The Wesman WOD: Foxboro Shows Up for Holly

Last weekend, somewhere between 80 and 100 people packed into CrossFit Torque — members, coaches, and plenty of friends and family who don’t normally set foot in our gym — for the Wesman WOD, a fundraiser workout held in memory of Holly Wesman and benefiting Dana-Farber’s Jimmy Fund.

We set a goal going in. We blew past it: $11,376 raised, more than double what we were hoping for.

Teams of three took on a 13-minute AMRAP that spelled out the whole rainbow, literally — R.O.Y.G.B.I.V. One partner rowed while the other two worked through it, 13 reps of a movement for every color: “red or R” was reverse lunges, “orange or O” was overhead dumbbell presses, “yellow or Y” was YOU choose: kettlebell swings or dumbbell floor press, “green or G” was goblet squats, “blue or B” was box jumps, “indigo or I” was inverted ring rows, “violet or V” was V-ups. Partners rotated in whenever they wanted, which meant nobody worked alone for the full 13 minutes. Then both heats came back together at the end for 24 burpees — everyone, all at once.

Teams of three. Thirteen reps, thirteen minutes. Twenty-four burpees to close it out. None of that was random — it’s Holly and Karen’s wedding date, March 13, 2024, built into every single rep.

Two heats, 50 people total, worked through it side by side, pushing each other through the hard parts the way this community always does. In between, there was Holly-Pop (a lollipop-themed game — the pun very much intended), a tie-dye station running full tilt because tie-dye was Holly’s thing, and homemade bubbles drifting across the gym floor.

That’s the thing about a day like this: the workout is really just the excuse. What actually happened was 80 to 100 people showing up for each other, for a family that needed to feel that, and for a cause that mattered enough to double a fundraising goal without blinking.

Holly’s wife, Karen, said it better than we ever could:

“Wow! Just wow! We more than doubled our goal and raised $11,376 for Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund! I am overwhelmed with gratitude! To the CrossFit Torque coaches and community: you are absolutely amazing! Thank you for all your hard work and support. Your dedication to your members and the community is truly admirable, and I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of it. Holly was absolutely right (she usually was) when she told me I had found a unique and special place in CrossFit Torque. To everyone who donated, participated in, or worked so hard on the Wesman WOD, I can’t thank you enough! Our community truly came together to make this happen. Because of your incredible generosity, Holly’s spirit of giving lives on.” — Karen Wesman

To everyone who showed up, sweated, donated, or just stood on the sidelines cheering — thank you. This is exactly what this place is for.

-Amanda and CrossFit Torque Staff