Bev Lackey
I have been asked too many times to count lately, “What do you DO for your workouts?” I guess it’s really making a huge difference since I joined your box! I tell everyone about CrossFit Scottsdale, I hope some of them will take a chance and try it. Just wanted you to know, I am one extremely satisfied client. It’s truly the best thing I’ve ever done. The coaching team is the best and I appreciate all of you more than you know. A heartfelt thank you!
Dr. Josh Vella
I have fought through an emotional battle over the past 1 ½ years. My Dad was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and was not given long to live. He went through 3 rounds of chemo and 3 surgeries. From the start he knew his form of cancer was rarely cured and he had about 18 months to live. But he didn’t give up, did not quit and never complained. He went to work up to the last 2 weeks of his life. He was in pain every day. There were days he was bedridden due to the pain and he could not muster enough energy to walk. All that he said was “I can’t go to work like this.” No complaints, not ‘Why me’, just “I can’t get to work” and you could tell he felt bad that he could not get there. That’s a role model. After 2 rounds of chemo and the third surgery we were hoping for a remission for years. We got 2-3 months then a rapid decline in his condition.
It was around my Level 1 test that we first learned of his poor prognosis. I poured my heart and emotional energy into crossfit. It was a great diversion, it was easy to forget about the stress of the day as the phone calls from home were getting more and more dire. My frustrations were taken out on the barbell during clean and jerks, my anger was quieted by burpees and my emotions stabilized by “Fran”. There was more than once that the stress of my fathers’ worsening condition, the phone calls from doctors and medical decisions being made, 2 babies at home and a busy surgical practice would bring me to the edge of sanity. I told myself in those moments that “As long as I have crossfit, I’ll be fine.” And it has been true and it has worked in supporting me.
But now that dad has passed and there is the calm after the storm I realized it is not just crossfit. It is CrossFit Scottsdale, Luke, Najla, the coaches and the community that they have developed. I could not have done this without them. Thank you Ashley (AP) who when I started motivated me everyday. He worked hard and never complained. I could not have done this without Stu. Stu is the model of determination and positive attitude. If he can show up and work his ass off well shit, so can I. And then there’s Ted. During my first month of crossfit I said to myself ‘If only I can be as good as Ted.’ Ted – thank you for motivating me everyday and not letting me catch you. You are a remarkable athlete with great determination. I strive to do what you do in the gym everyday. I couldn’t do this without the 5pm Monday class. Mark, Sean, Laura, Emily, Tia, Bob H, Chris E, Chris T, Brad, Eric, Mo, Mark, Bob V, Katie, Jaz, Dick, Stu, Ted, Nick, Carl, Erin and all the rest. For some reason seeing the same people there had a calming effect on me. I couldn’t have done this without Hell Week 1 and 2, thank you Jen D, Mike M, Frank, Dr. Sonya, Sensei and Kurt. I have never heard a negative comment from any coach or student. It’s genuine. It’s bizarre really. It has been positive and supportive and there are not too many places in the world that feel like this. Yes, the world.
I have had a great many successes in my life. We won the state championship in basketball during my junior year of high school. I was recruited to play D-3 football and lacrosse in college. I went through highly competitive medical training in orthopedics and hand surgery and have been mentored by world renowned hand surgeons. I have a wonderful hand surgery practice at a well respected orthopedic group. I have been blessed to treat professional athletes and got them back to the field. I have a beautiful and supportive wife with two angels at home named Brooke and Alexis.
Lastly, I have been blessed with the CrossFit Scottsdale Community. Student of the year 2011 is on my list of great accomplishments. I owe it to all of you. Thank you Luke and Najla. Thank you Tiff, Skip and Mel. Thank you CrossFit Scottsdale.
“Show up, Don’t Quit”
Josh Vella (aka “Doc”)
Dany Hakimeh
I entered the BodyRx challenge the same day that I started CrossFit Scottsdale and I did it because my friend had told me about this program that CrossFit Scottsdale was offering. I was looking for a way to start a new lifestyle change in the way I eat because whatever I was doing before was NOT working. And go figure that diet (the way you eat) REALLY has an impact on your body, your mood, and even your workouts! What I learned from the BodyRx Challenge is that food is quite literally our fuel for survival and we have a CHOICE of what we put into our body and what we eat. Learning what foods to avoid and what great little secret alternative OPTIONS you have for substitutions and replacement of the food that we were used to eating before. I learned that Paleo is a mind frame, and I really enjoyed SEEING what paleo is capable of doing if you follow it, and commit to it’s principles. I could certainly FEEL it, and the stuff I had in my closet from before that I couldn’t fit into anymore before the challenge I can fit into now! I also FEEL the energy difference in my workouts and endurance performance lasts so much longer, and even my day-to-day activities. Go figure that eating GOOD food also makes you FEEL good!!!!
Heather Rotan
After 9 months of trying to lose my baby weight I was so sick of not seeing results. My husband had been coming to CrossFit Scottsdale for about 3 months prior and was in the best shape of his life already just in those 3 months. He lost an entire pant size if not 2 and about 25 – 30 pounds! Not only did he look amazing but he felt amazing and was happy! He had tried to talk me into joining for months but I was just too scared. I made every excuse in the book. Finally after coming to CrossFit Scottsdale’s anniversary party and seeing how nice everyone was I decided to meet up with Tiffany and do my baseline. The week I signed up with CrossFit Scottsdale just happened to be the first week of the BodyRx challenge and I immedietly thought to myself if I am going to do this I have to go full speed and what better way then to be held to it! After only 6 weeks with CrossFit Scottsdale I am already in 2 pairs of my pre pregnancy jeans 
Deric Andre
After completing the CrossFit Scottsdale BodyRx Challenge, I have realized that I can live without bread and a lot of the foods that I thought were so great. I also learned that if I take the time to plan out what I am going to eat each day it’s not tough to eat healthy even with a busy schedule. Cooking some of the Paleo recipes that everyone shared and actually getting my wife and kids to eat them was really a positive experience. Hearing from the others doing the challenge and what they struggle with helped me focus on things I was also focusing on.
Bill Hubert
I just wanted to send a quick note to express my appreciation for your support through the last few months. Your instruction, organization and communication have been incredible and nothing short of addicting. Tough as they can be I have enjoyed every warm-up, WOD and burpee and look forward to many more.
I have only been a member for a few short months but my first taste of CrossFit Scottsdale began last year when my wife drug me to an orientation and assessment with Luke. Well, being a fairly competitive guy I pushed myself too hard and ended up going borderline comatose afterwards. As Luke explained all the great stuff about the program everything went white and it took every ounce of strength for me to simply sit upright. It was one of my most embarrassing moments ever and a genuine wake up call.
Even though I knew CrossFit Scottsdale’s accountability and competitiveness would suit me well I was too intimidated to go back. So I hit the globo gym on occasion and as expected made little to no progress. In February all of that changed when my lovely wife (who wouldn’t take no for answer) signed us up for 90 days of unlimited classes. Now I was faced with two options – continue to make excuses and feel like crap or jump in with both feet and stark kicking my own ass. Well, I have never regretted one moment since the very first day!
Each of the coaches has made me feel welcome and like part of the family. Your kindness and encouragement has done more than just fuel my desire to become stronger, healthier and happier. It’s given me a clear and accountable roadmap to reach my goals and for that I am sincerely grateful.
Hakim Benmoussa
After 5 months of rehab from a soccer injury that left me pretty much confined to a chair and crutches. The spiral fracture of the distal fibula warranted surgery and a permanent plate with eight screws. So in late October I was cleared for duty. As a firefighter, my job requires me to maintain a certain level of fitness in order for me to do my job effectively. I started working out; doing the typical nowhere workouts that simply were not helping me get back to where I was prior the injury. To make matters even worse I had my annual physical in January. Needless to say that everything was high on the blood test, my cardio had gone down as I was only able to run the treadmill stress test for 7 min before I reached my max heart rate compare to the 15 min I use to run before.
I was disappointed and discouraged by the results, on that same evening I was Facebooking and saw Luke’s posts, I knew Luke from his sponsoring our Fit to Fight event several year ago. I decided to call Luke and make an appointment to share my story. Luke was very positive and his exact words were “we can change that, easy stuff”, needless to say it’s not easy, most of you know that CrossFit is a tough, challenging and demanding fitness style.
I joined CrossFit Scottsdale in January, changed my diet 360 degrees, I have lost weight, I have more energy, I sleep better, my wife is happy that I don’t snore anymore, I feel stronger and the most incredible thing that happened in only three months of CrossFit is that my blood test numbers are all back to normal including LDL, HDL etc…
CrossFit has done great things for me mentally and physically, I will continue to CrossFit, I hope to test that at all levels someday and become an instructor.
Thank you Luke, Najla, Tiffany and Skip for making it happen at Scottsdale CrossFit.
Don Wong
Dedication. Consistency. Faith in the CrossFit Scottsdale program. When I joined CrossFit Scottsdale 19 months ago, I was in bad shape. I had been recently diagnosed as pre-diabetic, I was busting out of all my clothes, and I was completely unfit and unhealthy. My first Baseline was… terrible! I would come into class and look at the WOD and say to myself, “There’s no way that I could ever do THAT!” I feared every class and would have dropped out if it had not been for my doctor telling me that I needed to exercise, or else go on diabetes meds within a few years. The mantra of “Show up! Don’t quit!” was something I kept on saying to myself as I got into my car, drove to class, and struggled through each WOD.
Then things began to change. The WODs became… do-able. My strength and stamina increased. I actually began to enjoy the WODs… Was I going crazy? When I thought about it, I was actually enjoying the personal coaching that I got from each and every coach, as well as the support that I got from my fellow CrossFitters. That is really what got me through each WOD, and that was what excited me about coming back for the next one.
When the Level II test came out about a year ago, I again thought it would be impossible for me to ever pass it. There’s no way that I could run a mile, and we had to run two! Fifty pull-ups? I didn’t even have one! What’s all this olympic lifting stuff? HOW much weight??? And then 50 burpees on top of all that! No FREAKIN’ way! But then in June of this year, Coach Luke encouraged me to give it a try. He told me at the very least I would get a great WOD in. Needless to say, I did not pass the July test, nor did I pass the September test. But somehow Luke got it in my head that I could pass with the right training.
Coach Luke helped develop a personal training program for me to do the things that I needed in order to pass the Level II test. For the next 8 weeks I was doing 2 WODs a day, 4-5 days a week, plus one WOD over the weekend. I had to work on all the weaknesses in my game. Run. Lift. Pull-up. I had to eat clean, hydrate, and improve my mobility. Throughout it all, I had the support of all the CrossFit Scottsdale coaches. Yeah, I had to do the work, but the coaches encouraged me and helped me adjust along the way. I am happy to say that the 3rd time is the charm! I passed the Level II test! Finally! And although I am happy to say that I am now in the best shape of my life at 38 years old, I can also say that I know this is only the beginning and I will only continue to improve.
All that I can say is Thank You to all the coaches and my fellow CrossFitters. While passing the Level II test is a huge accomplishment for me, the CrossFit Scottsdale program has done so much more. My diabetes is almost completely reversed and without any drugs! I have met some AMAZING people who inspire me every day! I am healthy and fit, and I know that I am on the right path to having many wonderful years to come with my wife and expectant child! I can truly say, from the bottom of my heart, that joining CrossFit Scottsdale has been one of the best things that I have done in my life. To anyone who is reading this, all you need to do is “Show up! Don’t quit!” and just trust the program. It works! My life has changed in many wonderful ways, and I wish to same to you.
Keith Robinson
Thanks for getting me ready for my African adventure. Let me tell you, there’s absolutely no way I would have been able to stand up to the physical and mental rigors of the trip if it had not been for you and the staff helping me get my mojo back.
My roughly month long excursion included 3,200+ miles, 10-14 hour days of riding, little sleep, extreme temperatures and elements, constant risk of one kind or another, and absolutely required 100% mental focus at all times. Not to be over dramatic, but the mindset required for this trip was exactly the one you preach of “Show Up, Don’t Quit.” My British riding friends on the trip had their own typically British version stating “No matter how hard it is, best get on with it.” I don’t want to make it sound like this was anywhere near the level of Nolan or others that are in the service, or law enforcement, but for me, it was a visit back to the days when controlled aggression/assertiveness and a focused determination was the best defense against the situation.
I’m definitely looking forward to coming back in, I’ve lost approximately 20-25 lbs, much of it muscle, so I anticipate starting over from square one. This is OK, I’m eager to start pushing through familiar road blocks, then breaking through the new ones as well. One of the ways I tried to entertain myself was to wear my CrossFit Scottsdale shirt as much as possible and try to take pictures wearing it in interesting locations. I’m attaching a few pics, and definitely want to let you know I was representing everywhere I went. In fact, some of the other riders were asking me about it, several that had done some of the “P90X” or “Insanity” programs prior to coming. I told them about my experiences and success, and they mentioned it sounded light years beyond their training. I have a bunch more pictures, but due to the size limitations I’ve tried to just include the highlights. Let me know if you’d like me to send more over.
Hallie Flood
I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to my experience at CrossFit Scottsdale. When I walked through the doors on that first day for my Baseline I had it set in my head that I was making a change in my life no matter how hard it was or how bad I felt afterwards. I had put on a lot of weight between college, marriage and a baby. I was dealing with high blood pressure and it wasn’t possible for my self esteem to get any lower so I knew it was time.
My husband is in the Air Force and left in February for a year to be stationed in South Korea. I told Coach Luke that I wanted to “bring sexy back.” I made that my motto and my mission on my first day in the gym.
I started coming once a week for about a month and a half, and then I competed in my first CrossFit Scottsdale Challenge and won one month unlimited! I came every single day that month. Ever since then I have been hooked and I still come 5 days a week. Since January I have lost almost 60lbs and about 30in total. I feel stronger, faster, healthier and more confident. I am learning how to face challenges and obstacles and overcome them. I have no fear anymore. I know that this is something I am going to live out the rest of my life.
The community that CrossFit Scottsdale offers is nothing that can be found in a globo gym. It is so apparent how much the Coaches and students all care about one another and want to see everyone succeed. To see students that finish their WOD early go back for more to finish along side someone and offer all their support gives me chills every single time. It inspires me to keep working hard in every aspect in my life. I am going to show up and not quit.
At CrossFit Scottsdale you can never peak, you will always find new ways to push yourself and grow. There is always a goal to be reached and that is what makes coming everyday so worth it.
I am “bringing sexy back” both physically and mentally and I could not have done it with the amazing Coaches and students at CFS!!