My First Ever Blog Post…
With a newfound career, the launch of our new website and new direction of our gym I wanted to share some thoughts on this journey and how we got here. In 2015, I distinctly remember watching the CrossFit Games on TV. Seeing what humans were able to accomplish during these grueling workouts gave me a new perspective on life. At that time I had been doing my regular workout routines at the gym. 10 years of lifting weights 3 days a week, cardio 2 days a week, and anything else that qualified as being active was something I was dedicated too; however, once I saw what these athletes were doing at the Crossfit Games I knew there was more potential to unlock. Heading into the gym for the first time after seeing the Games I asked the owner whether getting CrossFit in his gym was something he had thought about. Fortunately for me he had and was already prepping the gym to bring in a local CrossFit gym to take up the back space. Before I get into that though I want to backtrack to a couple years prior…
I actually had heard of CrossFit before and was getting a little bored with my current routine. I decided to contact a local CrossFit Gym (CrossFit Perrysburg) and see what they had to offer. I went through two free sessions to evaluate my movements and to work on some mobility. I liked what I had done and asked about their membership pricing. I was floored at the prices they were charging. I certainly couldn’t afford it so I didn’t sign up and went back to my regular routine. Little did I know that price should never come between you and your fitness goals. Everyone needs a fitness coach and the best ones are certainly worth the price.
Back to my “second” CrossFit experience. CrossFit Crowned (formerly CrossFit Perrysburg) was now moved into the gym I was at and I noticed that it was the same people I had worked with a couple years prior. I couldn’t help but be amazed with all of the things the athletes at this gym were doing. I would continue to do my regular routine as I watched in awe at what the “CrossFit people” were doing. I knew then I had to join. I went home one night and told my wife that I wanted to try this out. There was a fee for personal training to get me ready for classes, and it was expensive, but nothing was going to stop me this time. I think my family gave me some money for my birthday so I could try it out. Upon my first hour of training not only was I hooked, but I had learned more about the body and how it is supposed to move than I had in 4 years of training for high school sports, 10 years of working out at the gym, and even a personal training certification I had acquired a year prior. I remember thinking everything I had learned before was wrong. CrossFit was the answer and I needed to continue to seek out more information and more training. After my PT sessions I told my wife I needed to try the 3-month commitment. It was expensive, but she could tell how much it meant to me. So…I joined. I loved every second of CrossFit. The workouts were intense, but really fun. I felt I was doing things I had never even dreamed of doing. In the first month I came home and wrote down all the goals I had for myself. Those certainly included fitness goals, but one of those goals was going to be the toughest to achieve…become a gym owner by 2018. My friends can probably tell you they remember seeing that on my refrigerator. I had to do this. Fitness was my passion and I finally had a roadmap to achieve my dream. The big question to answer though was how…
As I continued to try and figure how to make my dream come true an opportunity all of a sudden presented itself. Friends of ours who owned part of the CrossFit Crowned asked if I would be interested in buying out their share of the gym and become part owner. I thought…”this is it!” I could now see a way through. I was so worried that I would need to start a gym from my garage in order to make my dream come true. That thought weighed on me because with so much to do in a situation like that where do you start. Now I didn’t have to worry about that. So many thoughts went through my head on how to make it happen and also what it would take. So, I jumped right in. Once I made the decision to move forward another opportunity presented itself. During our discussion of buying out a portion of ownership in the gym the majority owner gave us news that he intended to leave in the next 18 months and wanted to be bought out as well. What an opportunity I thought. I could own this whole gym myself and finally my dream would be fully realized. This was it…again! How could I make this happen…again! Well I did, I found a way. It has been challenging, stressful, and a fun ride to this point. This whole business rest on my shoulders now and I can’t wait to get to work…though, I have been working pretty hard already preparing for this.
Now that I am here I can’t believe it. I want to thank my family who has been instrumental in making this happen. Without their support I couldn’t have done any of it. I also want to thank each and every member of CrossFit Crowned. Every member has been so gracious and kind during this transition. They have put their trust in me and I pray each and every day I can deliver on the promise I set out to make…Get people fit! That is the number one goal. Every decision I make from here on out is to make people better than they are today. I will work hard to make sure the service that CrossFit Crowned provides is the best around. I will deliver the results, all I ask of my CrossFit family is one thing…JUST SHOW UP. We are here to help as long as you are here to get better. We’ll be here every day thinking of you!
God Bless,
Matt Williams – Owner of CrossFit Crowned