Give to Grow

This past weekend, Pharos Redondo hosted our 3rd Annual “Rowing for Roses” event. This charity fitness day is the brainchild of Eric Libardoni and Karlee Cordova, whose son Gryffin suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. It’s a day where we, as a community, have the opportunity to get together, raise money, and truly sweat for something meaningful. It’s one of my favorite days of the year.

When you’re a parent, nothing matters more than the health of your kids. You work to provide them with a safe home, a fun childhood, and the opportunity for a great future. There can be nothing harder than accepting that any one of those things is under threat. And if there’s a chance to do something about it — then you’ll pick up that sword and start swinging.

Working out can sometimes seem like a selfish pursuit — a constant quest for self-betterment, bigger muscles, better abs, or better scores. It can often feel like a pursuit that lacks real substance. But if you do it right, I believe it can be a very powerful social tool… an antidote to isolation, an opportunity for conversation, and an arena in which spirits gather to reveal the better parts of themselves. Parts that are hard to see — parts that can only be expressed under duress. In those moments of collection, you can feel a rising of will, courage, strength, hope, and belief. Sounds like a lot, I know… but I’ve seen it. I believe it.

When an event like Rowing for Roses comes around, that purpose is heightened even further. You give that energy direction; you define it, dial it in, and channel your expression toward a singular cause. It becomes intensified. It becomes magnified. It’s bigger than you, it’s not about you — and that can set you free. It’s hard to access “all in” when your reasons are just about you. But “all in” for Gryffin… for a child who needs help… that’s far easier.

The workout “65 Roses”  itself is tough: 65 minutes of rowing for max meters in teams of 4, with 5 burpees over the rower every 5 minutes. It’s a series of all-out, empty-the-tank sprints — again and again — with taxes to pay along the way. The name comes from how some children with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) pronounce the disease—“65 roses.” It’s a genetic disorder caused by mutations in the CFTR gene, which leads to thick, sticky mucus building up in the lungs, pancreas, and other organs. This causes chronic infections, breathing difficulties, digestive problems, and a lot more. Treatments have improved a lot over the years (modulators and better care have extended and improved lives significantly), but it’s still a tough, lifelong fight for many, including Gryffin. Every one of those 65 minutes is fought for. Hard to breathe, hard to keep going, hard to keep showing up for your team. And that’s the point.

We have the luxury of bettering ourselves through invented struggle. It can never measure up to the real thing… but it can be inspired by it. And if you saw the faces and effort of those involved that day, you saw that inspiration in real time.

Events like this are the best of us, and they have never been more important than now. At a time when everything seems crazy and reality itself is being questioned, we are craving real experience and real emotion. If we feel powerless and are left wondering how we can make a difference, I believe the answers are here. We start with our neighbors… our community… our friends. We build from the inside out. We believe in the infectious power of goodwill and positivity, and we express the best parts of our humanity in each other’s presence.

Gryffin was our muse that day, and he represented many other souls who are in the fight. We had the opportunity to join in that fight for a day and use our fitness to contribute whatever small part we could. It reminds us not only of what we can do, but of who we are. I can’t think of a better time or a better way to feel that.

Learn more about Cystic Fibrosis and how you can help here:

https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/running-for-roses

See you in the gym

PV