Hammock Coast CrossFit: Transforming Lives Through Fitness and Community

By Haley Brandon

In Pawleys Island, Hammock Coast CrossFit has become a place where people of all ages and backgrounds come together to improve their fitness and well-being. Founded by Karen and Scott Stephenson, this gym has grown from a family passion into a flourishing community, offering a variety of classes and fostering a sense of belonging among its members.

“We started doing CrossFit for our family,” says Karen Stephenson, owner of Hammock Coast CrossFit. The journey began in 2010 when their oldest son introduced the family to CrossFit workouts during a break from college. Karen, who homeschooled their four children, began incorporating these workouts into their physical education curriculum. “I always thought if I expect that they should do it, then I should do it too,” Karen explains. “If they need to exercise, I need to exercise. And I did need to exercise; we all do.” The family-centric approach laid the foundation for what would become a lifelong passion for helping people get and stay fit.

For years, the Stephenson family used their garage as a makeshift CrossFit gym, accumulating equipment and building their fitness routine. Scott, who traveled frequently for work, would drop in at CrossFit gyms across the country while Karen reluctantly continued to do workouts in the garage with the kids. The turning point for Karen came when the family vacationed at Oak Island, and she finally experienced a real CrossFit gym. “And then I was hooked,” she recalls. The experience of working out with others, the coaches’ guidance, and the structured environment drew her in and made it all so exciting. After that, she thought, “Here’s an exercise regime I could do for the rest of my life.”

Over the next couple of years, when the family traveled, they would drop in at the local CrossFit gym. At the time, they were living in Elkins, West Virginia, and the closest CrossFit gym was a 45-minute drive away, and not an easy one. “If there had been a CrossFit affiliate in our area, we’d have just joined it, and that would have been that. But there wasn’t,” Karen says. Once all the kids left the house, Karen wondered what she was going to do with her time spent homeschooling and raising four kids. As she drove around town, she would look at empty buildings and think, “That would make a great CrossFit gym.” After plenty of thought and consideration, she and Scott decided to go for it.

In December 2016, Scott retired from his job as an engineer, and the two of them pursued their CrossFit Level 1 certification. At the time, the results took about two weeks to be delivered. “We sat there at his official retirement luncheon and didn’t know if we had passed the Level 1 certification exam required to open a gym. All we could think was, ‘This is insane, what are we doing?’” Karen remembers. Despite the uncertainty, they both passed the exam and suddenly, doors just started opening. The old car garage they had been eyeing as their dream location fell into place, and after a few months of cleaning it and getting it set up with weights and equipment, they opened their first CrossFit affiliate, 1201 CrossFit, in March 2017.

About two years into owning that gym, Karen was reading some business mentorship material, and one of the first questions asked was: As a business owner, what does your perfect day look like? “I took it really seriously because with all of my kids gone or moving away, there was really no reason for us to stay in West Virginia anymore,” says Karen. “And my perfect day is at the beach.”

That perfect day started to take shape in July 2019 when the Stephensons took a vacation in Murrells Inlet. And just like the pieces fell into place for their first gym in Elkins, it happened all over again. “If there had been any resistance, we wouldn’t have done it,” says Karen. “I had learned by then that anything you have to beat a door down for probably isn’t for you. So, if the doors don’t open, I don’t go.” But the doors opened. They were able to sell their affiliate in West Virginia to two loyal members turned coaches. The owner of the Murrells Inlet Airbnb they were staying at ended up being a realtor who introduced them to Pawleys Island. There were no CrossFit gyms in the area, so once again, the couple had the opportunity to introduce the fun of high-intensity, coach-led group training to a whole new population. Before they knew it, they were buying a condo in Pawleys Island and could focus on their goal of opening a CrossFit gym by the beach so Karen could pursue her perfect day.

By January 2020, Hammock Coast CrossFit (HCCF) found its first home at the corner of Waverly and Petigru. However, the pandemic delayed their opening. Despite the challenges, they adapted by offering online group classes through Zoom and gradually reopened, eventually moving to a larger space and their current location, on Petigru Drive.

Since then, Hammock Coast CrossFit has become a place where people come together to pursue their fitness goals. The gym offers a variety of personal training and group classes, including SeniorFit for individuals over 55, focusing on strength, agility, balance, cardio-respiratory function, and mobility. SeniorFit classes, led by CrossFit Level 2 coaches, have produced remarkable results, with members experiencing improved strength and increased muscle mass, better posture, increased confidence, and an overall improvement in their quality of life, including lower A1C, getting off diabetes and high blood pressure medication, and no longer needing canes to move around. Even better, these members have found a friend group outside of those in their everyday lives: friends who share a common interest in taking control of their health. The gym also offers CrossFit Kids classes, which teach the fundamentals of fitness to children aged 5-12 in a fun and engaging way, as well as small group coaching for area sports teams.

New members are taken through a series of one-on-one RampUp classes with a coach who teaches them proper movement and prepares them for group class. No workout is the same, and that’s the premise of CrossFit: constantly varied, functional movement designed to prepare you for everyday life. Hammock Coast CrossFit utilizes daily programming that offers 7 different versions of each workout to ensure that their workouts are safe and effective. Karen emphasizes the accessibility of CrossFit for everyone: “We modify every movement to meet you where you are currently and guide you every step of the way. I’ve never been an athlete. I’ve never been super fit. If I can do CrossFit, anybody can.” If you’re unsure whether group class is for you, the gym also offers personal training to help you reach your goals at your own pace.

Hammock Coast CrossFit focuses not only on the physical improvements of its members but also on the mental improvements and the supportive environment it fosters. “Our one and only goal was to help people live long and healthy lives by creating a community of people who wanted to work out together,” Karen shares. The gym has become a place where teachers, doctors, lawyers, college students, and grandparents work out side by side, encouraging and supporting each other. “We want the one hour you spend with us to be fun and effective, so you’ll show up, walk through our doors regularly, see change, and become happier, stronger, and healthier.”

For more information, please visit www.hammockcoastcrossfit.com and follow HCCF on Instagram at @hammockcoast_cf.