More than just a gym

Imagine walking into a gym where everyone is cheering you on. The air is full of excitement and joy. People around you are there to help you and support you in becoming the best version of yourself. It’s a gym where you feel excited to go to every day because of the people in that community and the support you receive inside and outside of the gym.

“The community is what sets us apart, like the relationships that are formed and how many different walks of life come together,” said Allison Sode, owner of CrossFit Green River. “We are just basically doing life together.”

CrossFit Green River is a gym located in Campbellsville, Kentucky, which opened in February of 2024. This gym is owned by Sode and her husband, Luke. Sode is a former Campbellsville University softball player. She and her husband started this gym together because they both loved to work out.

“My husband and I both have full time jobs, but we just felt the need for it in this community and that is why we became CrossFit affiliated,” she said.

CrossFit Green River welcomes people of all different ages and stages in life. According to Sode, they have members from 82 years old to 15. With CrossFit, you can scale each workout to your capabilities.

“Anytime school is on break, or it is summertime, we offer kids classes, and they can start as young as five years old,” she said.

CrossFit Green River keeps its athletes involved by showing their progress through an app. When people are working out in the gym, they cheer each other on.

“One way we keep athletes coming back is the community aspect again, like people checking in on each other if they’re not here, making sure they are okay,” Sode said.

CrossFit Green River is giving back to first responders by giving them free membership during the month of October.

“So far, we have four policemen in here and one fire department guy and we also have had hospital workers in here,” Sode said.

The community is a big part of why CrossFit Green River has such a big following, but it is also because of who the coaches are. One of the coaches at CrossFit Green River is Kelly Fathergill, a former soccer player for Campbellsville University.

She has been teaching CrossFit for over a year and a half. Fathergill was a CrossFitter for eight years before she started her coaching career. According to Fathergill, the community at CrossFit Green River keeps her going and keeps her coming back.

“If you are not in the mood to work out, there’s always someone who’s going to push you and make you excited and ready to work,” said Fathergill. “When I was having hard times out of the gym, I always had so many people sending me messages supporting me.”

According to Fathergill, once a new athlete comes to the gym, she will take time before class starts to go over everything. She will walk them through the warmup step-by-step showing each movement. Then she will walk them through the workout to make sure their form is good, so no one ends up getting hurt.

“One thing I think is rewarding is when I see someone committed, coming in regularly, and I see that their form is getting better, that they also look different,” she said. “They have a glow type of look and it’s in a happy way.”

According to Rylee Vaughn, she started her CrossFit journey because her friends were doing it and she could tell it was having a positive impact on their life, so she decided to join. Vaughn picked CrossFit Green River as her place to work out because she wanted more than just a gym, and she knew she could find it there.

“Not only did they talk about the fun, challenging workouts but also the community that was being developed in the gym,” said Vaughn. “I chose CrossFit Green River because I love the group workout aspect. The box isn’t just any other gym with people working out solitarily, it’s actually people interacting and encouraging each other.”

If you would like to join CrossFit Green River, classes are Monday through Friday at 5:15 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m., 4:45 p.m., and 6 p.m. The gym also offers a class on Saturday at 9 a.m. The gym is located at 201 South Columbia Ave., in Campbellsville, Kentucky. You can also connect with the gym on Instagram and Facebook @crossfitgreenriver.