Through Captain Crossfit, a local couple delivers triumphs and growth to area youth
By Katie Marie Chatham • Photos by Trisha Shaffer
In February of 2003, Shyloe Franz and her husband, Dave, traveled to Prescott intending to check it out as a potential new hometown. They were seeking somewhere to live a slower-paced lifestyle, and they found it. On that very same trip, they bought a house; by May, they’d made Prescott their home.
The two found ways to unite their passions within the community doing work they both love. Shyloe is a clinical pharmacist at the VA Hospital, specializing in liver disease, but also does design work for Dave’s contracting business, Ridgeline Builders. They both love their work, but they discovered their greatest joy when Dave took on a job at Captain CrossFit. Not long after, he signed the two up for a membership and eventually became part owner.
“I was away on a trip, and when I came back, he’d signed us up, which took me by surprise at first,” Shyloe said, laughing.
It wasn’t long before she, too, was in love with the fitness lifestyle, and it became a family affair. Shyloe introduced her kids to the CrossFit Kids program, which they attended until their coach, Katie, moved away.
“I decided at that point that I should get certified,” she said. In 2015, Shyloe earned her CrossFit Kids certification and took over the local program.
“Body awareness is such a huge thing for growing young people,” Shyloe explained. “I loved watching my own kids experience learning that through CrossFit. I wanted my own kids and others’ kids to be able to continue to experience the triumphs and growth that come from a program like CrossFit Kids.”
Through the program, Shyloe and several other coaches offer a range of expertise to young people from six to preteen.
“Most of our couches work with our kids in other ways too. For instance, one is a P.E. coach at school, another works with many of them through LaunchPad, so the relationships they build here are strong and impactful,” Shyloe said.
Captain CrossFit is a family-focused gym community where the whole family can go to get healthy.
Shyloe shared with a smile, “A bonus when the whole family goes together is that they find something to bond over, but also they learn to speak the CrossFit lingo.”
This feels especially personal to her, because her two girls have made so many accomplishments, set and beat their own PR’s (personal records), and have become so much more confident.
She explained, “This type of exercise teaches pacing, overcoming the fear of trying and failure, resiliency, and sometimes even a healthy sense of rivalry between siblings and family members. The biggest reward I get is the look on one of the kids’ face when they succeed at something they didn’t know they could do!”
A sentimental event that Captain CrossFit hosts each year is the Hotshots Memorial Work Out of the Day.
“Coaches, members, and kids volunteer their time to help with the fundraiser and, honestly, we couldn’t do it without them,” Shyloe said. More than 500 participants come from all over to participate in the WOD and proceeds from the event fund two full fire science scholarships at Yavapai College and donations to the Arizona Wildfire Incident Management Academy.
For more information about this event, CrossFit Kids, and other classes visit captaincrossfit.com.