Marcus finds his passion at Vaitele

By Jonathon Shoecraft 09 April 2017, 12:00AM

American student from boarding school Coral Reef Academy, Marcus S., is loving his time at the local Crossfit FatuToa gym at Vaitele. 

Marcus is quite the physical fitness enthusiast and he saw the Crossfit gym as the best place for him to pursue not only being “jacked” and healthy, but to learn how he could provide others with the same experience that the gym gave him.

I visited the gym recently to ask the co-founder and coach, Brandon Sefo, and Marcus a few questions about the gym’s history, what inspired them to take Marcus on and what they are teaching Marcus.

 “Marcus helps us out with general maintenance,” Brandon said. “It’s good to have someone around to clean the barbells and the equipment. The gym is a lot cleaner with Marcus around. It’s much less stressful running the gym.”

“If anyone has questions then they ask him, he answers them well. We give our work volunteers articles and reading material that they can go over weekly. We’re teaching him Crossfit methodology. If he wants to go overseas to get his Crossfit certification he can and it will be much easier for him.” 

The gym also works closely with the Coral Reef, which is within walking distance at Vaitele.

 “They are a part of our teen class.” 

Brandon said they could not have picked a better person than Marcus.

“Marcus has the mindset and ability to work in this field and this atmosphere.”

I then went on to ask Brandon about the history of the gym itself. 

 “The gym itself started about five years ago. It wasn’t very big. My brother, Dean, and I wanted a way to get in shape so we built a shack in our back yard. There, we would train and lead classes as well. All of this we did for free at first, but then as it grew we knew it needed to be more. We decided we needed a place and here we are in Vaitele!”

CrossFit Fatu Toa is the first and only registered CrossFit affiliate in Samoa. 

“We are a family-owned box and are committed to providing quality training in a fun and inspiring environment. We welcome people of all ages and fitness levels and look forward to helping others reach performance goals.”

The excitement for Marcus is obvious.

“What inspired me to join is my genuine love to workout. These guys have killer bodies and I want to look like them,” he said. 

“They’re also really cool men and I want to aspire to be like them. The name of Crossfit FatuToa and the guys gave me an opportunity and I plan to take advantage of it.”

“I clean up the gym and make it look nice and help others work out. But, I also get to work out all day and stay in shape. At the same time I get to do it for free which is fantastic.”

He concluded: “I’ve been working with these guys for three weeks and will be finishing up working with them in a couple months. I really enjoy working with the gym and helping others. I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.”

Marcus has lived on the island for about a year and will be leaving Samoa soon. 

It’s amazing to see that the boys who come to the island who need help are not only taking advantage of the beautiful paradise around, but also leaving a mark here of their own. 

Marcus is an inspiration to us all.

By Jonathon Shoecraft 09 April 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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