In March, the California Model moved forward as administration, staff and residents participated in an intense, hour-long workout in the gymnasium at the San Quentin Sports Complex.
SQRC’s Physical Fitness Training has started a new program and participation on Saturday and Tuesday training class has grown to include three correctional staff members, one free staff supervisor and 45 residents in all.
“I know everybody is in a hurry to get this California Model going, but slow is fast, right? It starts with people’s slow interactions in leading the way,” said Warden Chance Andes, who participated with the group.
Andes provided leadership and vision as he highlighted the Physical Fitness Training group event that is sponsored by the No Matter What Club, in partnership with the Community Amends Project (CAP).
Before the program started, Andes gave a motivating speech to the residents and staff who were about to sweat in the gym right along with him.
“Thank you for being leaders in your community. My staff is willing to come out here and help lead the way too and this is what we want [the California Model] to look like,” said Andes.
Line captain and trainer Dave Richard shared his excitement as Warden Andes spoke. “We’re trying to invite everyone in our community to participate [because] fitness improves our mental health,” said Richard.
Warden Andes continued, “I often refer to us doing time together, …I’m in my twenty-first year… been down 21 [and have] evolved a lot,” said Andes. “When I started 21 years ago I wasn’t who I am today…if I’m dead honest with you, I wouldn’t work out with you 21 years ago. I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t workout with me 21 years ago if I walked onto a level 4 yard, [trying] to shake somebody’s’ hand. They wouldn’t shake my hand, right? So we’re different here; leading the way and this is where [the California Model] starts with events like this,” said Andes.
Maurice Higgs, another line coach for Physical Fitness Training said, “I’ve been doing fitness training, and sports all my life. I feel this is a good platform because I like staying in shape [and] I like to see people live in a positive way.”
CAP chairperson Roland Cardiel said, “The purpose of the PFT program is based around the somatic experience which is the body’s experience, to release long-term and short-term trauma-shock. The body doesn’t distinguish if you’re in crisis or working out, so we use positive cadences to rewire the brain through group fitness.”
Andes said spreading the word in the community would help healthy programs gain traction.
“I tell everybody to be patient. Great things will happen and when you leave this event, we’re going talk to our people, and say it [the event] went really good. When you leave, talk to your people and say it went really good, [because] when you talk to ten people maybe two [will] get that; and those eight who don’t get it yet, they eventually will,” said Andes.
Chairperson Cardiel said CAP and No Matter What would continue to use fitness to improve community.
Currently PFT has a group Tuesday mornings in the gym and Saturday mornings in West Block’s yard.
“Studies have shown that if you get out of your cell, the brain will crave more human interaction. In turn, we assist in the training of the brain to be pro-social instead of anti-social,” said Cardiel.
Warden Andes closed his speech just before the workout began.
“I appreciate you all and got a real workout in. I have a lot to do, because all of you ask a lot of me. I’m trying to make movements for San Quentin so I can’t be here a whole lot, but I think it’s important for both of our communities to see I am involved and we have buy-in, … I have a lot of plans for San Quentin.
We have two major things going on right now. We have the Condemned Row being closed down, which gives us a new building that we can turn into something very special. And then we have a learning center that’s giving us an opportunity no one else has. I’m open to all new programs [and] we’re pushing forward. [The California Model] starts with little stuff like this so I appreciate you all.”
After the applause faded, Warden Andes participated with the participants in workouts that included a line-up consisting of ten stations that lasted one minute each with intermittent breaks of 30 seconds. The exercises included:
- Standard Jumping Jacks.
- Mountain Climbers, which emulates a mountain climbing position while moving non-stop.
- Front/Side Lunges, which moves one leg in front of the other to stretch out the groin area.
- Windshield wiper Push-ups, where residents and staff alike do the complicated exercise, taking deep breaths and having to pause so they can continue the task near an exhaustive state.
- Jumping Squats, each line performs this exercise by jumping as a single unit. Planks, as a group staying as still as possible so as to not break the plank position.
- Pushup-Crab.
- Sit-ups; that incorporate a hand clap behind the leg as they bring their legs up.
- Shoulder Tap push-ups, demands the hand touching the opposite shoulder with each push-up.
- Abdominal rotations.
- Stretch Out to cool down.
Confidence and strength are built each day as participants workout in unity and fellowship; and on occasions they will be working out with the leader of the California Model, Warden Chance Andes.
CAP started in 2022 at CCITehachapi and began at SQRC in 2023. No Matter What was founded in Calipatria in 2018 and is currently in six prisons including serving the women at CIW.
− Cassandra N. Evans and Jason Satterfield, Contributing Writers
