Teresa Briest

While playing youth sports at the age of 12, Teresa was told her knees weren’t built for intense exercise. Swimming was suggested instead of basketball along with physical therapy and adaptive physical education. That one suggestion, although very difficult to grasp, lead to a whole new path for Teresa and athletics. She grew strong in high school and college swimming and developed a love for the sport. While pursuing her education degree, Teresa decided to continue her swimming as a coach at the high school level. Coaching and teaching techniques became second nature for Teresa.

In 2007, a good friend, Darcy Franklin, suggested triathlons. She was hooked after winning her age group in her very first race. But in 2010, Teresa had a season ending foot injury. With determination and the guidance of Darcy, Teresa started her CrossFit training journey and has never looked back. She sees the benefits of high intensity training along with Olympic weight lifting when swimming in masters swim meets. She has never been stronger and holds MN age group records in swimming to prove it! Along with being head coach and owner of Tangletown CrossFit, Teresa is the owner and coach of I Swim Masters Team in Eden Prairie.

Teresa had progressed in her CrossFit training to now include competitions. She has many successes with team competitions and has accomplished a personal goal of finishing the masters qualifier every year since 40 years old. Teresa views CrossFit as an excellent workout for all fitness levels and is an encouraging coach who wants to help others meet their personal goals!

Outside of the gym, Teresa enjoys spending time with her husband and children, eating cheese, cheering on any Badger team, and playing with her dog.

Certifications

• CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

• CrossFit Level 2 Trainer

• CrossFit Gymnastics Certificate

• Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certified

• United States Masters Swimming Level 2

• USA Swimming Coach

• CPR/First Aid

• Owner and coach of I Swim, LLC

Education

• BS in Education

• MA in Education

Aaron Dush

Aaron grew up playing basketball, football, and baseball and has always been open to learning and trying new sports. He has coached many, many youth sports for his children over the years. In 2017 he found CrossFit and has been hooked ever since.

Aaron is also a certified USA Weightlifting coach and has competed in Olympic weightlifting. Aside from continuing to develop his own skills, he has a passion to help others achieve their fitness goals through his experience and learning. Aaron is an early riser, so you will normally find him at the gym very early in the morning. Outside of the gym, Aaron enjoys spending time with his family and all things outdoors including biking, hiking, skiing, and camping.  

Certifications:

• CrossFit Level 1

• USA Weightlifting Level 1

Rob Evans

What can you say about a guy like Rob? Well, he enjoys a low-round of golf, a middle-of-the-road comedy, and a high-intensity workout! This is where CrossFit comes in. As a CrossFit athlete for the past 10+ years, Rob became so interested in human movement that he obtained a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Minnesota to fulfill his passion of learning more about optimizing pain-free movement. Rob brings these skills and passion with him into the gym every week, as he both coaches CrossFit and runs an out-of-network cash-pay physical therapy clinic inside of Tangletown CrossFit to help its members and others in the community overcome injury and maximize their fitness!

Certifications

• CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

• Crossfit Level 2 Trainer

• DPT (Doctorate of Physical Therapy)

• Cert-CMFA (Certification in the Clinical Management of the Fitness Athlete)

• CCWC (Clinical Athlete Weightlifting Coach

Chrissy Kelsch

Chrissy discovered a love of kettlebells about 15 years ago and that was really the catalyst for her evolution into a fitness coach and personal trainer. She was trained in kettlebells by an RKC certified trainer and began coaching and doing personal training and nutrition coaching about 5 years ago.  A love of CrossFit soon followed and she got her L1 certification. 

When Chrissy isn’t at the gym you can find her relaxing with her husband and her dog and two cats, taking frequent trips to her favorite city of New Orleans and walking the city lakes year round. 

Certifications

• CrossFit L1

• NASM certified personal trainer 

• NASM certified nutrition coach 

• Precision Nutrition Level 1 

• CPR/AED Certified

Brock Leshon

Brock began his strength training journey in his early teens to get stronger for the sports he played. In high school he started playing Water Polo and swimming while continuing to lift weights regularly. Brock started trying CrossFit to supplement his strength training at 18 and would do them a few times a week until he started to focus exclusively on CrossFit which led to him getting his L1.

Certifications

• CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

Tim Nennich

In 2017, Tim found himself at over 400 pounds and barely able to climb a set of stairs. He decided a change needed to be made, so he started CrossFit and hasn’t looked back. Since then he has gotten his L1 and L2 CrossFit Training Certificates and is frequently seen judging premier CrossFit competitions throughout the country.

Certifications

• CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

• CrossFit Level 2 Trainer

Anthony Nguyen

From a young age, Anthony grew up playing soccer and falling in love with team sports, even up through college where he played on the University of Minnesota - Duluth Men's Club team. Through a few good connections, he added in rock climbing as a hobby and went on to pursue training at an American Ninja Warrior gym, where he also helped coach within their adult and youth programs.

Just before Covid hit in 2020, he was referred to Ben Bergeron's "Chasing Excellence" podcast, where he found CrossFit and hasn't looked back since. Anthony's love for sports, functional fitness and the power of community led him to pursue the L1 and will occasionally throw around some weights in local competitions.

In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, going on walks around Lake Harriet, and babysitting his two nieces.

Certifications

• CrossFit Level-1 Trainer

Jill Plumb-Smith

Jill has been a lifelong runner and cyclist. Completing trail runs, marathons and 24-hour mountain bike events has long been part of her routine. Jill enjoys competing, but has always preferred the introspective time available during a challenging distance workout. Adding yoga to her endurance program was a great addition to her mind-body goals.

CrossFit has now set a new standard for her. She not only sees the benefits of interval and strength training for her personal goals, but also is genuinely excited to see other people of all body shapes and sizes reach their own measure of success. Jill is always there with a smile and a motivational word. She is always excited to discuss the latest literature on nutrition and healthy lifestyles. Jill has a passion for teaching members correct movement and position to avoid injury. Members love her sense of humor, attention to detail and her hard work she exudes during her own skill and WOD time.

Certifications

• CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

• Certified Yoga Instructor (CYT)

Education

• M.S. Landscape Architecture, U of MN

• B.A. Chemistry, Gustavus Adolphus

Justine Strom

Justine played softball growing up and then transitioned to the group fitness atmosphere where she fell in love with lifting weights. This helped her build confidence inside and outside the gym, and realize how fun it is to get strong and build muscle. Justine balances all different types of training in addition to mindful nutrition to keep her happy and healthy, and she loves to help others on their fitness and nutrition journey. On the rare occasions she is not at the gym, she likes spending time in the kitchen creating new recipes, speaking Spanish, traveling and being in nature.

Certifications

• CrossFit Level 1

• USAW Level 1

• CrossFit Gymnastics Certificate

• Precision Nutrition Level 1

• Working Against Gravity Certified Nutrition Coach

Andrea Wilt

Growing up, Andrea participated in a variety of team sports purely for movement and fell prey to the motto of the day, “thin is in,” which led to a decade-long battle with eating disorders. She found long-distance running in her late twenties and completed 20 marathons, some of them as a coach with the Leukemia Society’s Team in Training program.

In 2012, having never picked up a barbell, she joined Tangletown CrossFit for a new challenge and has never looked back. It was here she realized the benefits of strength training, functional fitness, proper nutrition to fuel a body, and the power of community. This led to Andrea pursuing her L1 helping others realize the benefits of consistency in training, proper movement and fun.

Now in her 50’s – yes 50’s! – she is in better shape than a decade ago and is most passionate about helping middle-aged women like herself understand the importance of building strength and that age is not a limiting factor for anyone.

When not in the gym, Andrea can be found coaching attorneys in her other line of work, spending time with her three mostly adult children, gardening, dancing and being active with nearly any activity outside.

Certifications:

• CrossFit L1 Trainer