2020 was supposed to be a year of celebration. Frederick Rugby Football Club had turned thirty years old and the spring and summer seasons were packed with tournaments and matches. However, 2020 turned out to be a static year of lows. The world is still feeling the effects of COVID-19, nearly a year after the first cases were reported. Although vaccine are now being distributed, this coronavirus has caused numerous businesses to close their doors and leave many people jobless, homeless, or worse. Although our rugby season was canceled, Frederick Rugby still wanted to continue our efforts to help the community.
Andrew Gibbs, Barracks Commander
Every December the Frederick Men’s and Women’s team participate in an annual pub crawl dubbed the Santa Crawl. This effort is to raise money for the Community Action Agency. Since the crawl was no longer an option, Frederick Rugby partnered with SoldierFit Frederick to collect non-perishable food items instead of raising money. Our food drive ran through November and December of 2020. SoldierFit was the perfect partner for this project because of their commitment to community.
SoliderFit took a big hit due to COVID-19, but maintained their commitment to their clients. They continued to serve the people with virtual and outdoor classes. Once the gyms were able to reopen in June, they adjusted class programs to maintain social distances and safety.
We were able to collect over 200 food items thanks to the SoldierFit family. Along with the food-drive, they also raised over $2,000 for the Hayden’s Heroes Gift card drive; a fundraiser to bring awareness to the rare immune system disease, Histiocytosis.
The charity work was not bound to Frederick. One of the founding members, Julian Reading partnered, with his own local gym, Elite Fitness Training, in Seattle, WA. Due to COVID-19, food drives were converted to cash drop offs. They raised a total of $500.
Dave Johnson, Owner & Senior trainer (left)
Tremaine Curry, Senior trainer (right)
To commemorate this effort, Elite Fitness Training sponsored the production of 30 rugby practice balls for the team. In the spirit of teamwork, 15 balls were printed with the
SoldierFit-logo and 15 were printed with the Elite Fitness Training logo. The balls were designed and manufactured by a Maryland-base small business, Steamroller Rugby.
COVID-19 has turn the world on its head. Countless numbers of people have been affected. Some of us lost the game we love; while others faced greater losses. Rugby is know as a rough sport, but the community is something that rarely gets any attention. With the season being canceled we wanted to do our part in giving back. Thank you to SoilderFit Frederick and Elite Fitness Training for your assistance and commitment to the people.