Leah Watson has been an integral part of the Ignite Fitness family since the day we opened our doors. Before Leah fell in love with CrossFit, she was consistently involved with sports her entire life, both playing and coaching volleyball, softball and track. Health and fitness have always been a main interest of hers, so this gym was a natural fit. She says that functional fitness quickly became a hobby, a passion and a new challenge.

Leah brings a wealth of coaching knowledge to the gym as she is a Physical Education teacher, she has her Level 2 NCCP Coaching Theory Certification and her CrossFit Level 1.

As a coach, Leah loves to see people improve. She loves coaching people because making others better makes herself better, both as a coach and an athlete. Coaching at Ignite Fitness is so enjoyable because she is constantly learning new ways to teach, new cues, strategies and adaptations. She is amazed everyday by the way our athletes are constantly improving and overcoming limitations.

“Finding CrossFit as an athlete filled a void in my life. Growing up I was a very competitive athlete; being a part of a team my whole life was so rewarding. Living in a small community as an adult athlete is difficult; there isn’t many team sports to become a part of. I tried out kickboxing and various group classes, but there just wasn’t the level of competition I was used to. When Mandi opened Ignite Fitness a team of athletes was born. I immediately became passionate about this sport and I fell in love with the gym. I did the Level 1 to improve myself as an athlete, but Mandi saw that I had a strong eye for detail in movement errors and I was bringing in new clients all of the time, so I started to fill in coaching some classes. I quickly fell in love with coaching classes – I love it so much I would do it even if Mandi didn’t pay me!”