When the owners of CrossFit Bullseye decided to close their doors in June 2024, the gym’s community refused to be broken up. So several members convinced the gym’s manager and coach, Sasha Jones, to open another affiliate.
- “People were like, ‘You can’t abandon us. Why don’t you just open a gym?’ And I was like, ‘No, that’s crazy,’” said Jones, who holds a Ph.D. and works full-time as a Scientific Apparatus Engineering Technician at the University of Texas at Arlington.
The members were serious, though, and they gathered the money to help her start a new gym.
- “So on July 1 last year, I signed up to become an affiliate. We didn’t even have a logo, and we didn’t have a name yet,” Jones said.
As luck would have it, Jones soon found the perfect space not far from their old gym in Grand Prairie, TX. It was more than enough space for her and the 35 former members of CrossFit Bullseye who joined Jones on this new mission.
Best of all, the space was already set up as a gym, since the previous tenants had also been gym owners.
Things moved quickly, and Jones opened CrossFit Green Leaf’s doors in August 2024, the same weekend the 2024 CrossFit Games kicked off just 21 miles away in Fort Worth.
That’s when things got a bit dark for Jones and her community, as, during their gym’s grand opening, they learned about Lazar Đukić’s tragic death during the CrossFit Games.
- “It was a hard time for everyone. You could feel it in the air. It was a solemn mood,” Jones said.
One Year Later
The past year has been anything but easy for Jones, who admits she “hasn’t had a lot of sleep” in recent months.
Her days begin at 4:30 a.m. when she coaches the first classes at the gym. After that, she goes to her full-time day job at 8 a.m. and finishes at 5 p.m. Then, she returns to run the gym in the evenings, heading home by 8 p.m.
Yes, her days are long, but that’s not the hardest part.
- “The most challenging part is trying to grow because this economy is not the best right now, and everybody is holding onto their pockets really tightly,” Jones said.
Despite the challenges, CrossFit Green Leaf is about to celebrate its one-year anniversary next month — and Jones says she’s loved every minute of the journey.
- “It’s worth it. Absolutely…It’s still a joy,” Jones said. “I get in there and it’s vibrant, uplifting, and positive, and I want it to stay that way. My ultimate goal is to create a space where people feel safe and welcome. It has just been a great journey.”
The Big Picture
Although the first year has been more challenging than she initially realized, Jones is confident in her gym’s future. She’s just as excited about CrossFit as she was a decade ago when she first stumbled across a Groupon deal to participate in a class.
- “The challenge, the growth, and the community pulled me in,” Jones said of her early days in CrossFit.
It’s those same three pillars that keep her going today.
- “I opened CrossFit Green Leaf with the support of a small, but dedicated community. We focus on fitness, nutrition, education, and community service. It’s not just a gym. It’s a space for transformation,” she said.
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Featured Image: @cfgreenleaf / Instagram
