Head Coach - Miguel De La Fuente

Miguel has been active in sports since the age of 5, when his father would take him to watch him play professional soccer in Mexico. While attending H.S., He was active in sports and participated in activities such as cross country, football, basketball, and track.

In 1992, Mr. De La Fuente joined the Armed Forces where he attended many schools during his ten year career which include the United States Army Ranger School, known to be the toughest military school in the world.

Upon graduating Ranger School, he became part of the most elite soldiers in the world. Mr. De La Fuente was later promoted by the Department of the Army to the rank of Staff Sergeant, SSG. Because of his outstanding achievements, he was selected by the Department of Defense (DOD) to become an instructor at the United States Army School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia.

At the School of the Americas, he instructed in counter narcotics, physical fitness, self defense, search and seizure, vehicle check point, target recognition and acquisition. All classes were taught in Spanish to Latin American soldiers and law enforcement officers.

As an instructor, Mr. De La Fuente was recognized by DOD as instructor of the cycle. He thereon attended the Special Forces Assessment and Selection course where he was selected to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course where he became an expert in the Special Forces Communications MOS.

He was highly commended by his seniors, respected by his peers, and looked up to by his subordinates. He always took charge and completed missions to the best of his ability and for that he was selected to be in charge of important missions by his seniors.

While in the service, he interested in events and races such as marathons, triathlons and biathlons. He also trained and competed in MMA matches and was in the Army post boxing team. Which is why he decided to get into the field of fitness and exercise. To this day, he lives by and follows the Ranger Creed and standards which are to always strive to be the best and “set the example for others to follow”. On a daily basis, through his fitness classes and coaching, he teaches people the same philosophy. Miguel has been a personal trainer for over ten years.

He has trained a variety of clients in an array of areas such as weight loss training, Strength training and Conditioning for athletes, Boxers and mix martial art fighters, Marathons, Triathlon, and other short distance runners.

In October of 2006, he founded the first and only military style Boot Camp in South Texas. Miguel was the Strength and Conditioning coach for the Basketball team known as the RGV Silverados.

Earlier this year Miguel came across CrossFit through one of his friends, and immediately fell in love with it. He attended a certification and was even more intrigued with the professionalism that the instructors from CrossFit HQs had and knew he had to open a box in the RGV, and introduce CrossFit to everyone. Miguel plans to attend other certifications in the next couple of months and continue to promote health, sports, and elite fitness to the entire Rio Grande Valley.

“CrossFit gives me the HIGH and adrenaline rush I used to get while in the military, jumping over 10,000 feet in the middle of the desert, jungle, or mountains. The CrossFit community, reminds me of the closeness I had in some of the elite units I served.”

Miguel is also a motivational speaker, and has presented in many places such as middle Schools, high schools, and at colleges. He is also part of non-profit organizations that help teens prevent violence, alcohol, and drugs. He also helps plan and organize health fairs and local races.

With regard to Mr. De La Fuentes’s academic background, he attended Professional Fitness Trainer School where he received his certification as a personal trainer in Houston, Texas. He is also an ACSM certified fitness trainer. Miguel attended the University of Texas at Brownsville, where he received a Bachelors of Science in Exercise Science. Miguel is currently completing his Graduate degree in Kinesiology from UTPA and will graduate in summer 2010. Miguel is already planning and conducting research for his thesis, where he plans to compare the benefits of CrossFit type training vs. the Physical Activity (PA) national standards set by ACSM. He plans to study the physiological and psychological effects of CrossFit vs. ACSM standards of PA.

Experience:

• BS Exercise Science

• MS Kinesiology (Summer 2010)

• Founder of first real military Boot Camp in South Texas

• 2 years Pro- athlete strength & conditioning coach

• Over 20 years in sports

• 10 years U.S. Armed forces

• Graduate from U.S. Army Ranger School Graduate from Special Forces A.S and Q course

• 3 tours overseas, Middle east and South America

• Graduated from many other numerous military leadership and tactical schools

• Instructor at School of The Americas

• Over ten years certified fitness trainer

• ACSM certified trainer

• Over 6 years of Public speaker appearances

• Teen Violence, alcohol, and drug prevention

• Health & fitness awareness

• Leadership presentations

• Motivational speaker

Head Coach - Paulina De La Fuente

Coach Polly, has been involved in sports since she was a kid. She followed in the foot steps of all her uncles, who all played basketball around the valley and in Mexico, professionally. Coach Polly attended Edinburg High and played basketball all four years of high school. When she was in her Junior and Senior years (2005 and 2006 seasons) polly led her team to the state playoffs, they made it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen tournament, where unfortuentely their road trip ended. Coach Polly knows what determination and hard work is, and therefore she is always training her CrossFit athletes the same. After HS she went onto college to San Marcos, TX to Texas State University, but she really missed the valley and her family and she return to the Rio Grande Valley. She stayed active in local basketball leagues where she played on her spare time. Do to a minor injury she had to stop playing basketball and her exercising was on hold.

Later Coach Polly met Coach Miguel and he reintroduce her to a different type of fitness. While they were dating Polly helped Miguel with his boot camps while Miguel taught her more about fitness, while he was finishing up his Kinesiology degree. They later got married and continue on the journey together to promote fitness around the valley. Soon when Miguel found CrossFit, Coach Polly supported him 100% and helped him in following his dream and passion for fitness. Together, with the support of several friends and family, they have now opened the valleys first CrossFit affiliate and have big dreams and hope for the valley and fitness.

Coach Polly, fell in love with CrossFit after her husband and Head coach introduce her to it and she is now coaching and will be attending the Level 1 cert in February 2010. Polly and Miguel have, for the last year and half, organized and trained teams to run at races around Texas; some very notable races include the Texas Indepence Relay (203 mile from Gonzales, TX to Houston, TX) and the Beach to Bay Relays in Corpus Christi, TX (they took 5 teams last year and the all female team got 10th place over all).

Coach Polly is mother of Coach Mya. She currently attends Univeristy of Texas Pan American hoping to attain a degree in Communication Disorders. But besides sports, fitness, and her family, Coach Polly is very much involved with her family church where she attends regularly and puts her family in God’s hands.

Coach - Jaime "DOG" Acuna

Coach Jaime graduated from Edinburg High School in 2009. During his four years of high school, Jaime participated in the Varsity basketball team and helped take his team to the state playoffs in 2008 and 2009. Jaime was named All Valley MVP and First Team All District. He played in the All Star Game where outstanding players from all over the valley play together as East vs West. After High School, Jaime began doing CrossFit with his sister and brother in law Miguel. Now Coach Dog holds his Level 1 Certification and has competed in a couple of CrossFit competitions. His goal is to compete in the CrossFit Games of 2011 as well as attend more certifications to gain more knowledge of what CrossFit has to offer.

Assistant Coach - Mya

Coach Mya is only 13 months, and she is already doing push ups, ab mat sit ups, Burpees, over head squats, Stepping over Jump rope, and as you can see above she loves the pull up bar. You will also see Coach Mya watching our athletes, making sure they are doing the proper technique. Fitness for Mya Yzebed Aymar, began before she was born. Her dad (head coach) and Mother (Polly) have been into sports their whole lives. So Mya has obviously received some good genes. Coach Mya wakes up at 5:00 am each morning to go to the Box and learn from her father, the head coach, and pay close attention to all the members.

At the age of 3 months, Mya was eating peanut butter sandwiches, brocoli, and protein shakes and balancing on the big exercise ball. She loves to get flipped in the air, and thrown up in the air. That shows the beggining of a good gymnast, or perhaps the first Female Airborne Ranger and female Special Ops Operator. Recently coach Mya has shown interest in the Box jumps and muscle ups. Her diet is Paleo and a whole lot of it. Her balance is outstanding, and her pain tolerance is remarkable. She enjoys pain, since the age of 1 month, when she got her first shot, she did not blink and she continues to be the same, with out regard for pain. You will see Coach Mya fall from high places when playing around, she will get up and continue with her mission, just like a good little Ranger. If she would talk this is what she would say.

Assistant Coach - Sara Cardoza

Coach Sara graduated from high school in 2001. She was in gymnastics since the age of 11 and joined cheerleading in junior high school. Throughout high school, Sara was a member of the competitive cheerleading squad that competed nationally all four years, placing 3rd one year, 5th another year, and top ten the other two years. In addition to being in cheerleading, Sara participated in softball for three years and soccer for one year. After high school, Sara attended Yale University where she graduated in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in architecture. She came back home and taught third grade for one year before moving into the architecture field and then finally finding a permanent position at South Texas College in 2007. Sara is an Assistant Professor in the Computer-Aided Drafting and Design Department. She is also taking classes online to get her Master's Degree in Higher Education Administration so that she can continue to work at the college level.

While Sara has always valued health and fitness, it wasn't until Summer 2008 when she got really serious about working out. She met Miguel and his wife Polly when she joined Ranger Bootcamp. Since then, Sara has remained dedicated to the intense workouts that Miguel has introduced to her, as crazy as they may seem!

In 2009, Miguel introduced Sara and Polly to some basic CrossFit moves. It was then that Sara began to see the real benefits of this intense sport or new program. Sara has been a member of Ranger CrossFit since it opened in December 2009. She has remained committed and loyal to Miguel, Polly, and all of the Ranger CrossFit family. Sara has competed in several races such as the 2009 Beach to Bay Relay Marathon, the 2010 Rock and Roll (half) Marathon, and the 2011 Beach to Bay Relay Marathon.

In 2010, Sara won first place in the women's division at the 1st Annual Ranger CrossFit Fittest Competition. Sara showed interest in coaching CrossFit a few months back and started training harder and volunteering on her spare hours at RCF with new athletes. She is now coaching more often and has registered to take on the CrossFit Level 1 Certification in July 2011.

Sara is also looking forward to competing in future CrossFit Competitions across Texas. She will compete at the Laredo Summer Games in July 2011. Sara and Coach Miguel have been doing CrossFit for along time and are very good friends with the same vision and goals for the community that both have co-founded a new apparel company know as Elite Fit.

Assistant Coach - Gabby Vasquez

CrossFit Level 1 Certified
Bio coming soon.

Assistant Coach - Ashlee Hornbuckle

Bio coming soon

Assistant Coach - Helen Cantu

Bio coming soon