Our coaches | CrossFit NYC

Owners:

Full-Time Coaches:

Sara Carr
Joseph Campbell
Brian DeGennaro
Kasey Heil
Jason Lapadula
Kevin Prowse
Mike “Sully” Sullivan
Kyle Smith
Avery Wittkamp

Part-Time Coaches:

Allison Bojarski
Michael Bultman
Sofia Flynn
Heidi Jones
Melissa Simson
Tom Tanzosh
Nick Walters

Support Staff:

Kevin Bouley, Special Projects
Kristina Harrow, Operations
Mike Harrow, Facilities
Robert Miron, Reception
Casandra Zuniga, Reception

L1 Certified Members:

CFNYC’s member-base includes the country’s largest number of CrossFit Level 1 Trainers, which allows for unparalleled peer-coaching in classes. Members with Level 1 Certificates include:

Adam Rashid	Adena Altman	Arsenio Jimenez	Arsenio Ruiz
Ben Koretz	Bethany Flora	Blake Eastman	Brian Sharp
Benjamin Martish	Cindy Lai	Courtney Salera	David Dodge
Elaina Gemelas	Erin Stewart	James Keller	James O’Leary
Jason Wong	Jay Goebel	Jay Troop	Jennifer Alvarez
Joe Bellisano	Joe Rosen	John Durant	John Landers
Jonathan Choa	Joshua Faucett	Kameron Mengel	Kevin Hayes
Lee Brown	Liz Williams	Marieli Zambrana	Mark Lohmann
Matt Dunne	Matt Laderoute	Melanie Hullings	Michael Brown
Michael Senft	Naveen Vennam	Peter Kahng	Philip Jonat
Robert Gorvetzian	Sean McArdle	Sean Rogers	Seth Cipriano
Seth Pak	Shannan Wilson	Sofia Garcia-Garcia	Sophie Blahd
Keka Schermerhorn	Steven Weiss	Tim Rich	Tony Ferber
Tracey Wilson	Tyler Coppinger	Vickie Chiang	Daniel Lagana

+++

Joshua Newman, Co-Founder and Co-Owner
josh@crossfitnyc.com

A serial tech entrepreneur and life-long science nerd, Joshua stumbled on CrossFit while looking for a better way to train for competitive MMA fighting and adventure sports like surfing, climbing and mountain-biking. He was intrigued but dubious, not believing that the short Workout of the Day would be enough to really get results. He did his first WOD on the way to the gym, thinking it would simply be a warmup: 400m walking lunges, for time. He never made it to the gym. The next morning, he missed his subway stop, as he was literally unable to stand up from his seat; he had to wait for the woman next to him to leave, so he could slide across and hoist himself up the side rail. From then on, he was hooked.

CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
CrossFit Gymnastics Trainer Course
CrossFit Barbell Trainer Course
CrossFit Kettlebells Trainer Course
CrossFit Olympic Lifting Trainer Course
CrossFit Mobility Trainer Course
BS in Behavioral Neuroscience, Yale University

Hari Singh, Co-Owner
hari@crossfitnyc.com

After his first beginners’ class, Hari surprised the CFNYC coaches by not having a heart attack. He surprised them again by showing back up again for a second class later the same week. In the six years since, Hari’s consistency and hard work has paid off, as he’s now a member of the CFNYC Competition Team. For the past five years, Hari has also been putting his diligence to use as aa owner of the gym; with an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Polytechnic University and an MBA from Columbia, he understands both how the electricity works at The Black Box works and why we need to pay the electric bill.

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Barbell Trainer Course
CrossFit Kettlebell Trainer Course
CrossFit Mobility Trainer Course

Court Wing, Co-Founder and Co-Owner
court@crossfitnyc.com

Back in 2003, Court was an early but self-taught kettlebell adopter; he found CrossFit Seattle (formerly CrossFit North) as the founders Nick Nibbler and Dave Werner were the closest RKC-certified kettlebell instructors in the area. The two snuck a first CrossFit WOD upon Court under the guise of a kettlebell workout: 3 rounds of 10 snatches each arm, sprint 25 yards, 10 cleans each arm, sprints 25 yards, then 10 front squats each arm… for time. Once he regained enough blood-flow to the brain to enable conscious thought, Court was quick to recognize that CrossFit was going to be big. He trained at CF North, where he received his CrossFit Level 1 certification, until he headed back East as one of the very earliest CrossFiters in New York City.

CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
CrossFit Coaches Prep Course
CrossFit Barbell Trainer Course
CrossFit Kettlebells Trainer Course
CrossFit Nutrition Trainer Course
CrossFit Exercise Science Trainer Course
CrossFit Gymnastics Trainer Course
CrossFit Mobility Trainer Course
CrossFit Olympic Lifting Trainer Course
Catalyst Athletics Olympic Lifting Seminar
Carl Paoli Gymnastics Freestyle Seminar
Russian Kettlebell Challenge Trainer (RKC)
Z-Health Master Trainer, RIST-Phase certified & Sustenance Specialty Trainer Course
IKFF Certified Kettlebell Trainer
Ki-Aikido Instructor, San-dan & Shoden
Gold Medal, International Competitors Division, International Taigi Competition

Sara Carr, Coach
sara@crossfitnyc.com

Sara found CrossFit NYC in March 2009, when a friend convinced her to try a class. With a strong gymnastics and heavy lifting background, she expected to crush everyone there; instead, she got smoked by Jacinto Bonilla, a 70-year-old man. Immediately hooked, she left her globo-gym for good. Sara is a Golden Gloves boxer, placed 4th in the NY/NJ 2010 CrossFit Games sectionals, and has a French horn performance degree from the Manhattan School of Music.

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Mobility Trainer Course
American Council on Exercise Personal Trainer

Joseph Campbell, Coach
joseph@crossfitnyc.com

Originally from Southern California, and of Mexican descent, Joe was brought up on a diet of corn, corn and more corn; as a result, by 3rd grade, he already weighed 180 lbs. As an adult, he made the decision to change his life for the better, and found CrossFit online. In his first 90 days, he cut 95 pounds of fat from his body. It took him six months to reach his first kipping pull-up, and another year to hit Fran as RX’d, but Joe has been focused on constant, incremental, improvement ever since. He’s now one of the strongest athletes in the gym, and a CrossFit certified trainer; he coaches at CFNYC to pass along his passion and first-hand experience with transforming a life through fitness.

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

Brian DeGennaro, Coach
brian@crossfitnyc.com

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

Kasey Heil, Coach
kasey@crossfitnyc.com

Kasey started her athletic career as a rower. She competed for three years in high school, before being recruited to Washington State University, where she received her degree in Kinesiology. During summers in college, she coached a masters rowing program out of Los Gatos, California. Once she graduated, she became a full-time high school and masters’ rowing coach, and began to dabble in triathlons in order to keep fit. Kasey moved to New York to attend Columbia University for a Master’s Degree in Applied Physiology. As triathlons didn’t compare to the level of intensity or competitiveness Kasey had faced in rowing, she began to search for something new. She found CrossFit, and was hooked from her very first workout.

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

Jason Lapadula, Coach
jason@crossfitnyc.com

Jason was introduced to CrossFit in the spring of 2010, while training for the USMC Officer
Candidates School. Although he appreciated the gains in strength, stamina, and endurance he was most interested in the mental capacity gained through pushing through fatigue. After all, strength and conditioning (or as some people call it, working out) is just “picking things up and putting them down.” CrossFit also appealed to Jason’s inner nerd – he was horrible at sports as a child, but always loved learning about how the human body works, and how individuals can achieve what they previously thought impossible through hard work. Jason enjoys working out outside, playing and listening to music, and cheesecake.

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
2nd Lieutenant, USMC
Catalyst Athletics Olympic Weightlifting Seminar
California Strength Olympic Weightlifting Seminar

Kevin Prowse, Coach
kevin@crossfitnyc.com

Kevin started CrossFit in September 2006 when he attended one of the original CFNYC Central Park workouts – before CFNYC even had a space of its own. His own training at the time had been leaning heavily towards kettlebells, gymnastics, and movements like the deadlifts and presses, so CrossFit was a natural fit. Through CrossFit, Kevin quickly became interested in Olympic weightlifting; he now competes at both a local and national level. He remains one of CFNYC’s best Olympic lifting coaches, and loves working with enthusiastic and determined athletes of all ages.

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Olympic Lifting Trainer Course
CrossFit Gymnastics Trainer Course
USAW Level 2 Senior Coach

Mike “Sully” Sullivan, Coach
sully@crossfitnyc.com

Sully first heard about CrossFit in 2009, when he was coaching at the leading ski and snowboard academy on the East Coast, the Stratton Mountain School. As a professional snowboarder, and as a coach at the amateur and professional level, Sully saw quickly how effective CrossFit workouts would be, both in the gym and on the mountain. He moved to New York in 2010, and began training at CFNYC, where he was thrilled to find a real community of athletes that shared his enthusiasm. Sully aims to make members feel comfortable in a new environment, and motivates them through positivity. He thrives on the success of his athletes, and wants them to leave each workout feeling that they’re moving toward meeting their goals.

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Strongman Trainer Course
CrossFit Olympic Lifting Trainer Course
CrossFit Powerlifting Trainer Course
AASI Level 3 Snowboard Coach
USASA Level 200 Snowboard Coach
USSA Snowboard Coach

Kyle Smith, Coach
kyle@crossfitnyc.com

Kyle discovered CrossFit while trying to figure out how the dudes from the ’300′ movie got those rockin’ six packs. Though he spent the next two years mainly Olympic weightlifting with only a dash of CrossFit, after he relocated to NYC, he decided to focus on the sport of fitness. Now, as a coach, he has two primary objectives: getting really strong, and having fun – passions that he shares with our members. Kyle also writes in the health and fitness space and reads a lot of nerdy books.

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Strongman Trainer Course
ACE Certified Personal Trainer

Avery Wittkamph, Coach
avery@crossfitnyc.com

Avery discovered CrossFit after scouring the Internet for more information on ultra-marathons and kettlebells in 2007, though she was initially intimidated to see the day’s workout called for “an insane amount of pull ups – like 50″ when she couldn’t even do one. A few months later, still spending hours on the elliptical trying to stay in shape, she met CFNYC co-founder Court Wing by chance, and was dragged to one of the first classes at the gym’s then-new first location on 38th St. Though she left the first class unable to lift her arms above her head, or walk down stairs for the next week, she’s come a long way since; now, she can bang out a 50-pullup workout with ease. Avery coaches the CFNYC Team program, and specializes in working with athletes that focus on Olympic Weightlifting, while still including CrossFit workouts for their primary conditioning, as well as with rehabbing athletes, and beginners who – as she once did – struggle to meet those first milestones like a real pushup or pullup.

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Mobility Trainer Course
Basic Kettlebell Seminar (Steve Kotter)
Balanced Running Seminar (Jae Gruenke)
Shoulder Mobility Seminar (Deb Parsons & Alec Hellner)
150-hour Volunteer Internship at Hospital for Special Surgery in the Physical Therapy and Joint Mobility Departments
2010 Regionals CFNYC Team Member, CAINgames 2011 Team Member

Allison Bojarski, Coach/Communications Director
allison@crossfitnyc.com

Allison first heard of CrossFit in 2005 when the New York Times wrote a sensationalistic, inaccurate article about it. Even though she lifted heavy, ran long distance, and considered herself an athlete, CrossFit sounded like more than she could handle. Fortunately, she rediscovered CrossFit’s website in January 2007, read What Is Fitness?, and knew immediately that she wanted to try it. Halfway through her inaugural workout, she wondered if she’d be able to finish it. When she did, she felt so proud of herself that she knew she needed to quit her job as a trainer at a GloboGym to start training clients and herself in the CrossFit way. In addition to private one-on-one coaching, Allison has also been CFNYC’s full-time blogger for the past 4 years, curating daily links to fitness, health, and nutrition information to help a sizable worldwide readership learn and explore.

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Kids Trainer Course
CrossFit Barbell Trainer Course
CrossFit Kettlebells Trainer Course
CrossFit Gymnastics Trainer Course
CrossFit Mobility Trainer Course
IKFF Certified Kettlebell Teacher (Level 1)
Catalyst Athletics Olympic Lifting Seminar
Paleolithic Solution Seminar
BodyTribe Winter Strength Camp 2010/li>
Exuberant Animal Seminar
Brutal Recess (Chip Conrad)

Michael Bultman, Coach
michael@crossfitnyc.com

Originally from the farmlands of Northwestern NJ, Michael has been a constantly varied human being, as well as an athlete, for his entire life. Michael moved to NYC after earning degrees in Music Performance and Business at Monmouth University, (you should ask him about his incredible taste in music) and found Crossfit to be the perfect solution for his endorphin addiction. A former collegiate wrestler and long distance runner, Michael focuses on endurance, and high intensity training, and enjoys spreading his undying love for Olympic lifting to new Crossfitters, even those with short femurs. While away from the gym his nose is buried in geeky books on anatomy, weight lifting, Paleolithic cooking, and nutrition, in hopes of improving his snatch PR through power of mind. He is also a golfing enthusiast and a great eater of beef which, fortunately, never did much to harm his wit.

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

Sofia Flynn, Coach
sofia@crossfitnyc.com

As a Florida high school state champion, Sofia “Boss Coach” Flynn has remained capable and consistent as a CrossFit athlete. One free intro class was all it took and soon enough she was taking the next step into coaching. Her style can be described as clear and direct. While she maintains a commanding presence and doesn’t accept excuses, her greatest strength is her genuine interest in her students’ success. She takes the same passion for personal excellence and brings it to her coaching responsibilities. Boss Coach has trained a wide variety of students with diverse athletic abilities; ranging from first-timers to members of the CFNYC Competition team – and is available for private sessions.

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

Heidi Jones, Coach
heidi@crossfitnyc.com

Heidi runs. She is a runner. Full Stop. The one constant in her life since she was 9 years old is a pair of running shoes. Her running career began at the age of 9 when her dad wanted to lose a few winter pounds; they ran from telephone pole to telephone pole until they entered a first 5K race. From there, she was hooked. She beat all the boys in junior high school, kept running through high school and then at the collegiate level at a division 1 college. Her first marathon was a means to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which she did easily in the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. But she didn’t stop there; she’s continued running marathons for the 16 years since, and has now moved on to ultra-marathons. Heidi now uses CrossFit as the basis for her own – and our members’ – running training, as head of CFNYC’s CrossFit Endurance program. There, she helps runner go faster, longer while training in less time and with fewer injuries.

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Endurance Trainer Course
MadDogg Spinning
TRX

Melissa Simson, Coach
melissa@crossfitnyc.com

While playing soccer and gymnastics throughout childhood and well into high school, Melissa’s favorite part of practice was always in the weight room. Looking for the next challenge, she started running marathons in college for fun. After one too many injures, Melissa took up cross fit solo in her local globo-gym in San Francisco. After a move to NYC, she walked into a Brooklyn- box free class so she could put a braggy coworker in his place by beating him in a WOD, and the rest is history.

Never able to sit still, Crossfit is able to feed her need for adrenaline and variance, while also giving her a good challenge. Melissa loves coaching the free-intros and elements because she wants to spread her love of Crossfit to others- oh and to prove that no, cross fit doesn’t make you bulky.

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

Lt. Tom Tanzosh, Coach
tom@crossfitnyc.com

Tom was drawn to CrossFit after stumbling on a magazine article listing the toughest gyms in the USA. From his first workout – “Cindy”, a 20 minute “AMRAP” (As Many Rounds As Possible) of 5 pull ups, 10 pushups and 15 squats – he was painfully humbled and 100% hooked. Convinced that CrossFit is the most effective exercise program for real-world functional results, Tom has spent the past few years introducing CrossFit to his fellow FDNY firefighters.
`

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Mobility Trainer Course
Lieutenant, FDNY

Nick Walters, Coach
nick@crossfitnyc.com

Growing up with a father who was a three-sport prep school coach in Connecticut,
Nick’s love of competitive sports was carved out at an early age. Football, ice hockey,
basketball, baseball, golf, swimming, tennis; he was playing sports all year round.
After college, however, his way of staying in shape became limited to sets of “bis and tris” and “chest and back” (Legs? Who lifts legs?) and blasting out 45 minutes on the elliptical at the local commercial gym in Dallas, TX. Somehow, he never saw the results he was looking for. Then, in spring 2011, Nick reconnected with one of his old high school buddies in New York City who had been doing CrossFit at CFNYC, and who couldn’t stop raving about it. Nick started doing some of the workouts on his own in his local gym on the Lower East Side – from a first Fran in about 8 minutes using scaled weight and an assisted pullup machine. He’s come far since, and never looked back.