop, measurements, weigh ins, evaluations, feedback and recommendations with Lorrie Gren once a week for 4 weeks, 60 Day Challenge registration)
- 8 WEEK CLEAN EATING CHALLENGE: Registration will be $150 (incl. Clean Eating Workshop, measurements, weigh ins, evaluations, feedback and recommendations with Lorrie Gren once a week for 8 weeks, 60 Day Challenge registration)
- 60 DAY CHALLENGE: Registration will be $40 (incl. Clean Eating Workshop, measurements, weigh ins, 60 Day Challenge registration)
*Those of you who have already registered will be honoured through to September 30th, those who have yet to register please do so at your earliest convenience so that moving forward should we have any updates or information to provide to you we know who to contact. Thank you!
PRIZE INCENTIVES!!!
1st Place: $200
2nd Place: $100
3rd Place: $50
(*based on body weight percentage lost)
Changemaker: $150
(*based on the top individual who demonstrated Clean Eating for the full 60 Days)
*incentives noted above are in effect with minimum 15 registrants in total
*individuals can qualify for both body weight percentage prize incentives as well as the Changemaker incentive
Contact cat@starkestrength.com
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BRIDGE CITY BEATDOWN
Wish our teams GOOD LUCK as they head out to our first ever Bridge City Beatdown competition. Should be a good time!
Teams:
Matt & Pierce
Dani & Ali
Cat & Cat (aka Caitlin)
Sheldon & Miguel
Lorrie & Jacqueline
Paul & Brad
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BURPEE CHALLENGE
This year the Burpee Challenge is running for the Guinness World Record for "Most People Performing Burpees" which means we need over 296 people to perform Burpees for at least 2 minutes.
We are looking for bodies and volunteers to make this happen. Following our 2 minutes of Burpees will be our usual Individuals and Teams competing to complete 1,000 Burpees.
Interested in volunteering, performing Burpees for 2 minutes, and/or signing up as an Individual or Team?
Contact Cat Ross today at cat@starkestrength.com
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TO-DO'S FOR
STARKE ATHLETES
VERY IMPORTANT
To ensure that we continue to do the best job we can in running an efficient, successful, and fun gym, we need you help!
- SIGN UP: Please ensure you sign up for classes online IN ADVANCE. This allows the coaches to be aware of who is attending and also allows us to get in contact with you directly should there be a class cancellation.
- SIGN IN: Please ensure you sign in when you arrive at the gym. This is done through the iPad kiosk beside the door. This allows for us to track who is coming to class, what attendance looks like for certain classes, allows us to plan classes revolving around highly attended classes, and keeps your membership in check.
- UPDATE ACCOUNTS: Please log in to your Starke account online and ensure you update your profiles with your current information including your contact email and phone number, mailing address, and D.O.B. It might be a good idea to put in a picture as well (otherwise Paul will find one and it's for sure going to be a good one)
- DRESS WARM: As it gets chillier outside, we want to ensure you dress for the weather as we will still be doing some outdoor activities/runs and want to make sure you are comfortable!
- OPEN GYM & ADDITIONAL TRAINING: This is a reminder to everyone that should you be interested in working on your skills/movements aside from our regular class times you must ask the coach on duty whether or not he or she can accommodate you. We need to ensure that we are utilizing our space efficiently, that safety comes first, that athletes signed in for class time get priority of the gym space, and that there are no disturbances in the gym should there be other things going on (i.e. media interviews, meetings, etc). This means that you cannot arrive to class hours in advance nor stay for a long period afterwards. Should you want to work on a few skills before or after, you must get approval from your coach. If you are waiting for your class time to start, we cannot have you warming up with a barbell as well, safety is key!
We hope that you can all understand and respect our "Athlete To-Do's" and should you have any questions or concerns and need to clarify something, please feel free to connect with HR at cat@starkestrength.com
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VOLUNTEERS
Starke is putting together a few promo videos and we of course would love to have some of our own athletes in them. This would entail video of you doing typical workouts, being coached, sharing some of your own thoughts, etc.
Should you be interested and available to do so, let us know ASAP and this way when we're ready to take some footage, we know who to call on.
Contact cat@starkestrength.com
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PRINT MATERIALS
Help us in promoting Starke's name within our city by housing a poster and/or brochures at your workplace, local business, or your favourite hotspot.
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MERCHANDISE
Men's tanks are in! Get them while they're hot!!!
Don't forget that we have some old items to blowout on discounted prices, newer items and accessories for sale, and some new items coming in a few weeks. Interested in making a purchase? We can add it directly to your account to make it easier for you!
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ATHLETE OF THE MONTH
Meet Nicole Stoddart
Starke: When did you first start coming to Starke?
Nicole: I joined Starke in September 2013, beginning with a "Foundations" class. Immediately after I continued with an unlimited membership.
Starke: What brought you in the door the first time?
Nicole: Prior to joining Starke I was a member of a women's only gym for 10+ years. At that gym I usually did my own thing, joined a class once in a while, and worked with a personal trainer off and on. Although I somewhat enjoyed working out at this particular establishment, I certainly didn't feel like part of a "family" or "community" (even after 10 years), and I had reached a point where working out wasn't a challenge for me anymore (unless I continued with a trainer), and honestly not very fun. Having to pay for a personal trainer on top of the regular membership was not something I was able to consistently manage so my workouts became boring and not the least bit challenging. In the Summer of 2013 I suffered from a severe bacterial infection that prohibited me from working out for a good two months (in fact, walking was a challenge and I was off work for a month). During this time I reflected on where I was in my fitness journey and I realized that I wasn't content and needed a BIG change. What was disheartening is that while I was off sick that summer, nobody from my gym contacted me to inquire about why I had been absent for 3 months. I should point out that I was consistently working out 4-5x a week so I was definitely a regular member. I had worked with my personal trainer off and on for 5 years (same trainer throughout that time) and was very disappointed when no effort was made to show concern for a long-standing client. As I started to feel better, I looked into other gym options. I live very close to Starke and had seen groups of people working out on the boulevard. I was VERY impressed and intrigued by what I saw. This, combined with my desire to change, brought me to Starke :)
Starke: How often do you make it to Starke each week?
Nicole: Currently, I am attending 3x per week. There was a period of time where I was at 4x per week, but 3x is the perfect amount for me. In addition to Starke, I have also been running at 2-3x per week with my dog :) I also use the "Xbox fitness" app on our Xbox One console at home. Xbox offers a variety of workout options, including kickboxing, which I love. The combination of Starke classes, running and other workout options keeps me well-balanced and definitely challenged!!
Starke: What sets Starke out from other gyms?
Nicole: I honestly don't even know how to begin to answer this question as Starke means so very much to me! As a I mentioned before, I was at a gym for 10+ years and during that time I never felt part of a family or community; I honestly talked to maybe 3 people in addition to my personal trainer throughout the 10 years! Starke is not just a "gym" to me, but a family. Each time I walk through the door I feel welcome, receive constant encouragement, have an opportunity to connect with friends (yes, "friends" and not just "people"), and I am constantly challenged each and every workout! I thought I was working out hard for 10+ years, but after one class at Starke I realized that I wasn't challenging myself at all! Warm-ups at Starke are what I used to consider workouts! Never would I reach a "dark place" while working out where I had to find every last bit of strength and energy to complete each rep; I absolutely LOVE these workouts as I know that I have given everything I can. CrossFit is something I never dreamed I would try let alone learn to LOVE!!
Starke: What are some movements/workouts you could not do when starting out at Starke to where you're at now?
Nicole: Again, where to to begin?!?! Doing CrossFit and weightlifting at age 40 was certainly not in my game plan and I would never have considered it. Now, I LOVE CrossFit and weightlifting! Picking up the bar and adding weights is so empowering, and when I hit a PR, WOW, what a rush!! Honestly, very few of my friends/family understand the obsession and constantly question why I do it...I simply tell them that I can't explain the feeling and absolute high I get out of lifting the bar. The easiest way to explain it to them is to tell them I can now carry all the grocery bags at once (LOL). So, doing CrossFit and weightlifting at age 40 is amazing and a huge accomplishment for me. I have improved in many movements since beginning Starke, but the biggest change for me is my cardio endurance, specifically running. This past Spring I ran my first EVER 5km and I have signed up to do the Canada Army Run in Ottawa in September, and the WFPS 5km in October (in Winnipeg). Running has always been my weakness, but thanks to Starke, and the support and encouragement of the members, I have learned to love running (in addition to weightlifting). Squatting lower, lifting heavier, running further, increased mobility, etc, etc, are all huge accomplishments for me!
Starke: What has Starke and Paul done for you?
Nicole: Starke has allowed me to realize that age is simply a number. I feel better at age 41 than I did at 30 and that's all thanks to Paul and Starke. CrossFit and weightlifting makes me feel empowered and young!! Paul and ALL the Starke coaches genuinely care for all members and constantly encourage and support me each and every class. I also have a new appreciation for the Backstreet Boys ;)
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