How Being Part of the YMCA Helps This CrossFit Affiliate Flourish
Like many affiliates, CrossFit Forged Iron came from humble beginnings.
The Lynchburg, VA, gym first started operating in a 1,000-square-foot computer room with a low ceiling in 2013. At the time, it was called Jamerson CrossFit.
- “There was no rig, no dumbbells. Just barbells and your body weight and ‘let’s do CrossFit,’” explained Forged Iron coach Brenda Brady. “Doing muscle-ups in there was hilarious.”
But that’s where their similarities with other early affiliates end.
Now, the renamed “CrossFit Forged Iron” is located within Jamerson Family YMCA, and the affiliate is 100 percent funded by the YMCA.
Thanks to some generous donations, the affiliate, which now has 160 members, has moved into a bigger building that is nearly three times the size of the old computer room.
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Remind me: The YMCA was founded in 1844 in London, England, and grew to be a worldwide organization offering affordable services and programs including health and fitness.
- Today, there are more than 2,700 YMCAs in the United States, with a handful also being home to CrossFit affiliates.
One big thing: Being funded by the YMCA removes many of the financial burdens the small affiliate owner often faces, including earning enough revenue to pay coaches a living wage.
Brady and the team of 12 coaches at CrossFit Forged Iron are paid by the YMCA, and CrossFit is just one of their various revenue streams.
- “It takes the financial burden off,” Brady said. “As a full-time employee of the Y, I manage the affiliate and coaches just coach part-time. This setup makes it so much easier to operate because we have all the resources of the Y, including marketing and HR.”
Since the YMCA is a nonprofit aimed at keeping things affordable, gym members pay just $59 a month for CrossFit classes, making it accessible to many who might not otherwise be able to afford it.
Members also have access to the YMCA’s other services, including childcare, a full-court gymnasium, a soccer field, a sauna, a hot tub, and a full-sized Olympic pool.
- “Every Thursday, we do a pool WOD with a swim coach. How many affiliates can say they do that?” Brady said.
Giving back: Like many CrossFit communities, Forged Iron is committed to giving back. Their charity of choice is LIVESTRONG at The YMCA, a free 12-week program the YMCA offers that provides health and fitness programs to adults battling cancer and cancer survivors.
- “Often they’re really de-conditioned, and the program gives them support and the opportunity to be in a safe space [to recover and get fit],” Brady said.
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On May 4, the Forged Iron community held an in-house competition and raised $6,000 for the cause. In the last three years, they have raised close to $12,000 for LIVESTRONG at The YMCA.
- “We are all about giving back to our community. Fundraising is ingrained in what we do. And cancer affects so many; we all know someone going through it,” Brady said.
The big picture: Imagine if even half of the 2,700 YMCAs in the US offered CrossFit.
It would certainly make bringing CrossFit to more people in an accessible way that much easier, Brady explained.
- “And we can offer so much more than most gyms,” she said.
One last thing: Brady’s 15-year-old daughter Evelyn Brady was 17th at the Age Group Semifinals this season and qualified to compete at the CrossFit Games by Pit Teen Throwdown this summer. Support her journey to the Games here.
Featured image: @crossfitforgediron / Instagram