Still Grateful. Still Thankful. Rebuilding and Looking Forward Together
Originally Written July 14th, 2023
Still Grateful. Still Thankful.
Wow, two months since our building burnt down that we've been in for the past 10 years. Things happen, and we adapt. I'm thankful we have people in our lives that we can lean on. "Gym family" is something we say often, but my goodness does it take it to an entirely new level when you're in the most vulnerable situation ever, and you're simply surrounded by incredible folks. The community, our members (current and past) and coaches are all second to none in their support and love. We love you guys.
With that, I also wanted to hop on and speak to anyone who has been interested in seeing where we are now, what's been going on, and where we are going. In short, we are definitely rebuilding, and not only that, but we are moving along quickly with all interested parties moving extremely quickly, I am very appreciative to Patrick at TP Engineering for staying on the ball and guiding us in this process so far.
With that being said, here are the major steps we've taken so far; Candace and I met personally with the Mayor and the City Inspector who were both of course very insightful and helpful in offering us advice moving forward, I've now met with the Structural Engineer multiple times and he has done a great job at drawing up the preliminary skeleton of the building, and now we have the Surveyor and Civil Engineer engaged and getting on to their next steps. They'll be responsible for the property lines, the grading of the parking lot, and the information surrounding the foundation to get us out of the flood zone. Once they are done, this info goes back to the Structural Engineer so he can wrap up and then we get the MEP plans and then finally the Architect(s) to make it all pretty. And THEN if it is all code-friendly etc, all of that information then goes to a General Contractor to make it all a physical reality. I've never been involved with anything like this, but let me tell you, there is a LOT that goes into building a building even before anyone sets foot on the property. I personally have a new appreciation for it all! We haven't made any decisions on a GC yet but are very much looking forward to starting that process. If you are experienced and have someone you know who would fit us well let me know!
That's the process as I know it in a nutshell, and I've been told the building can be put up VERY quick. Like maybe we could host Friday Night Lights in the new building quick.... I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I personally love concrete goals, and my goal is to have this thing done by the final week of the 2024 CrossFit Open. And if it is, oh my goodness, the hype will be so so real.... How incredible would that be?
I wanted to also include some details about the building that SHOULD be in there. Obviously all of this is still a work in progress, but so far we believe the new building will: have a large covered outdoor area alongside the building with an outdoor rig with two lanes of turf for sled/sprinting/pitching/agility/competitions/etc. We'll have an expanded ReBoot area (more space for each athlete), an expanded CrossFit area (more platforms and rig space), covered outdoor walkways, an entire functional second floor, MUCH bigger bathrooms with multiple stalls (and gender-specific), heating and air conditioning (yes.. heating and air conditioning!), a community room with free wi-fi overlooking the Open Gym/CrossFit area where parents/spectators can hang out comfortably, a flex space classroom for certifications/events etc, two dedicated media/consultation rooms, a walkway overseeing CF/Open gym that will be incredible for Friday Night Lights and events, and about 2,000-2,500 total square feet of rentable space upstairs that we hope to populate with high quality professionals in the area that can offer complimentary services to the Trussville community and our athletes as well. Rental space in Trussville is gnarly so hopefully we can help some folks out. We would love to have some good people who offer good services on board. If we end up not renting it out we'll turn it into something cool! Spin class? Kids park? Chiro? Massage? Sauna? Sports therapy? Videogame room? Who knows, the sky is the limit. Feel free to let me know if you know any good folks who would be a good fit (or good ideas)!
In the meantime, I want to thank Gabriel and everyone at GFC for allowing us to set up and tear down every single week. It's impossible to overstate how appreciative we all are. Speaking of our current situation, we have been utilizing two enclosed trailers (thank you Oscar) and two closets for all of our equipment, and I'm happy to say we have actually officially procured a 40'x8'x10' fully-fledged bona fide high-cube shipping container that will be coming 7/25 which will allow us to finally have a comfortable amount of space to utilize that will be more hidden and respectful of the church. This bad boy will be here Tuesday after next and I am personally very excited to clean, paint, and deck it out to free up GFC's parking lot for them while simultaneously securing the opportunity of battening down the hatches for the duration of our stay at GFC. We will now have a choice and freedom to add more equipment, including Ski-Ergs and more...
This has been a process that isn't something I would have chosen, but we are making the best of it the only way we know how. And we are humbled every day. Truly beyond appreciative for each and every person in our lives. Thank you to everyone for real, I am a painfully introverted individual who doesn't get on social media often, but I am going to try my best to update more often so as to do a better job of communicating, but know that if you have my number you can reach out to me personally anytime! Or if you're working out at CFT just ask me in person anytime! Candace and I are open books and are always open to advice and insight!
Also, I wanted to share this video attached to the post because it made Candace tear up and affected me too. CFT would be nothing special without our leaders fostering the community; Christy, Steven, Brandon, Brian, Bridget, Shane, Gabriel, Leigh, Adrian, Jackie, Lee, Soph, and Candace. Especially Sophia just humbly and silently crushing life every day, juggling everything she's got going on at the gym and the church kids ministry while also in school becoming a Registered Dietitian. All of these folks have full time careers and responsibilities outside of coaching and yet they still find time to give it their best everyday, even with all the unreal changes. These leaders all went from coaching in an industrial gym.... to coaching athletes in a church sanctuary... and are acting like it isn't just the most unorthodox craziest thing ever. They are continuing to get everyone better every day. Never skipping a beat and only offering the very best. Their character and resolve is inspiring. And to our athletes as well, adapting, remaining resilient, and continuing to focus on their health and overall well-being, despite the circumstance. Again, we are beyond humbled and are beyond appreciative. And hopefully we can play a role in making this next chapter better for everyone. Thank you to everyone, thank you thank you thank you.