Over 30 years of Cumulative Coaching Experience!
We LIMIT our class size so our highly experienced coaches can give you the attention you deserve.
Our coaches have the experience and expertise to help you adjust any workout to your individual capabilities. So, no matter what the workout of the day is our coaches will help you achieve your GOALS whatever they may be.
Simply, this is my passion. In 2009 I made the decision to set foot in my first CrossFit Box. I could never have imagined how it would change the course of my life. My career had been focused in the world of finance and business strategy. I was good at this but something was missing. After several years as a CrossFit athlete, I took a leap of faith and invested in a CrossFit Affiliate with another trainer. It was a way for me to combine what I was good at with what I felt passionate about.
My first affiliate was an amazing experience. It was during that time that I was able to immerse myself fully into the world that is CrossFit. I got to experience firsthand what it was like to change people both physically and, more important, mentally. The feeling one gets from being a CrossFit athlete is something you have to experience to understand. Coaching athletes is a way for me to help people experience that strength and empowerment. There is nothing more rewarding than this.
Continuing my education, whether it be in corporate life or CrossFit, has always been a priority for me. It was in 2012 that I took my first specialty course through CrossFit for Olympic Lifting. In the years to follow I was happy to attend many certifications and seminars including CrossFit Kids, Mobility, the CrossFit Level 2 Trainer course and eventually I worked to become a NASM Certified Personal Trainer. I recently earned my Precision Nutrition Certification and look forward to working with our athletes on their nutrition goals, which is a huge part of of the equation when creating a healthy lifestyle.
Given the opportunity in 2013 to open my second CrossFit Affiliate and make a difference in people's lives was a dream come true for me. I am excited and honored to be a part of your CrossFit experience!
I was always the "runt" of the group I ran around with. That ended one year during my Sophomore year in high school. I decided to walk into an underground gym in my small home town. From that day forward I have had a passion for weightlifting. My coach taught me that being small didn't mean I couldn't compete at a high level in Power lifting. He gave me confidence I had never felt before and I carried that strength onto college. After college I continued to lift and through the urging of my wife we started Krav Maga (Israeli Self Defense). Once again I found a coach that was able to motivate me. It didn't hurt that we got to kick and punch for an hour everyday!!
We (Me, my wife and 2 sons) moved to Sugar Gove in 2013 after being born and bred in Kansas City. To say it was a tough decision is an understatement. We didn't know a single person here. I knew I needed to dive into something to keep my mind off home. That something was CrossFIt. After my first foundations class I was all in. The workouts are intense, we lift heavy and now we get to kick and punch the pads. But for me and my family it's so much more than that. Everyone at the box took us in as part of their family when we needed it most.
Growing up as one of five boys in a family of nine, there was never a shortage of competition in everything we did–whether at home or on the field. I was both active and adventurous as a kid, from climbing trees, to playing any and all sports. I especially loved soccer and track, which I played all through high school. Unfortunately, both left me wanting in the area of strength. Toward the end of my senior year of high school, while preparing to attend the International ALERT Academy, a friend invited me to a CrossFit gym for a workout. I said, "yes." Up until that time, I thought I was in pretty good shape, but soon found out differently. Maybe there was more to CrossFit than I thought! That's the first taste I had of what CrossFit was all about, and that exhilarating taste has never left my mouth.
After graduation, I spent the next year and half being trained at the International ALERT Academy in Texas, where I encountered months of military-style training geared toward disaster relief preparation. Being put through innumerable physical and mental tests (daily PT, middle-of-the-night quick response drills, multiple hikes leading up to a 24-hour, 56-mile, endurance hike w/ 40 lb.+ backpacks, and more), I was pushed to a breaking point unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. Within a few months, I was put in a position of leadership where I soon found a love for teaching and leading the men (17-23-yr. olds) in different aspects of our training, especially physical training in which we incorporated many CrossFit workouts. When I returned home, I went back to CrossFit Sugar Grove and fell in love with the inspiring community and environment that is cultivated by coaches and athletes alike.
Consequently, CrossFit has equipped me, through attaining my CrossFit Level 1 Certification, to have a daily opportunity to show people how they can push beyond their limits, and move powerfully and efficiently in all areas of life. I specifically have a desire to help teens and young adults break through their own mental and physical limitations, opening them up to world of success they never imagined possible.
I started racing motocross at a young age. It quickly turned into a serious sport for myself and my family. We all loved the traveling, the hard work, the dedication and community that came along with motocross. I ended up racing Women's Pro for 12 years. It was a great experience and something that I can say I enjoyed whole-heartedly. An injury sidelined me for over 2 years so I decided to hang it up but I did continue to train young kids to ride.
I started running a lot of 5K races and literally ran into CrossFit Sugar Grove during a race. I loved what they had to offer in the line of hard work, dedication and community. This time instead of traveling we just get to lift heavy!!! And now I'm even more excited to know I'm able to help others reach their goals, both adults and children.
I've had a passion for sports and fitness my entire life. I grew up playing a variety of sports as a kid: baseball, basketball, football, soccer, tennis and golf. In college I was part of club rugby and club volleyball teams and eventually had the opportunity to take up downhill skiing. Over the years downhill skiing turned into snowboarding and playing sports turned towards coaching sports.
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to help other young children throughout high school and college. In high school I volunteered for a sensory swim program for special needs children. Throughout college I was a Special Olympics Alpine ski coach. With the addition of two boys to our family I've taken up coaching for all of the basics – tee ball, baseball, basketball, and soccer. After earning my CrossFit Level One certification I also received my CrossFit Kids certification and helped run a CrossFit Kids program over the summer of 2012.
I've always considered myself to be an active person but struggled with the typical gym style and atmosphere. Going to the gym to run on a treadmill, walk on an elliptical machine and bounce from weight machine to machine never held my interest. In 2011 I was (pushed/pressured/conned) into trying CrossFit. This introduction of CrossFit in my life changed the way I see health, strength, nutrition and life balance. I see CrossFit as a means to keep myself healthy and fit so that I can live a great life and see my boys work their way through their lives.
I have a burning passion for all things fitness and helping others achieve their goals. I, like C. Jessica, had the sport of Motocross be a MAJOR part of my life since I was 2-years old. I ate, slept, breathed, trained and lived all things Motocross related. I lived for the competitive "high" I got from lining up on the starting gate.
Not only did I race Amateur National Motocross, I also played football and basketball at Kaneland Middle and High School and participated in other lines of action sports too.
After hanging the racing boots up and starting my college career, weightlifting became a major part of my daily routine, but I was still missing that competitive drive I lived for. That changed when I walked into my first CrossFit class. After my first class I was hooked, and found myself going as often as possible.
Fast forward 6 years later I set my eyes on achieving my CF LVL 1 Trainer Certificate so I can help others achieve their goals that they have and find that inner passion that I have as well.
Outside of the gym, I love spending time with my wife (Danielle), our chocolate lab Beau, riding motorcycles, wake surfing and mountain biking.
One of my earliest sports memories was my dad (a former professional boxer) and I in the back yard; I was 6 years old and he was throwing fly balls. I kept dropping them, over and over. It started to rain and we were getting soaked but he wouldn't let me go inside until I caught the ball. I wasn't allowed to say the word "CAN'T"- I was restricted to "I'm unable to at this time". At one point, I lost the ball in the rain and it bounced off my glove and gave me a bloody nose. I started to cry but despite my protest, he wouldn't let me quit. Eventually, I caught the ball and we retreated inside. Looking back, some people may think this was extreme but I remember this moment as monumental in my development. The pride I felt when I finally caught the ball (not only in catching it but in my persistence despite challenging circumstances) was worth the soggy clothes and sore nose. Sports taught me character and gave me a "can-do" mentality that I absolutely love trying to instill in the athletes that I'm fortunate enough to coach.
My sports background is mostly in softball and volleyball and I have my undergraduate degree in Health and Physical Education from Eastern Connecticut State University with a minor in Psychology. I played college volleyball and coached VB club teams throughout my college years. A year and a half after I graduated, I was granted a Graduate Assistant position at Aurora University where I coached their women's volleyball team and obtained my Masters degree in Social Work.
I get to live my dreams by working as a victim advocate at a police department by day and coaching CrossFit Sugar Grove athletes in my spare time. I am especially interested in the mental component of fitness; I strongly believe that CrossFit has the ability to positively influence self-esteem and can create a strong, positive internal narrative that will translate to all avenues of life. I want my athletes to know that they are powerful beyond measure and are capable of not only achieving but EXCEEDING in their goals. Let's get after it!
I started CrossFit in 2012 when I attended a free trial week at a local gym with my husband. After that first week we were immediately ready to join the gym. It was like no other exercise regimen I had ever tried, it was something I finally loved to do. It quickly became a great new way of life for us. I had been battling poor health and fibromyalgia episodes for years before CrossFit. In 2010 I was training for a marathon through the worst of my fibromyalgia attacks where at the time I was on the most medication for it. The day of the Marathon ended up being unseasonably hot and they ended up cancelling the race. I had made it to mile 21 of the marathon and had passed out due to the heat and the medications I was on. I was devastated that I had trained so hard and not been able to finish, and I really didn't think I would ever attempt a marathon again. Through starting CrossFit and changing my diet, I was able to quiet the fibromyalgia and live nearly pain free.
After a few years at the gym I was asked if I had interest in coaching and helping others find a similar love for the sport. I obtained my CrossFit Level 1 certification and began coaching in 2015. Shortly thereafter I received a USA weightlifting certification. I loved that CrossFit allowed me to be active and still pain free because I was taking better care of myself to reach new goals. I found the desire was still there to at least attempt another marathon because I had trained so hard before and I was upset that the circumstances at the time prevented me from finishing. In early 2016 I crossed the finish line of my first marathon, and made a new goal to complete a marathon in all 50 states before I turn 50. (Thanks to CrossFit training I have completed 18 marathons in 17 states so far) At the beginning of 2017 I obtained my CrossFit Level 2 certification, where I met one of the owners of CrossFit Sugar Grove. My husband and I were looking for a change to our CrossFit life after falling into a rut at the gym we were attending. We decided to try out CrossFit Sugar Grove and we fell in love with the gym and the members, it was definitely the change we needed! We were able to push ourselves out of our comfort zone and greatly improve our fitness in such a short time. I missed coaching after leaving our previous gym, and by early 2018 I was offered a coaching position at CrossFit Sugar Grove.
I have been so grateful for the opportunity to continue coaching and encouraging others to find out what they are capable of!