Strength Fights Cancer 2026

CrossFit AP is proud to announce the return of Strength Fights Cancer (SFC) Competition!

This Crossfit competition will host 6 divisions, same Gender teams. RX MMM or RX FFF, Scaled MMM or Scaled FFF, Master MMM or Master FFF.  Masters group must be at least 40 years or to compete, and the sum of all three athletes must equal 130 or more. We will guarantee 3 Wods plus a final for the top 5 teams in each division. Top teams will walk away with Prize Purse, products, and swag. Registration includes an event t-shirt for each athlete ( tshirt cut off May 15.) 

Why We Compete

This will be our 9th year of Strength Fights Cancer (SFC), and although it is much harder not having Jake here with us, we will continue to raise money and compete in his honor.

For those of you who may not know, Jake Madonia was an athlete who battled a very unforgiving type of Synovial Sarcoma cancer for 10 years. He was an incredible husband, father, friend, and nurse at Roswell Park Cancer Center. Jake passed away on April 17, 2018.

Through his 10–year fight, Jake never gave up. Even in the hardest moments, he focused on caring for others — his family, his friends, and his patients. Jake and his wife Lorinna, founded The Lotus Flower Giving Society, named after their daughter Nalia, to support research and patient care for rare sarcoma cancers. This year, a portion of the proceeds from SFC will continue to support this foundation and its mission to find treatments, support families, and help young patients facing sarcoma in Western New York.

Honoring Dr. Dan Minocchi

This year, we also carry forward the spirit of another member of our CrossFit AP family. On February 3, 2025, we lost Dr. Dan Minocchi to complications from battling cancer.   Dan was a lifelong athlete, UB graduate, Doctor of Chiropractic, and a dedicated youth baseball coach with the Clarence Baseball Association.

In November of 2023, Dan chose to amputate his leg in hopes of staying ahead of the disease — a decision that reflected the relentless optimism and determination he lived by. He showed up for others with the same heart he brought to every workout, every patient, and every young athlete he coached. His life reminds us that strength shows up through perseverance, compassion, and how we fight for more time with the people we love.

Our Purpose

Strength Fights Cancer is not just a competition.
It is a tribute to two lives that embody resilience and care for others.

As we lift, sweat, and compete, we honor Jake, Dan, and every family who fights this battle. Their legacy pushes us to show up for each other, support the fight against rare cancers, and keep giving back to the community that shaped them.