Building a community, pulling up one person at a time

“I told Jim I really like coming here. It’s just a great community,” said Wolniakowski. “But my finances are very tight.”

JP CrossFit has a solution for Wolniakowski. A sliding scale scholarship that discounts her dues.

The compromise worked. In fact, Wolniakowski was able to move on from the plan and now he works at JP CrossFit as a social worker and part-time coach.

“If I didn’t have access to that sliding scale, I wouldn’t have been able to keep going to that gym,” she said. “[JP CrossFit] We focus on fairness, care about our members, and meet our members in terms of financial burden. ”

The scholarship program was launched over two years ago and has since expanded to serve 13 members of the JP CrossFit community. head coach. “It’s had a huge impact on our demographic.”

Improving access across racial and socioeconomic lines was a logical next step for a gym that prides itself on welcoming all athletes. membership is skewed towards the age group typical of CrossFit gyms (average age 36), with over 200 active members who are mostly part of the LGBTQ community. Still, most of its members are white, middle-class, and this stratum has dominated his CrossFit in the United States since CrossFit started 20 years ago. Now I want to change that too.

Jeritsen said gyms are becoming more reflective of the make-up of the Jamaica Plain district by inviting more people of color, low-income and transgender people.

“I know these people are here. Why aren’t they showing up? What are the barriers?” He said he asked himself questions when building it. “In my own experience, money is a big barrier.”

Individuals requiring a reduced fee must apply to be eligible and attend the gym at least 2-3 times a week to maintain eligibility. The staff checks every six months to see if the fees paid are still valid, if further reductions are needed, and if more can be donated.

However, JP CrossFit does not want gym-goers to feel that their membership is what they pay for, so they keep their sliding scale scholarships anonymous.

The program is not the only financial initiative JP Crossfit needs to improve accessibility. We also host classes on weekends that are open to anyone for $5 a person, and members can suspend their dues (e.g., if they’re going out of town for a few weeks) to help first-year teachers and social her workers. We offer discounts on AmeriCorps service members, paramedics, and firefighters.

“Once we get rid of the financial barriers, the next challenge is making sure people can see each other. Because it’s bad,” Gerritsen said, adding that as a coach he’s also trying to bring people of color into the staff.

Damaria Joyner could be that coach. Joiner, who is black and currently receives a scholarship for her sliding scale, said that joining JP CrossFit’s coaching apprenticeship program was “inspiring and I feel my community deserves this experience, so I’m looking forward to the next It’s a step,” he said.

Jaron St. Onge, associate professor of sociology and population health at the University of Kansas, explains how social determinants of health affect disparities across race, class, gender, and location boundaries. is researching

“An important thing in maintaining all health behaviors is social support,” he said. , you feel responsible for someone or you feel responsible for a group.That’s how CrossFit really works, as I understand it.It’s social.”

At the beginning of a recent noon class, Gerritsen asked everyone to share their names, pronouns, and their weekend highlights. dog competition. The JP CrossFit staff believe that knowing a little about the person sweating next to you can make a big difference. 4 rounds per day During the workout, as they struggled on the pull-up bar, class participants encouraged each other, panting and praising their form and progress.

“It’s not intimidating here, that’s the beauty of JP CrossFit,” said Michelle Flynn, 47, who has been going to the gym for a year and a half.

gym owner Logan Miller says he grew up a “pariah,” so it’s important to him to foster a sense of belonging among members. Additionally, Miller said it is good business sense to be financially flexible with members.

“If we are loyal to our customers, they will be loyal to us,” he said, adding that the average JP CrossFit membership is three years. “It kind of comes down to loyalty. If people are so involved in their communities, why would they hurt us for being generous? That’s not what communities do. Communities support each other.” To do.”

Julian EJ Sorapuru is a Development Fellow at Globe and can be reached at julian.sorapuru@globe.com. follow him on twitter @JulianSorapuru