COMMUNITY DISGUISED AS A GYM

BY TINA HENNIGAR
​When Joel Holland moved back to Lunenburg County from Calgary, he joined a gym. It was fine, but he was looking for more. Joel was looking for a community who challenged him and who he could challenge too. CrossFit is a branded fitness regimen that is taking the health and fitness world by storm and Joel loved it. He believed there was a space for this regimen in Lunenburg County. Joel started CrossFit in his garage with a group of friends. When word caught on, he had to rent a space and soon even that wasn’t big enough for his growing community. And make no mistake; it is a community.
902 Athletics is on 446 York Street in Bridgewater and Joel’s community is growing every day. “Our members are amazing. They inspire me,” Joel has an intensity when he speaks that just makes you believe him. Their membership is a mix, comprised of the super strong and those just getting started, kids and those who’ve long retired. There are mothers, and grandmothers, teenagers and athletes and people who just want to lose a few pounds. They workout right along-side one another; one lifting 200 pounds, while the other sticking with a 10lb bar. And at the end of the workout of the day they slap sweaty hands as the team they have become.
“We have amazing people here in Lunenburg County,” Joel says of his staff, again with conviction. He talks of the team of coaches that make up the 902 staff as if they’re family. “Don’t for a second think that you have to compromise to live and
work and start a business here.” Joel credits his team and his members for helping him create this space. The new space is comparable to any CrossFit Gym in the country, much different from his early days in the garage when people brought their own gear. Joel remembers bringing in Matt Van
Waychen as a CrossFit Coach. “He was so knowledgeable, and I knew I needed him, and I knew I couldn’t pay him what he was worth,” Joel said of Matt. Eventually, as 902 grows, he hopes that will change. “Everyone here plays an important piece,” Joel said. “I’m really lucky to have them”.