Our Trainers
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Ben BrindleyLead Trainer/Programmer
CrossFit Level 1, CrossFit Weightlifting, CrossFit Mobility, USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach, CrossFit Judges Course Ben first heard of CrossFit in 2011 when he was a member of a Globo Gym in Sun Prairie. He realized that the way he was training, along with everyone else at the gym, was more for aesthetics rather than for becoming stronger and using functional movements. At the time, the focus on mirror muscles was getting old, and he wanted something more challenging. CrossFit was just the thing.
I went to my first intro meeting at CrossFit Sanctify thinking that I was in pretty good shape. The workout I did was a 7 minute AMRAP of 7 box jumps, 7 push ups, and 7 wall balls. After a couple of rounds, I was doubled over panting like a dog. The coach encouraged me to keep going but I think he cut me some slack and called “time” before my seven minutes was up… I was very humbled but knew that this was just right for me. I had been challenged athletically in a way that I hadn’t been since organized sports in high school. It motivated me to get stronger and in better shape. |
Since being introduced to CrossFit, Ben has come to really appreciate the community that is associated within a box. He has made lifelong friends who motivate him inside the gym and help make him a better person outside the gym. As a coach, he believes that consistency is the key to reaching your fitness goals and strives to make sure that members have good form on all movements, at all intensities.
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Mary CallenTrainer
CrossFit Level 2, CrossFit Judges Course After years of taking her own size and activity level up and down, CrossFit is the lifestyle change that is finally sticking with Mary Callen. At the heart of what has her hooked is CrossFit’s “yes, you can and you will” mindset along with the consistency of its “time plus effort equals results” methodology.
A mother of two who will try nearly any sport, Mary grew up on a dairy farm and still can hear an old spirit whispering in her ear: “You think you’re working hard?” Being part of the Portage CrossFit Cooperative community has made her workouts feel less like work and more like fun. She hopes to see the Coop’s healthy, encouraging and inspiring nature stick with others, too. |
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Jenni McferrenTrainer
CrossFit Level 1 Jenni was an avid runner when she chose to give CrossFit a try in 2012. After her first workout, she was humbled by her weaknesses and has since embraced and improved them! She has completed several trail marathons, such as Tough Mudder and Dances With Dirt, which balances her passion for touring breweries and great food.
As a nurse and front-line worker during the pandemic, she often works 12 hour shifts. However, that doesn’t stop her from working out! She is a firm believer that self-care is vital and her consistency in the gym is impeccable. She believes that to most effectively care for others you must first take care of yourself. In addition to nursing and coaching at PCC, she is a wife and proud dog mom of two! Jenni’s favorite workout is Grace, and her favorite lift is overhead squat. |
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Michelle GumzTrainer
CrossFit Level 2, CrossFit Judges Course, CrossFit Scaling Course, CrossFit Spot The Flaw Course, CrossFit Anatomy Course, The Gymnastics Course, CrossFit Coaching the Aging Athlete Course Michelle took a sip of the CrossFit Kool-Aid back in 2011. In the years since, she has progressed as an athlete and a coach, overcoming every obstacle that has come her way. She's lifted through not one, but two successful knee replacements, as well as foot surgery, and often jokes that she can find a way to modify any WOD you can dish out. Before, after, or on her active recovery days, Michelle is a multi-sport athlete who also enjoys swimming, biking and running. Her can-do attitude and commitment to fitness is contagious. Everyone in the house - husband and three children, with the exception of the family dog - has become a CrossFit athlete, too!
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Leah HutchinsonTrainer
CrossFit Level 2 Leah is a born and raised Portage, WI townie. The Portage CrossFit Cooperative is the first affiliate that Leah has been a part of, and she has been training and following the ‘elite fitness’ craze since 2011. CrossFit is one of her constants, and the community support and drive from other athletes has her hooked. She truly finds the co-op her place to let it all out, turn cannnot’s into can’s, and push others to do the same. While she’s not at the box, she is a devoted mother to her two daughters, Olive and Hazel! She enjoys hanging out with fellow members (of course!), whipping up some paleo muffins, or at her Little Potato Company day job. Coaching has been an exciting hurdle in moving forward with progress for the box, its athletes, and for Leah, herself.
“Don’t talk it up. Chalk it up!” |
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Cassie KrebsTrainer
CrossFit Level 1, CrossFit Weightlifting, CrossFit Judges Course Growing up on her family's beef farm, Cassie has always been active and loves tougher challenges; CrossFit is definitely one of those challenges. She competed in track all through high school and college, where she graduated with a business and marketing degree from Concordia University Wisconsin in 2011. She now works at Gumz Farms where she focuses her efforts towards marketing and food safety. In addition to coaching CrossFit at the Coop, she coached high school track (shot put & discus) for the 2012-2014 seasons and is excited to continue coaching another sport that she loves! Cassie and her husband recently welcomed their second child in September 2021, so she is taking a break from coaching, but is not giving up working out!
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Daniel KuperTrainer
CrossFit Level 2, CrossFit Judges Course, The Gymnastics Course Kuper began his CrossFit journey in 2015 and quickly became the "Mr. Fix It" at PCC! He is not only one of PCC's most entertaining Level 2 trainers, he keeps our equipment and facility up and running and in tip-top shape.
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Tracy PochesTrainer
CrossFit Level 2, CrossFit Kids Certificate Course, CrossFit Judges Course, CrossFit Anatomy Course Tracy has been doing CrossFit since 2011, has competed in several CrossFit competitions, and most recently competed in an olympic weightlifting meet where she broke three state records for her age group and weight class. She has been coaching since 2013 and loves to see people meet their fitness goals. Tracy firmly believes that the only limitations that we have are those that we place on ourselves. She is a mother of five children, and she and her husband have lived in Portage since 2007. She is so excited about what the future holds for PCC and its community!
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Joel PolsterTrainer
CrossFit Level 2, CrossFit Judges Course Joel began CrossFit in 2018, after losing close to 100 lbs through a keto diet. Recognizing that functional fitness is a lifestyle change for the long haul, he took the advice of several co-workers to give CrossFit a try. He was instantly addicted to the positive atmosphere and encouraging members of Portage CrossFit Coopertive. In 2020, he began his journey to coach and completed his CF-L1 in March.
Outside the COOP, Joel enjoys kayaking with his kids, hiking, and fishing the nearby lakes and rivers. |
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Jerusha PlouffTrainer
CrossFit Level 3, CrossFit Kids Certificate Course, CrossFit Judges Course, Crossfit Nutrition I Course USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coach ACE Certified Personal Trainer Jerusha began her CrossFit journey in May of 2015. Having had no prior experience in sports, the idea of the HIIT workouts and weightlifting was intimidating. It wasn't long before the supportive community and finding results sealed the deal for her, and she discovered the missing link in her fitness regime. With consistency we find victory! Jerusha is a business owner, student, mother of three, and musician.
Jerusha is one of our coaches who offers one-on-one training to members upon request. Contact us for more info! |
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Danielle AndraschkoTrainer
CrossFit Level 1, CrossFit Judges Course, CrossFit Scaling Course, CrossFit Spot The Flaw Course, CrossFit Nutrition I Course, CrossFit Anatomy Course, CrossFit Coaching the Aging Athlete Course Danielle began her CrossFit journey in the fall of 2012 when a friend suggested they go workout in a garage at 4:30 IN. THE. MORNING! As an overweight, out of shape, mother of two, Danielle figured she had nothing to lose by trying something new. Until roughly the fall of 2019, it had been an uphill battle with several lapses in going to the gym. Danielle recalls, “the thing that kept me coming back to Portage CrossFit Cooperative, even when I had been absent for months at a time, was the community of people there and the acceptance with open arms…..every time!”
Since September of 2019, she is 80 pounds lighter, 100% healthier, and growing muscles she didn’t know she had. CrossFit is a huge part of her daily life, and she says, “CrossFit is like this close friend who has been patiently waiting for me to believe in myself.” In November 2020, Danielle earned her CF-L1 Trainer certificate and is honored to be part of the Portage CrossFit Cooperative coaching team. She hopes to share her knowledge and continue to sharpen her skills as a trainer, athlete, and healthy human. Danielle is one of our coaches who offers one-on-one training to members upon request. Contact us for more info! |
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Desiree HeimbeckerTrainer
CrossFit Level 1, CrossFit Judges Course Desiree began her Crossfit career in November of 2021. She was a single mother of a teenager, 2 cats and 2 dogs, battling being overweight, and had attempted many times to get healthy with personal trainers. After 4 years of personal training, she just wasn’t getting the results she wanted. She first heard of CrossFit when she entered the EMS field as a Paramedic. After not hitting her goals with personal training, she started searching for Crossfit gyms to try. She discovered PCC and was hooked not only by the movements and the results, but mostly by the supportive people. They keep her coming back! After becoming an EMS instructor, she discovered when you teach something, you learn and understand so much more. This inspired her to go for her Level 1 and help train classes!. She has found a love for Crossfit, hitting new goals, and has been enjoying life as a newer, healthier human!
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Maggie KufahlTrainer
CrossFit Level 1, CrossFit Judges Course Not only is Maggie a CrossFit Level 1 trainer, she and her husband also own and manage Portage Tire and have two active, young daughters. Maggie began her CrossFit journey in 2016 and has never looked back!
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