A day after flying into Edmonton, Ference invited people to join him for a workout in Kinsmen Park via Twitter. (Social media and word-of-mouth are the November Project’s main marketing tools, helping keep it fun and “free forever.”) His sister, Jennifer, a teacher and consultant, joined him, along with about 25 others. He hoped to follow Boston’s example and build enough momentum during the summer months before winter made regulars question their sanity.
Winter also brought hockey season, meaning Ference needed help leading November Project YEG. His sister suggested Nadim Chin, a human-resources consultant at Servus Credit Union and loyal tribe member. (Each city’s group is called a “tribe.”)
“There are these dynamic people leading the tribes who are funny and not afraid to be crazy. They’re extroverts. That’s like Nadim,” Ference says. “And I somehow convinced Jen that it wouldn’t be as much work as it was.”
“It’s a non-paying job,” Jennifer says as she, Chin and I warm up in her car after running hills at Gallagher Park and tobogganing with the rest of the group. The two of them share leadership responsibilities, like determining workouts and locations, and write blog posts after workouts. Her brother joins in when his hockey schedule allows.
“In a weird way, the fitness thing is kind of secondary,” Chin says. “We’re not trainers.”
“No, we’re community builders,” Jennifer adds.
Graham stresses that tribe leaders must show up on time, every time, no matter the temperature or lack of sunlight. Mondays are a mishmash of activities, like burpees, hoisties and partner work. Stairs are on Wednesdays, and hills are for breakfast on Fridays.
If you’ve wandered around downtown at 6 a.m., you may have heard the happy, obscene chants. But, for most, mornings don’t start so cheerily – not even for established athletes like Jennifer and Chin, or professional ones like Ference. Nobody likes getting up that early, but it’s worth it at the end of the day when you’ve already got your workout in.