A Huge Win For The Community! If you live in So Cal, I'd love to invite you this August 6, 2023 at The Anaheim Fit Expo! I will be teaching an 11 AM class at the Group Training Zone and I can't wait to have our community rally up and share this thing that we love called ROPE FLOW! Hi, my name is SLUSH - creator of SLUSHROPES! Today, I'd love to share with y'all the journey as to how rope flow made it to the Anaheim Fit Expo Stage . As a community member for years, I can't help but sit in gratitude and appreciation for every single flowmie out there. You see, it takes an entire village to validate something that appears to be so new (though it has been around since early 2000's per David Weck - the genius who systemized Rope Flow).
We are taking space in a very conventional space. That is huge. One thing I've learned is how most people find rope flow fun and appealing - they just first need to be exposed to it. In this article, I share with y'all the journey as to how we got here in the first place.
We're winding it back 2022. I've saved up enough money to be able to have a booth at the January Los Angeles Fit Expo 2023. Prior to that, I've always had a poor narrative. I thought that "this expo is for fit people only. for professionals." I went into my first Fit Expo with such a narrow mind - that no one would really find it interesting. As to "why" I thought that way, it's my own projection. It's my own narrative that is no one's responsibility but mine. When I reflect on it, perhaps it could be that I genuinely just didn't want to overdeliver expectations upon myself. Perhaps, I just didn't want to feel disappointed. I wish I could say that I had full confidence, but at that time I still didn't. I was fortunate enough to have had amazing friends and coaches (@FlowWithAJ + @GBMoves) to help me gather the courage to be there. I am so grateful for them and their presence! As the expo ended, I reflected back on every single interaction and realized that my poor narrative was completely untrue. I was wrong. In fact, it was so interesting seeing all types of people (from bodybuilders, powerlifters, strongman, dancers, yogis, coaches, boxers, and your "average" person) stop at the SLUSHROPES booth and interact with the ropes. Fast forward sometime in March 2023, I sat in front of my computer and thought about what I could do to be a part of The Anaheim Fit Expo (the same branch, but about 40 minutes away from Los Angeles). I had a funny and brave thought: "I wonder what happens if I just ask." I have this thing called the 5 second rule. If I think about doing something and 5 seconds pass without any action, chances are I probably won't do it. SO... I said to myself "what do I have to lose?" I scoured the internet and gathered as many contact info as I could and sent them an email. The email was fairly long but essentially I asked: "what do I have to do to be a part of this? Whatever it is, I'll do it."
I sent the emails out thinking it's been sent to the blackhole and for me to not expect anything in return. A few days pass and to my surprise I receive a response. It wasn't a "yes", however. It was more of "let me connect you to someone else and MAYBE there is something that could work." A few more days pass and I check my inbox. My heart was beating so fast as I read the preview text of another rep from the expo. Within 48 hours, I found myself in a zoom meeting with the head of the Group Training Zone department and to my surprise, she has asked me if I would be open to hosting a group exercise on August 6, 2023 at 11 AM. I was completely shook . I was so nervous and feeling lightheaded. I was so excited to receive this news. I immediately thought of how huge this is for our rope flow community to receive such validation - that a huge fitness expo see value in what we do.
This is such a huge WIN for the rope flow community. The goal is for rope flow to be just as familiar as jump ropes. For it to be seen and used widely ! As I reflect back on this, I can't help but wonder how many times in our lives we've stopped ourselves from getting what we want... or how many times we get in our own way because of our own projections or self doubt. I wonder what I would be writing about today if I believed a few months ago that it wasn't worth my time writing an email and just ASKING. To ask without expectation, in spite of hesitation - that is the lesson.
If you live in So Cal, I would love to see you there on August 6, 2023 11 AM at The Group Training Zone for a FREE Rope Flow Class! You can buy your tickets HERE and use the code FIT2023 for $10 off Flow ropes will be provided there - bring your own if you have one!