ABOUT US
Our core beliefs
- Investing in yourself is the best investment you can make.
- Health is a journey you choose.
- Personalized programs are more effective at achieving results.
- Everyone is an athlete they come in all sizes, ages, and abilities.
- Results take a full commitment in and out of the gym.
Meet our team members
Chris Thorndike
Chris Thorndike
Certification and Education:
- Chris is the co-owner of Factory Forged, an online fitness business school and consulting company that helps gym owners grow their businesses’s.
- B.S. Business Management- University of Florida
- CrossFit Level 2
- USAW Level 2 Advanced Sport Performance Certification (Danny Camargo)
- CrossFit Movement & Mobility (Kelly Starrett)
- OPT CCP Level 1 Coach (Program Design and Assessment)
- CrossFit Nutrition Certificate (Robb Wolf)
- Gymnastics Free Style (Carl Paoli)
Tori Taylor
Tori Taylor
Victoria Taylor, better known by most at the gym as Tori, has had a love for sports for most of her life. Growing up she played basketball, volleyball, soccer, and softball throughout middle and high school. She excelled as an athlete in her athletic programs, having a crucial leadership role in most sports her junior and senior year. In early 2017, she fell in love with crossfit when it reignited her passion for fitness, and gave her the strong community and friendly competition she had been searching for.
Tori worked as a Certified Surgical Technologist for almost 5 years, specializing in Plastic Surgery. As Assistant Manager at a busy outpatient surgery center, she developed vital skills needed to succeed in her growing career. After graduating with her BAS in Health Service Administration, she was eager to use her experiences and background to make a difference and serve others. She is excited to have this opportunity to grow and work with LIV Athletic as Director of Communications.
Certification and Education:
- A.A. in Nursing – 2013
- Certification in Surgical Technology – 2014
- B.A.S. in Health Service Administration – 2017
Rachel Gonzalez
Rachel Gonzalez
Rachel has been involved in athletics throughout her life, focusing mainly on volleyball and dance. She was first introduced to Crossfit during her undergraduate career at UF, and quickly fell in with the sport. She has been a member at Liv since 2016 and fondly refers to Liv as “her happy place”.
Rachel’s is eager to help others feel empowered and take control of their own health and fitness.
Certification and Education:
- Professional coach development course – 2019
Valencia Vigarino
Valencia Vigarino
Valencia is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and came to Gainesville to study Applied Physiology and Kinesiology. She played soccer for most of her life but was looking for something more when she came to the University of Florida. She loved both the competitiveness and community environment that soccer fostered and she says she found exactly that at LIV Athletic.
Valencia started CrossFit at LIV when she was a freshman at UF. She will be graduating in the spring and plans to attend Physical Therapy school to get her doctorate degree. She says that coaching CrossFit has highlighted how much she loves working with people and helping others on their journey of becoming healthier through exercise.
Certification and Education:
- Professional coach development course – 2019
Maria Carbon
Maria Carbon
Maricarmen, Mari or Maria, how we like to call her, grew up in Panama City, Panama where she started doing ballet at age 3. Growing up she played a variety of sports from frisbee to soccer to flag football. The thrill of being on the field, on stage or on the floor is incomparable. It was not until 2011 when she first walked inside a crossfit gym. She has not left ever since, literally.
When she moved to Gainesville in 2018 to attend the University of Florida for a degree in Biological Engineering with a minor in Biomechanics, she decided to join Liv. Since then, she has been spending most of her free time at the gym. She explains that there is something amazing about the atmosphere and the community, it is incredible how your life can be influenced so much by people that work on their fitness while having a good time.
Certification and education:
- Crossfit Level 1
- Professional coach development course – 2019
Christen Becerra
Christen Becerra
Christen was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. Team sports and fitness have always been a huge part of her life. In high school, a large portion of her time was devoted to playing softball. Her senior year, she discovered CrossFit as something to stay in shape during the off-season. When softball ended her senior year, she took up CrossFit full time as her way of staying healthy, active, and most importantly, to have fun!
Christen is currently studying Health Education and Behavior at UF and hopes to attend accelerated nursing school after graduation. She would like to become a Nurse Practitioner in the future—healing people through powerful tools like food and exercise. She is very passionate about educating others, general health and wellness, and coaching! She is excited for what the future holds, and is thankful to have found LIV as her home away from home.
Certification and education:
- Professional coach development course – 2019
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