In a tiny, unassuming warehouse off the side of the highway lies an ordinary gym with an ordinary batting cage. The people that go there, however, are anything but ordinary.
The facility is called C2S, which stands for Confidence 2 Succeed. The name itself reveals all you need to know about the people that run it. They are wholeheartedly dedicated to making young people the best versions of themselves, leaving no room for ego or hostility.
The positive aura of this space attracts a wide variety of people – I have worked out with 25‑year‑old NFL players and 7‑year‑old kids at the same time.
C2S is one place I experience true diversity – diversity of age, of race, and most importantly, of experience. In the two years I have been working out there, I have forged bonds through the gruel of daily workouts with people I would never have met otherwise.
One early morning, I began talking with some junior college football players about their hardships in life. One guy saw his father get shot when he was 12. Another hasn’t lived in a house since he was 15.
I sat there taken aback, not only at the horror of their stories but also at how positive they remain despite their pasts. I had learned about gratitude in the classroom since first grade, but all it took was one vulnerable conversation with two men to make it sink in, to make me appreciate all I’ve been given.
At C2S, I am simply a sponge of information. I learn as much about life, the struggle and beauty that come with it, as I possibly can.
Despite being different in age and race, I fit right in with my peers at the facility. If there’s one thing C2S has taught me, it’s that spaces that celebrate diversity erase the barriers that these differences often create.
