How We Became ALL IN!

When you apply to become an affiliate with CrossFit, Inc., you are required to submit an essay stating your background and your reasons why you want to become an affiliate. Below is the essay submitted for ALL IN CrossFit. We thought this would be a great way for our potential members to learn more about us and to find out why we wanted to do this.

When I think about what makes CrossFit so special, it is not the amazing feats of strength and fitness performed by CrossFit Games athletes. It is not the unbelievable transformations of men and women who have committed to simply becoming better. It is the community that is created within the walls of a box. It is the community that makes people suffer through their first “Fran” and keeps them coming back for more. As an overweight mother-of-two in my early thirties, I began the solitary journey of becoming a long distance runner. Through running, I discovered an athlete lived inside of me, and I learned of the incredible self esteem that is gained by pushing yourself physically. It was during a marathon in my hometown that I “hit the wall,” failing to meet my goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon after months of training. Feeling defeated and burned out, I knew I had to find something new to challenge myself.

Just over three years ago, I walked into World Camp CrossFit in Albany, Georgia, at the encouragement of my former personal trainer, Kris Morrill. My two thoughts were: (1) I don’t like working out with other people. I like to train by myself. I am not going to like this; (2) Would this really be as good as the strength training I did with 5-pound dumbbells and nautilus equipment? I literally asked Kris whether CrossFit would replace my normal strength training. You can start laughing here. I immediately fell in love with CrossFit. I loved high-fiving people after a workout. I loved when my entire class cheered me on when I did my first unassisted pull-up. I loved realizing I could do things with my body I never thought possible. I loved every single bit of it and knew I had to find a way to turn this into something more.

In May 2010, I talked my coach into letting me get certified in CrossFit Endurance so that I could teach the members of WCCF how to incorporate CrossFit into a running or triathlon schedule. In October 2010, I received my Level 1 certification and began coaching a beginner’s class. Realizing that this is what I was meant to do- to encourage, motivate, and teach people how to get fit- I quit my job as an attorney so that I could spend more time doing what I loved. I went on to receive my USAW Level 1 Sports Performance Coach certification in November 2011. This past year, I found a new outlet for my passion as I covered the CrossFit Open for the South East Region and was the head writer at the South East Regionals. This summer (and I still have to pinch myself to believe this really happened), I attended the CrossFit Games as part of the social media team and tweeted coverage of the Masters competition. At the age of 40, I finally realized what I wanted to be when I grew up and that was anything having to do with CrossFit.

In June, my husband and I made the difficult decision to move our family to Auburn, Alabama. Sure, I was going to miss my family who I would be leaving in Albany, but I knew I would really miss my family at WCCF. It was very difficult to imagine a life without my beloved gym. I moved to Auburn with some equipment for my garage and once again found myself training solo just like my running days. I will admit there were days I laid on my couch feeling sorry for myself because I was no longer doing what I loved- coaching others. I had also underestimated the power of the WCCF community to keep me motivated in the gym. It didn’t take long for my neighbors to start asking me what I was doing in my garage, and the next thing I knew, I was training three women. Those three women soon turned into 12. I was finally back to doing what I loved, and I appreciate these women for trusting me to help them reach their fitness goals in my humble garage. Because my garage is small and because I coach when my children are in school, I started having to turn people away from the garage. This is when I sent an email to my friend and fellow coach at WCCF, Chris Harris.

I remembered Chris had mentioned that he was thinking about going back to school to get a Masters degree. I asked him if he had any interest in getting his Masters at Auburn University and in opening a gym with me. I got to know Chris, 27, when the two of us competed on our affiliate team at the 2009 South East Regionals. He is an incredible athlete having played college baseball, and to this day, I am honored to have made it on the same team with him. Chris is a high school PE teacher and baseball coach who has always dreamed of owning his own gym. “I enjoy helping people overcome barriers that they have placed upon themselves and reaching goals that they have set,” he says. “It’s basically the same reason that I started teaching and coaching, but CrossFit allows me to help a broader demographic than working in the school system.”

Chris received his CrossFit Level 1 in June 2010, as well as his USAW Level 1 Sports Performance Coach certification. He has coached the most popular class at WCCF since July 2010- the 5:30 a.m. class, so you know he must be good! His strength lies in teaching technique, and he has the ability to take one look at an athlete and improve her form in seconds. His command of technique is evident with his 335-pound cleanand- jerk PR and his 295-pound snatch PR and has earned him a spot on the WCCF affiliate team every year, including the 2011 team that made it to the CrossFit Games. He recently received an invitation to the Outlaw Open in Palm Springs, California, this December.

Chris recently helped me coach my girls in the garage, and we were able to see how well our coaching styles compliment each other. It was then that we knew that together we could create one of the best gyms in the South East. We plan on being a CrossFit Only facility. With my ability to unlock someone’s inner athlete and his ability to turn that same person into a competitive athlete, we think we will be unstoppable.

Community is very important to both of us. As I said above, it is what keeps people coming back for more. And where else but in the community of a CrossFit gym would a 40-year-old mother and a 27-year-old CrossFit Games athlete eventually become business partners? We wanted our affiliate name to reflect our love of the CrossFit community, and we think that “ALL IN CrossFit” does exactly that. Not only does it describe the crazy, intense obsession CrossFitters feel for their sport, but it also describes the unity we hope to create among the athletes at our box. We are excited about the future that lies ahead so please… approve our application so we can get this thing going!