Sara Skarp

Eight years ago I was working out at your typical gym when I started searching for something new.  11 years ago CrossFit wasn’t nearly as popular as it was today so when I Googled “CrossFit near me” the closest gym was a half hour away in Enfield, CT.  

Still not being deterred, I called the number and spoke to Andrew who explained to me that, indeed, he was running a gym out of his garage.  You would have thought that it would have ended there but he seemed like a nice kid and offered me a free class to check it out, so I did.

I showed up on a chilly late November Saturday morning and was pleasantly surprised to see that I wasn’t the only lunatic at this guy’s house.  I remember doing box jumps and burpees on his partially frozen front lawn and I was hooked!  Thankfully, the garage was fairly short lived (because truth be told I’m not really sure how that space is even called a garage as I don’t think you could park anything but a Mini Cooper in there!) and Romeo Athletics moved into 1 bay at 7 Moody Road where we are today.  The one bay was at least bigger that the garage but it certainly wasn’t any warmer or any fancier.  

We worked out on bare concrete floors and did pull ups on a homemade bar made out of pipe.  (We did love that pull up bar though because the more people you got on it the more flex you got out of it, which made for great kipping!)  Eventually we expanded into two bays, and finally the three bays that we know today.

What has kept me going from the very beginning is the amazing community that Andrew and Kate have built.  As more gyms were opening near me it never crossed my mind to leave Romeo Athletics.  I’m 11 years older now and my fitness needs and goals have changed.  Andrew has always respected that and gives me options to do what’s right for me.  I love that he has added in Bootcamp programming, as that is what works for me most of the time, though I’ll still occasionally throw a barbell around, too!  

This is truly Functional Fitness and the things I have done and continue to do in the gym I know will continue to help me be the healthiest version of me that I can be.

I am grateful to be a part of such an amazing community! It has been so fun to watch Andrew and Kate not only add to their business but to their own family as well!  I’m excited for the future of Romeo Athletics, and hope to continue to be the OG member for many years to come!