SAN ANTONIO – The strong bond between a mother and son can bring a family a long way, which is exactly what happened to the Jones family, whose relationship has been strengthened through CrossFit.
“She (my mother) used to wake me up at 5 in the morning and get me to go workout with her,” said Shelby Jones, who is now owner and chief motivational officer of the Jones N 4 CrossFit gym. “Giving into the early morning hours and going to the gym was how we bonded. She was body building and I started doing CrossFit which both changes people’s lives.”
Jones said he credits the man he is today to his mother, Laura Jones, who has been there supporting him since the beginning.
“Growing up, it was her with three kids, working three jobs, trying to keep a roof over our heads and keep us fed,” Shelby Jones said.
Starting off, hardships impacted Shelby Jones' life.
“I had problems with school and ADD, and I hung out with a group of friends who didn’t act right,” Shelby Jones said. “You know, drugs and alcohol.”
As a senior in high school, Shelby Jones dropped out, working every job he could that didn’t require training. That year, the unimaginable happened to him and his family. His sister, Shanelle Jones, died in a tragic car accident at age 17.
“I was actually in the car behind her,” Shelby Jones said. “Waking up to that was hard, but that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was breaking the news to my mom.”
The accident got Shelby Jones back on track, as he later went on to graduate high school and began exploring CrossFit.
“It was something that seemed structured, and I needed that,” he said. “I got my CrossFit coaching certification and began thinking of ways to start a gym.”
Throughout that process, Laura Jones was right by his side.
“He wanted to open a place,” Laura Jones said. “We started in a garage, which was in our neighborhood. It grew to another location, and we began building another location. I just thought to myself, 'He has found his calling.'”
Now, Shelby Jones, who is 36, and Laura Jones, who is 58, do everything together that deals with CrossFit.
Both play major roles at their gym together while continuing their fitness goals, working out and competing together.
“Constantly having that support from her, I would not be the person I am or helping the people that I get to help. I owe her everything," Shelby Jones said about his mother.
The mother and son want their story to be a call for service for everyone.
“When we can work with people in our gym and see them transform. It is humbling to watch. It is what makes us who we are,” Laura Jones said.
Because of the Jones’ bond, people from all walks of life can feel the family-like atmosphere at the Jones N 4 CrossFit gym.
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