The history of The Cave goes back to 1994, when its founders Roger Harrell and Andres De La Rosa were on the UC Davis gymnastics team together. Roger ran the Davis boys gymnastics program and recruited Andres to help coach, and through this relationship, discussions of opening a facility dedicated to gymnastics and fitness began. While spending a decade working his way up to the CIO title at a software development firm, Roger remained involved with gymnastics coaching whenever he could, creating a training website called Drills and Skills in the process.

In 2003, Greg Glassman, founder of CrossFit, Inc., found Roger’s Drills and Skills site and brought him into the CrossFit community to develop the gymnastics-related aspects of its curriculum. Three years later, Roger and Andres decided to open Marin County’s first CrossFit affiliate, starting from the ground up—literally. CrossFit Marin’s training sessions began in the basement of what is now Anthem Church, and after a month, the city of Novato allowed the business to move operations into the Novato Gymnastics Center. Roger and Andres added parkour as a gym discipline at this time, but the excitement was short-lived—the Novato Gymnastics Center was soon no longer able to accommodate them. Roger and Andres were left to train their clients in area parks and the church basement until they could find a proper facility.

Enter 400 Tamal Vista in Corte Madera in 2009. What started as a temporary 500-square foot rental of an old TV studio storage space slowly grew into a facility that allowed Roger and Andres to operate the gym they always dreamed of. By 2010, their business was no longer just CrossFit Marin, so with this phase of expansion came a new name: The Cave. The Cave has since boomed into over 12,000 square feet of state-of-the-art gymnastics apparatus, custom-built parkour courses, and top-rated CrossFit equipment. Demand for our athletic programs remains high, and we credit that to one thing: the community that has grown with us through our dedication to fitness, health, and well-being.

GIRLS GYMNASTICS TEAM

The first Girls’ Competitive Gymnastics Team at The Cave was formed in 2013. The Cave has had upwards of 18 girls competing Level 3 to Level 8, and has had qualifiers at regional and state championships over many years. Highlights include Level 3-4 State Champions in 2016 and a 2nd place finish on bars at Level 7 State Championships in 2017.