Catacombs Crew--
First, if I haven't told you in person, please accept a giant bear hug of appreciation for showing up in force last Sunday for the We Fight for Wiley fundraiser. The event exceeded my wildest expectations and our whole community showed the heart of what makes Durango such a special place. Thanks for sharing your workout space with a crew of 60 visitors and making many, many more feel welcome.
Second, if you haven't seen our Tribal Knowledge brochure on the front counter, please grab one! While we don't have secret handshakes or passwords, we do have a way of doing things that is not necessarily spelled out in a list of rules. We engrain as much of that as possible through Foundations, but we throw a lot of other stuff at you in Foundations as well. Your coaching staff and I felt that it was important to put it all together in one place so that everyone understands "how we do things around here". We are pretty proud of the finished product and feel that it is an important part of preserving the culture and feel of Catacombs. Over the next few months, we will be highlighting nuggets of Tribal Knowledge and explaining why we do it that way.
Here's an example:
"Respect each other and the community. Sign up for class. Be on time. Introduce yourself. Support, encourage, and cheer for everyone. Clean and put away all equipment used, but wait until everyone has finished working. And help others put their gear away too."
That's pretty straightforward, right? These are the basic rules of operating in any group environment. Sadly, it doesn't happen nearly as often as it should. We got through our day glued to our phone and insulated in our silos, often unaware of others around us. At Catacombs, we are a community and we thrive because we respect the rules of the community. We know each other by name or greet new faces with an introduction or a high five. If someone isn't sure what to do next, we share our knowledge and experience. Your workout is YOUR time and it can be intensely personal. But when we finish, we look around to see who is still working and could use a word of encouragement rather than packing up our things and leaving while others are still in the struggle. This is how we build the bonds that make our community strong and help each of us to be the best we can be. At the end of every workout, we share a high five or a fist bump with our workout buddies and help one another clean up. This doesn't make anyone more fit, but it does make us more human.
Thanks for reading and thanks for being great human beings. You guys are awesome.