Tony & Marcy Brown

Owners/coaches

In Tony’s words:

“Over the years, I have dedicated myself to athletics and fitness in some form or another. Whether it be football, competitive swimming, cycling, or competitive bodybuilding, I have always challenged myself to see what new limits I could achieve. Then, in 2005, during the course of some major life changes, I drastically changed directions, immersed myself in yoga (eventually becoming a teacher) and vowed never to set foot in a gym or lift weights again. But not long after, I had the incredible fortune of meeting a woman, Marcy, that would change my life yet again. As any guy in love does, I changed my life to reflect hers, which meant joining the nearby “globo gym” where she worked out. I definitely felt the bug again once I picked up a heavy bar, but at the age of 35, I not only had no interest in bodybuilding again, I was more interested in seeing if I could actually get in the best shape of my life. Unbeknownst to me, I had been gravitating towards CrossFit-like workouts. I had been doing some sparring with a group of MMA fighters, and also had watched the extras dvd for the movie, “300”, and the term “CrossFit” had been tossed around a few times. That was all it took – I was hooked. I can truly say that because of CrossFit, I am in the best shape of my life, and I know that I have just scratched the surface. But more importantly, as a couple and as busy parents of three very active kids, we have discovered a way to share our experience and passion for CrossFit through CrossFit Purgatory.

My own personal experience with coaching/training goes back more than twenty years. Whether it was coaching kids in swimming, personal training at a large health club, or teaching yoga, I have loved the opportunities I have had to teach others to excel physically. Marcy’s background as an athlete and fitness competitor has served her well as a former owner of a successful personal training studio, as well as a physical fitness training coach in law enforcement, where she has been employed as a law enforcement officer for 12 years. Marcy has single handedly implemented a CrossFit wellness program within her department and is dedicated to keeping our Arizona police officers safe, strong and well using the CrossFit methods. Between us, we have over 30 years of personal training and coaching experience.

We both feel that we have been handed an incredible gift in CrossFit, and that now we owe it to others to introduce this amazing methodology that not only represents the perfect tool to achieve strength, fitness, and longevity, but also is a way for people to connect as a community. Our vision for CrossFit Purgatory is to offer an inspirational family-friendly environment where people of any ability can receive top-level instruction to bring them to their ultimate level of health, as well as experience the CrossFit community.”

Tony is CrossFit Level 1 certified, USA Weightlifting coach, CrossFit Endurance certified

A few words from Marcy:

"First, I feel I must address the photo on the right before any snap judgement are made as to our sanity. The photo is from the Happy Hour workout themed, "Muscle Beach," which at least partially explains our really goofy outfits and pose. As Tony also said, CrossFit has helped me get into the best shape of my life. I thought I was in good shape. I did the full P90X program (90 days each) twice and thought that was about the best thing out there. However, before that, I had run marathons, completed an adventure race, had been bodybuilding and training other people in those methods for years. You name the program and I've done it. Then, Tony talked me into trying CrossFit. I wasn't excited about it. My first experience was extremely humbling. I couldn't figure out how someone who was "super fit" by P90X standards could be so wiped out by a 10 minute CrossFit workout. This got me thinking....I spent a lot of time researching CrossFit methodology before setting foot back into it. What I have come to find out is that NOTHING really prepares you for CrossFit, yet CrossFit prepares you for everything. It is this idea that resonates with me ~ there's nothing out there like CrossFit, but CrossFit. In addition to CrossFit is my passion for nutrition coaching. At Purgatory, you will have access to nutrition workshops and unlimited question answering as you find your way through your journey to true wellness and fitness. As a Mother of kids with wheat allergies, I am a strong advocate of the Paleo Diet not only for kids like mine, but ultimately for anyone who's tired of not looking their best, feeling their best or performing their best. CrossFit and Paleo eating have made me better at life ~ a better Mom, a better law enforcement officer, and a better wife. If you want to find your true physical potential, CrossFit Purgatory is where its at!"

Marcy is certified as a personal trainer through ACE and NASM and is CrossFit Level 1 certified

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Daniel Carter

Lead Coach

I was born and raised in the South, spending most of my youth in Millington, Tennessee, right outside of Memphis. Memphis is known for good food that’s not really good for you, and the foundation of my diet was based on that good ol’ Southern cooking. However, despite the drawback of a bad diet, and therefore always somewhat chubby, I’ve always been athletic. I’ve played basketball, football and soccer. In high school, I got into wrestling and even cheerleading (hey, picking up girls was hard and someone had to do it). In recent years, I began to adopt distance running, spinning, and weight training several days a week. But despite all the miles, the hours on a bike, all the bicep curls, tricep extensions and chest flyes, and my assumption that I was “fit,” I never really felt completely satisfied by my body. Then one day my wife Mary told me about CrossFit. She had gone to a free class and was hooked. And in her persistent way, she convinced me to come to a free class with her the following week. I will admit that I was incredibly skeptical. The idea of working out in a class as a group reminded me of those goofy aerobics classes I would see at the “GloboGym” I went to. But I went to my first class in April 2009 and was sold. The focus on functional movements performed at high intensity just made sense to me. Then the approach to nutrition really turned on a lightbulb in my head and helped me build a TRUE foundation for all the hard work I was doing in the gym. More than a year later, I continue to see amazing results. I am faster, stronger, leaner, and the happiest I have ever been with my body composition. And I didn’t just discover an amazing fitness program in CrossFit, but I’ve discovered an all-around lifestyle program that has made me more confident, happier and healthier. I am truly changed by and passionate about CrossFit, and it is my hope to help others to find their way to wellness. I look forward to seeing you in our CrossFit Purgatory community.

Matt Thrasher

I was raised in Tucson and, except for a few years away for college and law school, have been here most of my life. Fitness has always been an important part of my life in one form or another. I played lacrosse in college, and then club lacrosse and rugby while in law school. After finishing my education and joining the "real world," I maintained a healthy lifestyle by incorporating weight training, "cardio" training, and trying new sports such as distance running, yoga and mountaineering. I have climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Ixta and Orizaba (Mexico), Mt. Shasta (California), and go on regular hikes around Tucson. My fitness has always had a "constantly varied" element, which is probably what made my transition to CrossFit so easy and fun! I began CrossFitting in January 2009 after finally getting bored with the standard weight and cardio training that is done at most large corporate gyms. My fitness level had clearly plateaued, and I noticed that the time spent in the gym was not making me feel stronger or perform better at real life activities or sports. I had always thought of myself as being "fit" or "in shape," until I did my first CrossFit Workout…"Fran." That workout's simple, but effective, combination of Thrusters and Pullups left me gasping for air, aching all over, and completely changed my view of what it means to be "fit." From that day forward I completely embraced the CrossFit philosophy, both the methodology behind the workouts, as well as CrossFit's approach to nutrition. The results have been astounding. I no longer feel like my fitness has plateaued. In fact, because of CrossFit's emphasis on recording workouts and improving on personal bests, it is clear that my fitness level has dramatically improved and continues to improve on a consistent basis. Today, I am definitely in the best shape of my life. CrossFit continually challenges me, both mentally and physically, and leaves me with a feeling of accomplishment each day. As a CrossFit trainer, I love doing my part to pass that feeling on to others who want to improve their fitness, nutrition, health, and overall quality of life. I look forward to welcoming you into the CrossFit Purgatory community!

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Logan Lichtenhan

My Mother has always told me that from the very beginning I liked to go fast, I liked to charge ahead sometimes with reckless abandon. When I was young I liked to run and enjoyed trying to run as fast as I could. Through out my life I have stayed "fit" using a wide array of sport and recreation activities including: Soccer, Track , Cross Country, Skateboarding, almost every kind cycling from Road to BMX and Downhill, Lifting, Hiking, Backpacking, and most recently Climbing. I always felt fit and had an interest in expanding my own fitness and my knowledge about how it worked. A few years ago I decided to take a Personal Training course through Pima Community College, the same my brother took before getting certified as a trainer and entering the field. Shortly after I started at Pima my brother Bryon heard about this thing called CrossFit. He already had an interest in Olympic Lifting and High Intensity so he embraced CrossFit and left conventional training behind. I was learning and utilizing more conventional workout practices but every once in a while my brother would throw a CrossFit workout my way. Cindy was my first, and she changed the way I thought about my own strengths and about what effective workouts could be. Twenty minutes and I was shaking with exhaustion. I started to work CrossFit into my regime but most of my training was still conventional isolation lifting because I thought it was the fastest way to gain muscle mass which was my goal at the time. My brother was exclusively following CrossFit protocol, guess who was getting stronger faster. This is when I decided to give CrossFit a closer look and the closer I looked and the more I tried it the more sense it made and the sorer I got. I started to post weekly WOD Challenges in the Pima Gym and had never seen strong people work so hard before and the light bulb blew up. After the Pima program I got my ACSM CPT certification but wasn't excited about working in a conventional gym so recently I focused on joining the CrossFit Community. I am still new to CrossFit but when I see something that works and works better than anything else I go after it and I move quick. I went to California to get my Level 1 cert because it was the soonest one I could feasibly get to. I am now very excited to utilize the knowledge I have garnered through conventional fitness training and study, and the CrossFit teachings, in order to help others on their personal path to fitness. Welcome to Purgatory, jump in the water is fine!

Emily Gindlesparger - Yoga

Where I grew up in southern Illinois, fitness took the form of climbing lots of trees, running through mud in the creek, riding my bike into town, and in high school I started practicing yoga in our basement, to a DVD. I can't say exactly what drew me to yoga at first; it was strenuous and awkward, and I couldn't even begin to touch my toes. But I felt very different after the first day I tried it. I sat up straighter and felt more open, more graceful--and believe me, "grace" is the very last word that would have been used to describe me growing up. Now that I've moved out west, my activities have grown with the landscape. I climb rocks as well as trees, bike up mountains as well as through town, and through Logan I found CrossFit to be not only a useful tool for keeping up with these things, but an engaging sport all its own. I have always needed yoga threading through my life, working out the tight shoulders and sore hamstrings, keeping my mind steady. I practice because I think the poses are beautiful, but also because it's a time to take the body apart and see what's going on with it on any given day. In class I like to play with a few gymnastic poses, work on opening up those tight places, and tailor the flow to our often very sore and very tired athletes.

Upcoming Events

02.22.2012 - 03.26.2012 Sectionals
02.25.2012 - 02.25.2012 | 09.00 Feb 25 - Purg CLOS...