News & Media

Hello everyone, we’ve got a very exciting announcement!  We’ve been working with a technology partner for the past couple months to offer our staff and members a superior way to log and track progress, PRs and just general Crossfit awesome-ness!  We’re excited to announce our one-of-a-kind partnership with the great crew over at www.logsitall.com.  Please go and check out their site to get a better feel for what we’ll have to offer.  Just another example of how we’re raising the bar on health and fitness here at TBY Athletics!

There will be more announcements to come and, until we get the site completely live, there will be no daily WODs posted here on the site.  Once the TBYA-Logsitall portal is up and beta-tested we’ll be transitioning the “WOD” page to that platform.  Good , good stuff everyone!  We’re very excited and very greatful to the guys at Logsitall for partnering with us to not only offer a great tool but to offer some new functionalities that will help to provide visibility into our kids’ amazing successes and hard work!

Yours in health,

Jay Kollar - TBYA President

What a great holiday season for all of us here at Thoroughbred Youth Athletics!  Thanks to a generous $2,000 sponsorship by Surgical Specialists of SWFL we’re able to keep offering our one of a kind program to the youth of Lee County.  Dr. Gordon Burtch of the group has seen our program’s impact directly and he’s committed to empowering our local youth  through the effective programing offered solely at TBY Athletics.

What community assets are being built here?  Integrity, humility, respect, self worth, vision, fortitude…just to name a few.  More importantly though, setting aside the buzz words and nonprofit semantics, we’re building up people.  Young men & women who get stronger, in every sense of the word.  More capable youth = a more capable city = a more capable nation.

Our friends at Surgical Specialists of SWFL have chosen to link hands with us as we keep changing the face of Lee County through a Crossfit community that grows stronger every day.  We’re so proud to be partnering with this great business that deeply appreciates the honest hard work that our kids are putting out.  Thanks so much to everyone at Surgical Specialists!  The support of our community is invaluable and greatly appreciated.

Your in health,

Jay Kollar
TBYA President

As the Program Director for TBY Athletics, I’m very excited to now be a certified Crossfit Kids trainer.  Soon to follow is our TBY Athletics CFK affiliation (stay tuned).  It has been a long time in the making and we’re very excited to be partnering directly with Crossfit Kids on our one of a kind program here in Lee County!

What a great weekend up at Crossfit North Atlanta. I love going to CF events! We have such a phenomenal community of people and this event in particular really stoked my fire for our cause; the cause of impacting lives and changing the face of our nation’s health.

This sounds grandiose, I know.  But honestly, it’s 100% true.  The stories of amazing kids going from obese or impaired to fire-breathing, Crossfit machines is deeply inspiring.  The stories of boxes (Crossfit gyms) impacting teams to go from defeated and mediocre to state champs is why we’re in this folks.  And on a more grand level, the vision of CFK and CF.  These guys get it and are commited to our mission:  to give kids actionable tools to achieve anything in life through hard work in health and fitness.  We have boxes all over the globe now and our trainers are set to literally change the face of world health from the ground up, one kid, one family at a time.

Special thanks to Travis Harkey the owner of CF North Atlanta, Karen Callen the CFK Director for CFNA and their entire crew.  What an awesome experience and weekend.  Great facility, great people, great community!

Also, huge thanks to the corporate crew from Crossfit Kids:   Kelly, John, Conner & David.  Great, great job guys!  One of kind experience and a huge testament to how much steam we’re gathering as a Crossfit community.  Not only are we as Crossfiters seeing the results our programs are having but the outside world is starting to understand that we’re really on to something here.  All of the scholarly, empirical and objective evidence to support our program  and vision is clutch and I look forward to sharing the science with people along with the culture and mission.

Below are some pics from the weekend:

L to R: David, Kelly, Jay, Conner, John

Travis and Jay

Conner leading CF-style Musical Chairs

The first annual Weekend Warrior Fitness Challenge was a success!!  Thanks to our members and friends for coming out this past Saturday October 23rd, having a great time and supporting the kids in Thoroughbred Youth Athletics.  Through your sweat and hard work, our kids can carry on the tradition and get PRs (personal records) no one would have thought possible!  We’re making a difference in our community!

Whew! That was tough! Glad we've got plenty to drink!

• All natural sports drinks were provided by our friends at Title Sports Drink.  You gotta try this stuff!   Really tasty and 100% all natural/low sugar!
• Wings and pizza were provided by Stevie Tomatoe’s Sports Page.  We can’t tell you how good wings are after a mind-bending workout!

Thanks guys!  We worked up a thirst and an appetite, believe us!  Support from our sponsors is crucial and you guys were awesome in hooking us up with fuel!

Mmmm, protein...

100% of the proceeds for this event goes to help local youth engage in Crossfit programming, both at our facility and through our outreach program.  We’re building a one-of-kind program for a generation of one-of-kind athletes!  We’re leading by example and loving every burpee-filled minute of it!

Thanks again to everyone!

Yours in health – the TBYA Staff

Man that Title was good!

Hello everyone!

We’ve been talking about fundraising activities and here’s a “you give, you get” opportunity!   Our long-awaited program tshirts are in!  Check them out!

(Pictured below, stylishly modeling our Fall collection, is one of our regular members:  Doogie

Come One Come All! Let's Get it On!

Come one, come all!  This event is open to adults and youth (grades 9-12) alike!  Come out and enjoy a fun-filled day with drinks, food, prizes and (of coarse) a WOD.

• 5K fun run
• 5, 10, or 20 mile bike
• Crossfit-style fitness challenge or WOD (Workout of the Day)

Do one, two or all three!  Scaled versions of each activity will be available to accommodate all fitness levels.  Don’t think you can do a 5K run?  We’ve got routes as short as 400m that you can walk.  We just want you and anyone you can wrangle down to come out with you to have a good time and help our local kids stay fit!  Be a part of a completely unique nonprofit program that’s putting Lee County on the map as a place of innovation and good health!  We’re building athletes for the game of life!

Please view the PDF flyer here for more event details:  Weekend Warrior Fitness Challenge

Special thanks to our great sponsors:

Well our first car wash is in the annals and was a huge success!  We had a majority of both our kids program and adult program members out cleaning up people’s rides for a good cause.  Over $850 dollars was raised with the help of great prizes donated for our silent auction and raffle, along with generous donations from both the members and public alike.  A HUGE thanks goes out to everyone involved!!  Together we’re making a difference in our community!

Raffle & Silent Auction
Event Sponsors:

Chico’s

SKS Photoshoot

Yabo

Bagel Bagel

Crossfit Thoroughbreds

Tempurpedic

Bennet’s

Escape Salon

Special thanks to Amy, Allie, Beth, Julie & Donna for spear-heading the efforts and working hard to make the event great!

Thanks so much to everyone that came out, we hope everyone enjoys their prizes!  It was a great sight to see our vision of a true community of adults and kids alike coming together and working towards the common goal of forwarding the Crossfit lifestyle.   Stay tuned for more info about upcoming events and opportunities to get involved!

Yours in health,

The TBY Athletics Staff

The Thoroughbred Youth Athletics program will be hosting a charity car wash Saturday 8-7-2010 from 8am – 1:00pm at Zuleta’s Indoor Batting Cages. Proceeds will be utilized for new gym equipment and direly needed showers/locker rooms. (You’d think we were working up a sweat or something!)

We need your help and support!  Let’s get our kids out here to put all that new-found athleticism to work!   Please reach out to Jay at 239-233-6783 or jay@tbyathletics.org for details and registration of you or your child.

We will need volunteers for:

• Washing vehicles
• Road sign advertising
• Raffle booth
• Miscellaneous assistance

Thanks for your support!

Crossfit, like life,  is tough work.  Getting through it and being successful is part physical but also part mental/emotional.  Thoroughbred Youth Athletics is meant to develop all of our youth’s faculties and we’re proud to announce an exciting partnership with Human Performance Mentors to address how our athletes can effectively reach their full potential!

HPM President and CEO Michael Cooper said, HPM guides their clients to identifying road blocks that have held them back from achieving their true potential.  We bring the client through a process of goal setting, self discovery and goal achieving.  Often programs focus on HOW to perform – most athletes and coaches already know how to perform.  HPM’s programs focus on WHY you get the results you get, and how to make lasting improvements.  HPM has the missing link to filling the gap between what athletes and coaches know and what they do.  We train athletes and coaches from the neck up!  Our process builds awareness and makes you see and understand your potential.  This will have a direct effect on the coaches, athletes, and teams results.

Stay tuned over the coming weeks for announcements on how you can get involved with this great resource!  We will be offering discounted courses and seminars where all proceeds will go back into keeping the lights on at TBY Athletics.  Please pose any immediate questions to us here.

Once again, we’re raising the bar on preparing our kid’s to be absolutely everything they can be with the goal of no monetary barriers.  With your support we’re making a difference and changing the face of our community’s future!

Yours in health,

TBY Athletics Staff

June 12, 2010 – Fort Myers, FL – What an event this past weekend!  Our partners at Zuleta’s Indoor Batting Cages put on a fantastic event where families from all over SW Florida came to “Train With the Pros” and help out our great cause at the same time.  Julio and the crew put on first class baseball clinics for the kids from 10-4, 770 ESPN Radio broadcasted live, Mizuno offered glove steaming and re-lacing and we raffled off 11 great prizes to raise over $500 for our Thoroughbred Youth Athletics program!

You can go to Zuleta’s Facebook page to see photos and view feedback about the fun.  Special thanks to our sponsors for providing phenomenal gifts for our raffle and to those who bought tickets and supported our cause by joining in on the fun.  Additionally, thanks to everyone at Zuleta’s for creating such a great experience and making our program a central part of event!  We’ve got a great family up here!  If you haven’t come by to see our facility and talk to our trainers make plans today!  There’s nothing else like this in SW FL and TBY Athletics is a one of kind program.  Get involved!

6/6/2010: After many months of work and collaboration with our partners, the EA Youth Club will publicly adopt the name Thoroughbred Youth Athletics and the below logo:

There’s been some fantastic changes to our program over the last couple months and this re-branding effort is meant to more closely identify us with our Crossfit Thoroughbred program for adults.  After the closing of our former home/gym, Evolved Athletics, our kid’s club identity has become  confusing at best.  Most people ask us, “How does the EA Youth Club fit in with Crossfit Thoroughbreds and Zuleta’s Indoor Batting Cages?” Just looking at the brand, that’s a great question!   Additionally, we wanted our name and logo to more accurately reflect what we are all about.  Crossfit is a fitness that includes so much more than just weights and we think our revised logo showcases that well!  Lastly, we are very big proponents of the Crossfit idea that everyone is an athlete; we’re all just at different stages in the game.  One can be an athlete in their everyday lives just as easily as when they’re on a field/court/etc.

We hope you like our updated identity and encourage your feedback.  The website address will be switching over to www.tbyathletics.org but, don’t worry, our old address will forward you to our new one.  For the purposes of donations, please continue to make gifts payable to EA Youth Club until our name change is officially recognized by the IRS.  (Anticipated to be 2-6 months).  All donations are 100% tax exempt, as we are a recognized 501C3.  Please direct any questions or concerns to Jay Kollar or Jeremy Barnett.

Again, thank you for your support and interest in our Crossfit family.  We’re growing fast and look forward to serving you and your’s, as well as our community and our nation.

Yours in health,

The TBY Athletics staff

Well after many long months of working with the IRS we are official!  This process was started back at the begining of November in 2009 and now we finally have it all wrapped up.  You can see our exemption letter here. If you are a donor or sponsor, rest assured that your gifts are tax deductible all the way back to November 7 of 2009.

Special thanks to Peter Keating for his expertise and support throughout the process and to Racheal Leifheit at the IRS for her responsiveness in helping to get us over the finish line promptly once the ball was in her court.

Most of all, thank you to all of our partners and sponsors up to this point!  Without your kind and generous support we wouldn’t be able to offer this great program to our community’s youth.  We look forward to building the program with you all throughout the coming year!

- EA Youth Club Staff

5/15/10:  Fort Myers, FL – After a couple weeks of working out in a closet (almost literally folks!), the EA Youth Club has found a great new home at Zuleta’s Indoor Batting Cages.  They have partnered with Julio Zuleta to provide an unrivaled local facility for youth health, fitness and athletic conditioning.  The EA Youth Club now offers a 2,500 sqft. dedicated strength & conditioning area, an additional 1,500 sqft. area with ropes/rings/etc. and yet another section with 40 yd. sprint  lanes as well!

Train with the Pros

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Come see us at 114 S. Cleveland Ave in Fort Myers, right behind Stevie Tomatoes, just south of  the Page Field Airport. Classes will fill up quickly and admittance is based on a first come first serve basis.  Please see the program criteria page for more info on what’s expected of our members and download needed forms here.

5/7/10:  Fort Myers Beach, FL – EA Youth Club Vice President, Jay Kollar, spent the last 2 1/2 days meeting with local and regional non profits at the SENetwork TAPP retreat on Fort Myers Beach.  The EA Youth Club is an approved member of the SENetwork’s Synergy project here in Fort Myers.

SENetwork of Youth and Family Services presents the SENergy Project which is designed to maximize the impact of faith based and community based organizations in Lee County, Florida, through intensive capacity building assistance.  (Please click on the picture to the left to see a short video on Fox News.)  Over the last 32 years, SENetwork, a national association of member agencies, has provided Training and Technical Assistance that supports critical services for youth & families in high risk situations. The mission of SENetwork is “Strengthening organizations as they strengthen youth, families & communities”. The SENetwork main office is in Bonita Springs, Lee County, FL, with additional offices in Tallahassee, FL, Birmingham, AL and Knoxville, TN.

Jay is pretty amped up about the experience and sites hugely impactful networking with local partners along with deep and actionable organizational development support offered by the SENetwork staff.  While the EA Youth Club may still be small and grassroots, the strategic growth plan and adherence to the mission of building up youth through Crossfit is compelling and very effective.

Kevin Priest, CEO of Arnette House and one of the SENetwork TAPP trainers says the following in regards to grant seeking and writing support, ”They’re (the SENetwork) going to be able to figure out what weaknesses we have in the area and they’re going to be to give you a lot of advice on how to structure it and make it better.  On top of that, they also give you a lot of different things with regards to how you build and grow and strengthen your organization.”

Amen brother, what a great relationship and network to be a part of!  The EA Youth Club looks forward to promoting the synergistic values of a healthy community here in Lee County!

Our cause is compelling, the need is real and folks recognize this.  Please see the following PDF for the EA Youth Club’s official endorsment by Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah.  We thank Mr. Judah for his support and belief in us and in our kids.  Together we’re making a difference!

Commissioner Judah Endorsement