CrossFit California City teaches youth fitness and more.

Tucked away in the eastern part of Kern County is a hidden gem, CrossFit California City. This small but well equipped box is anything but typical and it’s the owner and his passion that makes the difference.

Bob Guere got his start in CrossFit in 2008 after earning his black belt in Taekwondo. He and his wife Kerry, both experts in the martial art, were looking for a new challenge and found one in CrossFit.

Since that time, Bob has cultivated his love of CrossFit and has built a successful affiliate far from the big city of Los Angeles in the small desert town of California City.

This past week I had the opportunity to stop by and talk with Bob, about his affiliate, and to get a first hand view of his operation.

CrossFit California City the hidden gem of the desert.

CrossFit California City is not large; it does not have hundreds of members and unless California City grows into a huge city overnight, never will. That doesn’t bother Bob though because he never started an affiliate to get huge. He knew going in it would be tough, but he saw a need in his community and stepped in to fill that need.

Since opening his affiliate his goal has been to reach out to the teens of the community.

If you have been in CrossFit for a while, you’ll know that CrossFit Kids is the youth program that teaches kids the importance of fitness at a young age and that CrossFit California City is an official CrossFit Kids affiliate.

With the growing obesity problem in the U.S.A, Bob felt he needed to do something about it, so he moved in that direction.

He usually has around twenty or so teens signed up for classes throughout the year, helps with conditioning at the local school and even sent a team to the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games - CrossFit Kids Teen Challenge, and the Inaugural CrossFit Kids Teen Gauntlet where Cecilia Guerrero took second place in the varsity female division.

*Rumor has it that a full-fledged teen event might be part of the actual CrossFit games in 2012, but Bob has no official word on that.

So what else makes CrossFit California City stand out?

Well because of its size, athletes of any age get very personal attention, something you might not get at a very large affiliate. Plus Bob knows his stuff; he has his CrossFit Level 1 Course Certification (ANSI), CrossFit Kids Course Certification, CrossFit Movement and Mobility Certification and is CrossFit Olympic Lifting Certified.

If you’re into Olympic lifting this is another area where CFCC excels. It seems that some sort of lift is scheduled with every workout. As an example, when I got the ok to visit, Bob’s e-mail caught my attention. It said, we lift at 5:00 p.m. and then start our WOD around 6:30 p.m. Sure enough when I arrived they were ready for their dead lifts.

Lifting then a WOD? Wow that has to be brutal.

I was asked if I wanted to workout after the interview, but sadly had to decline because I was coming off an illness and just wasn’t feeling 100% at that point. When I have some spare time I plan on making the drive because I think I found the perfect place to get additional training on my Olympic lifts. Bob seems to have mad skills and insight in this department.

 
My take on CFCC

In closing I have to say that I was impressed, not only that Bob was willing to give back to his community, but with his passion and knowledge of the sport. It is rare to find someone these days who continually gives, knowing full well that monetary gain at times may fall short, but instead chooses to invest in a sport that will change lives forever.

* On a side note, CrossFit California City is in the desert, which means that it gets very hot in the summer and of course cold in the winter. This is one of the great benefits for anyone who wishes to get pre-acclimated to the extreme high temperatures that are frequently reached during the CrossFit games.

See you in the hills, or maybe learning Olympic lift techniques from Bob.

Lance.