Colby Thomason - Coach
I was originally born in California but raised in Oregon until 2014 when I finished college at the University of Oregon and moved out to Oklahoma. Growing up I was active in just about every way I could be. I played basketball and soccer pretty much from 2nd grade up through high school. Basketball was my primary passion and I probably would have tried to play in college if I had not torn my MCL. I played on AAU teams, classic teams, and one international team which was extremely fun. In between sports though was just as much outdoor activity as possible. From paintball and dirt bikes to snow boarding and hiking we did just about everything. After high school when sports came to an end, I found myself missing that team environment, which ended up being a big reason for me joining the military in 2011.
In 2015 one of my soldiers recommended I try out CrossFit and to be honest I was skeptical at first. When I turned 18, I started working at gyms and doing personal training, small group training, and even Golds Fit classes. I grew up in with a more traditional body building style background which is why I was on the fence about CrossFit. I was super competitive and was eager to see what the rage was all about, so I gave it a shot. I lived about 5 minutes from Koda HQ but was driving to Norman because I had no idea they had multiple locations. It wasn’t until one day Kevin asked why I drove so far to come do CrossFit and I told him I thought I had to. Kevin talked me into doing First timers about a month later which is where competing all started for me. I had only been doing CrossFit for a month, so I tried to sign up in the scaled division, but I was forbidden, and he said to sign up for advanced instead. After that I immediately fell in love with competing, the community and the never-ending hunt to be good at CrossFit.
Since then I have been trying to learn and grow as much as I can by attending different seminars and certifications. I have done CrossFit L1, L2, Gymnastics, and Weightlifting certification. What I love about Koda is the commitment to its members to be the best programming out there. I’ve seen plenty of other gyms, programming, and staff and its easy to say without a doubt Koda sets the standard. Not only are Koda members getting the best workouts but they are apart of the best community. Competing can be scary and stressful, but when you look into the crowd and see 40+ Koda members cheering you on there is nothing like it. Seriously, its almost unreal how many Koda people go to every competition. Another thing I love about coaching and being apart of this gym is the life changing aspect that happens day after day. Knowing someone is going home and has the energy to play with their kids and pick them up and create those memories is awesome. Or watching someone on a weight loss journey pick up a 45lb plate and realize they were once carrying around all that extra weight with them and just smile is a feeling you cant beat.
Fun facts about me. Not a huge fan of needles. I have one tattoo. I like to wear XL clothing because its comfy. I usually do not tie my shoes when working out. I must chew gum during a workout. Natalie genuinely enjoys sweaty hugs post workout. I enjoy gambling with my guts and trying out different taco trucks.