Over the years, you’ve heard me write about my gym many, many times.  Okay, many, many, many times.  And that’s what I’m going to do again today, but this time there’s a twist:

Because my beloved gym has closed down. 

There was a member’s meeting last week and we were told that the gym was closing and we were being transferred to another CrossFit gym nearby.  Everyone’s making the switch; coaches, therapists, and members alike.  We are all moving over.  So the reality is, while the four walls of our gym have ceased to be, the important parts remain.

Some of you may be reading this and thinking “what’s the big deal?”  But, you see, my gym is not just a gym- it’s my safe place and my stress relief.  My friendships and my sweat, my inspiration and my accomplishments.  If you’re a member, you’ll agree.  If you’re a CrossFitter, you’ll agree.  Because that’s what makes CrossFit great….. the community.

I’ve been a member at CrossFit Altitude from its very beginnings, back when five people was a busy class and no one had yet mastered double-unders or pullups.  I joined in January 2010, anxious to feel like myself again after the birth of my first child.  After a couple weeks of ranting and raving about what an amazing thing I’d found, my husband tried it out and was also hooked from the start.

So what is it that has kept me coming back, usually in the dark, cold morning hours before 6:00am, year after year?  Well, the getting in shape and enjoying newfound strength and skills certainly help.  But that’s not it.  Not really.  It’s the people.

This is the place that rallies around battles with cancer, losses of loved ones, of families broken apart and families rebuilt.  This is the place where I have sobbed silently, mid-workout, as my worries and stresses melt away with my efforts.  This is the place where I went after my miscarriage, in the depths of my sadness, to start to heal.  This is the place that I brought my new baby girl, barbells crashing and music blaring, to get back to being me.  This is the place where I’ve met some of the most wonderful people, the most wonderful friends, the most wonderful parts of my life.  And while this place is no longer, what it stands for still is.  What it is capable of, still is.  What it does, still is.

Change is tricky and tough, but familiarity only comes with time.  And so we will give it time.  We will find our new normals, our new routines, and new ways to challenge ourselves daily, just as we always have.  And in the process, we will expand our community, grow our community, and continue to rally and support and comfort and nurture and improve.  Our community has doubled, and so too have our opportunities.

Thank you, Jen.

3-2-1 Go.