BY JASON COHEN
Stuck home during the pandemic,
Joanne Edmonson simply
wanted to work out with a
few people. Never did she imagine
it would turn into a nonprofi
t.
On March 15, 2020, Edmonson,
a resident of Riverdale, invited
four friends to exercise at
Van Cortlandt Park and asked
instructors to come along.
When all the instructors said
no, Edmonson was forced to
teach..
“Nobody wanted to risk it,”
she said about gathering during
the beginning of the spread
of COVID-19 throughout New
York. “Everybody was afraid.”
But before long, more women
began to work out with Edmonson,
as she was garnering quite
a following throughout the borough.
For the fi rst month she
taught all the classes.
It was then when the Female
Fight Club was born. The FFL
serves more than 400 women
and provides daily fi tness
classes, strength training, yoga,
Pilates, kickboxing, Piyo, bootcamp
and Zumba. The group
also performs community service
such as volunteering with
The Friendly Fridge and the
Food Justice Ministry, park
cleanups with local elected offi -
cials and health education with
in-person tutorials from nutritionists,
psychotherapy, chefs
and professional trainers.
“At the FFC NYC, we have
one requirement: ‘bring your
will to fi ght,’” it says on its website.
Sisters, Servants of
Mary Ministers to the Sick
and the
Sisters, Servants of Mary Auxiliary
Annual Golf Classic & Dinner
BRONX TIMES R 8 EPORTER, JULY 9-15, 2021 BTR
“Our slogan: ‘What are
you fi ghting for?’not only encourages
self-introspection but
challenges each member’s personal
convictions about achieving
and maintaining self-love,
physical/mental/emotional/
spiritual health, family, healing,
justice and independence.”
Edmonson was born in the
Dominican Republic, raised
in Washington Heights and
moved to Riverdale at the age
of 20. She graduated from Lehman
College with a degree in
business management, but always
envisioned herself as a social
worker. Although Edmonson
didn’t follow that career
path, she opened a daycare center
in Riverdale nearly two decades
ago.
In addition to helping children,
her other passion is fi tness.
She began teaching yoga
at a gym, but that quickly dried
up as the gym shut down once
COVID-19 arrived.
Edmonson — not the type to
just sit home — and her friends
began to work out at Van Cortlandt
Park. Due to COVID-19
restrictions, only 10 people
were allowed to gather at a time
and the women were required
to socially distance and wear
masks.
“Everyone was very nervous,”
she recalled. “Once I got
outside and the trees were blowing,
and the birds were chirping
I knew things would be okay.”
One day she saw a friend at
the park who looked stressed,
so she welcomed her to work
out with the group even though
it exceeded more than 10-person
limit. “After that, the wall
came down and I invited everybody,”
she said.
Women work out as part of Joanne
Edmonson’s Female Fight Club. Edmonson
started the club in 2020.
Joanne Edmonson of Riverdale formed the Female Fight Club during the
pandemic. Photos courtesy of Joanne Edmonson
Riverdale resident
forms Female Fight Club
honoring
Vin Todino
Vice President, FCV Sewer and Water, Inc.
Monday, August 2, 2021
11:30 am Shotgun
SCARSDALE GOLF CLUB
1 Club Way, Hartsdale, NY 10530
For more information, call Bruce Eagel
at (914) 332-4772 or (917) 957-5884
Or email: eagelsports@aol.com
Please join VISIONS Bronx-Westchester
Advisory Board for our Annual
Wednesday, July 21, 2021, 6:00PM – 9:30 PM
Frankie & Johnnie’s Pine Restaurant
1913 Bronxdale Ave, Bronx, NY 10462
Honorees:
Irene Amato
A.S.A.P. Mortgage Corp.
Dr. A.J. Contento
Eye Care Unlimited
Gene DiNapoli
Entertainer/Restaurateur
Michael Knobbe
BronxNet
Emcee:
Gary Axelbank
BronxTalk, thisistheBronX
To RSVP, Scan the QR Code or Visit
www.visionsvcb.org/events
For more information, please call 212-625-1616, ext. 135
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