It’s hard to believe that we turned two years old on August 12, 2022! What started off as a group of friends and community members working out with masks on a borrowed basketball court turned into a thriving business and a beautiful facility. We thought it would be great to share a little history about how we got started as a business and what we’re looking forward to in the next year.

Before we were Fog City CF

Many of the OG members of Fog City CF were members of a CrossFit gym called Arena Ready (AR). Some of the strongest bonds and friendships of our community were formed during the glorious AR days. The owners of AR moved prior to the pandemic and transferred ownership. Like many businesses, AR did not survive the pandemic. However, the community was very committed to staying together and getting through the pandemic. Coaches volunteered to lead classes outdoors in a borrowed space in McLaren Park and people showed up, even if it meant sweating it out with masks on, 6-feet apart. The resilience of our community was undeniable.

Forming of Fog City CF

It was during these sweaty workouts when a group of community members discussed the possibility of restarting a gym with a physical facility. While the physical facility was the anchor point to starting a gym, we knew that we needed a non-traditional structure to be sustainable and decided on a member owned and operated gym. This model enlisted three co-owners, Hillary Hegener, Gordon Whitehouse, and Lindsay Green-Barber along with a number of investors and support members. Fog City CF became a registered LLC on August 12, 2020.

With commitments from members secured and the LLC in place, the next step was to find our own physical facility with a sizable outdoor space to help us get through Covid restrictions. We were fortunate enough to land our current place after some tough negotiations, 1649 Valencia Street. Thanks to the effort of our community members, we began building out the space to use once restrictions eased and we were allowed to work out indoors. In the meantime, we started working out in the parking lot, with the first class held on 10/31/2020. When San Francisco finally gave gym owners the thumbs up to have classes indoors in March 2021, we finally moved inside!

What we’ve built

We are so proud of the community we have created at Fog City CF. It’s a community built on trust, resilience, and grit. We are proud to have grown our membership in such a short time. We continue to grow our community through monthly onboarding classes and drop-ins. We’ve hosted events and seminars and fundraised for some notable causes. We’ve made new friendships and continued to nurture existing friendships. It truly warms our hearts to see this community become what it is today.

Where we’re headed

We’re excited to be opening up an adjacent space, 1643 Valencia Street. We’ve always envisioned expanding our current space to allow for additional ways to support our members. With the opening of the new space, we’re excited about the possibilities of what we can offer. We’re currently exploring ways for our members to use the space for open gym time, barbell club, weightlifting seminars, personal training, and more. We would love to hear your ideas about what the space can be used for, send us your thoughts via the member survey this week or emailing info@fogcitycf.com.

WOD for the Week:

WOD 8/15 - 8/20: Happy 2nd Birthday, Fog City!