• CF-L2 Coach
• USAW Sports Performance Coach
• USAW Weightlifting Master Athlete
• Basic Life Support AED certified
• American Red Cross Instructor

I enjoyed recreational softball from the age of ten through my early thirties. It was in my early twenties when I first found my love for Olympic weightlifting and became an ACE certified personal trainer and amateur weightlifting competitor. For over 20 years now, I actively volunteer as an American Red Cross Instructor for an array of courses and umpired fast and slow pitch softball for nearly 15 years. In college I played rugby and dabbled in bodybuilding between competition cycles. I moved from my hometown in Ohio to San Diego and while I grew professionally I placed my health and wellness low in my priorities for a few years. After putting on a considerable amount of weight and finally having enough of a sedentary lifestyle, I found CrossFit through a friend at work. Since starting my journey with CrossFit in late January 2013, I have lost over 100 pounds of fat, gained a considerable amount of lean muscle mass and enjoy a level of fitness I’ve never before known. I am a believer in the combination of functional movement, mobility exercises and informed nutrition. I adore witnessing people literally change their lives in so many ways through the influence and commitment to CrossFit. I am grateful and thankful for our CrossFit Community and I appreciate the opportunity to share it with others…see you in the box!

• • CF-L1 Coach
  • CF Kids
  • CPR
  • Wilderness First Aid
  • CARDA 1095
  • Child First Aid

  I have always been an athletic person. Growing up I played travel/competitive youth baseball, which led to 4 years of varsity baseball, which led to 4 years of varsity baseball and 2 years of varsity basketball in high school. I choose to play college D-1 baseball, despite being drafted by the Padres right out of high school. I played at UCLA and LBSU. After a career ending injury, I lost interest in working out. It wasn’t until 2013, when I was introduced to CrossFit, that it sparked my competitive nature again and I got my L1 in 2014, followed by my Kids’ CrossFit Cert in 2016. I love coaching and I enjoy that my entire family can participate in CrossFit. My hobbies include woodworking and Search and Rescue with my dog. The one thing I love about Polarize CrossFit, is the family atmosphere we have here.

Yoga is my passion and has been a part of my life for over ten years. My practice has helped me grow stronger, more flexible, and fearless, both on and off the mat. Yoga inspires me to live each moment more mindfully and with intent. I always have been active and played sports. Yoga helped me transform my body to reach my optimal physical well being. I love teaching this practice to others. It enables me to share my love for yoga with others so they can experience the benefits of this practice for themselves. I strive to have every person who leaves class feeling relaxed, renewed, and strong. 

Hafa adai (how we say hello in Guam), my name is Aria Gumataotao! Some things you should know about me are that I am the most uncoordinated athletic person on the block, I am pretty goofy and tend to make weird noises when frustrated or happy, and finally I have long desired to be in a position to use my love for fitness and wellness to help anyone on their journey to health and happiness.

The journey that brought me to coach here at Polarize starts with my discovery of CrossFit in 2015 to condition as a national rugby player for
Guam. A whole new world of working out was opened to me and a hole in my life became full of Olympic lifting, EMOMs, and burpees. Not only did I fall in love with CrossFit at my first box, but I also found the love of my life who moved us to Cali with our daughter and 2 dogs. Now we’re here and I’m ready to assist beginner and advanced athletes alike get some good ol’ pump and sweat!

• • CF-L1 Coach
  • CPR
  • AED

  I have been playing sports both recreational and competitively since I was in elementary school. I played soccer competitively in high school and spent a short few months on my college track team training with decathletes. Shortly thereafter I found an interest in weight training and bodybuilding. That interest then evolved into powerlifting, which became the focus of my training for several years. During these first few years of training, I found myself driven to learn as much as possible about diet, training, and consistency as I could.

  After moving to the San Diego area for a job teaching high school physics, I found that my consistency in the gym had been diminishing. In comes CrossFit to the rescue! I originally chose to give CrossFit a try purely because of the scheduled class times and their ability to give me some much-needed consistency to my workout routine. Fast forward two years and I am doing CrossFit four to five times per week, still setting personal bests, and getting my CF-L1. It is my goal as a coach to help every athlete that steps through our doors to improve their fitness, mindset, and approach to living a better life.

I started playing sports when I was young. Soccer, baseball, and football were my go to. I still play softball one night a week on a Co-Ed team. I always enjoyed lifting weights but was afraid of injuries since the only coaching I had ever received was from high school football coaches.

In 2015, I was introduced to Polarize and Coach Jo and have been lifting the right way ever since.

In my professional life as a Certified Pedorthist my training in biomechanics and anatomy give me a great understanding of proper form and function.

I enjoy helping others, and seeing how my coaching can improve their lifts and movements.

My goal is to make weightlifting safe and fun to help people accomplish the fitness goals.

* USAW Level 1 Coach

• CF-L2
• High School S&C

Born and raised in Oceanside, California, I was introduced to CrossFit through wrestling at Vista High School and took my passion to College. I studied Physical Education and Health at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa where I also competed on the wrestling team. I was fortunate enough to earn All-American status twice before graduating. Today I get to be dad to my son and daughter while being a full time teacher and wrestling/ S&C coach at Poway High School during the day. I use CrossFit methodology in my classroom and get extreme enjoyment out of assisting others to their goals.

At a young age, I was introduced to sports starting with little league baseball. From there I transitioned to playing football where I was exposed to weight lifting. After high school, I was very intrigued with nutrition and body mechanics and started bodybuilding. I’ve always loved helping friends and giving advice where I could; so much so that I would spend countless hours in the gym after my workout to help out others achieve their goals. When I was introduced to CrossFit by a family member, my outlook on exercise changed and I made it a lifestyle. I love the CrossFit community, the daily challenges I am able to put myself through, and being able to call myself a family member of Polarize CrossFit. I aspire to coach, advise and motivate others to reach their goals.

Growing up I played softball and ran track and field. I spent time in the gym, did traditional workouts. I was under the impression I was fit and worked hard. As a Marine the focus was always running and set standard of movements that defined fitness. A friend introduced me to CrossFit in 2014 and all it took was one workout for me to quickly realize I was not in as of good shape as I had thought. After six months or so I attended the level 1 certificate course and about a year later I took the USAW Level 1 Course.  Coaching quickly became my passion. Over the past 8 years I’ve coached at four gyms and two barbell clubs, one of which I owned. Seeing other athletes progress and find happiness through fitness is the greatest gift I’ve received. The CrossFit and weightlifting community have been my family ever since. 

CF-L2

USAW Level 2

CrossFit Weightlifting Level 1

I started my fitness journey around 2008, when the youngest of my 7 children started school. I wanted to fill my time with something healthy.  I started working out with other women at Curves and ended up becoming a part of the fitness team in resistance training, and received a certificate in nutrition through the Cleveland Clinic! I found that I enjoyed the fitness community and friendships I made while training.  Coaching and helping people achieve their fitness goals became a passion. I ended up getting very involved in Curves and even working at the corporate office for Curves and Jenny Craig. During the pandemic, the Curves where I was teaching closed and Polarize CrossFit welcomed us with open arms. I am still able to teach the resistance class I enjoy and be a part of a great team.  Because of the pandemic it has become apparent how important our health, fitness, and community are.  I saw firsthand how the lack of movement and camaraderie at the gym affected our members.  It is even more important to me now to help, teach, encourage, and support members to be healthy and strong.

Coach Lauri is our MAC coach

I am a holistic health practitioner and massage therapist, specializing in the mind, body, soul connection. I’ve been in the business of body work for nearly a decade, and I can assure you that with the treatments that I provide, your life will improve dramatically. My background of massaging in chiropractic offices, working with acupuncture professionals, and providing Thai massage in studios gives me an edge in the field of body work. The sessions I provide are unique and individualized to fit your needs. Health and wellness mean harmony in the body, and I love helping people along their journey to feeling better. A healthy body means a healthy mind and spirit and I’m honored to help you live a happier and more balanced lifestyle. Massage and the holistic approach to wellness can be considered preventative care to avoid injury and illness and should not be considered a luxury. It’s a way of life and a way to take care of your body for optimal performance for your busy, full life.

When I was young I enjoyed being active and participated in all types
of sports from water polo to football. I never really enjoyed anything
that I tried. In high school, I was introduced to Parkour. I learned
gymnastics-like movements using my body weight. I then discovered
Polarize CrossFit where the coaches taught me how to lift weights which
complimented my Parkour training. After training consistently for a
year I made a huge amount of progress, gaining 20 lbs of muscle. This
type of training was life-changing for me. I am happy to join the Polarize
CrossFit staff and hope to help other people like me change their
life.