about
THE SinCity CrossFit STORY
Billy & Shain Howard - OWNERS
SinCity CrossFit originated out of Billy Howard’s garage back in 2007. His roommate, Shain’s best friend Jared, was training to be a pararescue jumper and heard about CrossFit. They went to crossfit.com and the workout of the day happened to be “Cindy”. The workout kicked their ass and Billy was immediately hooked. He was in good shape from the Marines and couldn’t understand why the workout was so hard.
Soon after Shain joined Billy in the Garage and the 3 of them were hitting the WOD hard every day. Billy and Shain told all their friends about CrossFit and soon they had 15 people working out in the little one car garage and parking lot. It was perfect conditioning for Billy’s hobby of MMA fighting, and great for Shain’s busy pre-med schedule. At this time their brother Derrick also started CrossFitting with them.
After about 6 months they got their Level 1 Certification at CrossFit San Diego. Still training all their friends and neighbors for free and running out of space, they decided to start an affiliate. At this time Shain was studying biology at UNLV, and Billy was studying Kinesiology and working as a bartender. Billy, Shain, and their friend formed SinCity CrossFit in the fall of 2008, but the 3rd business partner backed out. They later partnered up with one of Billy’s Coworkers at Tao Beach who had just started CrossFit.
In January of 2009 they opened the doors to SinCity CrossFit. SCCF was the 2nd CrossFit affiliate in the Las Vegas Valley. That year they sent a team to the CrossFit Games in Aromas, CA! They also met John Hackleman who would become a great friend to SCCF. In 2010, they moved to a bigger location in the back of a martial arts gym. They continued to grow and sent 2 individuals and a team to regionals in Washington that year. In 2011 they moved again to a larger facility with The Pit.
SCCF continued to grow from there and in 2012, opened up a sister affiliate with their Coach Max – South SinCity CrossFit, and later SinCity CrossFit West with Coach Thomas. Our former members and coaches went on to open affiliates of their own as well such as Marlboro CF in New Jersey (Rick Buro), CF Valley View in CA (Jennifer Correa) , Outcast CrossFit (Ross Vivion), Branded One CrossFit (Nick McCombs), CrossFit VVV (Boris Sapone), and Best Dam CrossFit (Jake Pickering) and many others in Las Vegas. In 2014, we hosted the 3rd annual Police and Fire games, which was the biggest CF competition ever in Las Vegas. We also took home the trophy for fittest affiliate at the Vegas Fit Wars and have defended it ever since. In 2018 and 2019 our own Coach Sarah Viets was the fittest woman in NV and nearly made it to the CrossFit Games. SCCF has sent athletes to regionals every year, helped grow the CF community, and all while improving the health and fitness of our members.
Coaching knowledge has always been very important to us. While Shain has gone through medical books and learned how to perform all kinds of surgery, Billy has immersed himself in fitness and coaching. We have hosted many certifications and seminars at SCCF including CFL1, CrossFit Self Defense, PIT L1, CrossFit Mobility, CrossFit Culinary Ninja, CrossFit Conjugate Methods, and CrossFit Weightlifting 1 and 2. He has also attended various other seminars and courses including CFL2 and CFL3, CrossFit Aerobic Capacity and Healthy Steps Nutrition. We expect our coaches to also be constantly learning from the best in all disciplines of fitness as well. Currently Billy and Derrick are 2 of only 6 CrossFit Level 3 Coaches in Las Vegas. Coaching knowledge is huge for us because we want to make sure we know how to help clients move better and reach their goals.
Competition is important because it pushes us all to become better, but even more important is for us to give back to our community. Over the years we have donated over $35,000 with various event and fundraisers. We created hero workouts and raised money every year to support and honor our friends and local heroes Shane Patton and David VanBuskirk’s foundations. We have also raised money for local members in our community with cancer and one boy, Elliot, that needed a liver transplant. We hope we can do more for our community in the future and continue to inspire others to change their lives with fitness.
SCCF was born in Henderson Nevada in our garage. We wanted to help people get more fit. But along the way we learned the power CrossFit has to bring people together. We also learned that our values attract awesome people that will become lifelong friends that we would take a bullet for. These are the values that guide us and will guide the direction of our box in the future:
Truth, Honesty, Loyalty: My Dad taught me how important honesty, truth, and loyalty are. We value the truth and always being honest and transparent. Doing the right thing even when no one is around. And we value loyalty; we always hire from within, and we expect our members to be 100% loyal to SCCF as is our staff.
Optimism: My older brother Preston showed me how to always have a good time even in the worst situations. His everyday enthusiasm makes him awesome to be around. Remember the power of optimism, positivity, and enthusiasm. It’s contagious and it will help motivate others to push beyond their limits.
Leadership: Sgt Lobello was a great leader I served with who lead by example. As coaches we should always strive to practice what we preach. Members will always follow the example that the coaches set. Inspire them by giving always giving your best effort in everything you do.
Virtuosity: My uncle Manuel was a great soccer player and coach. He taught me the importance of virtuosity. Getting good at any skill takes, not only practice, but perfect practice and attention to detail. Mastering the basics is always most important before jumping forward to more difficult skills.
Discipline, Perseverance, Work Ethic: My two brothers taught me the importance of work ethic and discipline. Brad has a disease called cystic fibromitosis which caused tumors to grow all over his body. And Shain was born with a clubbed foot and had casts on both legs from 0 to 2 years old. They didn’t let that stop them from achieving their goals of becoming a teacher and Doctor. Hard work and discipline to stick to your goals will always pay off in the long run. At SCCF we value hard work and the mental strength to never giving up over.
SCCF Mission Statement
Our mission is to improve the health and fitness in the Las Vegas valley one person, one workout at a time.
SCCF Philosophy
We have the amazing opportunity to coach, train, and spend every hour of our day with people we love, doing what we love. We focus our efforts on our current clients first, our coaches second, and attracting new members third.
OUR coaches
Alyssa
COACH
CFL1
B.A. in Kinesiology
I have a background in gymnastic and track. I have been doing CrossFit for almost 4 years. My favorite part about CrossFit is how it translates to all other sports and the friends you make. The greatest feeling as a coach is to see each each individual improve their fitness.
Derrick
COACH
CFL3 - 13 years of CrossFit experience
CrossFit Gymnastics
Vanquish Olympic Lifting Certified
CrossFit Defense Certified
I have a background in soccer and CrossFit. I started CrossFit when I was 14 years old. My favorite part of coaching is watching someone gain confidence over time when they realize that they can achieve more than they ever thought possible.
Billy
COACH
CrossFit Level 3,
CrossFit Self Defense Cert w Tony Blauer,
CrossFit Mobility Cert w Kelly Starett,
CrossFit Gymnastics w Jeff Tucker,
CrossFit Cooking Cert w Nick Massie,
Outlaw Way Competitor Cert,
Business Excellence Cert w Ben Bergeron,
Aerobic Capacity Cert w Chris Hinshaw,
Healthy Steps Nutrition Cert, T,
CrossFit Weightlifting Cert,
CrossFit Conjugate Methods Cert,
CrossFit Weightlifting Level 2
I grew up playing soccer and Iater boxed in the Marine Corps. I fought mma later on while attending UNLV for exercise physiology. I have competed at CrossFit Regionals 2 years as an individual and 5 times on a team. I have also coached athletes to regionals 8 different years. I love CrossFit because it brings they best people together and brings out the best in people. My favorite thing about coaching is helping others achieve their goals that once seemed impossible.
Greg
COACH
I've been a crossfittah for almost 4 years now. I played football in middle school and high school and have always enjoyed challenging myself with new exercises. I just started coaching CrossFit last year, but I have been a personal trainer for a few years. I love the constant variance in the programming of Crossfit that ensures you're challenged in multiple aspects of fitness.