Let’s back track a little.
I grew up in a small rural community just outside of Walkerton, Ontario. After high school, I moved to the big city of London to attend Western University (It will always be The University of Western Ontario to me). I graduated with a Degree in Kinesiology and also competed as a thrower with the Track and Field team. This is where I was introduced to Olympic weightlifting and have loved it ever since.
“...People seemed to be just going through the motions day-in and day-out with no real drive to improve their fitness or health...”
Hybrid offers several classes; CrossFit being one of them. I had been doing CrossFit on my own for about a year at this point and joined the team at Hybrid. While there I also acquired both my Olympic Weightlifting Certification and the CrossFit Level 1 Instructor Certification. Sadly I was only there for a year before I was called to move back to my home town. My family needed help with our expanding dairy farm and I knew I didn’t want to stay in the city my whole life so my boyfriend and I moved north to Mildmay, five minutes south of Walkerton.
"...I felt like if people were educated, stronger, and more mobile they would never be in the pain I was treating them for in the first place..."
While working at the CrossFit gym I was reconnected with a man whom had grown up right around the corner from me and was very passionate about CrossFit and the community that it represented. We started brainstorming about how this could be so beneficial to Walkerton and its community. I also wanted to bring the same love for fitness and health that I had experienced at Hybrid to this area and show people that they were the ones in charge of their health and happiness. So in June 2014, we opened a gym. |
"...Once people try it however, they are immediately hooked on the challenge, the process, and the results..."

"...Five months in, I have no regrets..."
Five months in, I have no regrets. I still walk in every morning with a smile on my face, excited for what the day brings. This is going to sound very cheesy but it is true what they say - “Choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life.” I didn’t have that at my first job or even at the clinic, but I love what my partner and I have created in Walkerton. Can’t wait to see it grow!
- Sarah McIntosh, Head Coach, Rural SC