If you have been doing CrossFit for a while then you have probably come across someone who has asked you why you “can’t just go to another gym”. Sadly, many people don’t quite understand the CrossFit community.
Growing up I was painfully shy and it was difficult for me to make friends. I would become friends with people in my classes, but my friendships were what I call “surface deep”. When summer rolled around I would spend majority of my time at home and would not hang out with my “friends”. I was not very good at staying in touch with people and realized in my early to mid-twenties I had been missing something.
Fast forward to 2013, I tried my first CrossFit WOD while working at lululemon. That morning I went to hot yoga, had a smoothie, then scooted off to the park near Uptown to see what this CrossFit stuff was all about. This was a week before the CFABQ team was headed to Regionals and they were at the peak of their fitness. Needless to say, I was a rollercoaster of emotion. I was surprised they were all my age, intimidated because they were so muscle-y and fit, and I felt incredibly jealous because I could see the connection they all had, the very thing I had wanted to find for so many years.
What I found when I started CrossFit is what I spent most of my life trying to find – deep meaningful relationships.
About 4 years ago I was getting ready to move and came across an old journal. Interested in what “past me” was thinking, I quickly flipped to an entry. To my surprise, the entry was about how I wished I could find friends who wanted to go to the gym with me and workout and who had similar values as me. My heart felt full knowing I finally found this at CFABQ.
What people don’t realize is that CrossFit gyms are more than just gyms; they foster community, build character, teach discipline, and they are a place where bonds are built through shared suffering and hard work.
CFABQ gave me what I have been seeking for many years – lifelong friendships I deeply cherish. CFABQ is a community I care about and love, it is a safe place where I know I can be myself, it is where I can workout my frustrations, and it is where I can connect with like-minded people who have the same values as me. It is where my best friends are.
CFABQ is more than just a gym, it’s a second home and means the world to me.
