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!

A Timely Reflection

It’s been more than a month since fit · bloc last welcomed you through the doors. We miss that feeling, and we miss all of you. While it may be challenging to keep our spirits lifted with extensions after extensions, we remain hopeful and are reminded that this Circuit Breaker (a measure by our Government to curb the spread of Covid-19) has indeed given us all some time to sit down and look back on everything that has happened from the very first day we set our minds on this space. Every decision made that has helped shaped and defined this space to who we are today, stems from the following core values.

Building Community

This word has been used ever so often, but the hard truth is, building a community is easier said than done, lest growing one. We still have got a long road ahead, but community was the very first reason for this space. Which is also what birthed the many events that fit · bloc held. Our very first one, Coffee & Climb, was a simple, no-frills way to gather our then-fam, who were still new to us and to one another. We wanted it to be cosy and chill; just another day where people climb and mingle, and what better way than to serve up some good ol’ coffee?

Some other initiatives we had include our #friendtastic challenge in conjunction with International Friendship Day, and our most recent #fitblocoffseason workout via Zoom. Through them, we aim to provide a platform for our community to stay connected and engaged, especially so in this time where it is crucial to keep one another in check, dropping that occasional “how are things going for you”.

Growing Alongside

As the community grew, we wanted to create value in all our fam who saw value in us, and Project Day was our first major attempt at it. Our Project Day introduces the first-ever you-get-to-grade-system, whereby all new projects are set gradeless, and everyone could participate in the process of grading – something that typically is done by the routesetting team. This grew out of the desire to provide an opportunity of learning for our fam. It also allows our fam to realise that a project almost always implies subjectivity, which is why we see votes of varying opinions on our voting board.

Despite each route holding a different meaning for individuals, everyone cheered on as a climber attempts to send his/her project. It didn’t matter what grade the route was (technically, gradeless), or whether it is a challenge or not to those who were cheering. The sight of our fam coming together to cheer for one another is indeed an unforgettable one and it brings out the community spirit even more.

Climbing and Beyond

As we continue to grow alongside one another, let us not forget that the community that we continuously sow in is more than just our climbing community. To us, it extends beyond that.

I was heavily involved with volunteering at my previous corporate job, and I continued on since then. As I shared more about the countless excursions that I’ve brought various beneficiaries on, it struck me, “why not have them experience climbing at fit · bloc”.

These priceless smiles.

While it neither involved the entire team nor was it a gym-wide event, that day left a lasting impression. For these beneficiaries, it was their first time scaling walls and heights like such and the priceless smile on their faces constantly reminded me that no matter how small the effort is, it counts. As we continued to plan events and launch new initiatives, it became second-nature to ask ourselves how and in what ways we can give and contribute.

Fast forward half a year later, the weekend of 14 February this year saw our fam folding some origami hearts with recycled red packets from Lunar Chinese New Year. On this special day, we are reminded of how much love we received, and to pass on this love as well. It was truly heartwarming to have you stop by the little booth that we had set up, to fold some origami hearts knowing that every heart folded will mean a little something more.

These are but a minute part of what we hope to do, and there is so much more we would like to give together with you. We look forward to spreading more joy to the larger community, because we believe in the difference that every small word or action can bring. We may not be able to do big things or create a huge impact, but it sure does have a ripple effect.

Looking Ahead

The current coronavirus situation has indeed made things a little tougher for all of us, and as much as it may take some time for things to return to normalcy – the sight of our fam coming together, whether to contribute in their own ways or simply having their regular climbing sessions – we promise to stay committed to you, and will continue to build the community, grow alongside, and give back, in the little ways that we can.

Truly, how this has all played out is what keeps us going. We still have got a long road ahead, and I would like to thank each and every one of you for writing the fit · bloc story with us. See you soon.

 

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!