Meet John Franklin!

***Don’t forget to register for the Slim for the Chimney Team Challenge, which starts Monday, October 29!***
 
Meet John Franklin!
Written by Invictus Apprentice Coach John Franklin

Hi, my name is John, and I am the newest member of the Invictus staff. Over the next few weeks, I’d like to meet each and every one of you. Please go out of your way  to introduce yourself to me, if you haven’t yet.

Some of you may have already spotted me lurking around during the evening hours, but I wanted to take this opportunity to formally introduce myself.

To dispel the rumors, I am not Shane’s brother. Coincidentally, we both happen to be tall, lanky coaches at Invictus. Now that we have that out of the way, I am honored, and excited to work within this amazing community. Throughout my CrossFit tenure, I’ve visited dozens of gyms, and I haven’t found one that I like better. Invictus is renowned for it’s vibrant membership, and world class coaches.  You chose a gym that provides unparalleled opportunities for athletic advancement whether you’re an absolute beginner, or distinguished Games athlete. For those of you that are new to Invictus, I’m sure you can relate when I say it’s a humbling place.

I hail from South Florida. The sub-par beaches of Broward county are where my love affair with water developed. Logically, I went to school in Chicago. After a great college swimming career, I started working in Columbus, Ohio as a fashion merchant. The job paid well, but I hated every second of it. I didn’t feel like I was contributing anything positive to the world around me. I used endurance sports as an anodyne for my crummy job, and found out about CrossFit through a group of fellow athletes. My first workout was Fran; I finished in 14:56, and almost threw up all over the gym floor. I was hooked. After departing from the world of fashion, I started the first stand up paddleboarding school in Ohio, and realized that I enjoyed producing fun, a lot more than I enjoyed producing t-shirts. I also learned that teaching people new things makes me happy.

So how did I end up in San Diego? As all midwest transplants know, snowy weather isn’t the best time to be out enjoying the water. So toward the end of the summer season, I made the decision to teach CrossFit once the cold weather arrived. There are a lot of CrossFits between Columbus and San Diego. My decision to join the Sea of Green was largely based on the community you have built. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz pioneered the term “third place,” as a community that is formed outside of home, and work–and as much as I love coffee, I still think Invictus has done a better job at forming this home away from home. I know from my fashion days, what a profound effect the third place can have on overall well being, and I promise to work hard everyday to make your third place better.

My favorite author is Kurt Vonnegut, and in true nerdy fashion, I want to leave you with this quote: “What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.”

Here’s to our third place,
John

(C.J.’s note – We get a lot of fantastic inquiries from prospective coaches and apprentices, but John stood out from his initial email, through our first interview and now as a part of our coaching team. He is intelligent and eager to learn, but much more importantly, he is kind and dedicated to helping others. He’s a great fit for the Invictus community, and we’re extremely happy to have John on board. Please join me in officially welcoming John to Invictus!)