Meet your West End CrossFit Owners (and full time trainers and coaches):
Jen and Tim Grabham
Jen
Jen was a scholarship athlete throughout her collegiate career. After graduation, she found her passion for fitness and the sense of community and team that CrossFit fosters to be a perfect match for her talents.
The scalability of CrossFit programming allows Jen to successfully and individually coach all her clients, from extreme fitness competitors to those wanting to simply feel better and live better.
Jen’s goal through coaching is to create a motivating and encouraging environment that inspires individuals to do things they once viewed as impossible. “I can’t” becomes “I’ll try!” within the walls
of West End CrossFit (WECF). She also believes in taking a comprehensive wellness approach to each member’s needs. Whether nutritional, physical, or stress-related, Jen always has the time to listen and offer support based on her training and expertise.
Jen holds Crossfit Certifications in:
- Level 1 Trainer
- CrossFit Olympic Weightlifting with Coach Burgener
- CrossFit Basic Barbell with Mark Rippetoe
- CrossFit Kids
- CrossFit Movement and Mobility Certification with Kelly Starrett
Tim
Like Jen, Tim has spent his life immersed in healthy, athletic environments. Since age four, Tim has been involved in local and travel teams in soccer and gymnastics. Later, he began coaching and was a member of the VCU Cheerleading Team and an athletic trainer for VCU’s field hockey, soccer, and baseball teams.
Tim holds a variety of CrossFit certifications (Level 1, Olympic Lifting, and Mobility), and has competed at the CrossFit Sectionals, Mid-Atlantic Hopper, Team SuperFit, and SuperFit.
After working as CrossFit trainers, Jen and Tim realized their collective passion by opening West End CrossFit in May, 2011. CrossFit is a national affiliation, which allows Jen and Tim to add their own creativity and personal style to WECF while still promoting the CrossFit experience.
Regularly scheduled group workouts incorporate mobility and strength activities tailored to each member, as well as a supportive and positive atmosphere designed to help everybody achieve their personal bests.
Call or email Tim or Jen today, or stop by WECF from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m, or from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
info@westendcrossfit.com 804.339.4032
Part time trainers and coaches:
Kara Kasarda
Kara Kasarda is bringing her love of Pilates and general fitness to the team through the introduction of the newest WECF offering: Core•Mobility. Always active, Kara grew up immersed in Dance and followed her passion achieving a BFA in Dance at George Mason University. It was during her dance training at school where Kara was first introduced to Pilates and immediately took a liking to the discipline. Becoming a certified Pilates instructor in 1998, Kara began teaching in the Washington DC area and developed specialty skills with advanced training in both mat and apparatus, Pilates for golf and pre/post pregnancy Pilates training. In addition to Pilates, Kara also worked as a personal trainer at various gyms and achieved a personal training certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
Always seeking new experiences, Kara began CrossFit in August of 2011 and has become passionate about achieving her own goals and helping others achieve theirs. A veteran of the 2012 SuperFit competition, Kara attended the CrossFit Level 1 Certification session in June 2012 and became a certified CrossFit coach.
Brian Wrenn
Brian grew up swimming on the AAU circuit, wrestling, and playing soccer. He also played on the University of North Carolina club rugby team. After college, Brian had a short stint as a wrestling coach and then began competing in triathlons and distance running. Brian discovered Crossfit at age 40 and never looked back. He earned his Level 1 Certification in July 2012 and has been with West End Crossfit since September 2012.
Brian brings a strong emphasis on endurance training to the WECF programming and is sarting an endurance athlete program in the winter of 2012/2013.
Brian Cox
Brian describes himself as “not always the fit kid” and hit 180 lbs at age 13. By the end of college he was 350, and then tried the usual “death by cardio” routines with some machine weights thrown in and kept ballooning up and down. A friend from college suggested trying Crossfit and as soon as he completed the first intro workout he was hooked!
After 8 months his inner nerd kicked in and he decided to find out more about CF programming and got his Level 1 Certification in May, 2011. Despite protesting that he was NOT interested in being a trainer, teaching seems to be in his blood and he loves working with Crossfitters who have traveled a similar path as he has because he GETS IT!
What does he do in his spare time, you ask? Brian competed in Team Superfit Richmond, 2012 and is constantly tinkering with his jeep and other hobbies. His wife, Megan, is usually pretty patient with him, but it helps that she is a WECF member too.
Brian works with evening and weekend classes and works closely with Jen and Tim in keeping WECF a hip, fun, and cool place to be fit!
Mindy Husson
Mindy grew up active in dance classes, cheerleading, tumbling/gymnastics, andtrack and field. She was a Marshall University College Cheerleader and been a Crossfitter since October, 2007.She has had her Crossfit Level 1 Trainer Certification since July, 2011, and has assisted with Crossfit Kids and Crossfit Teens class since October, 2011.
Mindy has also attended Crossfit training and has participated in:
- Kettlebell Training, 2009
- Nutrition Seminar, 2011
- Beast Skills Seminar, 2011
- Informal Team Throwdown, 2011
Mindy is competed in Team Superfit Richmond, 2012, and hopes to complete Crossfit Kids training by Spring, 2013. What does she do in her spare time, you ask? Mindy wants to complete a 10K and/or half marathon by the end of 2013 and continue her martial arts training with kickboxing classes. She also enjoys spending time with her husband David and she loves her job as a Pediatric Dentist. Currently, Mindy is taking an Emergency Medical Technician Basic course with plans to bridge to Paramedic course next fall.
Mindy Husson: Devoted to teaching and promoting healthy lifestyles for children, teens and herself!
Kathryn Black
Kathryn is an avid Crossfitter who moonlights as an orthopedic nurse in Richmond. She has her Level 1 Crossfit Certification and participated in the Wilkes O-lifting Seminar in 2011. Her goal for 2013 is to earn her USA Weightlifting Certification.
She has a B.S. in Nutrition from Virginia Tech. Kathryn loves the closeness of the West End Crossfit community and the idea that Crossfitting is lifestyle of fitness and nutrition.
