After a debilitating back injury and subsequent back surgery, T-Bear found CrossFit Seattle in 2004 while working as a engineer with Johnson Controls.

“When I first started CrossFit I could barely move let alone dead lift any type of weight. I kept talking to Coach Glassman and more and more the CrossFit methods made sense to me,” T-Bear said.

T-Bear’s commitment to his own recovery is representative of his coaching style. “I am chameleon-like. I’ll adjust all the time to motivate, inspire and challenge my clients,” he said.

Often people use an injury as an excuse why they cannot start a fitness program. Someone once said to T Bear, “Excuses are the purest form of psychological masturbation.” He agrees. “Trying is lying. Pick up the weight, put it overhead, repeat,” he urges.
T-Bear has the unique perspective of knowing first-hand how to recuperate and bounce back after a serious injury. His coaching can assist any dedicated and motivated individual to be successful in his/her personal goals through proven and progressive methods. His breadth of knowledge comes from great mentors and coaches, such as Greg Glassman, Mark Rippitoe, Kelly Starrett, Robb Wolf, and locals like Aaron Rizzardo, Teri-Lynn Fraser, and Dr. Jeff Almon.

The Bear is CrossFit’s “Kid at Heart” and likes to make things fun, whether it be teaching handstand push-ups or just chillin’ with his favourite comfort items: espresso in the morning, anything Mac throughout the day, and a scotch or pinot to cooldown.
Of coaching, T-Bear says, “For me, the best part of being a CrossFit coach is the pleasure of meeting and getting to know our community of athletes and their characters. I love it.”

His ideal vision of the future can be summed up this way: “A Big CrossFit facility with a golf course to the south, a beach to the west, a restaurant/bar/vineyard to the North, and my big pad with all of the amenities to take care of my ADHD,” he said.

Wikipedia definition: A shepherd is a person who tends to, feeds, or guards sheep, especially in flocks. The word may also refer to one who provides religious guidance, as a pastor.

Sheppy grew up in the thriving metropolis of Cobourg, Ontario, where he honed his skills as an athlete and a high-ranking boy scout. Next to CrossFit, the best job he ever had was working as a counselor at a Presbyterian Christian Camp in Muskoka for three summers during High School.

After discovering CrossFit in the spring of 2006, Sheppy describes his life as, “getting progressively better everyday.” He added: “Its uplifting to be part of such an awesome community.”

Sheppy’s coaching style is patient and encouraging, with an emphasis on fairness and honesty. “I consider myself a conduit for the method. I’ll take no kudos for my students because they are doing the work. They deserve the kudos,” he said.

Sheppy believes in practicing what he preaches, with a particular emphasis on nutrition and wellness. As an example, his three favourite things in life are meat, sex and exercise. When asked, “What about love?” he says, “Yes, I love all three.”

Sheppy is also the school’s endurance specialist and the head coach for the High Performance Center.

Born and raised in Pickering, Ontario, Andy started CrossFit in his garage in 2003, turning himself into the Greek god he is today.

For 10 years before that, he had worked as a lighting director in the Toronto film industry, rubbing elbows with the likes of Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and the Rolling Stones.

During this time, Andy also tried his hand at academia spending a total of two years at University of Windsor – one year in General studies, and one year in “Inebriation 101″ studies.

Tired of the “feast or famine” atmosphere of the film industry in T.O., he moved to Vancouver in 2006, where he found CrossFit Vancouver. Andy found himself spending more and more time around the CrossFit barn. It was a natural transition to turn his favourite hobby into a full-time career.

Andy has been heavily involved in sports and fitness all of his life having participated and competed in backcountry skiing, climbing, track and field, volleyball, basketball, endurance races and trail half-marathons. However, none of these sports has given him stamina and focus like CrossFit.

“I don’t see CrossFit as working out. For me it has always been a sport. We play for points (be it time, rounds, or weight totaled). I want to beat the guy next to me, I don’t want him to fail, mind you, but I want to beat him. Same goes for my previous performance. Every time out I’m trying to get stronger, faster, and more efficient. Add competition and camaraderie, and if Crossfit isn’t a sport then I don’t know what is,” he said.

When coaching, Andy prefers to focus on the details, like proper form. “Spending time learning and refining the ABC’s of CrossFit, the details, will pay dividends down the line. Once you have these down, you can form some pretty cool sentences, paragraphs, even poetry. Movement can be poetry. But this can’t happen without an understanding of the ABCs,” he explained.

Charlie Palmer’s life changed dramatically when he found CrossFit Vancouver in June, 2006. “My life pretty much went from a C- to an A once I started CrossFitting,” Palmer said.

Life before CrossFit was chaotic for the passionate Palmer. He held many different jobs, from truck driving and moving furniture to the film industry, where he worked in both the lighting and production side of the industry. “I was a heavy drinker and smoker at the time, too. I knew it was just a matter of time before I needed to change my lifestyle,” Charlie admitted.

Within a year of being re-acquainted with his childhood friend Patty, Charlie jumped on board with the CrossFit Vancouver crew. He left his job in the summer of 2007, earned his CrossFit Level 1 certification, and started coaching CrossFit.

Since then, Charlie has extended himself deeper into the community. On top of his gig coaching students, Charlie also volunteers his time with inner-city school children, teaching them the principles of CrossFit. His current lifestyle, of course, also gives him the needed freedom to pursue other passions, like music, skateboarding, BMX biking, and snowboarding.

And here at CrossFit Vancouver, Charlie’s late night classes have taken on a momentum of their own. It’s not entirely clear what happens in the school during Charlie Palmer’s after hour sessions, but it’s clear that his people are loving every minute of it. Charlie’s gang has learned a thing or two from their master about loyalty; his clients are easily some of the most committed and loyal group of CrossFitters in the community. Stroll into CrossFit Vancouver at 10 pm on a weeknight, and sometimes they’re still here.

“I love the people here. Everyone strives to better his life. Everyone here takes care of himself. We love and support one another no matter where we’re coming from,” Charlie said.

Tony is a senior lecturer at Simon Fraser University in the School of Kinesiology. Tony helps explain in definitive terms why Crossfit works. Tony writes articles for us and also contributes to the programming at Crossfit Vancouver.

Emily is an Associate Coach at CrossFit Vancouver, as well as the school’s Media Director.

She arrived at CrossFit Vancouver in the fall of 2009, after completing her Master’s Degree in journalism at the University of Western Ontario. When she arrived in Vancouver, she was in a bewildered state, confused about how to use her seemingly useless degrees, and lost about what her next move in life would be. CrossFit Vancouver provided her with an answer. It was truly love at first sight.

She became a Junior Apprentice Coach, as well as Patty’s personal assistant, at the beginning of 2010. Thanks to Patty’s devotion and patience – he spent tireless hours working with Eunice one-on-one – she rose through the ranks and graduated to the Senior Apprentice level in 2011 and an associate coach in 2012.

On top of her role as a coach and assistant, Eunice has also put her journalism degree to work during her time at CrossFit Vancouver. She works full-time as a staff writer and assistant editor for the CrossFit Journal.

As an athlete, Eunice was a national level gymnast as a child, a sport she left when she grew too tall. She played NCAA basketball for one year, and then played on the varsity basketball team at the University of British Columbia for two years. She started rowing in her later university years, and won a national rowing championship while rowing at the University of Western Ontario.

As a CrossFitter, she competed with the CrossFit Vancouver affiliate team at the CrossFit Games in 2010. She tore her Achilles in December, 2010, which kept her out of CrossFit competition as an individual in 2011, but she returned to California with her team in 2011. This past year, she placed 3d at the 2012 Canada West Regional competition, missing out on individual qualification to the CrossFit Games by one placing.

After spending a couple years in the often destructive bartending industry, Chest had had enough of the endlessly long nights pounding beer and fried food. So he said goodbye to Yaletown Brew Pub and began a personal rehab, eventually making his way to CrossFit Vancouver, where today he is a Senior Apprentice Coach.

“Sex, drugs, and disposable income turned to fitness, fitness into what made sense, sense into CrossFit,” said Chest.

Chest can be described in one word: Relentless. From his patience and diligence with his own students to his willingness to put in the hours and help around the school, he’s been caught pulling all nighters and sleeping on the couch in the lounge on more than one occasion. This has  led to rumours that he may, in fact, live at CrossFit Vancouver.

The charming Chest simply loves coaching, loves helping people get back on track, the way he did in his own life. “CrossFit has given me the best set of tools to continue my growth as a coach and become an amazing athlete, not to mention an ever-growing and improving physique to compliment my handsome face and charm,” he added.

As an apprentice coach, Chest is rapidly rising through the ranks and is becoming one of the mobility gurus around the school.

Bumpy has always been a gym rat. He started lifting weights at the age of 12, and he was a competitive boxer back in the day, a sport that led him to win two Golden Glove Championships.

He has been working in the fitness industry as long as he can remember and is constantly taking courses, attending seminars, and trying new sports and training methodologies. “I want to be like a sponge, take in as much as I can, try it all, and then decide what works and what doesn’t,” said Ben.

For Ben, CrossFit works. “CrossFit has opened my eyes to pushing past the normal limits,” he said. “It has made me a better athletes, and a better trainer,” said Ben, who also runs a business called Train With Me Online (www.trainwithmeonline.com).

On top of this, Ben also is one of two coaches of the East Van Barbell Club at CrossFit Vancouver.

Ben said his favourite part about training people is watching them do things they didn’t think they could. “Turning your average person into an athlete, taking an overweight mother of three, and turning her into something she didn’t think she could ever be – that’s what I love about this,” he said.

Reto is a long-time CrossFitter and Apprentice Coach at CrossFit Vancouver. He spends his days working as an engineer and his evenings working out and helping coach at CrossFit Vancouver.

CrossFit truly is a hobby for Corfu, who is also competitive sailor. “The first workout I saw featured 100 pull-ups; this scared the shit out of me and resulted in my almost immediate addiction to the lifestyle,” Reto said.

“I turned 30 and every time I went skiing I was sore for days afterward. My lame program from Men’s Health – 5 km jogs and hot yoga – was not helping. I figured it was near time to hang up the skates, hit the couch and accept my inevitable journey down the long and frightening road to decrepitude,” he said of his life before CrossFit. Now with CrossFit, he adds: “Now I play harder than I did when I was 23.”

Reto as a coach is calming and patient. He might even seem too calming, almost boring sometimes. But when you get to know him, he has a lot of love to give, and he’s even kind of funny. He jokes, “I love CrossFit Vancouver’s unwavering commitment to the belief that redheads are a genetically superior species.”

Mike ‘Lumber’ Dahlman is one of CrossFit Vancouver best, brightest and most experienced coaches.

He is also one of CrossFit Vancouver’s most accomplished CrossFitters – he competed with the CF Vancouver affiliate team at both the 2010 and 2011 CrossFit Games in LA.

Despite his successes, Lumber doesn’t have an ego about it. He shows up everyday, laces his shoes up, and joins in the classes with everyone else, treating each person like an equal (even though he can lift three-times as much weight as everyone else).

One of Lumber’s biggest strengths is his passion. Over the years, we’ve watched him grow up, learn how to channel his emotions into a positive passion, which comes through towards his friends, his family, and his students. In short, Lumber gives a shit about the people in his life.

When Dan arrived at CrossFit Vancouver, he was a slim endurance athlete training for an Ironman. He was also weak as a kitten.

Once the Ironman was over, he decided to turn his attention to CrossFit and today is one of the strongest, most powerful, most technically-sound men at the school. He competed for CrossFit Vancouver at the CrossFit Games in 2011 and at the Canada West Regional in 2012.

Not only has his tremendous physical growth has been witnessed by everyone at CrossFit Vancouver, his emotional growth has been pretty dramatic, as well. He came in shy, closed off, and politically correct. Today, he has opened up to everyone, and a truly unique, real person shines through.

His loyalty and commitment to the school, as well as his technical knowledge of the sports, is unmatched. As a Senior Apprentice Coach, Dan coaches in the early mornings, then takes off to work as an engineer during the day, and returns in the evenings to do his own training.

CJ found CrossFit while working as a Carhop at White Spot. “A guy came in looking for a specific type of food, I think it was Paleo. Now I know that what I gave him was not Paleo,” CJ remembers. “Then I asked him what he was training for, and he told me to check out the CrossFit Vancouver website.”

Pretty soon, CJ was hooked.

He is also a current massage therapy student, so this leaves him limited time to coach at CrossFit Vancouver, but when he’s there he works his butt off to help anyone he can. Whenever someone needs a class covered, or a holiday hour covered, CJ steps up to the plate, time and time again.

He has a quiet passion for CrossFit. “What I love about CrossFit is the camaraderie and the community. It’s like a giant family. We celebrate each other’s victories and we support each other when we fail,” he said.

He added: “What I like about coaching is seeing progress. The highlight of any coaching session for me is seeing a student nail a lift or a movement.”

Audrey is Patty’s saintly wife. After falling in love in six days back in 2011, the two were engaged within six months. A year later, in the fall of 2012, Audrey began her apprenticeship under Andy in the early mornings.

On top of coaching, Audrey is involved in corporate sales and business development, as well as single-handedly developing our not-for-profit organization in honour of Lt. Andrew ‘Nutts’ Nuttall, our beloved former coach who lost his life fighting for our country in Afghanistan.

A former real estate agent, Audrey is one of those people you meet and you can’t possibly say anything bad about. But don’t mistake this for her being a push-over. She has an uncanny ability to simultaneously be the sweetest and the feistiest person you’ll ever meet all.

Audrey is also a professional trumpet player, who works part-time with the symphony.

Arthur, who works as an apprentice under T-Bear, is a born salesman. He shows up ready to go everyday, ready to give energy, ready to bring love, ready to sell.

He found CrossFit through his good friend, long-time CrossFitter at CrossFit Vancouver, Bryce Fraser. Bryce promised Arthur CrossFit would help him get laid, which it did.

Originally, getting laid was Arthur’s CrossFit goal, but years later, here he is hooked on more than just finding sexual gratification. “Patty told me for a year and a half before I began CrossFit that it would change my life,” Arthur said. And it did.

“We built an incredible friendship in a short period of time…I don’t know anyone who has received as much love as I have received in my life, Arthur added. “It’s like another family here, and I consider many of the people in this community to be my brothers and sisters.”

As a coach, Arthur just loves helping others become better athletes. “A lot of times, the common mistakes are the ones I have lived through, and so I can get people to relate to my struggles and in the end show them that they can overcome adversities and struggles and make it work,” he said.

Jordy is a former professional lacrosse player who has been involved in fitness for as long as he can remember. He might look scary and intimidating, but spend one minute with him and the intimidation factor melts away. Jordy really is one of the most  kind, genuine coaches at the school.

He discovered CrossFit through Ben ‘Bumpy’ and immediately became part of the family. “I just love the camaraderie,” explained Jordy.

On top of being an apprentice coach in the evenings under Charlie, Jordy also runs East Van Barbell Club with Ben, which has been a huge success in helping people gain strength, as well as adding variety to the regular CrossFit program.

Kermit was one of CrossFit Vancouver’s earliest members. She competed with the CrossFit Vancouver team at the CrossFit Games back in the early days at the Aromas Ranch in both 2008 and 2009. Competed also in the regional, 2012 and 2013.

In short, the community has watched Kermit grow up. She has transformed from being an awkward young girl into a confident mature woman.

Today, Kermit continues to be a staple around this place. She spends her days at a 9-5 job in Richmond, and then coaches part-time on Fridays purely because she loves the community. And the community loves her – Kermit’s Friday evening classes are always bustling with energy.

Richie is one of Charlie’s late night apprentices, who has been coaching since the spring of 2012.

Quiet and unassuming at first glance, if you talk to him you’ll quickly realize he’s very intelligent and incredibly knowledgeable about CrossFit.

Richie’s goal isn’t to be a full-time coach at CrossFit Vancouver. He’s super busy with his other engineering job, however, he continues to apprentice because he just loves being around the place. “He’s always willing to help out. He’s just such a good guy to have around. He just loves being here,” said Charlie about his apprentice.

At the age of 18, Sean is CrossFit Vancouver’s youngest apprentice.

He found CrossFit through the Take a Hike Program, a program aimed to help inner city kids. Charlie coached Sean for about a year. “He was so keen. He was coachable and he really listened. He just loved CrossFit,” said Charlie of his young apprentice.

After proving himself to Palmer over and over, Palmer decided to take Sean on as an apprentice coach last year. Today, Sean helps Charlie with the same youth program (Take a Hike) that led Sean to discover CrossFit.

Caroline joined us in as an apprentice in January, 2013. A former professional contemporary dancer who spent two years dancing in New York City, Caroline’s body awareness and mobility is second to none.

She’s already one of our top athletes, having represented CrossFit Vancouver at the 2012 Canada West Regional competition. With her always happy, all smiles all the time personality, she is both impossible not to adore and the most low maintenance person to have on any team.

“Already a coach of human movement, her passion and understanding of CrossFit will be a tremendous asset as she develops into a great coach,” said her coach Sheppy.

His coach Sheppy describes Cabana Boy as, “A real gentle soul who is very generous with his time and effort.  Has a true thirst for knowledge that will serve him well as a CrossFit coach.”

That couldn’t be a better description. From the moment he walked in to CrossFIt Vancouver, Cabana Boy was humble and eager to learn, two of the most important qualities to have as a coach.

Sheppy calls Meagan: “A real sweet heart.  She has a great way with people that is very engaging.”

Meagan is a part-time apprentice coach, as she works full-time during the day as an X-ray technologist (RTR).

She found CrossFit while living and working in Dublin, and it immediately resonated with her. “I love the wealth of knowledge from the diverse group of coaches, and I love the community and the bonds that form during these crazy workouts and the many laughs in between,” said Meagan, whose sports background included figure skating and synchronized skating at the national level.

She joined our team of apprentices in hopes of exposing others to this great sport, ultimately to improve their lives the way hers was improved.

Dash came to us from her native land of New Zealand in 2009. She fell in love with both CrossFit Vancouver and a Canadian man (T-Bear), and so she stayed in Canada, recently earning permanent residency.

She spent a year as an apprentice coach, but where we especially needed her skills were as our administrative and financial officer.

With a teaching background, Dash is orderly, organized and knows how to keep everyone in line. She ensures this place is up to PCTIA regulations; she takes care of payroll each month, and finds the time to handle all of our administrative duties. Nobody works harder than this girl to keep this place running smoothly; she is utterly invaluable to CrossFit Vancouver.

Tom came to us as an out-of-town apprentice in September 2012 from Ontario. A former pipe fitter, he wasn’t sold on the idea of working in a union environment his whole life and had recently discovered and fallen in love with CrossFit.

Looking to make a change in his life, he came to Vancouver with the expectation of staying for four months. But he never left.

On top of being well-researched in the area of strength and conditioning, Tom can swing a hammer – he’s also our facility manager who takes care of physically fixing anything that gets damaged around the school.

Robert began at CrossFit Vancouver in January, 2012. He had the hugest grin on his face from the moment he walked through the doors; he was just so excited to begin improving his fitness. The next day, he showed up with new shoes, new shorts, and a whole bunch of other CrossFit paraphernalia.

Even today, the novelty hasn’t worn off for Robert. He’s eager to learn and share his knowledge with new students.

Apart from being a morning apprentice, Robert has a full-time job as a software programmer.

Baby Nat has been with us since she was practically in diapers. We’ve seen her grow from a talented, shy adolescent into a confident and successful woman, who happens to be one of our best female athletes.

In 2012, she competed in the team competition at the Nor Cal Regional because she was doing an exchange program in San Fransisco. She is set to graduate with an Economics degree at UBC this spring.