Gretchen Que has long found the Philippine culture somewhat polarizing.
On the one hand, physical fitness has always been a strong part of the Filipino lifestyle, she told the Morning Chalk Up. On the other hand, “community and family gatherings centred around food are also a strong part of our culture.”
This is what led her to want to become an affiliate owner.
- “CrossFit gives Filipinos the perfect balance of community, fitness, and after an hour, you can get back to family and friends without missing a beat,” said Que, who started CrossFit in 2019 as she wanted to become a better rock climber, surfer, diver, and Spartan racer.
Last August, her dream came true when she, along with three other managing partners, found the perfect location to open Enderun CrossFit in Taguig, Philippines.
The Perfect Location Explained
Enderun CrossFit is the first affiliate in the Philippines, located on the campus of Enderun Colleges, a college that’s surrounded by many corporate buildings.
- “This allows us to be accessible to two groups of people who need CrossFit the most: young Adults who have time and energy to start building a strong base of health before diving into the real world, and the corporate folk who value time and health,” Que said.
Another one of her goals was for her gym to demonstrate how inclusive CrossFit can be, something she believes many people in her country haven’t yet realized, and she thinks it’s easier to accomplish on a college campus.
- “A quick Google search immediately shows how intimidating CrossFit can be, especially to younger folk just getting into fitness. That’s why it is important for us to be inside a campus, to show that our classes are made up of members with varying fitness levels,” she said, adding that they offer a 50 percent discount to students and staff at the college.
Que added: “We don’t discriminate based on ability, just like we don’t discriminate on any aspect of how one chooses to live their life. We respect your choice to do fitness with us, and we deliver on our promise of fitness.”
The Big Picture
Enderun CrossFit is still in its early stages, with only 20 members. Still, Que is confident they are well-positioned to offer the Filipino people two things they highly value: fitness and community.
- “The goal is for students and corporate professionals to be in class together and inspire each other. I can already see our current members being the fun uncle and the fun aunt for the students,” she said.
And for her, she finally feels like she can impact people the way she has wanted to since falling in love with CrossFit six years ago.
- “Being an affiliate owner has deepened the way I can affect changes and improvements on how CrossFit is perceived in the Philippines, and how I can share the method’s efficacy with more people,” she said.
