CrossFit Convergence’s former location on Orange Ave, Coronado
CrossFit Convergence, Coronado’s premier CrossFit gym was forced to close it doors permanently on February 28th, 2014, after just one year in business, despite its booming popularity, excellent reputation and financial success, leaving many in the community wondering why.
CFC co-owner and head coach Charlotte Hickingbottom and CFC coach Tim Pasken joined me a few days before the official closing date to fill me in on the facts surrounding this huge blow to not only the owners and coaches of CrossFit Convergence, but to the hundreds of gym members that called CrossFit Convergence home.
CrossFit aims to improve muscular strength, cardio-respiratory endurance, and flexibility. The workout program is varied, taking inspiration from weight lifting, gymnastics and aerobic exercise. Hickingbottom explained, “Our number one goal was to create a place where people can get strong and be healthy, so they can live better lives — using CrossFit as our model. CrossFit Convergence is above and beyond what CrossFit isÂ… CrossFit or any other type of gym can feel intimidating for people. We wanted to build a space that was going to feel safe for people, so the moment you walked in you felt at home.”
Hickingbottom and her co-owners recruited superior coaches, she explained, “We have over 20 years experience combined in coaching!” The owners themselves have professional backgrounds that compliment their impressive CrossFit credentials: Bill Haffey, general manager and co-owner, is trained in Behavioral Psychology; Marc Homan, head programmer and co-owner, is a retired US Naval Aviator that has worked for CrossFit head quarters in the endurance department; and Hickingbottom herself has a degree in Exercise Physiology. All three co-owners also live, own homes, and raise their families on the island.
Coach Tim Pasken described the evolution of the gym, “We opened in March 2013 with a small membership. Over the summer, as word of mouth spread, numbers increased, but it was in the fall when we really hit our stride and started succeeding.” However, that was about to change.
Rubber bumpers (weights) and rubber flooring used at CrossFit Convergence.
In November, 2013, CrossFit Convergence received a Cease and Desist letter from their landlord, expressing concern about noise and vibrations emanating from the gym into the neighboring El Cordova Hotel. Unbeknownst to CrossFit Convergence, they shared a common foundation with El Cordova Hotel, as well as a common wall with two of the hotel’s guest rooms. The hotel manager testified in court that the hotel received nine noise complaints from guests about the gym, over a ten month period. Surprisingly, the manager also admitted in court that the hotel had received eight noise complaints from guests about commercial trucks unloading in the adjacent alleyway for neighboring businesses and restaurants, over the same time period. Interestingly, CrossFit Convergence’s landlord is the parent company of El Cordova Hotel.
El Cordova Hotel
A back entrance to El Cordova Hotel, next door to CrossFit Convergence
A commercial truck making a delivery in the alleyway
One of the landlord’s concerns was the noise and vibrations caused by the dropping of weights. CrossFit Convergence occasionally did work outs that involved weight lifting with rubber weights (bumpers), but they were also a “no drop” gym. Coach Pasken explained, “Compared to your typical CrossFit gym, we were exponentially quieter. From the get go, we advised against dropping weights unless there was a safety concern. It was challenging, but they were the steps we took in deference to our neighbors.” However, the landlord was also against gym members using the exercise racks during weight lifting as it was claimed they caused noise vibration too.
With the intention to resolve the noise and vibration issues as soon as possible, CrossFit Convergence engaged the services of an engineering company in December 2013, at their own expense. Measurements were taken by the engineers and a report was ordered. Coach Pasken mentioned while waiting for the report from the engineers, it became apparent that the landlord was unwilling to wait, and not interested in giving CrossFit Convergence the opportunity to pay for any structural solutions such as a floating floor and wall padding.
Legal proceedings were initiated by the landlord and commenced in January 2014 and lasted for three days. Several weeks later, on February 13th, 2014, CrossFit Convergence received notice that the Superior Court judge who tried the case ruled in the landlord’s favor. CrossFit Convergence was instructed to cease business by February 28th, 2014
Hickingbottom recalled the stressful three-day legal proceedings, “I think how they [the landlord] portrayed us was wrong. They portrayed us as counter culture people who had no respect for the island and the island community, and that we didn’t care about anything but ourselves, which is extremely backwards from everything we believe in.”
The landlord mustered three additional complainants to speak in court; the Home Owner’s Association (HOA) president from the adjacent condominium complex, one resident from the complex, and the owner of the day spa at El Cordova Hotel. All three complained about noise and vibration. Coach, Tim Pasken lives just a few doors down from the gym and commented, “I have never heard anything from the gym.” The HOA president who complained in court is actually Pasken’s neighbor, and their homes share a common wall. Coach Hickingbottom also went door-to-door and spoke with a large number of the residents in the complex, receiving positive feedback about the gym’s presence.
The forced closure of the gym will not only have a major impact on the livelihood of the co-owners and the coaches, but will leave a void for the hundreds of members of the gym. Hickingbottom fears, “There is a large population of our gym that won’t CrossFit again because this was their home, their safety net. I am afraid that some of our members will go back to their prior lifestyle because of the loss of the community.” On a more positive note, some members will likely go back to traditional running, or seek out other fitness programs or other CrossFit gyms.
CrossFit Convergence were forerunners in their programming, offering traditional programs as well as programs for teens and seniors. The forced closing of the gym is a particularly emotional blow for the teens. Hickingbottom explained, “For my teens, they use this as their release they have parents who are deployed or maybe they are struggling in school. They can come here and be challenged and be successful. We created a program that made teens physically and mentally stronger.”
Debra Wagner, parent to CrossFit Convergence teens, Isaiah (12) and Makayla (13), is devastated by the news of the gym’s forced closure, “I am still hoping CrossFit Convergence finds another place. My husband is deployed. This lets Isaiah and Makayla let out a lot of frustration. They walk away feeling amazing about themselves. This has become their support group, their family. When my husband is gone, they get positive male role models at CrossFit Convergence. It is something I never expected. At first I thought it was something to buy time between sports, but now Isaiah and Makayla have decided not to do this season of sport. They train five days a week. Everyone at CrossFit Convergence is pretty much military and they get it. They get the struggles.”
Whilst conducting this interview some teens were starting one of their final workout sessions as CrossFit Convergence members. The teens were eager to tell me how they felt about Crossfit Convergence:
“CrossFit Convergence helped me boost my confidence.” (Isaiah, 12)
“CrossFit Convergence boost my confidence in lifting weights. It relieves a lot of stress for me.” (Makayla, 13)
“CrossFit helps me relieve my stress especially when my Dad is deployed with the Navy.” (Colter)
“CrossFit Convergence has help me push past points I usually couldn’t get to. CrossFit has helped me with running. I love running. It has made me a better person.” (Treg, 11)
CrossFit Convergence teens running in the alleyway
Crossfit Convergence hosted four fundraising events during its 12 months of operation, raising funds for breast cancer awareness, autism awareness, the Wounded Warrior Project, and the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Foundation. In addition to this, proceeds from CrossFit Convergence shirts went to the NSW Family foundation.
El Cordova, LLC, the former landlord of CrossFit Convergence and parent company to El Cordova Hotel declined to comment on this story. However, Gerald Davee, one of the owners of El Cordova Hotel contacted me to discuss his side of the story. He felt CrossFit Convergence misrepresented themselves as a “no drop” gym. Davee explained that he and his fellow owners visited CrossFit Convergence at least three times and sent several letters during the first 10 months of their lease, instructing them to cease dropping weights. Davee also explained that the HOA president of the adjacent condominiums, who testified in the court proceedings, likened the sound of the dropping weights he heard to, “the noise and vibration of explosions that he was subjected to in Iraq.” Davee expressed a belief that CrossFit Convergence violated the terms of their lease by causing, “sonic vibrations that interrupted businesses, hotel guests and adjacent condominium owners.” When asked if he had ever heard the noise and vibrations from the gym himself, whilst in the hotel, he commented, “I wasn’t there overnight or during the day.” Davee did mention that CrossFit Convergence, “Do a good service in terms of training and business model. It just can’t operate in the space they were in.” When asked about plans for the now vacant property, Davee replied, “A few tenants have applied to use it. I can’t give any details.”
CrossFit Convergence fundraiser for breast cancer
I asked Coach Pasken what message he would like to send to CrossFit Convergence members and the Coronado community, he responded, “First and foremost, we are extremely appreciative of every member of the gym. We were only successful because the community came here and bought into what we were trying to do. I would emphasis that although there were a few people who certainly resented our presence, nine complaints from a hotel in a ten month period is not indicative of the overwhelming amount of good achieved by a small gym.” I also asked him about his biggest regret, “The largest regret, biggest frustration, was the unwillingness of our landlord, who signed a lease, on a commercially zoned property, for CrossFit Convergence knowing what a CrossFit gym is, and then their unwillingness to work with us.”
Crossfit Convergence Fundraiser- Memorial Day Murph
Siobhan Bailie
Staff Writer
