River Raisin CrossFit to pump up Mall of Monroe

By Tyler Eagle   Monroe News

 Oct 14, 2019

River Raisin CrossFit is moving from its Telegraph Road location to Mall of Monroe, in the space formerly occupied by Dunham’s Sports.

A local fitness enthusiast is eager to take part in the redevelopment of the Mall of Monroe.

Taylor Raszka, owner of River Raisin CrossFit, is preparing to open his gym inside the retail complex. He’s the latest client to set up shop at the structure which has struggled to attract and maintain tenants in recent years.

“We’re not a typical gym,” Raszka said. “We build a community of people willing to make a change.”

It’s a change of venue for the gym, which currently sits on N. Telegraph Rd. Raszka, who also owns a CrossFit gym in Ohio, came across the space when he was touring the mall with a friend.

It will be located on the east side of the mall near where Pat Catan’s was located. It sits in the space that was occupied by Dunham’s Sport before it moved to its current location on N. Telegraph.

The opportunity to utilize the space was too good to pass up and he knew he wanted to move the gym to the new location. It’s a long-term investment, Raszka said, adding that the gym signed a seven-year lease on the space.

“We will have one of the largest CrossFit spaces in Michigan,” Raszka said.

River Raisin CrossFit opened in 2014 at the former Monroe Total Sports Complex on Stewart Rd. Raszka said the gym stayed there for five months before it outgrew the space and moved to its current location.

CrossFit is passion for Raszka, who credits the sport with helping him recover from a devastating injury that he endured while he played professional sports.

A hockey player, Raszka played for the Toronto Maple Leafs when he was 19. While with the team, he broke his back and injured a vertebra. Disheartened but unwilling to give up, he began training with CrossFit techniques. He said the experience was able to help him keep playing the sport for five more years.

“I wanted to open a CrossFit gym because it kept my career going,” Raszka said.

The experience is what inspired him to try to pass that inspiration on to others after he retired from professional hockey. Now 32, the Perrysburg, Ohio, resident is working to expand his business.

CrossFit gyms are independent and their services vary greatly, Raszka said. He describes his gyms’ workouts as a mixture of lifting and agility and endurance training, which are designed to cause muscle confusion so attendees don’t experience fitness plateaus.

Between his two gyms, Raszka employs about 10 trainers, who all are certified in CrossFit training. Six of those trainers are slated to work at the Monroe facility, which serves more than 200 clients. The new space will help accommodate larger classes and help increase services, Raszka said.

The gym will offer group class sessions, which are designed to help attendees support each other. The gym’s services are open to everyone of any ability.

The word CrossFit can be intimidating to people, Raszka said, adding that people often think they need to be in peak physical condition to take part in the workout.

He said that’s not the case. Instructors will adjust the workout whenever necessary and there is no judgement if someone can’t complete a particular activity, he added.

The only thing people need to be willing to do is put in work when they show up and be supportive of their classmates, Raszka said.

“We cheer the loudest for the person who completes (the exercise) last,” he said.

Joe Bell, director of corporate communications for Cafaro Co., the mall’s owner, announced a redevelopment strategy for the complex earlier this year. It plans to emphasize small businesses and entertainment venues rather than traditional retail spots.

River Raisin CrossFit will be the second gym located at the facility. Planet Fitness and Phoenix Theatres are the remaining flagship stores.

“I want to help build Monroe back up,” Raszka said. ” I think the Mall of Monroe is at the heart of that.”

In addition to CrossFit classes, Raszka is also planning to branch out into sports performance coaching for area athletes.

He expects the fitness center to be open by the end of the month. He is working on finishing touches to the facility.

He said he is excited to continue helping members of the local community achieve their fitness goals.

“Every day I have the opportunity to help change someone’s life,” Raszka said. “We’re a family – no one leaves the floor until the last person has completed the workout.”