CrossFit Comes to Franklin Pierce University’s Rindge Campus
May 17, 2013
CrossFit is a fitness program that has been sweeping the country for the past decade; it has come to Franklin Pierce University via Health Sciences Coordinator and Associate Professor Andrew Hatchett and Athletics Strength and Conditioning Coach Tim Brien. Dr. Hatchett and Brien have coordinated their efforts to bring CrossFit to the Rindge campus with the hope of making Franklin Pierce University the “healthiest university on the planet!” Such a goal might seem like a longshot, but with their infectious enthusiasm for CrossFit, it is easy to dream big. And the good news is, the local community is welcome to join in as well.
CrossFit defines itself as a program to optimize fitness using constantly varied functional movement performed at relative high intensity (including aerobic exercise, body weight exercise, and Olympic weight lifting, etc.). But the fitness program is more than simply technical training and the refinement of techniques; CrossFit creates a bond among participants. The camaraderie and sense of community is viewed as an important facet to the fitness program’s success. By inspiring competition and creating an environment where participants encourage each other to excel and be as fit as possible, the training program keeps participants engaged as they gradually build increased physical strength.
Franklin Pierce University has been building its health sciences program in a variety of ways in order to keep pace with the growing need for graduates going into health sciences fields. Dr. Hatchett was eager to make CrossFit available to students because he views the program as a valuable component of a holistic model of educating students. He reports that he has already witnessed students who are better at recognizing body position and movement patterns in the short amount of time that CrossFit has been active on campus. “This program is the greatest manifestation of kinesiology and exercise physiology we have,” Dr. Hatchett says. Franklin Pierce University is now part of the official network of CrossFit Affiliates or “boxes,” as they commonly refer to their gyms.
CrossFit can be done by anyone that is committed to it; anyone who is interested in being healthy and active is welcome to join. CrossFit at Franklin Pierce University is open to students,, faculty, staff, and the general public. This program is “universally scalable and always progressing,” according to Dr. Hatchett. Tim Brien also noted, “Regardless if you are an athlete or not, CrossFit is something that everyone can do.” While the program has already begun on campus for Franklin Pierce students, faculty, and staff largely outdoors, it is anticipated that it will be open to the general public in the fall when its operation will be run out of the newly reconstructed “Bubble.”
For more information about Raven CrossFit, please contact Dr. Andrew Hatchet at hatchetta@frankinpierce.edu or “Like” Raven CrossFit on Facebook.
