Erik Preston grew up in Indian Wells, Calif., a desert town that in 2010 had a population of not quite 5,000 people.

“When I was growing up, it was tumbleweeds and jackrabbits and sand dunes,” he explains.

As a child, Preston’s mother got him involved in a multitude of activities: BMX, acting, speed reading, violin.

“My claim to fame is that I made it through two rounds on The Gong Show and finally got cut by Chuck Barris,” Preston recounts. “I was too serious is what he said.”

Today, Preston owns CrossFit San Elijo in Carlsbad, Calif., and is a Level 1 Seminar Staff member.

“CrossFit is my passion,” he says. “It’s an opportunity for service. It truly is not a job. These individuals that you share kinship with are deserving of your best effort, and they are you and every other person that’s been before you in the CrossFit community. And they’re coming in with wide-open eyes and a love and an affinity for what we’re doing.”