WODFest 2021!

The Following was written by Chris Harris, a Core Member and leader of the Limon RRCF program. He has attained his CrossFit Level 2 while 'inside' and is hugely impactful as a leader in the program. A Hierarchy of Integrity Redemption Road CrossFit is founded on the belief that redemption is possible and can be made available to every incarcerated person and that CrossFit is the perfect vehicle to change the culture of prison through mentorship, accountability, and community. Over the past four years we have been privileged to witness dozens of men (and now women) begin to make life altering changes in mind and body as they invest their time, energy, and attention to the pursuit of fitness through the application of CrossFit methodology. We have also watched as these same people have branched out into positive, pro-social activities outside the “Box”. As CrossFit trainers, we have found ourselves asking, “What is it that we are doing at RF2 CrossFit that is transcending the box and changing people in their everyday lives?”. We have also asked ourselves, “What is it about teaching and doing CrossFit that is changing us?”. We often hear about the black box of CrossFit in regard to the unique and sometimes inexplicable fitness results achieved through CrossFit training. What we are seeing at RF2 goes beyond fitness results. RF2 is developing its own black box of character development. It is transforming the hearts and renewing the minds of RF2 participants and as a result they are impacting the world around them in a fundamentally new way. We have come to believe through examining our own transformations that CrossFit instills and refines, sometimes consciously but, many times unconsciously, 9 Foundational Characteristics, which when applied to life outside the box, create paradigm shifts in prison culture previously thought impossible. The backgrounds and personal stories of the men and women of RF2 are as diverse and divergent as any community in the world, yet, the foundational characteristics which are being developed, applied, and refined are as common and necessary to the integrity of each individual as bumper plates to a box. The following is a brief(?) exposition of the 9 foundational characteristics: Grit – The mental strength to confront adversity with courage; fortitude; the ability to identify and confront an adverse condition with clarity and resolve. Grit is embodied by focused effort and a desire to work hard. A person possessing grit will maximize their talents and develop skills in a manner that will create an atmosphere of hard work and will inspire that mindset in those around them. GRIT IS HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS! Resilience – The ability to readily recover from and re-engage adversity; a willingness to continue after, or bounce back from, adversity. Adversity comes in many forms and is both unique to the individual and ubiquitous in society. The willingness to re-engage with an adversity after an initial encounter regardless of previous success or failure is the quality of resilience and a mark of the optimistic personality. Many incarcerated individuals have too often fallen short in this area and developing resilience can be a singularly transformative breakthrough. Accountability – The willingness to be held to a standard outside one’s self by others; an essential quality and necessary component of community. Accountability is working in concert with others to achieve a goal or objective, be it personal or collective. The value of being held to a standard by people who are committed to your success and are unwilling to compromise standards in the pursuit of that success is paramount to the development of a person of integrity. The other characteristics are magnified and intensified when developed in an atmosphere of accountability. A culture of accountability is created when empathetic people are willing and able to ask and answer tough questions in a demanding, transparent, compassionate, and honest environment. When high standards are set, realistic expectations are established, and achievements are acknowledged, trust develops and real growth and lasting change occur. Accountability is a two way street: all parties must desire to participate. While difficult to attain and maintain, the environment of accountability produces the very best of those who are blessed to experience it. Commitment – A sincere, steadfast, fixity of purpose. After purpose, commitment is the most comprehensive characteristic. The qualities of sincerity, steadfastness, and fixity of purpose are overarching qualities that direct and inform all other characteristics. Sincerity speaks to honest motivations without hidden agendas. Steadfastness speaks to perseverance and loyalty in any circumstance, Fixity of purpose speaks to a single-minded focus on the task at hand in the micro or macro. The demonstration and modeling of commitment by RF2 trainers and volunteers may be the first time some RF2 athletes have experienced this foundational characteristic. Endurance – The quality of long-suffering; patience in the face of adversity; the ability to stay the course; the willingness to persevere during adversity. Endurance is exemplified by a never quit, will do attitude. A person possessing endurance is resolute. Endurance is not something done. It is a quality possessed in the heart and applied to the life. Endurance is marked by consistency. Consistency is the alignment of values with actions. The enduring person maintains a life in which their values and actions are always in agreement. They are, at their core, non-contradictory. Endurance is the natural consequence of grit and is essential to the development of resilience. Humility – A confident mindset marked by a desire to develop and improve skill; responsiveness to coaching and correction. Humility is not weak, insecure, or uncurious. The humble person is confident in their ability to improve. They know that new techniques, approaches, methods, and ideas don’t threaten their existing competencies; they, instead, enhance and improve the talents and skills already possessed. The humble person is confident that the new and the old, in combination, will result in a more complete person, more equipped to, and more capable of, attaining any goal or objective. Humility is strength devoid of vanity: confidence without arrogance. This is not to say one cannot be boisterous, vocal, or demonstrative. Boldness does not indicate a lack of humility, and quietude does not indicate possession. The humble person embraces correction and coaching. Optimism – A general disposition toward the confident expectation of positive outcomes; a belief in the ultimate objective of purpose being served whatever the present circumstance. Optimism is NOT positivity. The characteristic of optimism is comprehensive in that it is unaffected by outcomes. There can be progress in failure. The optimist is able to view every circumstance as serving their overarching purpose, and if that purpose is constructed to serve others and founded on a standard that is external to one’s self, rests in the confidence that comes from believing that, no matter the immediate result, good will be achieved. Pessimism is the default mindset of the prisoner. It is a hedge against disappointment. The pessimistic mindset must be relentlessly confronted at every opportunity. A trainer can never allow pessimism to go unchecked. As it will spread like wildfire in a community predisposed to defeatist thinking. Negative results are opportunities for athletes to exercise humility and resilience, and for trainers to demonstrate empathy and reinforce the accountability culture so vital to personal growth and culture change. Purpose – The intended outcome that informs action; the overarching reason for being. Purpose answers the question, “Why am I here?”. The purposeful person engages in pursuits that serve their overarching purpose independent of any benefit they may receive. Should the purposeful person attain a position of leadership, it is for the benefit of others and is not based on thrill, self-interest, or glory. All endeavors ultimately serve this reason for being. It is often the case that those incarcerated have committed acts that are both self- destructive and self-centered. They may have had purpose in life, but that purpose was rooted and grounded in self. The accountability culture creates an environment that by its very nature brings individuals out of self and into community. A sense of belonging and acceptance coupled with unwaveringly high standards and open, honest communication produces a desire in the individual to seek purpose and meaning outside of themselves and their own self-centered interests. Purpose then becomes other-centered, pro-social, and meaningful. Trainers and volunteers at RF2 are examples of men and women of purpose and they manifest that purpose in word and deed. Finding meaningful purpose in life has the most powerfully transformative effect on any environment and very often leads to transformational change in anyone in proximity to that environment. Empathy – The quality of compassion for the condition of others; ensures humility and service to others in all endeavors. The trait of empathy is essential to the characteristics of purpose, humility and accountability. To have compassion for the condition of others is the ONE quality that ensures a purpose that lies outside one’s self. It allows the possessor to anticipate the needs of others and act in a compassionate manner to address those needs. When combined with humility, it creates a willingness to work with others in a collaborative, accountable environment that maximizes community. The effect of empathy is multiplied when shared by a community that is developing, applying, and refining the other characteristics. Compassion for others brings about the ability to hold others accountable in a manner that recognizes and values the unique individual without compromising the high standards and expectations of the community so critical to fostering meaningful change. Empathy elevates the worth of the individual while enhancing the integrity of the community. The theme of facing, enduring, and overcoming adversity is a constant in life. Adversity and dealing with it is something we all have in common. No one escapes adversity. Many of us are in prison because we failed to deal with adversity in an acceptable and healthy manner. CrossFit is proving to be a valuable tool in the effort to transform lives by exposing the athlete to adversity in a manner that allows repeated exposure without the negative consequences that would occur outside the box. Positive character traits begin to develop and reinforce one another, just as demonstrated by the CrossFit Safety Charter; mechanics, consistency, intensity. The 9 Foundational Characteristics are interdependent. No trait can stand alone. The maximal development of one characteristic requires the concomitant development of all the characteristics. The possession and application of all 9 Foundational Characteristics produces in the practitioner the quality of integrity. Integrity is defined as moral soundness, completeness; totality with nothing lacking. Integrity in the individual is prized in society and our goal is to produce people of integrity that will not only transform prison, but the world beyond in a way no one has previously thought possible. THIS IS REDEMPTION! Lives once thought beyond redemption, the cause of pain, sorrow, and suffering for so many, now transformed and impacting the world for good. This is Redemption Road CrossFit! We know that the dedicated men and women of Redemption Road Fitness Foundation and all the Redemption Road CrossFit affiliates are consistently engaged in exemplifying the 9 Foundational Characteristics. We are grateful to CrossFit, CrossFit Training, and the entire CrossFit community for recognizing and investing in our potential. The GRACE & HOPE displayed every day by Aaron Brill and the RF2 Board are examples for us all and their contributions to our growth and impact cannot be overstated. Special thanks to Eric O’Conner, Jason MacDonald, Nicole Gordon, Becky Harsh from CrossFit Beaver Menace, and Kurtis Bowler from CrossFit Rainier for their hands on training and Andrea Cecil for her eloquence. Thank you to all the DOC Headquarters and LCF staff and administrators who continue to facilitate our success. We at RF2 are committed to pursuing our purpose with GRACE & HOPE, providing others with opportunities to flourish. Chris Harris, CF-L2 Redemption Road CrossFit Limon & all the RF2 CrossFit Trainers

Click here to view The Redemption Road Insider: March 2021.