I arrived in Playa Potrero 7 years ago. It was early October, the town was quiet, and I had no idea where I’d be living past the month that my company had sponsored me in a small apartment over in one of the Villagios.
But I was fresh out of college, with the spirit of adventure in me, and so one afternoon around sunset, I made the long walk down Playa Potrero to a place called CrossFit Surfside, and my life changed.
I still remember walking up, having Sam and Nick welcome me with a smile and some friendly questions about my experience, and before I knew it, I was deep into a CrossFit class, feeling the magic of everyone working hard around me.
Afterward, a few members, including an eventual co-founder of CFP, Mariajose Viquez, came over and welcomed me to the gym, got my phone number, and added me to a WhatsApp Group. Before I knew it, we had dinner plans over at the pre-fire Forketta, and my life had changed forever.
But by the end of class, you feel like you’re part of the family, with people joking around, introducing themselves, and just enjoying this special place we’ve all created together. For this article, I wanted to try to capture the values that describe our culture, a culture that has existed and been thriving long before I was here. But even this list feels incomplete.
It starts with a foundation of Pura Vida and tico identity. We’re out in the great outdoors, we don’t take anything (except safety) too seriously, and we get that sometimes you show up a little later than expected, or need to scale down a workout, and that’s okay because life is about the big things, not the little things.
Next is a top-to-bottom respect for effort, not results. As coaches and athletes, we can tell when someone’s giving their heart and soul into a workout, and it doesn’t matter what the numbers on your bar or the reps on the board are — THAT is what winning looks like. I’ve seen a full gym screaming in support of a beginner finishing their scaled sets with an empty bar, and completely ignoring the elite athlete who’s cutting corners to get the best score.
I see incredible courage, bravery, and determination in all of our members, from beginners to experts. CrossFit is difficult, and by being difficult, it offers you an arena to challenge yourself. That can be scary, no matter who you are, but without fail, I see our members take on those challenges head-on, with a smile, and no matter what happens, everyone’s there to show support and cheer you on to the finish.
There’s a spirit of adventure in all of our members. This is a place where you can say, “hey, I’m gonna climb Chirripó, who’s in?” or “we need a biker for our triathlon team” or “anyone want to go hike up a ridge carrying our barbecue so we can grill at sunset from the mountaintop?” and just about everyone will be in. That’s just who we are.
Overall, it’s a group of people who show up and put their heart into everything they do.
We just love to live.
As weeks and months go by, the faces you’ll encounter in class will change a lot. We get plenty of Drop-Ins who are traveling the world, who can’t resist swinging by for a workout in the jungle on the beach.
Some of our members are seasonal, spending part of their year with us in Costa Rica, and parts of the year elsewhere. Even our most consistent lifetime members will head off for adventures once in a while, whether to run a marathon in Berlin, challenge the wilds of Patagonia, or climb the highest mountains in Mexico and Peru.
So we all come and go, but one thing that remains consistent, no matter how long it’s been or how far you’ve traveled, is that you can always check the schedule, walk up, and join us for a workout.
So, where do you fall in the spectrum, and what does CrossFit Potrero have to offer you? We’ll break it down.
Whether you’re dropping in for a single class or staying with us a little longer, you’ll probably pick up on that really special CrossFit Potrero culture by the end of your first class, and afterward, you’re a part of the team, and we’d love to help you experience Costa Rica.
Your fellow classmates or the coaching team are always happy to lend a recommendation for cool activities, events, beaches, sunset spots, restaurants, and just general advice on the area that you might not find searching online. And as a backup, you can always reach out to us at info@crossfitpotrero.com.
You’re family for the days or weeks you’re visiting, so jump in, make friends, and get a taste of the way that we live. You might not ever want to leave!
Off the top of my head, as I’m writing this, I can clearly picture the faces of a dozen or more members who aren’t full-time residents of Costa Rica, but are absolutely a foundational part of this community.
There’s something really special about having a place to come home to. Knowing that no matter what’s happening in your life or ours, you can walk back onto the floor, have the same friends, feel those awesome vibes, and feel like you never left.
One of my favorite things to do is sit down after a workout and catch up with those old friends, either at the gym while we’re all cooling off, or if the conversation’s going longer, over at the brewery or brunch (depending on what time of day you’re here). We get to share stories, talk about our adventures, and give updates on life. It’s like a new episode of an old favorite TV show.
And having said all of this about our visiting and seasonal members, the absolute foundation of CrossFit Potrero is the locals, the blend of ticos and expats who have found their way here and keep the culture of CFP shining bright under the trees on Playa Potrero.
We can’t thank you, our consistent, pillar members, enough for what you bring out there onto the floor every single day, because without you guys, there wouldn’t be a CrossFit Potrero for our traveling members to return to.
And if you live in the area, and you’re thinking about joining, what does this very special place have to offer you?
Well, it’s a place you can see your friends, get away from work, and invest a little time in yourself out in the fresh tropical air under the trees. It’s a place for workouts you can trust, but surprises you could never anticipate (and we’re not just talking about mangos hitting the roof).
We’ve worked out with with professional athletes, world-class cross fitters, and friends from more than 25 countries and counting, including: South Africa, Mexico, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, US, Canada, Brazil, England, Spain, France, Portugal, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Nicaragua, Panama, Jamaica, Trinidad, Norway, Sweden, Israel, Scotland, Ireland, Switzerland, and of course Costa Rica.
I’ve been swept into adventures with friends who swim to islands, climb mountains, scuba dive the Bat Islands, surf everywhere from Santa Teresa to Tamarindo to Witch’s Rock, compete in off-road triathlons, and complete the Ruta de Los Conquistadores.
We’ve gone out dancing and singing, played fútbol and volleyball, gone rock climbing, hiked to hidden beaches, jumped off of cliffs, explored trails and roads that hadn’t even heard of the beaten path, and partied long into the night before working it off the next day with a workout, a brunch, and a long beach walk.
After all, when you ask a lot of us “why”, why do all of these things, the answer is pretty simple. Because it’s there, and because we can.
It’s taken a bit longer than we’d have liked to get the digital/community management side of things together, but now that we have, it’s incredible to be able to see how many unique and wonderful people have passed through this community over the years.
Sometimes people get caught up in the CrossFit name, but we’re not just a gym for CrossFit. We’re a gym for everything.
So if you love to move your body, if you love the great outdoors, if you love just feeling healthy, then we’d love to meet you. Costa Rica is a place where you can live life at its purest, at its fullest, and connect to the earth in a way found nowhere else in the world.
If that sounds like you, you might love it here. Because the weights, the workouts, they’re all just a tool for us to challenge ourselves together. And the reward for that challenge lies in every step you take every day to come.