On their 12,000-mile journey from the U.S. to Chile, Pat Sherwood and Ian Wittenber were prepared to find unsavory characters, including those who would take advantage of “the gringos” in a foreign country.
But that hasn’t been the case.
“It has renewed my faith in humanity. People on Earth are good people, and they want to do the right thing, and they want to help you out, and they’re just like you and I, and they’re just waiting for you to come to their country and enjoy yourself,” Sherwood says. “And I recommend that you do.”
In Peru, only five affiliates have opened in as many years. Instead of taking a cutthroat approach, gym owners welcome each other as they see themselves working toward a common goal: growing CrossFit in Latin America.
Manny Coya, of CrossFit Mutare, for example, shares space with CrossFit Imperio while CrossFit Mutare’s gym is being built.
He says: “We realize that the best way to impact the community in a culture is to actually get into the fiber of it with a business.”
Video by Ian Wittenber.
7min 39sec
HD file size: 140 MB
SD mov file size: 52 MB
Please note: For smoother viewing of HD videos, please download the entire file to your hard drive before watching it (right-click and choose Save Link As...).
Additional reading: CrossFit Curmudgeon Cares? by Pat Sherwood, published Nov. 4, 2013.