Show Up and Blow Up

Hi! Ashley here, to share a little bit about my home CrossFit box in Orlando, SUBU. A great place led by awesome people who care A LOT about their community. I'm sharing a bit about SUBU and their annual campaign, Burpees for Bucks, to celebrate the incredible impact they have on kids in Orlando every year.

twelve years and counting

First, let's level set on crossfit. The sport itself is a wonderful kick in the face where you often leave part of your soul on some mats, you always find a new threshold of "this is terrible", and you have a high chance of meeting some of your best friends. Misery loves company, so they say. To be clear, this type of misery is enjoyed by crossfit athletes. SUBU took a very fatiguing movement that could be considered athletic torture, and turned it into a fundraiser.

yeah, they do that ^ 50 times for 50 bucks

SUBU is an acronym for their motto: Show Up and Blow Up. As you can read on their website, they started in a backyard and moved into their current space in 2012. The same year they opened their box in Downtown Orlando, they launched Burpees for Bucks. Through the years, they have donated a running total of $282,287 to different groups who support the population SUBU believes is the most overlooked: underprivileged youth. They have partnered with Toys for Tots, Devereux, Covenant House, Ridgewood Park Elementary Food Pantry, Central Florida Coalition for the Homeless (Coalition Kids), and Foundation for Foster Children Central Florida. Not only is their expectation to show up and blow up as athletes, but as people in their community too. Work hard, play harder, and love hardest.

SUBU coaches slept out on the streets the year they partnered with The Covenant House

This year they partnered again with Foundation for Foster Children and set their goal at $25,000. This means two things: a good amount of money is being raised and A LOT of burpees are happening. Somebody who goes to SUBU is probably doing burpees while you read this. If you want to make them do more, THIS is where you can contribute.

Co-founders Miguel and Larry at Casino Night 2023

Do they really do THAT many burpees to meet their goal? Well, they do A LOT of them. But, as the years have gone and their goals have gotten bigger, events have been planned to help hit their target. Spanning across December this year they hosted a flirting and fundraising night, casino night, their annual SUBU Lift Off, and have a pub crawl coming up. No doubt between these soirees and thousands of burpees, they will crush their 2023 goal.

I feel proud to have gone to SUBU when I lived in Orlando for many reasons. The box has a great vibe with a ton of heart and soul. They have stellar coaches, solid programming, and they foster a wonderful community environment. While all of those things are exactly what an athlete wants when they join a box, SUBU has something extra. They have love for the ecosystem they are in and they leverage that love to give back. If you'd like to follow their campaign or just see what the box is like here are their social media pages:

SUBU FACEBOOK

SUBU INSTAGRAM

Thank you to SUBU for making a difference every year, for providing an inclusive environment for their athletes, and for leading with love!

Thank you to YOU for reading this blog. I hope you feel inspired to get involved in your community in a Do Good way.

-Ashley =)