posted on June 24, 2019
June State of the Union, Fitness
It’s that time again. Welcome to June’s State of the Union.
We’re halfway through 2019…HALFWAY. I’m reminded of an old phrase that, fortunately or unfortunately, replays in my head often. I used to go to basketball camp every summer with my friends. I went to the same one every year because my friend’s father, a college coach, hosted it. We had a ‘thought of the day,’ and they were the same every year so I knew what was coming.
Coach Boone stood in front of us on day three and would say, “there comes a time when Winter asks, ‘what have you done all Summer?’” This didn’t resonate with me at the time because I didn’t take basketball seriously- I was playing baseball all summer. However, what he was getting at was “What have you done to prepare for the task ahead?”
In the context of Union Fitness, what have you done to get yourself closer to your goals?
We have members with goals that run the gamut- plans to compete in strength sports, run marathons, run 5K’s, lose 10lbs, BEAT cancer…all serious and important, especially to the individual.
So when winter gets here and you look back on your summer, what will you have done?
To follow along with our core values, here is a link to our website:
https://unionfitness.com/about/
UF values- EPIC: Education—Passion—Integrity—Community
Education
Four staff members joined me for the EliteFTS Sports and Success Summit a few months back. Speakers presented on topics from hypertrophy training to business building to rehab and supplement usage. It was 72 hours packed full of information and training.
My biggest takeaway was from Alwyn Cosgrove’s presentation. Alwyn is a two-time cancer survivor and has created one of the most successful gyms and fitness systems in southern California. I took about 30 pages of notes over the course of two presentations and realized a few things. We do some things really well at Union Fitness. But we’re also young and inexperienced as compared to a veteran and innovator like Alwyn- so we have plenty of new ideas to throw at our members and we’re excited to see where that takes us as a community!
Passion
The 2019 Iron City Open came and went. The weekend was supposed to be full of rain, but somehow we escaped almost entirely precipitation-free. We tried a new set up this year with a big ole’ circus tent and I think it turned out really well for both the lifters and spectators. The lifters had their own space, the Strength Lab, to throw their gear down and relax. The spectators were covered and had chairs provided for them. Win/win.
And this year I believe we had more members lift than previous years- 17 in total. And there were another 3 or 4 that asked us afterwards, “Hey can I do the next one?”
It was fun to sit back and watch everyone that had prepared for 12+ weeks hit personal bests. It was even more inspiring to watch some fall short of their goals and realize that the failure is only an opportunity for growth. If this was easy, it wouldn’t be worth it.
Integrity
A happy man wants many things. A sick man wants but one thing.
Typically I like to give an example of a member of our community showing strong principle or us coming together as a community for a good cause, but I’ll defer to what hasn’t come to pass yet. One of our members is going through a trying time, so I’ll preemptively ask you to stay tuned for the opportunity to come together in solidarity for this member. Thank you in advance and this is your daily reminder to find gratitude in the mundane, but most especially your health.
Community
The goal of the Strength Lab was to introduce more people to a barbell and empower everyone to feel comfortable training in a space that may have otherwise been thought of as ‘intimidating’. Mission accomplished- we’ve outgrown the Strength Lab. We’ve committed to the expansion of Union Fitness! Stay tuned for a more official announcement and related plans.
Thank you all. I look forward to the rest of 2019 with each of you.
-Casey
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