By Karen Pyndus, WEforum Editor
WEforum, the Women’s Education Forum, along with Monmouth Medical Center held its ninth annual WEforum Fit Crawl 2024 event on Saturday, February 24, 2024. The event took place across multiple studios throughout Monmouth County and celebrated the dedication of local youth coaches and mentors who play a pivotal role in the lives of our youth, both on and off the field. The post-crawl event at Triumph Brewery Co. was standing room only as WEforum celebrated coaches, mentors and leaders in the community. The 2024 Fit Crawl, with over 300 attendees and raising over $60K, was a dynamic one-day health and wellness extravaganza, promoting an active, healthy lifestyle combined with community engagement, while supporting WEforum’s mission to provide free educational health and wellness programs.
This year, the WEforum Fit Crawl went beyond a day of health and fitness to recognize the commitment of youth coaches and mentors in our community who work tirelessly to foster and enrich the lives of young athletes on the field and beyond. The event aimed to acknowledge and applaud these coaches and mentors in youth athletics who embody high ideals, characteristics and traits related to personal excellence, transformation, sportsmanship and a healthy lifestyle.
Initiated by WEforum in 2016, the Fit Crawl has become a staple in the community’s annual calendar, promoting the message “Move for Life” in collaboration with local health and wellness studios, vendors and partners. The lively and well-earned post-crawl event at Triumph Brewing Co. featured local vendors including Juice Basin, Fig, Salad House, Cleaner Greener Living with Shaklee, Creative Candies, Juice Plus, Suthe CBD, TriniTea, Savvi, Lombardi Plastic Surgery Center, and A Fine 79.
The Fit Crawl offered a diverse range of over 35 classes, including yoga, boxing, pilates, strength training, cycling, meditation, breath classes, cold plunges, energy work and more. The studios included Rumble Boxing Shrewsbury, Open Heart Yoga, The Fort Athletic Club, Pilates Blast, Pyour Core-Synergy Hot Yoga, The Breathing Rooms, Boundless Breath, Perspirology, Soul Strong, SoulShine Studios, ESSA Sports Performance & Fitness, Clementine Cycling Studio, Evenflow Yoga, YogaSix, Cleansing Concepts, Atlantic Club Downtown-Red Bank, Pilates Project, Poe, Healing with Denise Hoagland and Align Movement pop-up at Two River Theater, which made for a diverse and inspiring wellness journey across Monmouth County.
We would like to thank all of the supportive sponsors and additional contributors in helping to make this year’s Fit Crawl another smashing success.
- Game Changers Sponsors: EPIC Financial Strategies; The DeSena Family Foundation; The Kelly Family; Soulshine Studios; and Melissa Lowry
- Inspire for Life Sponsors: Sycamore Medical Management; Triumph Brewing Co.; Lauren and Walter Daszkowski; Melina and Nick Sophinos; and The Rubin Family
- Teamwork Dreamwork Sponsors: Merrick Construction; Tigger Stavola Foundation; No Limit Ninja – Oceanport; The Peach Pit 07760; and Crossfit Primitive
- Field to Heart Sponsors: Meulener Dental; ESSA Sports Performance & Fitness; Campi Dental; Building Blocks Lacrosse (BBL); ModelForm by Laura McGuire; Girls Gone Gritty; The Suzanne Veninata Team at Douglas Elliman Real Estate; and Moms of Business (MOB)
- Fueling Dreams Sponsors: Cleansing Concepts; Soffer & Associates Comprehensive Psychological Services; Greener Cleaning Living with Shaklee; Heritage House Sotheby’s International Realty; Shore House; Diehl’s Landscaping & Design; Sourlis International Realty Corp.; Bob and Clare Gray; Debbie Memmott; Wayne and Jamie Greenleaf; Chris Cupo; George and Deirdre Spiropolous; and Amanda Brockwell
- Making a Difference Sponsors: Gillian Sahadi; Kristin Bunnell; Sarah McManus; Jen and Adam Cavise; Joseph Bowley; Jen Jaroschak; and Christine Brody
This year, WEforum chose to recognize several distinguished coaches and youth mentors for their contribution to the overall health and wellness of our community, especially our youth athletes.
Event co-chairs Dorothy Whitehouse, Chair of the Rumson Recreation Commission and Trustee and Head of the Rumson Travel Basketball League, and Rob Gill, CEO of EPIC Financial Strategies and Founder of EPIC Elite AAU Basketball, both inducted into the WEforum Hall of Fame 2024, led the ceremony to honor the exceptional contributions of event co-chairs Val Barnaby and Randy Foye, awarding them the highest honor of the year, the WEforum Fit Crawl Honoree 2024, for their unparalleled dedication to mentoring youth athletes.
In addition, Val and Randy were inducted into the WEforum Hall of Fame 2024 and honored with the Coaching and Training Excellence Award for outstanding achievement in the coaching profession and unparalleled dedication to mentoring youth athletes.
Adding to the excitement, a select group of Monmouth County’s elite coaches were inducted into the WEforum Hall of Fame 2024, recognizing their multifaceted contributions to sports, community service, and beyond. Their induction highlighted careers marked by excellence, dedication, and commitment bringing transformational impact, inspiration, and lifelong commitment to healthy living to youth athletes. Inductees include:
George Sourlis, a legendary Shore Conference basketball coach, earned iconic status transforming the Rumson-Fair Haven girls basketball program into a powerhouse, returned to coach the Red Bank Regional boys basketball program, bringing his wealth of experience to the sidelines.
Tim McLoone, Head Coach of Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School Boys/girls Varsity Track and Cross Country, and New Jersey Hall of Fame inductee, has been sharing his formidable work ethic and wealth of past experience with the RFH athletes since 2008, bringing home multiple state and sectional championships.
Steve Carcaterra, founder of United Lacrosse in 2009, played a crucial role in elevating Monmouth County’s lacrosse prominence in NJ and later merged with Building Blocks Lacrosse, a state power club.
Ronanne DeRosa, a distinguished gymnast from Barnstormers and former Head Varsity Coach at Red Bank Catholic High School from 2011-2019, she secured several accolades reaching the pinnacle of gymnastics success.
This year’s event also shines a light on the Coaching Culture Excellence Award recipient given to Coach Chris “Shempy” Champeau. As the RFH Boys Varsity Basketball Coach, Coach Shempy mentors youth athletes by fostering a culture of service, tradition, and lifelong bonds within and beyond the sports community.
Congratulations to all of our deserved honorees and award recipients and thank you to all involved in making the Monmouth Medical Center and WEforum Fit Crawl 2024 an unforgettable day of wellness, community and celebration. Join us for our 10th annual Weforum Fit Crawl 2025!
