Welcome to the family!
Our oldest son started doing CrossFit with some college buddies in 2010, and we thought it would be a great way for our family to stay in shape. We started assembling our garage gym: building jump boxes, buying squat racks and barbells, and installing pull up bars and rings. After a couple of years of doing CrossFit in our garage, in the spring of 2017, we opened 1201 CrossFit. 1201 remains a thriving and vital part of the Elkins, WV community, and in January of 2020 we sold it to two of our coaches so that we could move to a more temperate climate and start the whole process again! We’ve fallen in love with Pawleys Island and we’re excited to introduce new friends to CrossFit and build a new community.
Karen:
As a full time mother of four, Karen was determined to stay active, but struggled to find a way to workout that didn’t feel like a chore. When the family started CrossFit in 2011, the pieces started to come together, but it wasn’t until her first group class while on vacation in 2014 that she was really hooked. Deadlifting was her jam, scaling was a revelation, and working out with a group of people all at their own relative intensity was just about the most fun thing she’d done. After that, Karen was determined to get a box to work out at, even if she and Scott had to open it themselves. And so they did. After selling that box to move south, they’re ready to start again in a new place with new friends!
After a 25 year career as a stay at home mom, Karen took a personality test that accurately described her as an “Assertive Nurturer.” She loves to conquer new things and bring others with her for the journey. She loves change and challenge and, most of all, loves meeting new people and connecting them with each other. Karen is the box’s intake guru, and heads up most of our Ramp Up classes. As a Level-2 CrossFit Coach, Karen’s super knowledgeable about technique and scaling, and loves helping people discover that “Yes, you can CrossFit!”
Scott:
Scott grew up in an active family: water skiing, hiking, and a lot of camping. As his own kids grew up, he was always looking for ways to be active with them, especially in an area with few team sports. When the family started Crossfitting, he was excited to be able to work out right alongside his growing kids, training the same movements, learning the same methods, and doing the same workouts. His 35 year career as an engineer left him with a love of data and willingness to question “how it’s always done” and CrossFit’s methodology--a combination of data oriented definitions and research into new ways of doing things--was deeply appealing to him.
Scott likes to stay on the cutting edge of CrossFit’s health research: he and Karen have been to the CrossFit Health Conference twice, and most of the books in the Hammock Coast library are his. Ask him about anything from low carb diets and chronic disease to proper technique on a Concept II Rower, he’ll have an answer for you, and is probably more than willing to talk your ear off about it! Scott is a Level-2 Coach and has been to the Bergner Weightlifting seminar, the Gymnastics Seminar, and the Aerobic Capacity seminar.
Josh:
Despite being the youngest of the Stephenson coaches, Josh is unbeatable when it comes to technique and competition experience. He’s our resident lifting guru and master of all things barbell related. He’s competed in a half dozen competitions and recently qualified for the Fittest of the Coast here in SC. Josh started CrossFitting with the rest of the family as a teenager, and has developed a passion for the sport that is hard to match. Most days find him training hard in the gym between classes, and he’s always willing to lend an eye to help improve anyone’s performance. Josh’s other great love is food, so if you ever have questions about cooking delicious, high quality food (especially steak!) he’s your guy!
Josh is a Level-2 coach, and has his USAW, CrossFit Weightlifting, and CrossFit Gymnastics.
Our Other Kids:
You may occasionally see some of the other Stephensons around, either working out, coaching, or taking videos. Pictured with Coach Josh (far left) are his siblings. Sam (center left), the youngest, doesn’t have his coaching license (yet) but does most of our video production (see some of his work on our main page). Hanna (center right), our daughter, is a level two trainer, though she currently is making magic happen at Disney World. Taylor (far right), the oldest of the siblings, is a Level 2 trainer in Ohio. We hope you enjoy getting to know our family!
