Testimonials

Hi Skip, Jodi and Bradley -
Every time I come back I realize what an awesome facility you guys have built. FRCF is the nicest CrossFit gym I have been to and I travel a lot. The people at FRCF are what really makes it a gym unlike any other..  Even though I haven't been there for a while the fitness foundations built at FRCF helped me have a pretty decent Cyclocross season for an old fat guy.. Here's a picture of me on my way to 12th at Nationals a few weeks ago in Madison Wisconsin.  I think I might actually try and ride my bike more this year and come to CrossFit more, and see if I can squeeze into the top 5 next year.
Thanks again,
-Jonathan

I have to tell you, I love FRCF.  I am having so much fun and I know that I'm better prepared both mentally and physically for life’s challenges.

I thought you'd like this....

The other day I jokingly said to my husband, "So, do I look any different?" and his response was, "Ya, you seem a lot more confident."  He also said he was happy to see me passionate about something again and it is "great to have me back".....I was a little surprised at that response - but at the same time it's so true.  I am gaining my confidence back and I know it's because of FRCF.
Thank you.
-Jennifer
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I am speechless after your camp this weekend. You all put your heart and soul into running one amazing camp- so professional, organized, etc. Thank you for all you do.
-Becky
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Skip & Jodi-
Thanks for having me do this event.

Jodi you spent a lot of individual time with me and you've opened a new door for me on O-Lift. I realize these are the things you've both been telling me for three years, but I'm listening now... I expect to see some big moves in weight.

Skip I know I've told you this before, but I'll say it again, "You're a fantastic Coach." I've had a LOT of Coaches, but I really trust you to take care of me. It's nice for me to just turn off my brain and lift the heavy thing you tell me to lift.

I always feel like if you think I can...then I CAN.
Thanks,
-Dozer
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I am not going to say anything new from what others are saying, but I still want to get my thanks out.

Your judges and staff are top notch and you guys set the standard on how to run a CrossFit competition.  Again on the judges, each was a personal cheerleader and coach during the events - strict, but fair and encouraging.

As for the programming, I found it tough and challenging. I like that standard for the Open. It makes me work harder to improve. I've got the tin-man walk going today on par with the day-after-marathon soreness. And I love it.

Much appreciated and I can't wait to do it all over again in 6-7 weeks in the FRCF Masters Meet. 
Thanks, 
-Chad Schroeder
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Skip-
Just 10 years after your first influence on my life, I will finally be competing in a triathlon. I won't be riding a Surly nor competing in an Iron Man distance race, but riding an All-City Cycles fixed gear in a sprint distance. Every crank, stroke, and stride I will be reflecting on your profound influence on my life. Thank you and best of luck with everything you do today, tomorrow, and beyond!"
-Ryan Banham

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Jodi-
I can’t believe how awesome you guys are.  First, as a “fair-weather” gym goer (really more “fair-work” gym-goer) you guys have given me just as much encouragement and attention as those athletes who spend hours a day with you.  For that and so many other things, not only am I grateful, but touched.  I truly believe you guys are such a class act, that your business and the culture you’re creating, of fitness and health, is just unstoppable!  

Thanks again for everything.  
-Jen “Boots”
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Skip and Jodi-
As I'm sure I've told you both before, FRCF has changed my life!  I love it and you two are the main reason why.  Before I started at FRCF, I hated working out.  I always loved team sports in high school, but after high school, I never really found any type of exercise I enjoyed and would stick to. 

I have gained so many things from joining your gym.  I feel more confident in everything I do, have been the fittest I've been since I was 18, gained more strength than I imagined I could, and have learned how to eat healthy and lose weight by making a lifestyle change, instead of a diet or diet pills.

I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know both of you and making new friends.  You, as well as the other coaches at FRCF, are such skilled, patient, and wonderful athletes and coaches. 

Thank you so much for everything! 
-Joy
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Jodi-
You are one heck of an o-lift instructor, your ability to break down and communicate the smallest details… amazing. Thank you, I'm excited.
-Peter Mentz
Affordable Door Co. Inc.
www.garagedoorproblems.com
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Jodi-
I wanted to drop you a quick line to state my utmost appreciation and respect for the program you and Skip run at FRCF.  Your instruction, guidance, and training are truly a cut above the rest. Keep up the great work!

Thanks again,  
-Molly Blomquist 
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I saw this quote on the main site and found it echoed my own sentiments regarding my participation in the Colorado Open this year.

"You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things - to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals."
- Sir Edmund Hillary

I'm an ordinary chap. I'm not the strongest, fastest, fittest, or most dedicated in the gym. In fact, most of the time I'm the slowest, finishing up a WOD on my own after everyone else is done. Despite this, I stepped up my training and competed in the Colorado Open this year- and it was FUN!  Sure, I felt some intimidation competing with top athletes, but in the end, just like any WOD, I found I was really just competing against myself and the clock. The sense of personal accomplishment was astonishing and something I haven't felt in a long time. Plus, I really enjoyed participating in the larger CrossFit community. The huge crowd and the support of fellow FRCF’s pushed me to perform harder than I ever had. It was like what we do every day, just taken to another level. I'm writing to you to say, “Thanks.” It was so cool to have the opportunity to compete in something like this. 

FRCF has given me a new lease on life and energy to do my best and get after it. I'm feeling great and can't wait to take on the next challenge. I want to urge anyone and everyone at the gym to participate in the next Open. If I can do it, anyone can!  

August was my two year anniversary with FRCF. It was a slow progression for me, but I'm so happy I stuck with it and was able to compete as prescribed and within the time limits.

CrossFit has changed my life in positive ways, not only physically, but also mentally. I feel strong enough to take on whatever comes my way and I love feeling that way. FRCF is my home and that means so much to me. It is rare for me to find people I really connect with, and at FRCF, I've found so many.  I'm looking forward to year three. “Thanks” seems inadequate, but thank you for all that you guys do. 

Skip and Jodi, thanks for all the pain. I'm a better person for it. Looking forward to what's next.

-Karen Rylander www.theprimalkitchen.com
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Hey Skip-
I just wanted to write a personal note of thanks to you and Jodi for hosting the Colorado Open. The event was so amazing to participate in. I know it took a lot of work to put together. It is such a privilege to be able to compete with a such an array of athletes at a high level. It takes a lot for the normal CrossFitter to step out in front of a crowd and do a WOD, and the Colorado Open was such a great platform for EVERYONE to step out and do great things. I was so proud to look around at all the CrossFit athletes of all shapes and sizes coming out to give it all they have, and not just the athletes who have the ability to compete at the highest level. Thank you for providing this opportunity for all of us. 
No one else can do what you guys do, and I feel lucky to be part of FRCF.

Being part of FRCF has dynamically improved my quality of life in this last year-and-a-half, and I believe it is due to the coaching and the positive community you and Jodi have built. Thank you for coaching and encouraging me, and helping me to believe in myself. 
-Mo
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Summer Camp WOW.......

I first want to thank Jodi, Skip, Brad and all the athletes at FRCF for your hospitality this past weekend. What a great community you have all built. I came to camp from CA, so not only did I pay for the torture, I traveled pretty far too! I must say camp was the best investment I have made since opening my affiliate.

I hope all athletes at FRCF know and appreciate what they have. Jodi, Skip and all your coaches are amazing and your training facility is above and beyond the norm. Jodi and Skip have not only mentored me as a gym owner, but now as an athlete. I must say I wear a FRCF shirt with great pride.

This camp exceeded my expectations. It tested my commitment, strengths, weaknesses, and fears. In the end I am better. My only goal was to show up, work hard and not give up. An environment like Front Range made it easy. I did things in camp I never imagined my body was capable of....I was tested! I am thankful to be a part of such a great community. See you guys at the next camp.

Big love from Cali,
-Zionna Munez
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The Summer Performance Camp was again a testament to the amazing feats the body can achieve when called upon. Thanks to the deft programming of Skip and Jodi and the execution of each and every athlete inside the gym this weekend, it leaves no doubt in my mind the expression "anything is possible" is one grounded in fact - one must only believe in it to benefit.

Further, this year's camp brought several new faces. We were honored and humbled to have some of CrossFit's fittest and strongest in the gym, as well as were introduced to some new folks who will certainly leave their mark on the sport in the near future.

Big John, your words of praise and encouragement during our row pieces were not only appreciated, but ingrained into our heads as we pushed for all we were worth this past weekend. Personally, I've improved upon my row times from even as recently as a month ago!

Finally, for anyone who missed the camp and is reading the results Skip posted, take note. 
If you have ever wondered what it feels like to push yourself outside your comfort zone, don't miss the next camp. 
If you have ever felt you can achieve great things but haven't been in the right environment to do so, don't miss the next camp. 
If you want to prove to yourself and the rest of the world you have done great deeds, don't miss the next camp!

-Matt Harutun
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Thank you Skip, Jodi and fellow campers...

I learned a TON- about how to improve my performance as an athlete & coach, and how cool it can be to have a very strong affiliate "family". I hope the FRCF members appreciate what they are a part of.

Thanks for welcoming, encouraging and teaching me. I look forward to working out with you again and wish you all the best. Cheers!

Oops - almost left out Big John: You are a fantastic coach and I am actually inspired to get back on that evil rowing machine as soon as the skin grows back over my tailbone.

-David Zink
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Camp was incredible.

The PR's that were achieved day after day are a testament to the genius of CrossFit methodology in general, and Skip & Jodi's individualized, intentional programming & coaching specifically.

No one outside the CF world would believe that you could take a group of 24 part-time athletes and challenge them with 4-5 WODs/day for four days and expect people to put up PRs in both strength & met-con domains for the duration, but that's exactly what happened!  Superb coaching, coupled with the culinary skills of Karen, meant we were all able to not just survive the weekend, but thrive in a supportive, fun and productive atmosphere.
 
Given that I've never attempted this sort of volume, I was seriously concerned about whether or not I could make it through all four days. I envisioned being so sore by Monday morning that I'd just have to go through the motions. While I was sore and fatigued throughout, I put up PR's (thanks again to expert programming & coaching) in everything that I have a record of doing previously, including the clean, C&J, squat, 3xOHS, 2 rowing WOD's and the snatch. 

I say this not to highlight my own accomplishments but to encourage anyone else who may be on the fence about doing a similar camp in the future. Do it! You won't regret it.

Thank you Skip, Jodi, Brad & supporting crew!
-Dan Andrews
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Some comments from the last FRCF Olympic Lifting Seminar.

The O-lift seminar was fantastic! The great teaching progression gets you performing the movements without over thinking them and the 4-to-1 student-to-coach ratio gives you plenty of individual feedback. Thanks! 
-Jeremy Myers

Great seminar. Very well thought out instruction and pacing. This is a must seminar if you CF at all and absolutely essential if you CF at home or in a Globo Gym. 
-Jason Wyrick

Thanks for hosting the class. As a rank amateur I was a bit apprehensive in signing up, but I was pleasantly surprised by the patience of the coaches and by the way the groups were broken out based on skill and ability.  I learned a ton and I'm looking forward to building on the excellent base that your team helped me develop.
-Terry McCormick
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Skip-
I have been following the posts about our Results Based Fitness and I thought I would add my two cents.

To say the least, it's impressive to see our athletes improving their times throughout the year. Whether it's a Heroes' Workout, Named Workout, Triathlon, Mountain Bike Race or 5K, everyone seems to be improving.

Every time I've thought I was experiencing a slump or plateau you were able to show me that no matter how I really felt, I was still improving.

I truly believe my fitness is at a higher level thanks to FRCF. Unfortunately, I do not have many times on athletic events to compare my fitness to. What I have is our timed workouts and my personal experiences on the Denver Fire Department and Colorado Task Force to compare my overall fitness; I have never felt better. The last few weeks are a true testament to this.

The last three weeks I was in Texas and Louisiana as part of the Colorado Task Force - USAR deployment for Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike. We did get some good work in Galveston and a lot of staging for the first two Hurricanes. It's nice to see FEMA being proactive. During the down time I was able to get in some CF workouts with some other great folks. The constant randomness of it all was awesome! When actually working in Galveston I felt excellent. I never slowed down and my morale was sky high. Physically, I felt tiptop. Mentally, I felt sharp and focused. Credit must be given to FRCF and all the great people involved.

Thanks for everything, Skip, and keep up the good work!
-Sean Roeper
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Dear Skip-
I wanted to share with you my results from the 2008 Leadville 50 Mile Mountain Bike Race across the Sky.

In July of 2007, prior to joining Front Range CrossFit, I finished the grueling race in (7:14) seven hours and fourteen minutes, I knew my time was pretty bad, but I had finished the race and I was determined to improve my time. But, in my reality, with two young kids and a busy schedule, I knew that spending more time in the saddle was not the answer to improving my overall fitness. It was about this time my brother-in-law “Sean”, who is a Navy SEAL, told me about CrossFit.

As a lifelong athlete, who was pretty “burnt out” on the gym scene, I turned to CrossFit. In November 2007, I joined Front Range CrossFit and I attribute my 2008 race results of (6:02) six hours and two minutes directly to training with you and the crew at Front Range CrossFit. I was able improve my time significantly by shaving an hour and twelve minutes off from the previous year. The best part is, I felt really strong all the way through the finish line.

There is no doubt in my mind that CrossFit is the greatest workout on the planet, there is a true methodology behind the workouts, not to mention great people to train with. I studied Exercise Physiology in College and Graduate school in the early 90’s; I was also a competitive rugby player, and always looking for a great workout, a better way to train. You guys deliver on that every time!

Thanks for your dedication to excellence and detailed instruction.
Sincerely,
-Emilio
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Navy Seal Hero Challenge 05/06/08

Letter of Appreciation
- W.S. Pieseski
Commander, U.S. Navy
Download navy_week_2008_thank_you.pdf
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Navy Seal Hero Challenge 05/06/08

Okay, please forgive me FRCF folks, but I am going to "clog your blog" with well-deserved props instead of posting times and loads! 
Many, many thanks to all of the dedicated FRCF members and the team leaders for the outstanding support during the "SEAL Hero Challenge". You were all a true class act in honoring Petty Officer Danny Dietz. Thank you so very much for your hospitality friendly disposition! Skip, you run a top-notch operation and your team ensured the place was nothing but total energy. 

Dude.....next time I want to feel like I am breathing out of a straw full of hot mustard during a WOD, I'll come calling FRCF at 5,280 FT. Until then, I'll be CrossFittin' here at sea level at CFSD (although I really have no excuse because Master Chief and Zach were right up there with some of team Front Range's top athletes). Thanks again to all!!!

Much Respect and Appreciation,
-Chief Chris Freischlag, 
EODGRU ONE, Coronado, CA

Posted by: Chris Freischlag | May 07, 2008 at 06:54 PM in comments
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I have been working out at commercial gyms, 5-days-a-week, for over 10 years and after working out at Front Range CrossFit for 6 weeks I can't tell you the last time that I felt this good!! 
- Jim, age 62
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It has been a couple of weeks now since the March 2007 TSC and I have been thinking a lot about the event since then. I had a wonderful experience and really cannot recommend this contest enough. There are several aspects of the event that contributed to my enjoyment and make me suspect that I will be a long-time returning participant.

First, the group energy enables you to easily find an extra 10% in yourself and that's a nice surprise when you are used to training on your own. I attended the event in Denver hosted by Front Range CrossFit. It was a great group of athletes participating and everyone was genuinely rooting for others to do their absolute best. The energy was palpable and past personal-records were dropping like flies. Seriously, whatever you can do on your own, you'll do significantly better in this type of atmosphere.

Second, the TSC seems to be a perfect blend of events to measure overall strength and fitness in a non-sport-specific way. This has been addressed before but here is a quick re-cap: Deadlift, Pull-ups, 5-minute snatch. The deadlift is an excellent measure of raw strength. You just can't get more basic than lifting a really heavy thing off of the ground. It's primal. 

Next are pull ups and there is no better indicator of upper-body strength relative to weight. I have always been impressed by anyone who can knock out more than 10 perfect pull ups. At this event, I was in a room full of guys where 15-reps was just about average. That's motivating.

Last is the snatch test and this is all about how much work your body can do in 5 minutes. Its 5 minutes of hell but feels so good when you finally stop that it's actually worth every second! Well, that might be a stretch. Anyway, my guess is that you get a 15% benefit from the group on this one. The last minute is all about remaining focused (and conscious) and ignoring the very sensible signals that your body is sending. The room rooting for you that last 60 seconds is an incredible boost.

Lastly, periodically testing yourself in a competitive event is a great way to track your progress and stay motivated for a life-long strength/fitness program. All competitors at the event in Denver were awarded T-shirts. On the back of the shirt, in big bold letters, it says: FACE THE TRUTH. This really resonated with me. The truth is that I competed in March 2007 and the results are now part of the public record. The next time I compete and look at the results the truth will again be very apparent and I will face it. I will have improved, maintained, or lost ground. I plan to participate in this event, at least once a year, as long as I am able. If you can join me, I'll be rooting for you.
-Kevin
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CrossFit is an incredibly rewarding workout.  I have been an athlete all my life and have never had a workout routine that has helped improve my strength, stamina, and general physical ability like CrossFit does.  I have been doing CrossFit for four and a half months and have seen a big difference in my body and my physical capabilities.  For me the best thing about CrossFit is that even when you’re doing the most difficult workout ever, you’re having fun, working out with a group of people that quickly become your friends.  Skip and the entire Front Range CrossFit gang are incredibly helpful and motivational!  The other thing that I find great about Skip and the CrossFit program is that you can modify it to work for anybody.  Personally I’ve had a few knee surgeries and never thought I’d be doing overhead squats.  But with a lot of work and a little patience, CrossFit has made it possible.  Now instead of worrying about hurting my knee, I can worry about getting better at my pull ups (which by the way, I can only do thanks to CrossFit!)
-Heather Crawford
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"I am a BJJ Instructor and I am also a Pan American BJJ silver medalist so I am very familiar with different types of workout regimen.  Until starting CrossFit with Skip, I have never been this tired from a workout.  Since I started CrossFit with Skip I have improved my strength, agility, and my stamina tremendously. Thanks Skip for introducing me to CrossFit.
PS. I'm still sore."
-Curtis Hill
BJJ Black Belt
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"Skip has not only been a big help with adding CrossFit to my workouts he is also an inspiration. He puts us through the workouts and he is right there next to us doing them, and pretty much beating everyone's times. I strongly recommend to anyone to add CrossFit to your workout regime. Skip is a great CrossFit trainer, and a great friend. Skip, thanks for all of your help and support."
-Aaron Romero
Professional MMA fighter
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"When I started out doing CrossFit with Skip I was in
horrible shape. After just a couple months, I can
honestly say I am in the best shape of my life. The
results greatly improved my Kickboxing and
Jiu-Jitsu training, and I see improvement weekly. The
design and format is the best workout that I have come
across, which keeps me coming back for more
punishment every night."
-Barry Wellborn
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"I have found Skip to be highly detailed in his training plans.  For my first Ironman, he put a program together ramping up my training in time for the race without risking over-use injuries.  With his CrossFit program I’m getting stronger all the time, even though I have a newborn and don’t have the time I used to.  I’m learning the Olympic lifts and at 36, I’m stronger now than when I was 22."
-Jeff Sadler
Endurance Athlete
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