In Memory of Al

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we write to you today to share the news that our dear friend, and original Boxstar Co-Founder, Allan Eilts Jr. has passed away this past week. Al had a great smile, an infectious laugh and lightened up the room wherever he went. It breaks our heart to say that we've lost him so soon.

Al absolutely loved to workout. When we started CrossFit back in 2013 we couldn't get enough of it. There were days that we did the class WOD back to back, because hey why the hell not. We just loved it so much. Al loved to compete as much he loved to workout. We weren't elite or even super competitive, we just loved the thrill of throwing down and testing our limits.

I suppose that is where Al got the idea to create Boxstar in the first place. He wanted to showcase the feelings he had about the sport he loved so much, and the best way he knew how was on tee shirts. We originally started with 4 tees, one of them with a simple slogan on the back: >Yesterday. Today it is our mantra - Greater Than Yesterday. Back then it was simply just how Al lived. Every day was a day to be better than the last.

Little did we know, Al was suffering from internal demons as well. Growing up overweight, he always struggled with his body image and his sense of self-worth. As much as he loved CrossFit and loved to workout, he was also heavily motivated by these demons. We would have never in our wildest nightmares imagined that Al was suffering so much inside. Unfortunately, Al lost his struggle this past week.

In memory of Al, and to Honor him, we are taking it upon our shoulders to help spread the word about mental health and to help change the perception about mental health issues. It is absolutely normal to have mental health issues and it is absolutely OK to get help for it. In the coming weeks we will be announcing a memorial WOD and fundraiser for Al, with all proceeds going to support mental health initiatives. We will also continue to remember Al and continue to support mental health initiatives in all of our future endeavors.

To Al - Rest easy our friend. We will miss you.