Welcoming the Yash Attack!
All the way back in 2009 (in CFW’s first year of existence!), a 13-year-old quiet young man named Yashar Laghai Bonabi walked into (then called) CrossFit Waterloo for the very first time. His dad owned the mechanic shop across the parking lot from our very first tiny, chalky, loud, and grimy 1200 square foot location. Every now and then Yashar would have a curious look from across the parking lot inside our box’s bay door to see what this hole in the wall was all about. We finally had the opportunity to work with him shortly after that, and his eagerness to learn quickly became evident. He was young but already determined to improve his strength and conditioning after seeing the ‘craziness’ of this new thing called “CrossFit”. It was exciting to welcome this dedicated young athlete into the CFW family, and shortly after that, we first nicknamed him Yash Attack as he fit like a glove… and attacked every workout remarkably! Of course, we had no idea then that he would go on to be a key part of the foundation of our community for so many more years to come… and still counting.
By 2014, Yash’s dedication never wavered, to the point where he almost even beat me in a WOD (ha!). The next obvious move was for him to take steps forward in potentially joining our coaching team. Yash’s passion was growing stronger in his own athletic pursuit, knowledge of movement mechanics, and now even his potential coaching skills. He was eager to learn and that made him a great addition and natural fit on our team. He then began his coaching apprenticeship, got his CF Level 1 coaching certification, and went on to be a vital part of our team shortly after.
He was a hard-working student that excelled in high school, and eventually got accepted into the Mechanical Engineering program at the University of Waterloo, all while spending more and more time working hard at the gym. His education wasn’t only done at the U of W. Yash took a strong interest in the Z-health neurology of movement courses and has since completed the R, I, S, and T Phases of this course. He is also Precision Nutrition L1 certified and is a Catalyst L1 Weightlifting Coach. He started also taking on Personal Training clients and has changed many lives in the process. Yash has achieved all these certifications while coaching and programming at CFW and managing a full course load in university. Impressive. In 2020, Yash graduated from the Mechanical Engineering Program and has been working in this field ever since.
Throughout this time, Yash has been an invaluable part of the CFW community, running clinics and camps before the annual CrossFit Open, programming and running the CFW Games and sacrificing countless hours behind the scenes. He loves to see members reach their goals and achieve new things and this is evident in his willingness to help anyone, anytime.
It is an absolute pleasure, and I am so honored and proud to announce that Yash has officially joined us full time at CFW! We know he will continue to be an incredible resource for our members, and we are so happy he has taken this big leap.
This is a very exciting week at CFW and I hope you will all join me in celebrating this wonderful news with the Yash Man himself. You all know where to find him… pretty much 24/7!
Chris Vranes