Watermen Gym Grows on Madeira Beach

Christian Cook, 45, is no stranger to the Pinellas beaches. From his thriving business on Madeira to his notorious paddleboarding skills known throughout the area, Cook has solidified a spot in the community.

Cook owns CrossSUP, which is a gym that blends cross training and fitness to develop a one-of-a-kind strength level. He is also a professional paddleboarder and will be traveling to Hawaii to compete in the world championships, alongside Patrick Klemawesch and a slew of other locals.

It is hard to believe that Cook didn’t even learn to surf until he was 38 years old. He remembers the first time he took on the waves and said, “I got my butt kicked in ten minutes.” From there, Cook was drawn to the challenge that watersports, particularly boarding, brought to the table.

Although Cook had always considered himself an athlete, boarding was a different animal. “Don’t ever think you can beat mother nature, because she’ll whoop you into shape every time,” said Cook.

Over time, Cook spent more and more time on the beach and in the water. Paddleboarding evolved and he says that he “started to fall in love with it.”

After meeting other boarders in the area, Cook decided to work on a project that had never been tackled before, at least not around here. He developed a training program that catered to the strength and endurance needs of a board sport athlete. The system is a combination of approaches and focuses on core strength and agility.

The gym that Cook opened in 2008 is called CrossSUP and is located on Madeira Beach at 13224 Gulf Blvd.

With his training came opportunities to hone his skills as a paddleboarder. Now a professional, Cook will compete in what Stand Up Paddle Magazine has called “the most prestigious of all races for SUP.” The Molokai to Oahu race stretches 32 miles across the Ka’iwi Channel.

Cook says that the journey is tough and that emotions run high. “You don’t cross the finish line and think that you’re cool,” said Cook. “You cross the finish line and you put your head down and you shed some tears.”

He will be joined by a dozen other locals in Hawaii, as they make the trek together.

Christian Cook and the others will return from Hawaii in early August. Patch will be following up with the competitors, as they share their stories.