about
THE CrossFit 7070 STORY
Mark and Shannon VanderMeer - OWNERS
CF 7070 as we see it now was born in December 15, 2018. Shortly thereafter, we began to formulate what the identity of this box would be. The following story indicates what we as a staff aim to do for our 7070 family. It is written from the perspective of Co-owner Mark VanderMeer. In May 2016, my wife Shannon first witnessed a CF class, and noticed a member doing scaled ring rows. She thought “Hey, I might be able to do something like that!” Bottom line, she had to do something. Her health was failing, with much of this to do with a disease called “Myasthenia gravis”, a degenerative autoimmune disease that attacks the body tissue.
This left Shannon feeling constant pain, so much so that she needed a cane just to get around. CrossFit may have been the last thing she wanted to do. But we were out of ideas at this point. We didn’t know if CF would help, but at least we knew that the coaches at 7070 would give their best effort in helping Shannon along the way. What you’ll see now is a cane hanging above the jump ropes. A cane that is completely unnecessary for Shannon. This is something that the coaches decided to do after CrossFit became a lifestyle for her. It’s a reminder to Shannon and anyone else that may have doubts about whether “functional fitness” is worth it. Truth be told, simply moving functionally in of itself may not be worth it. But when you commit in such a way that you sell out each and every workout, and you realize the importance of the process in all of your goals, you’re not simply moving functionally, you’re elevating above barriers in your life. At CrossFit (elevation) 7070, we elevate above barriers. A barrier is something that doesn’t move, and we all have them in our life: it could be an autoimmune disease, a relationship issue, financial burdens, or the barrier of making an athletic team. At CF 7070, we work on becoming physically and mentally stronger to elevate above those barriers. We do it in such a way that you’ve got a community to have fun with and relentless coaches to teach and guide you along the way. Go elevate above barriers!
OUR coaches
Mark VanderMeer
OWNER/TRAINER
Mark competed in Track/Cross Country Grand Valley State University (NCAA Division 2), and after graduation hoped to further his distance running career. But family responsibilities grew and he found himself searching for a way to stay competitive. "A friend talked me into trying a CrossFit workout (Fran), and after being unable to do a single pull-up, I knew something had to change.
Shannon VanderMeer
OWNER/TRAINER
Although she grew up in an active family and participated in high school athletics, Shannon developed chronic pain at a young age. After getting married and having children, her pain worsened to the point where she was totally inactive. Shannon lost so much feeling in her legs that she eventually became dependent on a cane to walk. She was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis.
Sara Potter
TRAINER & NUTRITION COACH
Sara Potter began CrossFit in 2012 and started coaching and competing in 2015. She found a passion and love for the challenge of learning new skills and the mental and physical growth that came from it. She attended the NorthWest Regionals in 2015, and 2016, and placed in the top 100 in her age group for the online qualifier in 2018 Sara is excited to bring her passion for coaching, multiple other modalities she is certified in to the community of CrossFit 7070.
She has two daughters and took this past year off from competing to add a final addition to her family – a new baby boy “Arbor”. Favorite movement: Ring muscle ups. They were the hardest skill for me to learn, and took failure, patience, and practice to become efficient at them. Outside of the gym Sara loves distance running, and adventuring all around Colorado with her family. Certifications: Certified Precision Pn1 Coach, CrossFit Level 2 Trainer (CF-L2).
Emily Roe
TRAINER & PHYSICAL THERAPIST
Emily spent what seemed like a lifetime running and biking. But eventually a knee injury led to her decision to try CrossFit. She loved it and never looked back. She loves how effective the CrossFit workouts are, the opportunity to learn new skills, and the friendships formed at the gym. Emily's passionate about helping others move well with proper body mechanics, purposeful warm-ups and cool downs, injury prevention, accessory work, and scaling and adaptation.
Kayce Eller
TRAINER
Kayce's CrossFit experience began in 2012, when she was introduced to the sport as a way to stay in shape during the triathlon off-season. She began seeing strength and endurance results she'd never thought possible. By 2013, just one year later, Kayce was training others in the sport, and she's never looked back. "The constantly varied aspect appeals to my love of trying new sports, and the fact that CrossFit is infinitely scalable means I can keep at it for the rest of my life.
Jake Lewis
TRAINER
Jake began CrossFit in 2018 as preparation to join the Air Force as a pararescue candidate. He soon fell in love with CrossFit and became a coach as soon as possible. He has a passion for people and helping others so coaching naturally feels like home. As a young coach Jake is always trying to learn and improve on everything he has to offer (Nutrition, CF, Anatomy, etc...). Native to NY Jake moved to CO on a whim to build a happier life and has since been very happy with that decision.
Scott Claiborne
TRAINER
Scott studied at CU, Boulder, where he was on the national champion triathlon team. After a stint in the Peace Corps in Morocco, and earned his M.S. from CSU. After experiencing the entirely inadequate squat racks in a student rec center, Scott walked into a CrossFit gym in 2013 and knew he would never have to wait for a squat rack again. Scott started coaching CrossFit in June 2018. Outside of health and exercise, Scott is married to the stunning Lexi Claiborne and has two kids.