I was born in Harbor City, California (which is in the Los Angeles area) and lived in Torrance, California until the age of 7 when my family and I moved down to San Diego, California (which is not in the Los Angeles area). I lived in San Diego until moving out to the beautiful Imperial Valley in 2008. While growing up, I participated in various sports and youth activities. My favorite, by far, was playing outside with my friends. We had actual “seasons” that mirrored the professional sports seasons. We’d play baseball during baseball season, football during football season, and basketball pretty much year round since the weather was always nice. Once in high school, I participated in football, wrestling, and track. Yes, that’s right, I said TRACK! I’ve been known to win a few relay races in my day, and I have the medals to prove it! But to be honest, I mainly did the field part of track and field (shotput and discus). I was also voted as team captain in each of these sports. After high school, I continued my football career at Southwestern College for a couple more years. I’ve always been interested in athletics and sports, especially the competitive side of it. When I learned that we were getting a CrossFit gym at sector, I was like everyone else and thought it would be “too hard” and that I “had to get in shape just to go to CrossFit” and that kept me from attending classes. I finally decided to go for it and started attending classes in 2015 and never looked back. I really liked the camaraderie, competitiveness, and to be honest, the intensity that CrossFit provides. I had experience with lifting weights since high school and had some training in powerlifting prior to starting CrossFit, but the lifts performed in CrossFit was a whole new world to me. CrossFit, although imperfect, is a great way for people to not only get in shape, but to push themselves in ways they never knew they could and to establish new friendships that would last a lifetime.
I became an instructor at CrossFit Pistoleros over a year ago and I have had the opportunity to attend a couple instructor courses that really helped me get a better grasp on not only WHAT to teach our athletes, but more importantly, HOW to teach our athletes. By far, the most gratifying aspect of being a Pistolero coach is helping someone put in the hard work and strive to achieve a goal they once thought was unattainable. Being a coach really opened my eyes and helped me to become more comfortable simply talking in front of people. The thing I like the most about being at CrossFit Pistoleros is the comfortable, yet “down to business” atmosphere we provide. We like to have fun, but we also know what it means to put in the work to do whatever’s on the board.
Certifications:
CrossFit Level 1 Certification
Catalyst Athletics Olympic Weightlifting Certification
CrossFit Open Judge 2016 and 2017