Here’s a thorough recount of the last 8 months. Both mine and the gyms’. It’s a story that is worth telling.
January 29th 2010:
Friday January 29th I was getting ready for the 6pm class. I was firing up the heaters and smelled smoke. I thought it might have been the heaters, but nope the adjacent unit was starting to push smoke into the gym. I called 911 and made my way out of the gym after grabbing a few things from upstairs. By the time I got back down onto the gym floor and was making my way out the whole gym was enveloped in black smoke. Had I not been in the exact spot I was at the exact time I was there, I fear the whole block would have went.
The unit next door went up in flames within minutes. Thankfully no one was hurt. Just lots of structural and property damage. It was quite a scene and many thanks go out to the Philadelphia fire department for responding so quickly and working so efficiently. It was something watching those guys work.
Well after a few days, cleanup began. We took the show on the road to my Grandpop’s garage: CFR Jr. We made this tiny space work for the time being. This just goes to show you, that although it is not optimal, you can still get some serious work done with minimal equipment and minimal space.
During this time, actually on Valentine’s Day, my wife Joyce and I found out we were pregnant. Life was really ramping up, and quick.
Back to the gym, well all seemed ready to go at 3475-B. A recovery team worked on trying to get the gym back to what it was. We moved back in and tried to make it happen for a few days, but it was still a no go. Too much smoke damage still, and just not a safe or healthy environment to train in.
All seemed lost and we looked to be doomed to CFR Jr. for the foreseeable future (not a good look). I found a smaller, really not ideal, space in Fishtown that we were going to try and make work for a few months while 3475-B got rehabbed. All was set and ready to go on that Friday morning. Applications were in and I was just waiting to get a final copy of the lease to sign. It seemed like a sure thing. I then get a call telling me that the landlord had reconsidered and it was not going to work out.
I got back to work and within a half hour found a new, much better suited, space in Port Richmond.
This was how it looked before we moved in:
The lease was signed and we moved in the following Monday morning. Matt Duffy and I trudged all of the equipment in a cold rain to the new spot. It took about 3 days to get dry and warm again. This was the middle of March.
Equipment moved in:
We got rocking in the new place immediately. What we lost in size we made up for in ambiance. The old place had gotten a little too pretty for some of you. So back to the brick and cinderblock walls that the members of CrossFit Renaissance had grown to love.
Joyce and I had been looking to buy a house. We were living with my parents after the fire in the bedroom grew up in. Fun stuff let me tell you. My parents are great though and we made the best out of a pretty bad situation. We found a house and closed on March 30th.
Things started to settle down a bit. I was getting used to the new gym, new house and preparing for a new baby. Life was fairly stable here on my end.
We went through the rest of the spring picking up some great new members here, who have become an integral part of the CrossFit Renaissance family, and whom I am happy to call my friends.
Then came June the 6th 2010. My Dad, who is a survivor of brain cancer, had the first of 2 strokes. He got through the first one and was in Rehab for about a week and ready to come home. He was actually walking on his own and was basically just passing the hours until he was released.
My Mom, Joyce and I were leaving one night to go home from the rehab. Dad laid down to rest. Right as we were about to leave Dad started acting strangely. This was the absolute scariest time of my entire life. He was having a second stroke and it was considerably worse than before. We thought we were losing him.
Dad went to HUP again for stroke recovery and then back to the rehab. He was there for about 3 weeks and the family stayed there with him in shifts. I was back and forth to the rehab between classes.
Well Joyce and I had planned to get married in July, in Cancun. It seemed like it was not going to happen with Dad being in the rehab until the date we were supposed to travel. Dad, champion that he is, said he was going no matter what. And he did.
My family traveled with us to Mexico. We had a wonderful time and a beautiful wedding. We made memories that will last a lifetime.
I had time to reflect on what’s important in my life. I also had time and energy to think about what I want the future of our humble gym to be. I want CFR to be home to the hardest working, most dedicated athletes. I want it to be a place where the pursuit of elite fitness and fun co-exist. Finally I want our gym to continue to be a place that has not just members, but a family that is supportive and expects only the best from each other every day.
You may have noticed some changes here. I came back from Cancun with a renewed passion for what it is we do here. It’s not just new paint on the wall. I want all of you to know that I am committed to being the absolute best coach I can be and to running the best CrossFit gym possible. I have had to endure a lot over the past year and it has, among other things, taught me how to prioritize. The work to accomplish my dream is slowly but surely getting there. We have a lot planned and I can only hope that no one will miss out on being a part of this. I thank all of you for trusting me with your goals and pursuit of fitness. I will always give my best to you and to anyone who walks through these doors.
So to recap: It has been a wild ride for both me personally and for the gym. I’ll tell you what though; the tools I have learned from doing CrossFit helped me through some of the roughest parts. Just like in a tough workout, you simply have to find that mental strength to continue. That mental toughness is a sometimes overlooked, but just as, if not more, important aspects of the type of training we do here.
Thanks for coming along for the ride and look for more exciting things to come.
Great story coach! Way to stay in there! Im proud to be a member and a friend, and now I REALLY believe that everything happens for a reason. Wouldn’t choose a different gym or a different group of people.
Awesome story bro…You doing great things and in case no one has said it lately…THANKS..your an awesome coach and a better friend.
Enough with the sappy stuff…lets get weird this week.