Love Knows No Bounds

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”
– Mother Teresa

As we enter into our third year, we’re heartened. It hasn’t been an easy nor smooth ride, but the support that we’ve gotten from all of you drives us to give more, think more, and do more.

This Chinese New Year, our team ventured out. We packed goodie bags for distribution to rental flat units located in York Hills. Item by item, bag by bag. Three hours in and we were drained. Some of us even had routesetting later on in the evening.

Being physically exhausted, taking on laborious work, trying to tie knots on exploding plastic bags – they all seemed so small an issue when placed against the backdrop of how these bags we packed would eventually bring some joy, practical or not, to the less fortunate. It’s like we could almost see the smiles on their faces when they receive the bags.

 

With Open Arms, We Give & Receive

It is when we have received so much that we’re now able to give even more. Indeed, we’re fortunate to be in a place where we can do so and we thank you for without you, we wouldn’t be where we are.

We kickstart 2021 together with a goal to do more for our community. For you, our fam, and for the community beyond us.

Last year, in conjunction with Valentine’s Day, we did a heart-folding matching project where we had you fold origami hearts. And for every heart folded, we matched it with a dollar to be donated to the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS). Your efforts contributed more than $500 across the 2-day long weekend.

We started 2021 volunteering together as a team. On top of physically being part of such a meaningful experience, we also partnered with Ray of Hope (RoH) to hold a 6-week long routesetting workshop. We’re so thrilled to see how it turned out because the preparatory work looked like this: several Zoom conversations, bouncing ideas off one another, seeing how much more meaning we can bring to the table. While raising funds, we wanted to raise as much as we could and create a value-adding experience to our fam all at once. There were many factors to consider, such as the mechanism of this project, how we can tailor this initiative to as many people as possible, and striking a fine balance being aware that we are still in the midst of a pandemic. Eventually we decided to start with something that was close to our hearts – routesetting.

 

Routesetting is an art that many of us are not too familiar with, especially since we seldom get to see it happening, lest be a part of it. Yet it plays a great part in determining our experience at the gym. Well-thought routes and a good functioning team are just two of many factors that contribute to a great set. Thus, we’re so glad when we could finally put this together, and have the proceeds be supporting a cause that we’re passionate about: children with special needs.

As we continue to explore meaningful ways to give back, we invite you to do so with us too. If you have anything you’d like to share, an idea that struck you as you read this article, an organisation or cause you’d like us to support – please feel free to reach out to us. We’re always open to new ideas, conversations, and exciting collaborations that’ll impact!

A Team that Plays Together, Stays Together

“We didn’t realise we were making memories
We just knew we were having fun.”

At fit · bloc, it is hardly all work and no play. Here we share with you how there is always that bit of fun injected into our work.

Our Setters

We call them our ninjas. To ensure minimal disruption to our usual operating hours, this team of dedicated individuals usually appear when our shutters are down, bringing their creative juices to the table (or walls) in the wee hours of the morning. Fun fact: they get more excited than children at a playground when new collections of holds arrive.

Our Athletes

No matter the sport, every athlete holds within oneself the expectations of performance and of growth. At fit · bloc, we hope to propel our athletes forward by providing them with a supportive community that they know they can always fall back on. And that’s what makes fun the element of great emphasis. They train hard but also play hard.

If you have ever dropped by on a late Friday afternoon, you would have seen the sweat and hours our athletes put into training. Here’s a time lapse of their weekly routine:

 

Apart from their weekly Friday get-togethers, you might have seen them at events, or around the gym going about doing the thing they love (climbing, or sharing their love for climbing).

We are grateful to be a part of their journey, and to have them share their knowledge and experience with our fam.

Our Travels

Well, the fun certainly did not end at fit · bloc. Earlier this year, the team, together with our athletes ventured beyond our sunny island and to the land of smiles: Thailand! There was not much of an agenda, we just wanted to spend some quality time together. Being climbers, we did plan the trip to coincide with the Khon Kaen Bouldering Festival. We spent a day with the natural rocks, and the rest of our time getting ourselves stuffed, and just, really enjoying being in the company of one another.

The trip exceeded all our expectations, because we not only had lots of fun, but we also brought back some lasting memories. We hope these pictures brought a little laughter to you today, just like how it did for us while digging them up for this post.

It has only been months since we celebrated our first year together as a fam, but we’re not stopping the fun any time soon. Here’s to many more years, fit · bloc fam!

 

It’s been two months since fitness centres had to close, climbing gyms included. As we gradually ease into some sort of routine and get better at making this all work for us, we hope that this series of articles will inspire you to keep growing, during and also post-Circuit Breaker. Stay tuned as we bring you more!

We’ve also released our own series of home workout videos, led by our athletes. To not miss out on the latest updates and happenings, subscribe to our Telegram channel now!