Coach

Andy Craig – Head Coach, CrossFit Programming Director – Dip PTI, CrossFit – LV1

Andy’s recent background stems from contact sports with over 11 years experience in professional sport both as a player and coach..  Andy is an ex semi professional rugby league player and has more recently represented his country (Great Britain) in the sport of Australian rules football.  Setting up of his gym in the UK unfortunately meant that playtime had to suffer but he is still involved in coaching some of the players.
As well as being a strength and conditioning coach Andy is also a fully qualified personal trainer and sports massge therapist, CrossFit certified Coach, olympic weightlifting instructor (British Weightlifting Association), kettlebell coach and Concept2 rowing instructor.  Before his move to South Africa Andy set up and ran his gym (CrossFit Reading) in the U.K.  Building the gym and it’s following from scratch Andy was and still is, a very well respected coach both throughout the CrossFit community but also the wider functional fitness community in the U.K.

Andy is originally from the U.K. but as his wife is from Durban it was really only a matter fo time before she dragged him home to warmer parts.  Andy grew up on the coast in England and so to give his daughters Sasha and Macey the opportunity to grow up with such a wonderful environment Jenny and Andy decided to move back and set up Integrated Fitness and CrossFit DBN.

Andy’s qualifications include:

  • Level 3 (Equivalent to South African level 5) advanced personal trainer (Premier Training International)
  • BWLA Level 2 Weightlifting for Sport Instructor (British Weight Lifting Association)
  • Sports massage therapist (Premier Training International)
  • Level 1 Crossfit Coach
  • Movement & Mobility Certified (CrossFit)
  • Gym Instruction (Premier Training International)
  • Circuit trainer
  • SAQ fundamental movement instructor (SAQ International)
  • Kettlebell instructor (Crossfit London)
  • Boxercise instructor (Boxercise)
  • Concept2 rowing instructor (Concept2)

Dean Ridgeway – Coach, Personal Training Manager - Crossfit Level 1, CYQ level 3 in personal training

Dean has always had a love for sport and recreational fitness. Playing 1st team rugby, water polo and being on the track and swim team in high school. It was for this reason he decided to work part time in the fitness industry while I studied marketing in 2003.

After completing his studies in 2005, he left fitness to pursue a career in marketing, but still found himself spending most of his spare time reading and learning about human movement and training technique. He soon realized his passion still lay with fitness and he resumed his career in fitness as a personal trainer in 2008 in London UK, after studying more about functional training, kettlebells and suspension training. It was at this point he was briefly introduced to CrossFit and began to learn more about the principals of compound movement. It didn’t take long to realize that he had found something special!

Dean returned to sunny South African shores in 2010 to propose to his wife and settled in Durban starting a Personal Training business at La Lucia Virgin Active. Using programming techniques similar to those of CrossFit, Dean continued to train clients and himself with true functionality in mind. Taking his love for functional training to the next level Dean went on the CrossFit Cert Lvl 1 in September of 2011 and has not looked back since. While he still offers personal training, Dean considers himself a teacher at heart and is glad to have the opportunity to coach at CrossFit Durban. CrossFit is Dean’s passion and he loves the fact that he can pass this passion on to others.

Sarah Raatgever – CrossFit Level 1 – Intern

Sarah has always had a passion for sports and gym.  At school  she was captain of the Netball, Ladies Cricket and Volleyball Teams. In 2001 Sarah left South Africa to experience life in London, and there developed a passion for Touch Rugby and Action Netball, she played league for both for over 5yrs. Since returning to SA, Sarah continued to be active exploring various forms of exercise but since discovering CrossFit in the early part of 2011 has been caught hook, line and sinker!  Her passion for CrossFit developed to the point where she wanted to make it part of her future and in November 2011 completed and passed the Level 1 Certification to enable her to coach and become more actively involved in CrossFit DBN.   Sarah is also busy studying to be a qualified Personal Trainer and interning at CrossFit DBN

Sarah is married to her childhood sweetheart Thomas, who is a Golf Professional and also an avid CrossFitter. They have 2 little girls Reese (5) and Holly (3).

Kirsty Enslin – CrossFit Level 1 – Intern

Kirsty comes from an athletic family and background. In both primary and high schools, Kirsty captained the athletics and swimming teams and represented natal in both athletics and biathlons.

After getting married to Byron and having two beautiful children, Xavier and Tain, Kirsty took up trail running and Mtn biking to get fit and regain her pre-pregnancy figure. Loving the exercise and being back in the land of the healthy and fit Kirsty soon realized she needed something more just to keep up and it was then that she was introduced to CrossFit as a way to increase her fitness. Just 3 sessions in and Kirsty was addicted and knew that CrossFit was what she had been looking for. “Weight lifting had always been something that scared me, but now I lift weights like a girl…….should!”

Passing the level 1 certification was next on the agenda to allow Kirsty to coach CrossFit. Kirsty is currently doing her personal trainers course and interning at CrossFit DBN