Over the past 6 years I’ve done everything in my power to help kids and adults experience exercise as fun, rather than as a chore. Kids, in particular, desperately need to move more, yet schools are CUTTING rather than adding physical activity programs. Dumb move!

By purchasing tickets for our BEAT INACTIVITY SENSELESS RAFFLE, you’ll get a crack at winning some of the cool prizes below and will also enable Shana and I to provide FREE rope jumping workshops to schools in need. Plus you’ll be sending us a loud and clear message that you approve of and support what we’re trying to accomplish. Tickets are only $3.

For more info about the prizes and to buy tickets click here.

NOW FOR THE PARTY…
When: Monday, Dec 6 from 9pm-midnight
Where: Otto’s Shrunken Head (538 E. 14th Street bet Aves A & B)
Drink Specials: $2 draft beers, $4 well drinks (21+ please)
Prize Drawing: Every half hour from 9:30pm-11pm
Treats: triple chocolate cake (Fitzroy Cakes) | delicious organic snacks (Kopali) | gourmet pizza (Totale)
Mingle: compete in the crossword icebreaker; prizes to the first 3 finishers
Tunes: the best of Punk Rope soundtrack will keep the party cranked up to 11 all night
Giveaways: Punk Rope mixed CDs
Punk Rope Merch: discounted ropes, DVDs, and a special edition “Hop On” T-shirt

RAFFLE PRIZES
Kart Racing Lesson for 2 by Formula Race Car Driver
Resume Revamp by Resume Deli
Thai Massage with Shizu Homma
Haircut with Hannah Nordgren
Nutritional Consultation with Aynsley Kirshenbaum
2-dozen Cupcakes by Fitzroy Cakes
La Petite Tower by Vosges Chocolate
Bouncing Souls Signed Band Photo + T-Shirt & 5 CDs
Dropkick Murphys Signed T-shirt & CD
Dollyrots Signed Vinyl Album + CD & a Tote Bag
Otto’s T-Shirt, G-String, and Mug
$50 Gift Certificate to JackRabbit Sports
$30 Gift Certificate to the Habitat Bar & Restaurant
Swiss Army Tote Bag Filled with 7 Gearhead CDs

Pre-race chaos

As part of the Great Urban Race we had to high five somebody in uniform.

One of the race activities required us to pretend to jump into a fountain. Don’t ask.

We killed the boot camp activity which consisted of push-ups, squats, and smurf walks.

For some reason we had to jump in front of this statue.

Posing in front of a giant Monopoly piece

A nice German tourist photographed us in front of City Hall at 1:59pm.

Chowing down in front of the 85-year-old Swiss Haus.

Worn out workshop participants at City Fitness.

By the way, if you’re not familiar with WIC, here’s a summary of what goes on at the center in Morrisania. They provide nutrition education and counseling; breastfeeding promotion, protection and support; health care linkages; childhood obesity prevention; and, specific nutritious foods to low income, nutritionally at risk, pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants and children less than five years of age.

Matumaini

http://www.matumainichildcare.org/index.htm

Shalom Orphanage

http://www.shalomorphanagekaratu.org/index.html

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of scales or BMI measurements. I’m much more interested in fitness than in weight, but these numbers are staggering and we’re not even including kids in the equation. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: an unfit nation is a weak nation. How in the world do we expect to return to economic prominence when we can’t even get our collective butts off the sofa? And if you thought you saw the worst of our healthcare problems and rising insurance premiums hold onto your hats. At this rate of “growth” things will get a lot worse.

While we can whine about the problem until we’re blue in the face, we need to start working on viable solutions. Unfortunately, most of the governmental and non-profit organizations charged with solving the crisis have been highly ineffective (and that’s being kind). To make it worse, they’re squandering billions of dollars that could be put to much better use. Too many groups are more interested in doing what’s politically expedient than in doing what’s right by our citizens. Trust me: we’ve worked with three coalitions, two government agencies, and more than a dozen non-profit organizations. We recently received a lucite plaque in the mail from a non-profit organization that will remain nameless (to protect the guilty) as a “thank you” for collaborating with them. Here’s the kicker: they refused to collaborate with us for two years in a row so we bailed on their end-of-year meeting! But they sent the “award” anyway. I wrote to them immediately and told them they should have used their money to buy jump ropes for the kids instead of polluting the earth with yet another meaningless plaque made in China by an underpaid worker.

Our belief is that to solve the sedentary living crisis you need to begin with children and you need to show them (not tell them!) that the pursuit of fitness can be fun and that healthy, well-prepared foods taste a hundred times better than the garbage they’re used to. There are lots of other simple steps you need to take, but I don’t have space to go into that here.

What I will do, however, is ask for your support. In light of the recent budget cuts, most schools can’t afford to invest in wellness programs thereby compounding an already dire situation. At our December 1 and December 6 happy hours, we’re going to hold two raffles, the proceeds of which will help support our school-based, Hopping for Health program. With the revenue from the raffle and from sales of ropes, shirts, and other products, we hope to be able to deliver Hopping for Health for FREE to at least a few schools.

If you like the sound of this here’s what you can do to help:
1) Buy raffle tickets and spread the word to your friends about the raffle and our mission (you need not be present at the drawing to win a prize)
2) Help us secure great raffle prizes. We’d live to have 10 prizes in all (five will be raffled off at each event). We’d prefer that each prize be valued at $50 or more retail.
3) Buy ropes. Buy shirts. Buy our DVD.

Thank you for your support!

Hop on!