In 2012, CrossFit turned on a light for Scottie. After years of not working out while he was building an industrial contracting business and starting a family he learned about CrossFit through a friend.  From his first WOD he was hooked. The constantly varied workouts were fun for him and the people in the community became good friends. His CrossFit community encouraged him to show up and pursue fitness with people he enjoyed spending time with. Through CrossFit he was introduced to the Olympic Lifts, the snatch and the clean & jerk. The technical and athletic aspects of the lifts were attractive to Scottie. He began training the lifts with Coach Adam Hill and has enjoyed success at regional, national and international levels.  He is passionate about the box, the community, and helping each member improve as athletes.

Adam got into CrossFit after a rock-climbing accident left him sedentary for two years. He chose CrossFit to get back into shape and, though it was challenging because of his now-fused right ankle, he kept at it and made it work and he now enjoys helping others exceed their expectations.

Ethan is a Decatur native and has been doing CrossFit for 7 years. He played 4 years of college baseball at Birmingham Southern, so the CrossFit community felt like home.

“After baseball, CrossFit gave me another opportunity to compete with other individuals and also work as a team”. Ethan enjoys staying active and has many hobbies including hunting and sports. He has a professional background in health and safety, environmental and continuous improvement. “The safety and health of our gym members is my #1 priority. I want people to leave better than they came”. Ethan and his wife (Coach Hanna) welcomed their first child (Keaton) in August 2021.

Jonathan was born and raised in Decatur, AL and is a graduate from UNA. After returning to Decatur in 2015, he was invited to Protocol for a Saturday workout and has not looked back since. He enjoys working with our members and breaking down misconceptions some may have about CrossFit. His favorite part about Protocol is the community and showing up everyday to get better. 

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Emily has lived in Decatur for 5 years and started CrossFit in 2017 after her husband joined and she saw how much fun he was having. She was skeptical initially but quickly fell in love with the community and the sport. She played soccer and loves the competitive and team/group training aspect of CrossFit. She believes with proper coaching and a teachable athlete, CrossFit can be a safe, fun, and effective form of exercises where you will see changes and improvements in aspects of daily life as well as your physical fitness. Emily is a physical therapist, is married to Coach Robbie, and has a dog named Trooper. She loves to push people to do things they don't think they can do and encourages them to try new, hard things. Emily loves to run and will very likely convince you to run at some point!

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Big Red is a physical education teacher and his passion for instilling others with a lifelong love of fitness and being active is evident. As someone who has little athletic background pre-CrossFit, he believes that too many adults have not been empowered with a can-do attitude when it comes to athletics and fitness. Big Red wants to make sure that the members of CrossFit Protocol find that sense of belief in themselves, their bodies, and their abilities and talents. As an athlete, he enjoys strongman training — odd objects, yokes, stones, sleds, and the like.

Alexis joined Crossfit Protocol in 2016 after playing collegiate softball at Snead State. She grew up playing in many competitive sports and has always enjoyed competition and pushing others. Combined with her love for sports and a background in the medical field, helping people to improve their health, fitness, and everyday lives is her primary goal and passion. Alexis believes helping athletes take control of their fitness not only benefits them in the gym, but in their everyday lives as well. She enjoys coaching athletes on an individual level just as much as she does a full class. Her primary focus in the sport is proper form and mechanics to promote a safe and efficient way to do what CrossFit calls “constantly varied functional movements performed at a relatively high intensity.” You can always find Alexis dancing, smiling, or laughing while enjoying the sport she loves the most.

Hunter has been doing CrossFit for a combined 6 years. Spending half of that time while attending the University of North Alabama, he learned and developed a love for the sport. After graduating college he took a short time away from the sport, moved back home, and joined Protocol where he has been a member for 3 years now. Hunter grew up playing many sports, so his love for CrossFit grew naturally. His favorite part about the sport is the friendly competition and the atmosphere it brings. He says “there’s something about cheering everyone on to be better that simply beats any other form of exercise. The personal rewards are great, but it’s the relationships and seeing others get better that makes the sport so amazing.” Hunter is always excited to show up and promote health, fitness, and the betterment of everyday lives.

Billy found CrossFit in 2012 at a local big-box gym when he met a group of people that would later become the original CrossFit Protocol crew. Since then, he and his family have focused on CrossFit as their fitness program — it’s been a life-changing experience for them! As a coach, Billy is passionate about the holistic side of fitness. He believes maintaining good mobility and proper nutrition is an essential supplement to any workout regimen.

Coach Bill Gibson has been involved in competitive powerlifting and waterskiing since high school. He holds multiple state, regional and national powerlifting titles, including all of the American records and 3 out of 4 of the world records for his age/weight in powerlifting. Bill also holds the state open deadlift record, and he is proud to say he is a lifetime drug- and hormone-therapy-free athlete.

His favorite quote is “The best way to break a bad habit is to replace it with a good one.”

Laura is affectionally known as the GOAT (Greatest of all time). Laura has been a member at CrossFit Protocol since 2013. She has spent the better part of that time flashing a positive attitude and winning smile while coaching members to athletic greatness. Laura always loves a challenge and pushes herself to be the best version of herself inside and outside of the gym. Outside of the gym she loves soaking up the sun and playing with her two dogs, Cap and Bucky.

Hanna is originally from Eva, AL but moved to Decatur in 2018 with her husband. Hanna is a former college cheerleader at Mississippi State (Hail State). When her cheer career ended, she started CrossFit to fill the void and fell in love with the competitive nature and team-like camaraderie. Hanna works as a Physical Therapist Assistant and enjoys helping and coaching people to reach their health and fitness goals.

Hanna and her husband (coach Ethan) just welcomed their first son in August 2021.

Coming Soon