09/30/2020
This is the picture from one of the first weeks we opened our doors. From that day forward over the last nine years this community has been my sanctuary. No matter how challenging my days were, even when I was teaching, selling real estate, owned the restaurant, and ran this place all at once, when I was here I was always present. That’s what this community has done for me, its kept me present. I don’t think about anything else when I am within our walls, just the movements and the people that surround me. I hope you all felt the same in the time you spent here. I hope this community was an escape for you. I know escape seems like a negative word but I don’t look at it as such. We all need an escape, we all need a break from our lives and reality. The goal and my vision was to provide an escape that welcomed everyone regardless of gender, race, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or personality. We have welcomed the whole spectrum to this box and I believe that is the reason why it had the effect it did for so many though the years.
Writing this tonight I realize that the one thing I am proudest about above all else is that I feel we let our athletes find potential they never knew they possessed. I watched a 60+ year old woman come in with zero experience and leave us with cancer squatting 187 pounds(as she had cancer in her body). We all have experienced these gains, we have all realized we are stronger, faster, more coordinated, and that we all have that strong resilient person inside of us. You all have taught me more about who I am then any course or job I have ever held. For this I am forever grateful. I know I will see many of you for years to come. However, if there are any current or past athletes that I don’t get the opportunity to encounter in the future I want to you know that without all of you we would have been nothing. You all played a part, whether you know it or not. We all were meant to cross paths in this world for some reason, and crossing paths with all of you has forever shaped me as a man. Thank you athletes, and and thank you Coaches. Stay healthy and stay moving!