Coaches

Chris Mello - Owner/Coach

     

As co-founder and trainer of CrossFit Sioux Falls, I have been empowering people through health and fitness since 2001. My passion for fitness began over 10 years ago as a dedicated athlete in the sport of basketball excellng into the collegiate level. I was born and raised in Southern California. My wife Annie and I have just recently moved to Sioux Falls from Los Angeles, CA in October, 2008.

Having the ability to dramatically improve someone’s health and fitness is fascinating to me. I became a personal trainer in 2001 to empower myself with the knowledge and the skills to enhance my physical body and mental capacity. I am a student of fitness and healthy living, and I am continually searching for new ways to improve myself and the ways in which I  can affect people in a positive and supportive way.

I understand that everyone comes from different backgrounds and different ways of living. I feel I can connect with each person and inspire them to live healthier by first, helping them to be aware of their present fitness and health and the choices that they have made. Then, to educate them to make healthier and more positive choices. Lastly, to integrate and take action toward creating permanent habits that are a better personal “fit”.

Crossfit has personally improved my health and fitness dramatically since I started my first “WOD” in Aug of 2007. The Crossfit training methodology provides a training structure and environment for continually improvement. In my opinion it is the most efficient and progressive training program I have ever been a part of in all my years in the fitness industry. 

Qualifications:

CrossFit Level 1 Certified
CrossFit Endurance Certified 
CrossFit Nutrition Certified  
CrossFit Kettlebell Certified
CrossFit Movement and Mobility Certified (June 2010)
NCEP - CPT Certified
NASM - CPT Certified
American Heart Association CPR and AED Certified

Contact Chris:
Cell: 714-381-1541
Email: chris@crossfitsiouxfalls.com    

Annie Mello - Owner/Coach/Kids Coach

As the first female coach at CrossFit  Sioux Falls, I have been striving to push people to their ultimate goals for the past 7 years. Since I can remember, my life has been involved in and around fitness. I was a gymnast and dancer, and throughout high school I played basketball, tennis, volleyball, and ran track. I also played tennis at the collegiate level.

Making a difference in someone’s life and getting them to their personal goals, has always been what drives me as a fitness coach. There is no better feeling in the world then seeing people make goals for themselves, and then strive to achieve them. Through my fitness journey, I have really focused on getting clients to gain a knowledge about fitness, and make healthy choices for their life. One of my biggest passions is focusing this aspect on our children. This generation of children is going to be the first to die before their parents if we stay on this path. Hearing this is not only shocking, but also an eye opener on how much children need to learn about healthy living! My number one fitness goal is to make fitness a daily habit in people’s lives; to make learned habits routines.

My experience through CrossFit has not only improved my physical goals but also my mental goals, my marriage, relationships with others, and the goals for my future.  I am an advocate for CrossFit and the importance of healthy living. With CrossFit you can obtain goals you never thought possible. Every time you complete a workout, you prove to yourself that you can do something you didn’t think was attainable. CrossFit has not only made a positive impact on my body, it has had a positive impact on my life! The quote I think of every time to drive me on a daily basis with CrossFit is, “Excellence is Earned Not Given”! 

Qualifications:

Cody Burgener - Coach/Olympic Lifting Instructor

At the age of 8, Cody started to compete in weightlifting competitions until the age of 18. At the age of 17, he was the second strongest kid in the nation in the 94 kg class. Cody says, "From the knowledge I gained from my father in the Olympic lifts, I have helped many athletes improve in their sport by teaching them to perform the Olympics lifts."

Cody has been participating in Crossfit for about 4 years now. Crossfit has helped him improve his strength, cardio, and my mental toughness. He believes by combining Crossfit with the Olympic lifts you will not find a better fitness program in the country. "They hit every aspect of fitness." In his opinion, he believes this is the best training he has ever been a part of throughout his fitness career.

 Qualifications:

Contact Cody:
Cell: 760-535-1830
Email: codyb@crossfitsiouxfalls.com 

Casey Mouw - Coach

  
Having been an athlete for most of my life, fitness has been important to me for as long as I can remember. I started wrestling at age 7 and not long after I was also playing football and running track. Between everything, I was in-season for something year-round throughout jr. high and high school. Aside from learning the importance of staying fit and taking care of myself, I also developed a huge passion for coaching and teaching others.

After a fun and successful high school career, I decided that I wanted to pursue wrestling at the college level, so upon graduation I accepted an offer to the U.S. Military at West Point and took off for the East Coast. I learned a lot my freshman year, and even though I decided that being an Army officer wasn’t for me, my love for helping people develop through fitness was reinforced. When I decided to transfer to Augustana and return to the Midwest I had a solid direction; learning as much as possible about all things fitness both for myself and for helping others.

Toward the end of my junior year (spring of ‘09) I knew what I wanted to do, but I still had no clue how I was going to do it. Then I found CrossFit, and the impact on my life was immediate. While my personal level of fitness increased, my knowledge and passion for training others grew by leaps and bounds. I’m finally sure of where I’m going, I thought. I’ve got take some others with me!

So that’s exactly what I try to do. I want to soak up as much as I can every day about strength and conditioning, nutrition, and all things fitness to be the best trainer possible. I believe that improving fitness isn’t just important for the sake of being healthy, but because of the way people can learn about life and become better as a whole. My goal here is to help you as much as possible in any way, so please don’t hesitate to email/call/text me; I’m here for you!

 Qualifications:

CrossFit Level 1 Certified  
B.S. Fitness Management (2010) 
American Heart Association CPR and AED Certified

Contact Casey:
Cell: 712-441-5665
Email: casey@crossfitsiouxfalls.com 

Pic coming soon...

Since being a little girl I always knew I wanted to live and work to make a positive difference in people’s lives. It’s amazing and awesome to me how when you keep positively searching, you continue to find your way. CrossFit Sioux Falls Kids is where I am supposed to be right now in this journey of awesome life and I am so passionate about making a huge difference in our community!

I came to Sioux Falls CrossFit in 2009 knowing I needed to better myself so that I could make a bigger difference in my family and others lives. I had been a sales executive for over 9 years and have worked since the age 13. Those past 9 years, I worked good 70 hour work weeks, if not more. This was typical. After I had our first child, I plopped my paperwork on my hospital bed and got back to work – I took no maternity leave. When we’d take vacations, the vacations included work – amazing what a little blackberry and telephone can accomplish these days! I thrive off being busy and love being around people, but those 70 hour work weeks…was it making a positive difference in helping people – one of my true passions? I was hit by the “economy” owie. I built my sales business up from nothing to something I was extreamly proud of and then one day….poof! The company shut down. I had to stop and take a deep look at my life, my family and our future. I didn’t want to jump into the next “job”, but to really dig deep and take some positive risks that I believed in. I too over the past 6 years have had odd symptoms much like Multiple Sclerosis. I’ve seen Doctors from Milwaukee, to Cleveland Clinic, to Sioux Falls, to Mayo Clinic. Thankfully, things look normal to the Doctors overall. Was this all caused because of stress and no exercise - perhaps? Perhaps! I stopped and said, I am joining CrossFit to better my health so I can be a better person overall. Did I work out before CrossFit? Nope, nothing regular! Not for over 12 years! I am what we jokingly called the, “skinny fat”.

Since I started working out at CrossFit, I knew deep down, this is where I belonged – this is what I was digging deep and searching for. I knew there was a future with CrossFit. I felt it and believed in it. We talked about CrossFit Kids and then it all made sense! THIS is it! Kids + CrossFit =’s awesome! I have two children, ages 5 and almost 3. As a parent, I understand the need for fitness in our kid’s lives. I want to teach them and others the benefits of fitness and eating well. I want them to be excited about it and teach others about it! I don’t want my children or your children to be the statistic that talks about them being in front of the TV, computer, or playing video games for 4-6 hours a day – I don’t want them to be the statistic that is still growing rapidly about being obese. Our children are our future and I am so passionate about making a difference in their lives and honestly yours as well. This is a family deal. We are going to make them confident! As Thomas Jefferson wrote, "A stong body makes the mind strong." Brain function is positively impacted by exercise and more now than ever, I believe, our kids need this confidence. They will also become better citizens of our community and world, they will have higher test scores, they will be less likely to experience anxiety and depression. I look forward to meeting your child or children and taking steps to making their life a strong, successful, and healthy one! I am on a mission to do that here in Sioux Falls and I know it will grow past that. One Person, Big Difference. Let’s all make a difference and start reversing those statistics and enjoy the one life that has been given to us!

Qualifications:

CrossFit Level 1 Certified  
CrossFit Nutrition Certified  
American Heart Association CPR and AED Certified

Contact Michelle:
Cell: 605-929-1158
Email: michelle@crossfitsiouxfalls.com