From Left to Right: Sam, Murphy, George, and Ashley Deen

Sam, George, and Ashley Deen are the fantastic owners of CrossFit Van Zandt. Sam, who started it all, began to hear about CrossFit while attending West Point but didn't try it until he graduated in 2006.  While training at Ft. Hood, TX, Sam's fellow Infantry LT's convinced him to try a workout.  They did 21-15-9 Deadlifts and hand release pushups.  Long story short: Sam threw up and had a sore back for 2 weeks.  He quickly realized he wasn't in as good as shape as he thought and has loved CrossFit ever since.  Sam's entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to helping people inspired him to start a fitness business upon leaving the service.  The rest is history.  Sam's military credentials include: Airborne Ranger qualification, Recon/S Leader, Combat Infantrymen's Badge, and successful leadership roles where training a 39 man platoon in physical fitness was paramount for success overseas.

Gen Petraeus and Sam at his son's Ranger School graduation.