For as long as I can remember, sports and physical fitness has been and still is a constant part in my life growing up. I have always been a very competitive individual and love to prove to myself that I can do anything. My background has consisted of competitive basketball, baseball, golf, cross country, and wrestling. Inspired by my family, athletic background, and intrigued by the idea on how the body works; I knew coming out of San Leandro High School that I wanted to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at San Jose State University.
Entering college I am fortunate enough to have been accepted into the Kinesiology program where later I was introduced to CrossFit by one of my friends during my Sophmore year of college in 2014. After trying CrossFit for about 3 months, I was hooked because of the idea of constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. This idea sparked further interest in learning about the body for me because I love physical fitness and testing my own fitness.
Determined to find a CrossFit gym, I learned of CrossFit San Leandro from one of my former high school teachers. Walking into CrossFit San Leandro, I would have never thought that I would be blessed with the opportunity to Intern/work here especially in my hometown, all thanks to Coach Ruth.
CrossFit San Leandro has given me the opportunity to grow as an individual, and be surrounded by a community that I can call my family. I am constantly learning and receiving knowledge from members and the other coaches, that I can apply to my future in the world of Kinesiology. I am inspired by all of you to be fitter and stronger as well as to help and be there for everyone as much as possible spreading and applying the knowledge I have learned and am still learning.
I have been involved with Crossfit San Leandro for about 2 years now and it has tremendously made a positive impact in my life. I not only strive to become a better individual and coach, but also look forward to getting healthier, fitter, and stronger with the members and future members of CrossFit San Leandro.
Matt started his CrossFit journey in 2014 after becoming bored with the same old bodybuilding programs and unstructured nature of an average gym. He gave CrossFit a try and has not turned back since. Matt fell in love with the ever changing and evolving nature of CrossFit and became a level one trainer within 6 months of starting. One year into CrossFit, Matt found that his Olympic lifting lacked technique, and took a 6 month CrossFit hiatus to focus on the sport of Olympic lifting. After returning to CrossFit, he found that his weaknesses had become strengths and his strengths became stronger. Matt also holds a CrossFit Football Trainers Certificate and is a Certified Personal Trainer. He held the position of Strength and Conditioning Coach for Glendora High School Basketball and Water Polo.
I found crossfit after realizing that work was taking over and he hadn’t been moving. Typically a runner and cyclist, those had fallen away as work took over and I took the basics class as a way to check out a new option. I quickly fell in love with the challenge and the camaraderie of the gym. I like the focus on moving better and being more fit in a well rounded way that benefits every other adventure that I want to explore. And is super fun on its own! The best part is seeing people grow and be able to do things they never thought they could. I love the culture of CFSL and being a part of people thriving
I ran cross country in high school, loves cycling, trail running, long hikes and backpacking – basically anything that is moving outside is great. My collegiate studies were in Mechanical Engineering with some research in biomechanics and human movement.
Jon was a collegiate rower at Sonoma State University all four years. His achievements: He won 2 Gold Medals at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Championships, as well as 2 Silver Medals in the Men’s 4 Event. He won the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships in the Men’s 8 and Men’s 4 events. And he has 2 Silver medals from the American College Rowing Assoc. National Championships. During all these events, Jon rowed stroke seat.
We started CrossFit San Leandro to share with others our love for physical activity and sport. I have been a Physical Therapist since 2002, with special training in manual therapy and orthopedics. My first experience with CrossFit was in 2007. My background prior to that included basketball, volleyball, triathlon, and general weightlifting. As I became more familiar with the CrossFit training methods, I fell more in love. The combination of intensity, constant variation, and community was everything I loved about sport and fitness. Not to mention, it delivered results like I had never experienced. Now I have the joy of showing others how they too can achieve their goals and do things they never thought possible. I am constantly growing my knowledge through continuing education courses and training with some of the best coaches in the sport of Olympic weightlifting to ensure our program delivers the best training available. I am available for Olympic Weightlifting coaching, programming, and post-injury or surgery programming. Programming for people recovering from and injury or surgery is one of my specialties and passions. Please email info@crossfitsl.net if you have questions.
LeeAnne has a long history in athletics and physical fitness. She was an All American softball player, she coached Division II athletics, and taught physical education to children. As a physical therapist she has a special interest in orthopedic and sports related diagnoses. She attended the Kaiser Hayward Post-Professional Clinical Mentor-ship in Advanced Orthopedic Manual Therapy.
Amanda was introduced to CrossFit by her older brother and had her first experience in New Orleans where she was serving for AmeriCorps. Amanda played sports (basketball and soccer) through high school, but had become bored with just running for the past 3 years. She immediately fell in love with the challenge of CrossFit and the feeling of being apart of a community again. When she moved back to the Bay Area, she found herself at the doors of CrossFit San Leandro. It did not take long for her to feel welcome in their intimate space at the time.
Amanda has been with CFSL for almost 5 years and has been a coach for 4 years. In that time, she has not only seen the community grow by times 20, she has also grown as a person. Amanda has a passion for teaching the Olympic lifts and gymnastic skills. She has coached youth basketball teams, been a camp counselor, and a supervisor at a school for emotionally disturbed children. She is also one of CFSL’s crossfit kids coaches.
Prior to CrossFit San Leandro, Joanie’s background consisted of Olympic Weightlifting, running, triathlons, softball, dirt bikes, snowboarding, and soccer. She was introduced to Olympic weightlifting by Donny Shankle who coached her for several years. She immediately fell in love with the sport of Olympic weightlifting and has competed in numerous local meets on CFSL’s weightlifting team. Olympic weightlifting led her to CrossFit in 2011, which reignited that team sport mentality and desire to push herself to new limits.
She is a mother of two children and knows what it takes to get back in shape. After having her first child, she suffered constant low back pain for years. Through weightlifting and her training at CrossFit San Leandro, she has been able to maintain a healthy, strong, and pain free back. She is passionate about helping the members of CFSL reach their goals and live the healthy life they dream of.
Joanie wears many hats at CrossFit San Leandro. She is the gym/office manager, coach, director of social media, and the list goes on. If you have photos or videos for Facebook or Instagram, email her at: joanie@crossfitsl.net.
As a teen I was diagnosed with Scoliosis, and was required to have spinal surgery which required having 2 metal rods surgically attached to my spine so that I would not be paralyzed. After surgery, I was constantly told of all the things that I could not do, or would NEVER be able to do in my life. A number of years later, I tore my Meniscus off the bone in my knee, and was required to have surgery to drill it back down into place. Again I was told of all the movements and activities I would be unable to do. Looking to rehab my knee, I found CrossFit San Leandro. After meeting Ruth, I decided to join and see what I could do. For the first time, I was told by someone of all the things I COULD do, with a little hard work. I fell in love with CrossFit, and soon realized that Ruth and LeeAnne were extraordinary people who could get me to where I wanted to be. In just over 2 years, I have lost almost 40 pounds, I have become a CrossFit Trainer, a competitive Powerlifter at a Class 2 with a 1,095 pound total, and have increased my Back Squat and Dead Lift by over 200 pounds in each lift. Not to mention, I can actually run now, and not die. My goal is to be able to do for others what Ruth and LeeAnne did for me; that you can do anything you want and do things you never imagined, with a little hard work..
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