Blog Archive

Joe Marsh came up to Vancouver in September, 2011, for the Executive Diploma Program. In this video, he explains why he came up, what he learned, and what his thoughts about CrossFit Vancouver are.

When I think about cycling 240 kilometers in two days, ‘therapeutic’ isn’t the descriptive word that comes to my mind.

But for CrossFit Vancouverite, Pascal ‘I don’t look a day over 16’ Gray, his recent bike ride from Surrey to Seattle had elements of unmistakable therapy.

Gray, a High School teacher, took part in the recent BC Ride to Conquer Cancer, a 240 kilometer bike ride. The main reason for the journey: A way to remember his father, who lost a battle with cancer and passed away a year and nine months ago. “The second day of the ride fell on Father’s Day, so that had a huge impact on me,” said Pascal. “It gave me a lot of time to reflect about who my Dad was, and to spend time with him in a metaphysical kind of way,” he added.

Pascal says rides like this help him in dealing with the loss. “It was amazing to be around those 2,900 riders, to be surrounded by people on the same page as me,” he said.

Another place Pascal feels at home is right here at CrossFit Vancouver. His first CrossFit experience? Last year’s Nutts Cup. He still remembers the pain. “I remember pushing to the point that I wondered if I’d get through the workout. And I thought to myself, ‘there’s nothing else that will do this to me,’” said Pascal, who was immediately hooked. “I was totally blown away by the workout and the people in the box, and it actually solidified what I already believed fitness to be.”

Pascal says his father’s death was a cataclysm for change in his own life, and CrossFit provided him with the opportunity to do just that. “I was severely abusing my body and mind with my diet and alcohol misuse,” said Pascal, who quit drinking after losing his Dad. “I decided to dedicate my life to a healthier lifestyle,” he said.

Since then, not only has he become an avid CrossFitter and bike rider, Pascal also ran his first half and full marathons last year.

As for the ride to Conquer Cancer, so far Pascal’s fundraising efforts have raised $5,600, and it’s not too late to donate to his cause.

If you want to donate click here.

John Stanley came to Vancouver for the in-house executive business mentorship diploma program in April 2011. Here’s his story:

When I first heard about CrossFit, I was skeptical. Every program claims to be number one, and most don’t come close to meeting that mark. So I started researching and found that there was a lot of science behind the program. It just made sense to me.
I wanted to learn more, so I talked with Patty and we discussed a level one cert, and then he suggested his business mentorship program. I thought, ‘Well if I’m going to open a new business, who better to learn from than the guys that brought the product into the country?’

Simply put, the program gave me all of the ins and outs of the business. These guys had already made all of the mistakes and found the best ways around them. I took in everything they said, and completely bought into their system.

CrossFit Vancouver showed me the perfect way to expose a new client to CrossFit. I live in a city of only twenty thousand, in one of the coldest parts of the country, a place where people want to be outside in the summer. Despite this, I still signed sixty very happy clients in the last two summer months. They are going strong, getting great results, and I believe they are all going to become long-term CrossFitters.

Thank you Patty, and, of course, the entire CrossFit Vancouver crew!

-John Stanley

Yesterday I jumped into a wood recycling bin to salvage a beautiful old plant table. It was in a big, deep shipping container, and I popped myself in and out of it with no problem. I would not have been able to do that a year and a half ago.

I started Crossfit training as an overweight, inactive new mom. My sister had been training for a while at that point and I was impressed and inspired by the changes I saw in her. However, I had no idea what I was really signing myself up for. During the personal training sessions I was brought to tears, on more than one occasion, just trying to finish the workout. I pushed myself so hard through some of the sessions, questioning what the hell I was doing there; but once I finished I was elated, and left with a high like no other. I got hooked.

I have never been super athlete and wouldn’t claim to be one today, but I am strong and I can do a pull-up. That makes me happy. I love reaching little milestones, because to me they are huge. For example: the first time I ran 800m without stopping, my first rope climb and the first time I strung together 10 double-unders. I was so proud of myself and I’m sure I bounced around the gym looking like quite the fool, but man, it felt good. One of the best things about Crossfit is that while I am achieving these goals, I have people cheering me on and supporting me, and 9 out of 10 times, these people are super athletes. They can do 30 pull-ups in a row and they cheer loud for my one; it is a great community to be part of.

I still get nervous sometimes before the workouts. I think if that feeling ever went away it would be a loss. The nerves challenge me to push through the task at hand, teaching me that although it might be daunting, nothing is impossible. Thanks to Crossfit I can do things I never though possible, like pulling myself out of a shipping crate with ease (and hopefully a little grace).

Dan MacDougald is one of CrossFit Vancouver’s celebrity graduates.

A former big-shot lawyer in the US, he is mostly retired now. However he continues to consult to CrossFit Headquarters. And he’s the owner of CrossFit Atlanta.

MacDougald found CrossFit in 2004, becoming certified by the fall of 2005. At the time, he had no idea that CrossFit was about to “become my life’s passion,” he explained.

But soon enough, he left his law practice to devote his heart and soul to CrossFit Atlanta, which he opened in November, 2005.

Despite his tremendous success during his law career, MacDougald was admittedly lost as an affiliate owner. “I had no idea how to run a business, and I blundered along for several years making little to no money at it…until I met Craig Patterson at the 2009 CrossFit Games,” said MacDougald.

“We became friends almost instantly,” he continued.

Shortly after that, Patterson and MacDougald made a deal, and the mentorship program began. “My focus had been entirely on excellence in training, and while that is important, it’s not enough,” he said.

MacDougald learned from CrossFit Vancouver that running a successful CrossFit affiliate came down to the vibe in the box – things like community building, client retention, and developing excellent coaches. He credits Patterson as having helped in him tremendously in these areas.

“From the fall of 2009, when I began implementing his suggestions, to June, 2011, our membership and monthly revenues have climbed steadily, and our currently monthly revenue is 50 per cent higher than it was in 2010,” he said.

He added: “The wife is now getting enthused about CrossFit. Holy Fuckin Mackerel!!”

Colin Broadwater is the owner of CrossFit Bishop,  in Eastern California. Like many affiliate owners, he opened his box and his struggles began.

After training out of his 400 square foot garage for a number of months, it was time to open a real gym. He held a fundraiser in order to pay for the first month’s rent in his new venue.

But when he did get into his own space, he and his wife had a hard time making enough money to pay the bills and put food on the table. In the first year, he was was forced to work insane hours just to get by.

“After our first year in operation, we were at a point where we needed to make some serious decisions about how to run a profitable business,” he said.

So he called Patty at CrossFit Vancouver for advice. In the month after just two short phone conversations with Patty, his box recorded their highest monthly revenue to date. The following month: another conversation, and another $3,000 increase in monthly revenue.

“Patty has opened my eyes to how I can run a successful and profitable business, change people’s lives along the way, and not run myself into the ground trying to get it all done,” he said.

Allister Jones, commonly known as ‘Big Al’ owns CrossFit Glenmore in Kelowna.

It’s no surprise he’s been successful in drawing women in their 50s (his prime clientele demographic) to CrossFit. Simply put, Big Al is objectively charming and equally attractive – he has one of those faces that doesn’t want to age.

Although Big Al has the talent to be a huge success on his own, he doesn’t for a second discredit how CrossFit Vancouver has nurtured him, and continues to cradle his business today.

Patty introduced Big Al to CrossFit in November, 2003.Patty took him to a city park in the area and put him through his first WOD.

Although still a stranger to CrossFit, he was no stranger to Patterson – the two had been best friends as children in Gaspe, Quebec.

“Being best friends with Patty over the years has taken my life on many narrow, less travelled paths,” says Big Al. “The CrossFit path has changed my life in many ways.”

Prior to CrossFit, Big Al was your typical wannabe body building male, constantly pumping himself with horrible tasting protein shakes, creatine, and double whoppers, all the while never seeming to gain the fitness prowess he strived for. While living this lifestyle, he had a life threatening accident that left him 50-pounds underweight and severely disabled on his left side of the body. CrossFit helped him recover and gain his strength back, he explains.

Today, Big Al says what he misses most about training in Vancouver is the sense of community and belonging that flourishes at CrossFit Vancouver. “Every time I feel my tank getting empty, I take a visit to Vancouver, check out your website, or call Patty and get a belly full of energy, inspiration and new ideas to implement at my own box,” said Big Al.

“Everything I learned in CrossFit was learned as a student for three and a half years at CrossFit Vancouver,” he said.

I came to Crossfit in December 2009 after meeting other Crossfit members on my ultimate Frisbee team. I commented on what good shape so many people were in, and they pointed to Crossfit as being the catalyst for getting each of them into such good condition. After living and working for three years overseas, I would describe myself as being a “skinny-fat” vegetarian. I ate mostly grains, vegetables, no meat, and suffered from chronic stomach pain. I could barely do a knee pushup, pull-ups were out of the questions, and box jumps seemed impossible.

Now, after a year and a half of Crossfitting, improving my diet to include meat, and cutting way down on the grains, it would be impossible to fully account for the vast improvements in my physical and mental conditioning. I am constantly amazed at the benefits it has given me in every aspect of my life, and I am proud to say I’ve now gained the strength, technique, and endurance to make it through a day’s workout without wanting to cry.

I started rock climbing about the same time I started going to Crossfit, and I’ve noticed a serious and positive impact on my climbing as a result of the training Crossfit offers. Climbing is as much of a mental game as it is physical, and Crossfit has given me the mental confidence to push myself onto progressively harder climbs while providing me with the physical strength and endurance required to make it through a long day of climbing.

I just wanted to say thanks for being so great. It has almost been 2 years since we started!! I can’t believe it. I love coming to the morning class, it is a great vibe and I think that you (Andy) and Corey offer so much. I believe the fact that I, and others, still come regularly says a lot about what a great teacher you are. We have learned so much and even though our focus might be different from some of those awesome athletes we totally admire, you and Corey always make us feel like we like everyone’s experience is valuable.
-Liz

Being part of the Crossfit Vancouver apprenticeship program has been a great experience. There is a camaraderie to coaching at our school that I feel is unmatched elsewhere in the Crossfit community. We learn, we teach, and we have fun. I have found that my knowledge and experience as a coach and my confidence in my ability to run classes has developed quickly, all while managing a full time job outside of the School. Having more than 20 apprentice coaches and 6 head coaches in one community all working together to improve people’s health and fitness, and ultimately their lives certainly drives up the level of coaching. – Dan Fontaine