Coronado Fitness Club (CFC) is now the biggest gym in town. Owner Chris Foote shares, “This was the dream from day one, I knew what I wanted before it happened. We needed a bigger facility, and now we have a chiropractor and physical therapist. I wanted to serve more people, we have so much to offer.”
While the expansion was the plan he envisioned, it’s those who come to train and coach that make the biggest difference to Chris. The CHS men’s lacrosse team frequents CFC. Chris explains, “Coach Kae drafted it up. They didn’t have a great season before. Team Captain Neil Capin and Anthony DeMaio are both Division I Talent. They have trained here for years now.” Chris shares that the team, in addition to weekly workouts, have an optional stretch class at CFC weekly that many attend. The feedback Chris gets is what inspires him, “It’s so good for their mental health. They’ll say, ‘if I get a workout in, I will feel better.’”
CFC Uses Talent From The Community
While some of the high school teams call CFC home now, some millennials have found their home at CFC from the start. Kevin Bruno started at CFC while he was still a student at Coronado High. Kevin explains, “I’ve worked at CFC for over 11 years now, since high school. I started out front desk and now I am a personal trainer here. I train the CHS lacrosse team with another coach.”
In addition to Kevin, Chris has built up staff with many Coronado graduates. Chris shares, “it all ties back to our community. Our General Manager, Adam Orozco, is a CHS graduate and University of Oregon graduate. Jake Herman is a full-time trainer at CFC, a CHS graduate, and McPherson college graduate. We have both Tessa Kriechbaumer and Emma Pietkiewicz who graduated from Coronado. All super young, talented kids making a career in fitness.”
Another piece of the magic at CFC of which Chris is really proud is the longevity and depth of the trainers. While Kevin has been at CFC for over a decade, many other trainers have kept the gym their second home. Kevin shares what it’s like to work beside so many great trainers, “I think Chris, and all the other coaches who have come through here, Amy Bosworth, Luke Jensen, Jeff Shalem have all influenced me in different ways. Whether it was the importance of exercise selection (the why are we doing this particular exercise), connecting with clients or work ethic, I’ve learned a lot from everyone.”
Training Young Athletes
The influx of younger athletes going to the gym has been an opportunity to teach them how to take care of their bodies from the start. Kevin shares his personal story, “I was working out with the football team and hurt my back as a freshman. I had a back surgery because of it. So for me, it’s important to get the younger kids in here so they can learn the right way to train without needing back surgery.” Kevin adds, “Most of the kids/athletes we work with won’t become professional athletes, but I think knowing how to workout and recover is a very useful thing to know in life. So why not learn at a young age?”
Coronado Fitness Club is located at 875 Orange Avenue, Suite 102, Coronado, CA 92118.
Visit their website for class information and check out their Instagram to stay in touch.
