Getting modern tools into the hands of today’s learners
Seeing is believing for one area doctor
June 10, 2024
WESTON – Andy and Cathy Adrian – the owners of Adventure Awaits CrossFit (3200 Schofield Ave., Suite 2 in Weston) – said what began as gym ownership and a place to pursue their personal exercise endeavors has blossomed into something much bigger.
Looking back, the couple said they now laugh about how all the pieces fell into place.
“It has all grown into a big love for what we have, as well as keeping ourselves in shape as we get older,” Cathy said. “We also want to provide a facility for our members to work out and feel comfortable at a reasonable price.”
Andy said it all started about five years ago when the opportunity came up with a gym in town.
“I fell in love with CrossFit and the whole methodology of CrossFit, so we made an offer to the gym owner,” he said.
Cathy said they both have been active all of their lives.
“We met in the gym when I was 18, which is when our passion for fitness started,” she said.
Though their shared interest in CrossFit led them to purchase the gym, Cathy said Adventure Awaits CrossFit is much more than a hobby.
“It is a passion…,” she said. “We all try to lead by example. Andy and I work out and exercise during the classes as well when we’re not coaching. We participate to be with our members.”
From tents to CrossFit
Before purchasing the gym, Andy said they ran a successful tent rental company for 15 years – before selling it in 2018.
The skills they acquired while running the tent rental company, he said, easily transferred to their new venture – the most important of which is customer service.
“With the tent rental business, we had to make these people happy by setting up the tent and delivering tables and chairs for groups ranging in size – from a small tent for 20 people to a big event or wedding for 300 people,” he said.
Now their focus, Andy said, is on providing its members with a safe and clean facility they want to visit daily.
“Providing safe and updated equipment and a nice facility to work out in with showers for people to clean up before they go to work… is important,” he said.
Andy said the value of hard work can’t be overstated.
“All the hard work we put into both the tent business and this gym pays off – I can’t stress that enough,” he said. “We were taught as kids from our parents, and we now teach it to our kids.”
The gym
Andy said Adventure Awaits CrossFit has 11 coaches, including him and Cathy.
“We have great coaches at our gym – we’re blessed to have them on staff,” he said. “We can’t do it ourselves. It would be hard to do it ourselves, so you have to rely on good quality employees, and we’ve been successful.”
Cathy said all of the coaches are certified.
“We all have to maintain certifications and stay current with them every five years,” she said. “We also have a certificate with CrossFit to teach kids. I also have an additional certification for USA weightlifting. There are different levels of coaching certificates.”
The Adrians said they didn’t realize when they first purchased the gym that it is a part of the service industry.
“I’ve fallen in love with that piece of it,” Cathy said. “It’s the people part of it. We are living and breathing the gym.”
Seeing members’ athletic progress, she said, is rewarding.
“We’ve fallen in love with all of our members, the exercise methodology – watching people start from nothing and watch them grow into being super active today,” she said.
More on CrossFit
Adventure Awaits CrossFit’s philosophy, Andy said, is: “Fitness is life and life is an adventure.”
“All of our training involves functional fitness movements to train for life’s adventures,” he said. “For example, if you want to travel to Mexico and climb the pyramids or go somewhere else and do a rigorous hike, CrossFit prepares you for it. When you go for a walk or bike, have to run through the airport to catch a plane or are cutting wood for the day, you are prepared for things when you incorporate CrossFit into your life.”
Cathy said CrossFit is a fitness program that produces measurable outcomes through lifestyle changes, centered on training and nutrition.
“By definition, CrossFit is functional movements done at a high intensity,” she said. “However, every person who comes in to do a CrossFit workout can do so at their unique level. The athlete can grow with the movement. A newer athlete is at a different level.”
Workouts, Cathy said, are completely different every day to make it both fun and work multiple areas of the body.
“For example, our workouts start as easy as jumping from the floor onto a six-inch box – and before you know it, we have people jumping onto a 24-inch box or the 30-inch box,” she said. “We have athletes who also step up instead of jumping up. It is a place for everybody.”
Cathy said members at Adventure Awaits CrossFit range in age from 14 to 72 years old.
“We are inclusive of everyone,” she said. “We stress to our members and coaches to be empathetic, kind and caring. We live that at the gym.”
Cathy said Adventure Awaits CrossFit “won’t turn anyone away.”
“Any level (of CrossFit experience) is welcome – it doesn’t matter,” she said. “We are welcoming in that respect, and I believe our members follow that as well. We are trying to make it a fun, safe environment.”
Andy said Adventure Awaits CrossFit has a sizable representation of military and first responder personnel as members.
“We also recognize and support our local police and fire departments,” he said. “We (also) have a lot of members who are both active, as well as retired military, and some who are currently serving in the National Guard.”
Gratitude, Andy, a retired firefighter, said, is paramount for them.
“We hosted a workout over the holiday weekend called the Memorial Day Murph which is a fairly significant one-hour workout,” he said.
Andy said the Memorial Day Murph workout started with a one-mile run followed by 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups and 300 air squats.
The workout, he said, concluded with another one-mile run to close out the session.
“The Memorial Day Murph is about exercise, but it also is about giving honor to our military and our first responders, police officers and firefighters – which is why they are called ‘Hero’ workouts,” he said.
Adventure Awaits CrossFit, Cathy said, also supports the efforts of first responders in the community at other points during the year, including firefighters, police officers and the Marathon County SWAT team.
“We have quite a few other fundraisers we do in honor of different heroes in our community,” she said. “We also support area shelters, food pantries, school supply drives and Mission 22, which supports veterans and their families focusing on growth and healing.”
A new space
Continued interest in CrossFit and the gym, Andy said, prompted the Adrians to expand – moving from its original location at 1426 Schofield Ave. to 3200 Schofield Ave.
The move, he said, was partly sparked by a gym member.
“One of our members approached us (about wanting to) get into commercial real estate and asked us if we would be willing to rent from him if he let us design our building,” he said. “If it all worked out, he would build it for us, and we would rent from him. We jumped at the opportunity.”
Adventure Awaits CrossFit officially moved into its new 7000-square-foot facility at the end of April, hosting an official ribbon cutting in late May.
The new gym, Andy said, includes an athlete’s lounge, 10,000 pounds of Olympic weight plates, 30 barbells, 14 squat rack stations, more than 25 pull-up bars, nine ropes for climbing, 16 rowing machines and 13 stationary bikes.
During the summer months, he said, there is additional outdoor workout space.
For more on Adventure Awaits CrossFit, check out adventureawaitscrossfit.com.
