CrossFit 858 turns 3!

CrossFit 858 turns 3!

This week CrossFit 858 turns 3 years old, and for me it’s a time of reflection.

Many of you are familiar with my story and how we started.  I was doing something completely different, stuck in a corporate career that I didn’t care much for.  I wanted a change and decided to take drastic action to make my life better and to put myself in a position to truly help people.  But that’s as far as I’ll go on that topic.  For those of you who don’t know the story, I’d be happy to share it with you outside of this blog post sometime.

The purpose of this blog post isn’t about me and the celebration of the creation of this gym, but it’s really about what I’ve learned so far over the past 3 years owning and running this place:  It’s a celebration about YOU, the athletes.

I used to think any good box was made up by a core group of devotees and they created the essence of the gym.  I’m referring to those who show up on a regular basis who proudly wear the colors of the gym, those who are devoted to repping the box like a badge of honor.  While the “core group” is nice to have, there is much more to it.   The true essence of the box goes beyond that core group and encompasses EVERYONE.  It’s the core group, those who come in a few times a week, or those who only come in when they can that defines CrossFit 858.  It is the community as a whole that makes this gym what it is.

Because of that, I want to thank everyone who has come through the doors of CrossFit 858: past, present, and future.  The reputation of CrossFit 858 and what makes us good is due to all of you.  The culture was set early on by the original group of athletes, and has been carried on through several iterations of the gym into what it is today.

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If you are an O.G. member of CrossFit 858 and started with us in the park days, I thank you for what you have done for the gym.  3 years ago, we started like a band of misfits in a grassy field, redefining what you considered to be “fitness”.  There was something special about what was happening: people were getting fit and doing it alongside each other in a tight community.  The best part about it was how we all knew it was just the beginning.  Once we found a place we called “home” and became an official affiliate, we took off without ever looking back.

If you are a former member of the gym and have left due to relocation or whatever reason, I thank you too.  Just because you are gone, doesn’t mean your impact here isn’t felt.   Your time spent here with your blood sweat and tears has helped build the legacy of this gym, which the current members follow.  old

 

And speaking of the current members, you are the lifeblood.  The living and breathing embodiment of our culture.  You are the first thing a new prospective member sees when they enter the gym.  Not only do they see you sweating away, giving 100% effort for that PR lift or WOD, but you are usually the first ones to greet them when they come in.  You are role models for each other.  You are the ones to encourage each other to finish a second faster, push out one more rep, or load a few more pounds on the barbell.  You are the first to pick each other up during your times of failure, and the first to congratulate each other during your successes.

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This community celebrates each other’s accomplishments not only in the gym, but outside.  I’ve seen birthday celebrations, baby showers, job promotion parties, engagements and weddings all come from this giant family.  I’ve also seen times that we have banded together to help those in need, yielding remarkable results.  There are very few communities outside of what we do that brings people close together, almost as blood relatives.  In some cases, you have become even closer than that.

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A successful box isn’t self sustained- if you build it, they won’t necessarily come.  A box isn’t successful based on how cool its facility is. It’s not it’s marketing plan, nor how much they spend on equipment.

A successful box is truly defined by the community and culture that it adopts and that sets the gym apart.  In that sense, the gym is its own living breathing entity.  People will come and go, but like attracts like.  The athletes of CrossFit 858 follow the legacy of the previous members that came before you, and you pave the way for those that will come in the future.  There isn’t a single member or group that creates this culture and atmosphere, but it is the collective whole.  This entity and culture is bigger than the physical walls of the gym and transcends all boundaries.

Thank you, athletes of CrossFit 858 for being who you are and giving this gym life.   Thank you, for giving me personally a sense of purpose in my own life.  I wake up every day (sometimes groggy, sorry 6am), but with an agenda and a motivation to help people.

So again, I thank you for the success we’ve had over the past 3 years, and I look forward to continuing this legacy for many years to come.