Born out of a simple idea and collaboration by Youth Center Board Member Mark Anthony Ruiz, who learned about fitness from having to relearn how to walk as a child, CrossFit Tribe in Los Alamitos will be hosting Keeping Kids On Track Fitness and Fun Day on April 28 to raise funds and awareness about the award-winning nonprofit.
When Ruiz was a child he was affected by Guilliane Barre Syndrome, a rare but serious auto-immune disorder in which the immune system attacks healthy nerve cells in your peripheral nervous system. This leads to weakness, numbness, and tingling. It can eventually cause paralysis. The cause of this condition is unknown, but it’s typically triggered by an infectious illness, such as the stomach flu or a lung infection, according to the website healthline.com.
“I had to relearn how to walk,” Ruiz said.
Consequently, he has always been fascinated with the fitness and the way the human body moves. He said that fascination turned into a desire to help others become physically active. He went on to graduate with a degree in Kinesiology from Cal State Long Beach and to coach wrestling for 30 years.
“Your body is a machine,” Ruiz explained. “Getting fit is making sure your machine runs for a long time and at optimal efficiency.”
Ruiz wanted to bring more awareness to kids about the potential they have and what it takes to reach that potential. The lessons learned in wrestling can help illustrate that idea.
“The idea for the event was a collective effort that came from a simple idea that I wanted to introduce collegiate wrestling and the training that it takes to become a high caliber wrestler,” Ruiz said. “We put our heads together and I reached out to Tito Ortiz to see if he’d be interested in coming aboard. The final collaboration with CrossFit Tribe made the idea a reality.”
But the idea is not about training wrestlers. Individuals should find the sport or activity that is best suited for them. Ruiz said this event just encourages youths to expand their horizons.
“One of our family mottos is, ‘Try something new,’” Ruiz said. “I would encourage everyone reading this to adopt that motto, even if it’s just for one day. Working out doesn’t always have to be lifting weights, it can be having fun with your kids.”
“This clinic and fundraiser is one of those opportunities not just to help The Youth Center, but to connect with your children and do something that may be brand new to both of you.”
Ruiz proudly said that today his family is an active family. His nephew, a Division 1 wrestler and graduate from Arizona State University, helps coach the Los Al Mat Monsters along with several other collegiate and Olympic wrestlers. And, his three boys are very active not just in Mat Monsters’ Wrestling but also in football, baseball, and golf.
“As time marches on, I’m discovering that the more active I am the more active my children are,” he said. “The benefits of an active lifestyle, besides the obvious, are the moments I have bonding with my boys that I would have missed if we were sitting in front of a television or the boys had their noses buried in their screens.”
CrossFit Tribe Functional Fitness will be hosting Keeping Kids On Track Fitness and Fun Day for all ages from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 28 at their location at 10712-B Reagan Street in Los Alamitos, where for $5 participants can choose from doing the warrior obstacle course, wrestling competition, a basic CrossFit or 10-station circuit workout.
“The workouts are boot camp style stations designed to push you off your fitness comfort zone while having fun and raising money for a good cause,” Ruiz said. “They are designed for young children and all the way up to active older adults, and can be tailored for all fitness levels. You’re really getting a great sampling of work outs for $5.”
For more information about the event or about other Youth Center programs, please call the office at 562-493-4043.
