Andrew Walsh - Coach

Andrew has been involved in fitness and athletics from a very young age and played basketball and football in high school. After that he spent years at traditional gyms trying to stay fit. When he came to find out about this thing called CrossFit, it was the beginning of his own fitness revolution. Not only did it change him physically (he lost about 40 lbs. and found himself in the best shape of his life), he discovered the mental toughness that CrossFit requires to push oneself. He learned firsthand that the only limits are the ones a person chooses to place on himself.  His hope is to take all that he has learned and inspire others to push beyond their comfort level, achieve their goals, and apply what they learn in every aspect of their life.

Andrew is CrossFit Level 1 certified, an ISSA certified personal trainer, and AED/CPR certified. He has also trained under the guidance of USA Weightlifting Senior Coach, Mark Cannella.

Sophia Walsh - Coach

Unlike most CrossFitters, Sophia did not come from a particularly “athletic” background. She never played high school or college sports, and until she discovered CrossFit, her exercise experience was mostly limited to the gym, where she did the typical treadmill and elliptical "cardio" routine and some basic weight lifting. She began doing CrossFit after seeing Andrew's enthusiasm for it. Although it was tough, for the first time she really enjoyed working out. Instead of just maintaining her physique she started getting stronger and more toned. Sophia particularly enjoys working with clients on their nutrition and implementing the Paleo diet. She is dedicated to helping people become fit so they can live longer, healthier, more productive lives. She is especially motivated to help women realize that being strong does not mean being “bulky” and that commitment to a good fitness program will benefit a person in all aspects of life. Sophia is a CrossFit Level 1 certified trainer and AED/CPR certified.

Kurt Patterson - Coach

Kurt has been a sports and fitness enthusiast his entire life.  He played baseball and football in high school followed by multiple years of fast and slow pitch softball.  He has coached women’s basketball since 1991 at every level from 8 year olds through college, including 2 years each at St. Francis and IPFW.  In 2003 he found Power 90 and managed to lose a much needed 63 pounds in 90 days to win the BeachBody monthly prize.  He then moved on to P90x and P90x+ and in 2007 he began competing in sprint triathlons.  Kurt found CrossFit Ft. Wayne in the fall of 2010 and was immediately captivated.  He found the CrossFit sport of fitness and training ideologies to fit perfectly with his athletic philosophies.   He hopes to motivate others to attain their goals and help them reach new levels of fitness through CrossFit.  Kurt is a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer and AED/CPR certified.

Lydia Gard – Coach

Lydia has an extensive background in both coaching and athletics.  Lydia was a three-sport athlete in high school before making the decision to direct all her energy into one sport.  Lydia played volleyball at the University of Illinois where she was a starter for three years.  After college, Lydia went on to compete for the Minnesota Chill, part of the United States Professional Volleyball league, for one season.  Lydia has a degree in Kinesiology with physical education teaching certificate for grades K-12.  She has taught high school for four years and coached for over ten.  After having four children, Lydia was desperate to find a workout program that was fun and produced results.  Derek, Lydia’s husband, found out about CrossFit in the summer of 2010 and they have been hooked ever since.  Two of Lydia’s favorite things about CrossFit are the competitive nature of the workouts and the amazing results that come from training across the whole spectrum of physical fitness.  Lydia is a CrossFit Level 1 Certified Trainer and AED/CPR certified.

Sherri VanZuidam - Coach

Sherri was extremely active in athletics all throughout grade and high school.  College life resulted in a much more sedentary lifestyle. After college, staying fit usually meant working out in spurts - weeks at a time - until the redundancy and boredom set in.  Almost 2 years after the birth of her second child, Sherri found CrossFit and she loved it from the beginning.  She loves the competitive nature of it, but mostly loves that there is never a plateau or "final" goal in CrossFit.  There's always a better time to achieve, a heavier weight to lift, better form to attain.  Her favorite aspect of CrossFit is the Olympic Lifts and she will soon be getting her Olympic Lifting Certification. Sherri is CrossFit Level 1 certified and AED/CPR certified.

Shane Burge - Coach

Shane played the usual baseball, basketball, football, and ran track growing up and continued football in high school. In college and following, any sort of training included intramural sports, lifting weights, or a golf club. In 2006 and 2007 Shane left a sedentary lifestyle behind, lost 70 pounds, and began running in early 2008. Since then Shane has completed events including sprint, Olympic and half-iron distance triathlons and most every running distance from 5k to marathon.  In late 2010 Shane discovered CrossFit and CrossFit Endurance and was hooked by the results over the traditional Long Slow Distance training. His motivation to see others accomplish goals is based on personal experience and an appreciation for hard work. Shane is a Certified CrossFit Level 1 Trainer and certified CrossFit Endurance Trainer.

Amanda Burge - Coach

Steve Thomas - Assistant Coach

Steve Thomas has worked out and considered fitness very important in life for a very long time. 19 years Military duty working with very select specialized groups, and 15 years in the Fire and EMS Public Safety field have made lasting impressions on Steve as he is a Paramedic.  Steve has had 3 tours with the military and was injured on the last one. Steve found Crossfit and used it as rehab for himself. Steve never went back to the traditional ways of doing things such as HST training,  treadmills and the other globo gym stuff. Steve will tell you that he feels that Crossfit saved his life so to speak. Steve loved it so much he became a Level 1 Instructor. Steve has a lot of passion for Crossfit and will always cheer you on and help you to achieve what you thought you could not do. Steve does not like the word “cant” especially if it is the first thing you say when trying something new. Steve believes that people should not sell themselves short and should attempt to continually better themselves, because the body is an amazing thing.