Changing Lives with Love, Community – and Burpees

How Underground PDX uses CrossFit to connect at-risk youth with resources, mentors, and community support.

When Scott Bradley found CrossFit in 2012 at age 39 he had no idea how it would change his life. 

Scott began doing CrossFit with his wife, Gwenna, at 3-46 GRIT CrossFit in Gresham, Oregon. They were both immediately hooked, first earning their CrossFit Level 1 Certificate, then their Level 2 Certificate, with Gwenna eventually going on to earn her CrossFit Level 3. 

The now 51-year-old pastor trained hard and became a formidable masters athlete, winning the Men’s Elite 50 - 54 year old age group at the 2024 Masters Fitness Championship. 

However, even more important to Scott than his pursuit of fitness is how CrossFit has helped him positively impact the lives of the youth in his community. As a pastor, he’s deeply involved in helping others, so in 2015 he began offering free CrossFit classes to middle and high school-aged at-risk youth, many of them involved in local gangs.

“I wanted to introduce them to CrossFit as a form of mentorship and community,” Scott said, “so I got together with a few people and we started training kids on the side for many years.”

The program grew over five years, with Scott and his team training kids multiple times a week. Then COVID turned everything upside down.

After putting the program on hold for almost two years, at the end of 2021 they decided it was time to start offering the CrossFit classes again, this time bringing in some of the kids they’d trained at the beginning – who had now graduated from high school and had earned their CrossFit Level 1 Certificate – to train the younger kids. 

Little did Scott know that the program would become bigger than he’d ever imagined. 

Growing the Program

In early 2022 the city of Gresham was awarded grant money from the state of Oregon to fund youth violence prevention intervention work. People from the city were familiar with Scott’s youth CrossFit classes, so they encouraged him to apply for one of the grants.  

“They said you're doing the work, and now we've got some funding and we can help take this to the next level, because what you're doing is working,” Scott said.

Scott applied for – and won – a $250,000 grant to continue his work in the community, expand the program, and hire a coach. 

Around this time the violence in Rockwood, the most densely populated and diverse neighborhood in the city of Gresham, began to increase. Concerned by the high crime rates, the gang violence, and a recent riot, the city called a meeting, inviting Scott to attend along with some of the leading community-based organizations. 

As he sat in the meeting and listened to everyone talk about the challenges facing this neighborhood, Scott thought about solutions. He thought about his CrossFit classes. 

“What really needs to happen here is a consistent presence of people who are loving people who are providing resources,” he told the group, “not just showing up when there's a shooting or not just providing social services but having a presence.”

Right around that time he was presented with an opportunity to do exactly that. An abandoned gymnasium right within Rockwood was set to be demolished, and Scott realized this could be the location for an organization dedicated to being a consistent positive presence in the neighborhood. The space was perfect, but it needed someone with dedication, determination, and a commitment to making a difference in the lives of local kids.

That person was Scott Bradley. 

Building Hope

After applying for more grants, Scott worked with volunteers and local contractors to renovate the gymnasium and build the Hope Center, a safe place for people in the community to find resources, peace, healing, and belonging. 

Inside the center, members of the community can find a variety of social services, including tutoring, meals, and The Underground PDX, a CrossFit affiliate serving youth from age 11 to 17, free of charge. 

While CrossFit on its own can be life-changing, The Underground PDX also offers a community dedicated to helping these kids in their lives outside of the gym. Scott hosts Wednesday night dinners and youth social events, and he and his team encourage the young athletes to give back to their community by helping with city clean-ups and other community projects. 

“Within one mile of our location there are 88 languages spoken,” Scott said, “so we have kids coming from all backgrounds, all ethnic groups, all nations.” 

Unlike many CrossFit classes, however, at The Underground PDX each class has at least four to six coaches, interns, and other mentors present to offer coaching, support, and guidance. 

“It's not just fitness, but we have a whole mentorship program that supplements this. So if the kids come in and they commit to our values, we assign them mentors to work with them to take them on adventures. It's a full, holistic approach and CrossFit is just one piece,” Scott said. 

Working with social workers and case managers, Scott and his team have helped kids find housing while providing direction and stability. And because the program started – in its original form – in 2015, he can point to the long-term impact the program has had on community members. 

After completing high school or college, many of the original group of kids Scott trained have returned to help out as mentors and coaches. 

“They're part of our program and they live on the block, and they are our best mentors and coaches because they live there and they look like the kids they’re working with,” Scott said. 

Leading With Love

One of the reasons The Underground PDX has been so successful as a Christian organization in a neighborhood full of people of many different backgrounds and belief systems is Scott's welcoming attitude and focus on community. He doesn’t bring religion into the CrossFit classes and he’s happy to include anybody who is interested, regardless of their beliefs. 

“We care about all people,” Scott said. 

“We try to keep a really safe space there for everyone. If you're a person, you have value. We don't care what your religion is. We just love people where they're at. It doesn't matter which background, which religion, their sexual identity, their gender. We have to create a safe space for everyone,” he said. 

Once the kids experience a CrossFit class at The Underground PDX, they start to feel the benefits of physical activity. Then, more importantly, they realize they’ve found a safe place to try and fail, and then try again. 

“We lift them up and build them up, instead of tearing them down,” Scott said, “and we're helping them learn how to face their fears in a place where they're getting love and encouragement.” 

About Author, Hilary Achauer

Hilary is a renowned fitness business writer, marketing content writer, and journalist. She’s written content for start-ups, entrepreneurs, executive coaches, wellness providers, gyms, and CrossFit. Her focus is always on telling the best story with a clear, compelling style and being able to engage readers, bring in new customers, or build an audience.