In addition to athletes Eric Schenck and Jessica McNabney competing as individual athletes at the CrossFit Games NE Regional this weekend, FCCF has many people working/volunteering behind the scenes.  We just wanted to give them a quick shout-out.

For the Media Team, Laura Rice was hired as the NE Regional Media Director for the CrossFit Games. Adrian Lugo is running Facebook for the North East and Jenn Back is running the NE CrossFit Games Twitter feed. Some of the other people who will be helping the media team on social media, the live event and assisting key personnel are Katelyn Block, Dani Davis, Bob Hartman, Meg Hartman, Katelyn Stevens, James Whelan and Kara Featherstone.

Other FCCFers helping out include Trainer Bryan Adams, along with Tina Reinhardt who will be volunteering for the medical team.  And trainer Theresa DeRycke is volunteering as a Judge for the weekend!

A big thank you to all these volunteers.  As always, the FCCF community is the best!

If you want to keep up to date on the action this weekend, be sure to "Like" the NE Games Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/CrossFitGamesNorthEastRegional and follow the NE Games on Twitter: @CFGNorEastReg  There will also be a live video feed of the finals on Sunday at http://games.crossfit.com, so even if you won't be joining us in Canton, MA this weekend, you can stay up-to-date with everything online.

Many FCCF Athletes competed in events this past weekend.

First, members competed in events all weekend for the Flower City Challenge -- half marathon, 5k, duathlon, and triathlon! 

Also, the Catalyst Games were a huge success hosted by CF Boomtown.  This event is in memory of Kade O'Brien, a local Marine Corps Veteran, and benefits The Kade Project - a Rochester non-profit that gives back to local youth as well as local servicemen and women deployed over seas.  For more information on The Kade Project please visit www.thekadeproject.com.

Congrats to everyone who competed, and thanks to all the many others who came out to support their friends from FCCF.  We have a wonderful community!

I began CrossFit in December 2012. My sister, Katie, goes to Flower City CrossFit and absolutely loves it. For over a year, she tried to convince me to join and I always turned her down. When I finally gave in and started CrossFit, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I remember during boot camp that I would walk past everyone doing the WODs and think to myself "yeah right Allie, keep dreaming.” The trainers would tell me "you'll never feel ready, you just need to start," so that's just what I did.

After my first WOD, I instantly fell in love with it. I was completely terrified but everybody cheered me on and welcomed me like I had been a member at Flower City for years. Even after just one month I could feel my body getting stronger and my confidence level was going up. I was excited when new things came up in the WODs and I couldn't wait to get to the gym.

I have tried countless diets and a number of different ways to exercise.  Never have I felt more confident than I do now. CrossFit hasn't just changed my body physically, it has also changed me mentally. I am a better person because of it. I have so much more energy and I feel so much happier in my everyday life.

In January this year, I decided to take part in the FCCF Food & Fitness Challenge. In eight weeks, I lost 15 pounds and 5 inches off my waist. I have continued to lose more weight since it ended. I learned so much about health and eating right from that challenge and know that this has become a lifestyle for me rather than a diet.

I want to say thank you to every one of the trainers for all their hard work. Also, I want to thank my best friend, Nicole, for starting CrossFit with me, and who has come just as far as I have. I also want to say thank you to my sister, Katie Clark and friend Michelle Stewart, for being my biggest cheerleaders.  Finally, thanks to everyone at FCCF for being so awesome :)  

Now, five months in, I am so thankful that I decided to give CrossFit a shot. I am very excited to continue my journey and see how much more I am capable of doing. There are a number of goals I want to accomplish  in the gym and I know that if I continue working hard, I can achieve them.

It has been quite a ride for FCCF through the CrossFit Games Open this year.  First, a big HUGE congratulations to Jessica McNabney (aka "McNinja") for absolutely CRUSHING the Open (finishing 25th in the North East)!!! She has been an inspiration to so many people, and through it all a fantastic teammate to everyone competing. She has SO earned her spot at Regionals and I have a hard time imagining anyone who better exemplifies what I think a CrossFit athlete should be all about.

Second, I have to say that I am (once again) filled with a huge sense of pride over the effort that everyone put into the Open this year. There were so many moments I can point to: Natalie Detar-Koch getting a single rep PR on13.4, Eric Schenck crushing 13.5 - TWICE!, Jess getting 5th in the region on 13.2, so many of you digging deep to do these crazy WODs twice - and getting better scores every time! I am inspired by all of you! Your efforts gives me even more determination to improve my own performance as an athlete, and to improve FCCF in every way I can.

Personally, there have been many lessons I am taking away from the 2013 Open. There is a lot we will be doing in the coming year as a gym, and in the Games Prep program, that will make us even better prepared for 2014. For those who are still feeling a bit disappointed, don't forget the feeling, but don't dwell on it either. Take some time to look back on the Open and figure out what you need to work on in the coming year.

Let's celebrate with Jess, and do everything we can as a community to help her get ready for Regionals. Canton get ready.... McNinja and her posse are coming!!!!   -Jeff

Here's a photo recap of some of our best community moments during the 2013 Open.  You can check out our Facebook page for more photos from each workout.

CrossFit Kids is a strength and conditioning program that is specifically designed for kids and teenagers and helps them develop a lifelong love of fitness. In a group setting, children and teens participate in fun and engaging workouts that deliver measurable results and prepare them to be well-rounded athletes.

Our next 8-week session starts April 11, 2013 -- click here to Register!  If you would like your child to try a class for free to see if they are interested, fill out the registration form and check that it is for a free trial.  Class times are as follows:

• CF Kids 5-10 years old:  Thursdays 6-7 pm and Saturdays 9-10 am
• CF Tweens 10-12 years old:  Thursdays 6-7 pm and Saturdays 10-11 am
  
• CF Teens 13-17 years old:  Thursdays 6-7 pm and Saturdays 10-11 am

FCCF was thrilled to host the Carl Paoli Freestyle Connection Movement Seminar on Saturday. This one day event was about  "learning, practicing, and applying movement and skill transfer principles by using gymnastics and body-weight training."

It was an incredible day!  Carl is amazing and gave every participant a lot of individual help throughout the day.  Every participant walked away with so many ways to improve their own skills and help those around them move better and get stronger.   

The 8-week Food and Fitness Challenge has come to an end. There were 101 people who participated in this challenge and we divided the cash prizes based on the number of participants in each division (with each participant paying $20 to compete).

Participants could earn points in a variety of areas including clean eating, WOD performance, WOD improvement, body transformation (inches), goal setting, goal accomplishment and weight loss.

We've had some amazing results! The total weight loss at the end of the 8-week challenge was 591.8 pounds! The total inches in body measurements decreased by 360 inches (5 measurements were taken on women and 2 measurements were taken on men).

Congratulations too all our members who competed!  They worked very hard and the results have been very inspiring for everyone at the gym.  And the winners are:

Check it out!  The Casual Open Competitor Who Qualified: Jessica McNabney