CrossFit Community Steps Up for Michigan Gym After Back-to-Back Fires

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8 hours ago

Mike Holt, owner of 3rd Monkey Functional Fitness, home of Spring Lake CrossFit, isn’t one to ask for help.

Luckily, a gym member and former employee created a GoFundMe campaign shortly after the gym was hit hard by two fires.

The gym, located in Spring Lake, MI, suffered a fire on Sunday, December 1, that was isolated to the attic. Holt was at the gym that day and called the fire department, which arrived quickly and took care of it.

It all seemed to be put out, and Holt was in the clear. But just one day later, he got an alarming call from a friend who told him his gym was on fire again.

“At first it was, ‘hey, we might be done for a week’ to ‘hey, we might lose all of this,’” Holt told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview.

Credit: *Mike Holt, 3rd Monkey Functional Fitness*

While the majority of the equipment was spared, the entire gym is covered in soot and all the debris leftover from the incident, he added.

Holt has been working to clean some of the equipment at his home and also led a group of gym members in a big cleaning effort over the weekend.

3rd Monkey is a tight-knit community, and many members participate in CrossFit competitions and other fitness races, such as Spartan Races and Tough Mudders.

These devastating fires have unfortunately left the community without a gym for an undetermined amount of time.

“We don’t have a home to get these people back in the gym, which is one of my main concerns,” Holt said.

Gyms nearby are stepping up and helping his members out with reduced rates, but Holt adds that these short-term measures are not ideal.

“If it’s your gym and your home, that’s your place, right? That would probably be the most devastating right now is that we’re not together, and it’s kind of hard to get together,” Holt said.

Katie Sands, a former gym manager at 3rd Monkey and family friend of Holt and his wife Cathi, heard about the situation and knew she had to do something, even if Holt wasn’t entirely comfortable asking for help.

After consulting with some other gym staff, she launched the GoFundMe page to help rebuild 3rd Monkey.

“People are giving what they can. And I didn’t expect it to be a huge fundraiser or anything, but pretty much anything to help Mike and Cathi out as they’re going to try to reopen and find a new building,” Sands told Morning Chalk Up.

As of now, Sands has raised more than $7,000, with a goal set for $15,000.

“I think people understand how hard it is to ask for help, so they almost respect that a little bit more,” Sands said.

As someone who has been around countless gyms, Sands says 3rd Monkey is unlike anywhere else she’s gone when it comes to hospitality and feeling included and welcomed.

“I’ve been doing CrossFit since I was 15, and it probably was one of the easiest places to fit in and feel welcome,” Sands said.

Holt and his wife only recently purchased the gym but have already put many hours of work into building out the facilities and the community. The gym holds birthday workouts for every member, and many of the athletes participate in races together. The gym also recently hosted a Festivus Games event.

“I don’t think you’re going to find a better unit that ran an event like our people did. They were right there and well-oiled, and it was amazing,” Holt said.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, but Holt plans to rebuild as fast as possible and find a home for the community he’s worked so hard to build. Those looking to donate to the fundraiser can find the link here.

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