"We are home to a growing community and we are commonly seeing numbers passed along, people planning their WODs together and new friendships blooming outside of the box."
Bored with his gym routine, Luke Blakely began following workouts from CrossFit.com with his wife.
“CrossFit began to take a grip on all areas of my life, including eating, sleeping and eliminating day-to-day stress. My wife, Breann, and I began to follow every prescribed workout on CrossFit.com until the local 24-hour gym could no longer offer what we needed,” he says.
The couple then began to travel to the nearest affiliate, CrossFit Kingston, an hour-long drive. But, as an officer with the Ontario Provincial Police, Blakely couldn’t make it every day.
“I began transporting my barbell, bumper plates, kettlebells and rings into work. I would supplement my CrossFit box days with WODs from the main site on my lunches at work.”
It was during a night shift when a co-worker, Ed Jouwstra, noticed and decided to join in.
“After a few months, Ed, myself and our wives began meeting up in parks or any available spot to do our WODs.”
The formation of CrossFit Belleville owes much to the challenges of a Canadian winter. Working out in outdoor parks wasn't an option, and Belleville, Ontario lacked an affiliate, so the Blakelys considered opening a gym, and Jouwstra was an eager partner.
“We began looking to rent a small spot as people were beginning to join our group,” Blakely says. “We signed up for the CrossFit Level 1 Seminar in Toronto, and things began to fall in place from there.”
The facility CrossFit Belleville calls home is a 2,000-square-foot box that comes with a garage door, 50 feet of turf, 50 feet of stag racking and plenty of windows and amenities.
“We are home to a growing community and we are commonly seeing numbers passed along, people planning their WODs together and new friendships blooming outside of the box,” he says.
Blakely has several plans for the long-term growth of CrossFit Belleville.
“My goal is to now grow the affiliate, take the Coach’s Prep Course in a year’s time, and to eventually become a member of the Level 1 Seminar Staff,” he says. “We are CrossFitters for life and feel that our affiliation will allow us to share our experiences with others.”
Blakely still maintains his position with the Ontario Provincial Police, and is seeking a balance between the two.
“Some days are easier than others to find the balance of leaving my regular job and jumping right into coaching. I’m more and more seeing that the box for me is my getaway,” he says. “No matter what work throws at me in a day or night, I can always jump into the box and do a couple workouts and leave completely refreshed.”
