Meet Our Team of Coaches
Keely Sanders
Keely has been coaching CrossFit since 2015. Her love for fitness and coaching comes with a broad range of experience as both a coach, as well as athlete. As a collegiate soccer player, Keely knows that the fitness journey should be an adventure that is paralleled with hard work and fun. Her enthusiasm for West Fitness is met with an energetic class experience, leaving you wanting to come back for either the fitness or the fun or both. She hopes to see you for Sassy Saturdays in particular to the regular week at 10:00am for outdoor group fitness instruction. When asked about her fitness philosophy, Keely says, "Fitness should be fun! Let's get moving and grooving!" She also is passionate about her favorite day of the week, which she says is Wednesday classes because it's "Hump Day".
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CrossFit Level 1
Barbell Medicine Seminars
Santa Cruz Affiliate Cup Team Competitor
Rx Team Competitor
Collegiate Soccer Player
Daniel Jahangard
Daniel J started his fitness journey joining us high achooos weightlifting club his sophomore year of high school. The positive physical and mental impacts of resistance training sent him on a one way trip of making fitness a priority in his life. From losing 40lbs in high school to playing rugby in college and being introduced to CrossFit. He opened CrossFit Ready in 2012 then took ownership of CrossFit West which now is known as West Fitness.
Daniel has a passion for increasing ones physical strength no matter what their background might be, including a range from 78 year old athletes to 15 year old kids. He is equally passionate about smart programming and navigating injuries with evidence based information. "It is very important for me to make fitness modified for anyone no matter their age, demographic, or background. On top of that, I am also very passionate about making fitness both fun and effective."
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NASM
Sports Performance USAW Level 2
CrossFit Level 2
Barbell Medicine Seminars
Barbell Medicine Pain and Rehab
Writer, Santa Cruz Sentinel, "Dining with Daniel"
Santa Cruz Highland Games Competitor
USAPL Old Skool Iron, First Place 2021
USAPL Winter Swolstice, First Place 2018
USAPL Lifting Large Open, 3rd Place 2018
UCSC Rugby Team 2006 - 2010
San Fransisco State University, Health and Fitness Teacher 2015-2019
UCSC Graduate
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Kristen Hutson
Kristen fell in love with fitness at the young age of 14 when she joined Crossfit Santa Cruz’s teens class. After acquiring her CF Level 1 cert in 2013 she started co-coaching the teens class at CrossFit Santa Cruz and eventually moved in to working at gyms around the county including CrossFit Watsonville, Crossfit Ready and now West Fitness.
With nine years for coaching under her belt, she’s developed a passion for working alongside athletes to help them achieve their individual goals through drills and strength training.
Her favorite external resources for continued education are Barbell Medicine & Catalyst Athletics methods for cueing Olympic lifting.”
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CrossFit Level 1
Barbell Medicine Continued Education
Santa Cruz Affiliate Cup Team Competitor
NorCal Classic Rx'd Competitor
Local Artist and Teacher
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Brittany Birchall
Brittany has coached CrossFit since 2011 and athletics since 2000. Her well roundedness in coaching is attributed to her repertoire of experience working closely with coaches from a broad background that include the following mentors: Olympian, Eva Twadorkens, former USA Olympic weightlifting team coach, Jim Schmitz, professional athlete and nationally ranked Olympic lifter for Catalyst Athletics, Jocelyn Forest, Grid athlete, United States Marine, and CrossFit Games competitor, Taylor Drescher Gladyk, including the late Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell a world class powerlifting record holder and coach, well as a variety of regionals competitors and coaches that have influenced her experience and that have allowed her to bring a broad lens to classes here at West Fitness.
Brittany believes that fitness should be fun and inclusive, whether you are training to be competitive or just starting out. Coach Britt says, "Strength and conditioning allows you to break mental and physical barriers, while increasing your overall ability to perform and be productive. These breakthroughs translate positively into other areas of your life including personal endeavors and work related experiences that will increase your overall health, wellbeing, and capacity. Fitness is transformative and a key to success and happiness.”
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CrossFit Level 2
CrossFit Football
CrossFit Gymnastics
CrossFit Goal Setting
Demitri Klokov Weightlifting Seminar
Wim Hof Method (breathing & cold exposure)
NFHS Concussion in Sports
Fittest of the Sierras Competitor
B.A. in Liberal Studies, FSU
Master’s Educational Leadership, SJSU
Natalie Talbert
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Natalie has been coaching CrossFit since 2015, but her coaching passion began in 2008. She started coaching a recreational swim team and continued to coach both varsity girls and boys water polo! Natalie has a passion for fostering a safe, inclusive, and FUN environment during her CF classes. Natalie has been championing our West Health class since 2021, which is the home for our 65+ year old members!
Natalie has her CF L-2, her RKC, precision nutrition L-1, and coached with CF HQ for over a year. In addition to her coaching endeavors, she has was a Regionals team athlete in 2018 and competed at the sanctionals level in 2019.
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When asked about fitness Natalie says, "CrossFit is for any human, in any life stage. Find a coach you trust, get started, you won't regret it."
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CrossFit Level 2
RKC
Precision Nutrition Level 1
Donny Shankle Weightlifting Seminar
Regionals Competitor
Sanctionals Competitor
Brazil CrossFit Championship Competitor
French Throwdown Competitor
Waterpolo Collegiate Athlete
Titan Games Season 2
Degree in Psychology, SJSU
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Tim Youmans
Tim has called Santa Cruz his home ever since he was a young man, fresh outtahigh school. He has a lifelong passion for sports, fitness and competition, but has to admit that the Dad-Bod had taken over after many years where other priorities had pushed fitness down the list somewhere below his Friday night slow-pitch softball league. That was until Tim walked into his first Crossfit workout in 2013. He went in thinking of how the workout was incorporating familiar routines and regimes he had used previously, and when he finished he thought of how challenging, yet rewarding it had been. Oh and that everyone should be doing this.. That’s when the trainer said that the warm-up was over and it was time to start the real workout. Tim fully believes that his fitness journey has saved his life and is excited that he can use his passion to help others achieve their own fitness aspirations.
Tim earned his CrossFit Level 1 (CF-L1) trainer certificate in 2018 and his CrossFit Level 2 (CF-L2) trainer certificate in 2022. He is a black belt instructor in Shotokan, Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo Karate and has competed in international karate competitions. Always the weekend warrior, Tim runs Spartan races, sprint triathlons and has competed in multiple CrossFit competitions placing as a top level finisher, The Youmans CrossFit clan includes his wife of over 30 years, Kelley and his two adult ‘yutes’ Shannon and Christopher.
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CrossFit Level 2 Trainer (CF-L2)
Bergener Strength: Weightlifting Level 1/ CrossFit Weightlifting
Judges Certificate (2023)
1st place finish at the 2022 Northern California Classic
1st place finish 2018 NorCal Masters
1st place finish 2019 Masters Clash
2nd place finish 2019 Northern California Classic
Chardae
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