"CrossFit SW Beaverton didn't grow overnight. It took some time and a lot of hard work."
After her divorce, Laura Boyd Gibson sold her wedding ring to pay for her CrossFit Level 1 Seminar.
“I felt that selling my ring was really my only option. I was divorced and already felt like I had failed at something, and I didn’t want to go to my family for money,” Gibson says. “I felt like I needed to prove that I could do this on my own. The day I went downtown to the pawn shops, I felt empowered and I loved that feeling.”
She spent the next two years coaching at Beaverton CrossFit.
In 2010, she met Melissa Quandt Anctil, her future business partner. The two women had a lot in common. They were both single moms with three kids, full-time jobs and a love for CrossFit.
After class one day, they discovered they were both planning on opening affiliates. Rather than go it alone, they decided to team up.
“I approached Melissa … because I knew I could trust her. She is a person of her word … (and) I knew that starting something like this would not survive if I didn’t have a partner like her,” Gibson says.
Over coffee, the idea started to take shape.
First, they needed financial backers. Without established credit after their divorces, they had to ask their families for support. Their parents didn’t hesitate.
Next, they had to get approval from CrossFit, Inc.
CrossFit SW Beaverton opened for business in May 2010. It was a simple facility with homemade boxes and only the essential equipment, but it worked.
Over the first year, Gibson dedicated herself to the box full time while Anctil continued to work a full-time job at a nonprofit for kids with cancer.
“I knew that working a full-time job on top of opening our own box was going to be a challenge, but so worth it in the future. Our first year, I was working 60-plus hours a week to accommodate both jobs,” Anctil says.
“CrossFit SW Beaverton didn’t grow overnight,” Gibson says. “It took some time and a lot of hard work.”
Over the last two years, they have grown to more than 175 members and moved from a 960-square-foot space to a 2,300 square-foot warehouse. As their membership and box grew, Anctil decided to quit her job and turn her full attention to CrossFit.
“It was a leap of faith,” Anctil says. “It dropped my income to two thirds of what I used to make for awhile.
“But before I made the decision, I sat down with my three kids and explained what I’d like to do and that it would mean sacrificing certain things that they were accustomed to. They were my biggest supporters in this decision to move forward with expansion,” she adds.
Anctil says, one of the big lessons her kids have learned is that work is not just about making a living, but that you can love your job.
In addition to their time and dedication, Anctil and Gibson believe their rapid growth has been spurred by the growing awareness of CrossFit. More and more people have been introduced to CrossFit through the Games episodes on ESPN2 and success stories from affiliates.
Gibson and Anctil mention they often have to dispel fears that CrossFit isn’t for the average person. They let new clients know CrossFit is for everyone, and can help people achieve whatever goals they set out; whether that is basic health and fitness or an opportunity to compete at the Regionals or Games.
