BLAKELY - High-energy workouts at an area fitness center on Saturday raised money for Newtown, Conn. families affected by the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School this month.
The 10 a.m. workout at CrossFit 570 was filled beyond capacity as newcomers and regulars rotated through a circuit of exercises, first as an introduction, then at a grueling pace. It was the start of a day packed with workouts that began each hour through 4 p.m.
All of the money raised from the $10 workouts and the sale of T-shirts will be donated to the families through a CrossFit gym in Newtown that CrossFit 570's owners and members plan to visit during a fundraiser in January.
Dr. Jason Yusavage, a chiropractor and one of the owners, said the event drew members from other area CrossFit gyms, who plan to host similar fundraisers.
"CrossFit is all about community," he said.
The gym's partners designed workouts that could accommodate a lot of people at once for Saturday.
Regulars Cindy Klein of Clarks Summit and Lisa Tait from Lake Wallenpaupack said a large community of educators attend the workouts, so the Sandy Hook school shooting resonated with them.
Even on a normal day, the workouts at the gym feel rewarding and inspiring, they said.
Mrs. Tait repeated a saying that is common among CrossFit devotees: "It's the only sport where you cheer loudest for the person finishing last."
"They help you do things you never thought you could do," she said, then shouted encouragement to a friend who was exhausted by jumping repeatedly from the floor to the top of a tall wooden box.
"Come on," Dr. Yusavage said as he called for the group to rotate between stations. "It's not a walk. It's a run."
People of all ages and skill levels lifted kettlebells and weighted bars, squatted, rowed and jumped.
"We decided that something had to be done," Dr. Yusavage said. "In our own little way, in our CrossFit community, we wanted to come together."
Contact the writer: llegere@timesshamrock.com