Gym Closed.

Merry Christmas to you and yours from The CrossFit Hilton Head Team: Jake Walsh, Mitchell Thoreson, Sarah Drilling, Corey Slater, Jeff Ford, Jeff Mayoh, David Camma, Shannon Tonger, Phil Stringer, Craig Simonson, Aaron Angel, Jenna Reilley, Christy Baroni, Craig, Dayna and Francesca.
We hope you all have an amazing Christmas.

COACH’S NOTE: ON REFLECTION
I was looking around the box today before I started writing this.
I saw the holes in the wall from handstand pushups gone wild. Wincing at the charm of such abuse.
I saw the chalk now engrained in pullup bars, kettlebells and barbells that no amount of scrubbing will seem to clean.
I saw so many names on the PR board.
I saw the WOOOO board from December alone.
I saw all the certificates, awards, gifts and cards.
I saw that we have outgrown our space.
And I was overwhelmed with an emotion that I could not name: an equal parts mixture of pride, humility, sadness, satisfaction and hope. And then it dawned on me.

What I saw, what I felt, what I could touch, was progress.

At CFHH we are not in the CrossFit business, we are in the awesome human business. Sure we love CrossFit, but CrossFit for us is merely a tool by which to achieve a larger goal, the goal of Awesomerness. The purpose of what we do has always been and always will be to make everything outside the box better. If we are not doing this then what is the point? Two-hundred CFHH members (you!) and growing seem to agree. What an incredible honor for us!

I ask you to take a moment and reflect on where you were not just athletically, but as an individual with all your hopes, dreams, fears and challenges, when you began at CFHH.
Remember your first impression when you crossed the “threshold” and stood inside the gym for the first time.
Remember that first time you stood in front of the whiteboard with all it’s confusing terms and jargon. Remember that first time you did a mobility session with us.
Remember how you felt after your first day of air squats.
Remember how your hands felt when you first hung off a pullup bar.
Remember the first time you ever told us you “can’t”. (How’d that go over?)
Remember the first time you did something you once thought was “impossible”, something you’d “never be able to do”.
Remember those times you doubted yourself and somebody was there to pick you up. And once you were up, remember how you moved forward again, and again, and again.

Think on all these things. Embrace them. They are yours and yours alone. You cannot buy them. You cannot experience them vicariously through others. They are sacred to you because it was you that overcame them, and you did it by choice. You volunteered for difficulty, even pain. You volunteered to step, boldly or timidly no matter, outside your comfort zone. The rewards are yours. No one else, except those that share this path with you, can truly understand what it all means. Congratulations.

Now, what has it all meant to your larger world? Your world with all those obstacles, all those hopes and fears, dreams and worries? Who were you mentally, emotionally and spiritually when you began? Who are you now? Congratulations. You have earned that too.

And there is still so much to do! So much that can be done!

I believe that our first handstand hold, that first time we can actually reach our toes when stretching our hamstrings, that PR on our squat or deadlift, our better Fran time isn’t really about any of that at all. These, and all the physical achievements like them, are all merely tangible resources which show us that the hard road is often the road with the most rewards. With challenge comes discovery and with discovery comes eagerness, opportunity, satisfaction, fulfillment, perhaps even love. The more we discover, the more we believe. The more we believe the more we yearn to understand. The more we understand the wiser we become. The more wise we grow, the more we want to discover. The cycle is perpetual. In my opinion, although it can often be difficult, this is the way to happiness. How many more friends do you have now? How much happier are you with the person you see in the mirror? How much more do you want to learn?

This is all we have ever wanted for you. We are extremely excited to do much, much more of it 2013. You make us better people. Thank you for all you do and all you have continually taught us over the last 3 years. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

See ya at the box,
Coach C.