Our Coaches
James Giles
Although powerlifting started as a way of keeping James out of trouble in his teenage years, his relationship to the sport quickly flourished into what has become a lifelong passion. In 2012, after several recommendations from friends over a short period of time, James was compelled to try out CrossFit. He began at BayState CrossFit with Tim and completed his first WOD (the filthy fifty), after which he remembered thinking, “That just kicked my ass!” Immediately, he was hooked.
By 2013, after a year of CrossFit, James had begun expanding his knowledge and earned his CF-L1. The next hurdle, however, was far more daunting—coaching. With an incredible fear of public speaking, James struggled to imagine himself as the leader of a class. It was by far his greatest challenge since first being introduced to CrossFit. Encouraged by the strong CrossFit community and the mental fortitude that the sport builds—two things James cites as his favorite aspects of CrossFit—he worked hard to overcome his fear and joined the staff at BayState CrossFit.
He is extremely grateful for the opportunity to become an owner at BayState CrossFit and looks looking forward to helping people make positive changes in their lives one WOD at a time.
Outside the gym, James can be found operating heavy equipment, listening to podcasts, and spending time with Amanda and their children.
Credentials: CF-L2, CF-Gymnastics, USA Olympic Weightlifting Course 1 & 2
Julie Brewster
Julie grew up doing competitive gymnastics then raced on the high school cross country & track teams breaking many school records. As an adult after having children she craved some type of sport that motivated her and gave her that competitive edge. When a friend told her to try Crossfit, she knew nothing about it and tried her first class at BayState in 2014. Welcomed with open arms and motivated to give it her best every time she walked in the doors, she fell in love with the sport. The sport changed her physically and mentally in the most positive ways. Once proficient in the basics her desire to help others feel good about themselves inside and out motivated her to go on to received her CF L1 . She continues to further her education in the sport so she can instruct children and master other specific areas of CrossFit. Julie and has been helping others through coaching since 2016. When she is not inside the gym, she is busy raising her three children and running her event planning business.
Credentials: CrossFit Level 1 coach
Kait Penning
Kait started CrossFitting in 2011 and found her ‘forever’ home at Baystate CrossFit in 2012. She earned her CF Level 1 Trainer Certificate and began coaching in 2013. She has since attended the CrossFit Powerlifting Seminar and advanced to a CF Level 2 Trainer.
Kait is a competitive 57kg/63kg powerlifter competing at the National and International level in the USAPL and IPF; she won 2 bench press National titles in the raw 57kg and equipped 63kg open classes in 2018 and was named to the 2019 USA National Team. She loves sharing her love for strength and lifting heavy with BayState members in her Powerlifting class. Outside of the gym, Kait is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst working with children on the Autism spectrum, fur mom to her dog Cedar and life mate to the very handsome, strong and bearded Jon Penning.
Credentials: CrossFit Level 2 coach and CrossFit powerlifting
Brandy Dasilva
You’ll find this coach most excited with a barbell in her hands. Coach Brandy started at Baystate CrossFit in 2014 and instantly fell in love with the community and the high intensity workouts. She decided to further her knowledge in 2017 obtaining her CrossFit Level 1 certificate to help athletes around her.
In 2019, Brandy continued to coach CrossFit classes but stepped away from working out in the group classes herself to peruse her training in Olympic Weightlifting. She joined a weightlifting team called “Team Yasha” and found herself competing in local weightlifting competitions, placing in her weight class. She loves learning technique for all strength movements. If you’re in the gym and looking for some pointers on your snatch or clean and jerk, she’s your girl!
Outside of the gym, Brandy is a full time ER and Labor & Delivery nurse. During her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband/dog/family/friends, loves traveling and often loves finding a good brewery or winery to unwind and relax.
Jared Harrington
I grew up in Plymouth playing soccer through high school, like most high school athletes continued to weight lift after graduating but never found the camaraderie that was competitive soccer. Intrigued by watching the Crossfit Games in 2011 I thought “this is something I have to try” and walked into BayState Crossfit, the rest is history. Immediately upon meeting Tim, the owner (at the time) and the rest of the coaching staff and members I knew this is what I was missing. The camaraderie and sense of family was and still is to this day overwhelming. Three gym locations later I can’t imagine life without the BayState community. I love working with athletes as they are pushed outside their comfort zone working to be healthier versions of themselves.
Kate Casey
Kate grew up in Abington where her life revolved around athletics. Most week nights and every weekend, Kate could be found playing on a sports field somewhere on the South Shore. Kate’s love for the game of soccer brought her many high school accolades and the chance to play in college. In college, Kate majored in Exercise Science where she was able to put an education behind her love for exercise, movement and sports.
After college, Kate continued her love for sports and soccer by becoming a high school soccer coach. Over the past 13 years, Kate has coached 13 years of high school soccer, five years of high school lacrosse, one year of high school basketball, four years of college soccer at Emerson College and eight years of club soccer. Kate still plays soccer in co-ed and women’s recreational leagues
In January of 2017, Kate began her CrossFit journey as an athlete BayState. Immediately welcome to the family, Kate felt at home every time she entered the box. Quickly her love for the sport of CrossFit became a passion and she knew she needed to share her love of the sport with others. In August 2018, Kate obtained her CF-L1 course and started coaching in January 2019.
When she is not coaching or attending classes at Baystate, Kate is teaching high school health and physical education. In this venue, Kate is able to offer her students CrossFit during and after the school day. In June of 2019, with Kate’s determination to give her students the best education she can and the help of the school’s administration, Abington High School’s fitness center officially became Green Wave CrossFit; Abington High School is an official affiliate of CrossFit. Students at Abington can take CrossFit as a physical education elective.
Kate looks forward to continuing her CrossFit education by attending some CrossFit specialty courses as well as studying to become a certified indoor row instructor.
Katelyn Hopfgarten
Katelyn grew up in Bridgewater, where much of her life revolved around sports. She spent most weekends playing soccer for town, school, and travel teams in addition to watching her siblings play on a variety of sports teams all over the South Shore. After high school, she studied Radiologic Technology at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science in Boston. After graduating from college, Katelyn looked for a fitness routine that would challenge and support her busy schedule while helping her to grow as an athlete. She learned about CrossFit from a friend and joined Baystate CrossFit in the spring of 2012.
Katelyn was overwhelmed by the welcoming community, unconditional support, and challenging workouts that Baystate CrossFit provided. CrossFit presents both physical and mental challenges in order to grow and strengthen each athlete from the inside out. In addition, the CrossFit community is unique in its support for one another both in and out of the gym. She quickly fell in love with the distinctive design and programming offered by CrossFit and became a regular at the afternoon classes. Katelyn earned her CF-L1 certification in October of 2020 and began coaching shortly after.
In addition to coaching, Katelyn works as a radiologic technologist and supervisor at a local community outpatient clinic. She is currently a graduate student earning her Master’s in Public Health. When Katelyn is not at Baystate, she can be found traveling, skiing, reading, and spending time with her husband and their Jack Russell terrier, Toby.
Aubrey Brennan
Aubrey grew up and lives in Kingston with her husband Sam and 2 fur babies! She started her CrossFit journey in 2008 when she attended 5am classes with a friend in preparation for field hockey season! Aubrey instantly fell in love with CrossFit.
Aubrey earned her CF level 1 certification in 2015, then in 2018 she changed paths and did the CrossFit Kids certification! Aubrey is a full time PreK teacher so coaching children was something she knew she would love as well!
Outside of the coaching and CrossFit world, Aubrey also has her Masters of Early Childhood Education and has been teaching children for 7 years, and more to come!
Jamie Johnson
Growing up I played all kinds of sports and always enjoyed being active. I decided it was something I wanted to pursue further and went to Bridgewater state where I earned my degree in Exercise Science. I became a personal trainer while in school and eventually found CrossFit and fell in love with the methodology. I went on to get my CrossFit Level 1 & 2 and have been coaching since 2017. I do this because I want to help people become the best versions of themselves not just in fitness but in all aspects of their life. If I’m not in the gym I’m either doing some outdoor activity or helping my family on our cranberry farm in Carver.
Paige Newcomb
I found CrossFit when I working out on my own only following bodybuilding programs. I knew it wasn’t enough for me, I needed more instruction and accountability in my workouts. And growing up playing team sports, I missed the camaraderie and wanted that type of energy in a workout. My friend had convinced me to try a “Sweat” class, which teaches the fundamentals of CrossFit. There I met my fellow Coach, Kristine! She pushed me hard in those classes and I loved the energy she had. So, I quickly started attending CrossFit classes with her, and now, I can’t imagine my life without a barbell. In High School and College, I coached youth basketball. It was always something I loved to do so becoming a CrossFit coach felt natural to me. I knew I wanted to help athletes understand the fundamental functions of CrossFit, how it relates to everyday life and ultimately help people become stronger, both physically and mentally. CrossFit has been such a light in my life these past few years and I want to share that with others. What I love most about coaching is seeing progress in the athletes. It can be as large as a barbell PR to just getting more depth in an air squat, being a part of the process is fulfilling. I’ve had so many incredible coaches these past few years that I have learned so much from and I want to be able to pass on that knowledge.
Kristine Maw
After leaving the corporate world to raise her two daughters, Kristine began contemplating part time work when her youngest entered kindergarten. In 2012, at just the right time, she was given the opportunity to follow her passion for health and fitness by becoming a group fitness instructor for a core strength class and personal trainer for small group HIIT. In early 2017, after receiving word that her gym was closing, Kristine began looking for a new home for herself and her small group members. Although she had never taken a CrossFit class, nor had any interest at the time, a local CrossFit welcomed them in and created a conditioning class to meet their needs.For years, Kristine had believed the many misconceptions about CrossFit, such as everyone had to lift the same weight and do the exact same exercises, including incredibly complex lifts and gymnastics, which led to her lack of interest. However, by the end of her first class she realized how wrong she’d been. The coach provided excellent guidance and scaling options based on Kristine’s abilities and physical limitations. What was most surprising was that the experienced CrossFitters were also extremely helpful, encouraging and supportive. Within weeks she got her L1 and eventually began coaching.One of the many aspects of CrossFit that Kristine loves is that there is always room for improvement, new skills to learn, new weights to hit and times to beat. The workouts are always changing, yet there are benchmarks to track progress. Most of all, Kristine loves that CrossFit utilizes functional movements that will keep her body strong and able to handle the demands of growing older.As a coach, teacher and trainer, Kristine has always loved helping people at all stages of their fitness journey move well and make progress towards their goals. She finds it incredibly rewarding to help athletes that are new to CrossFit, or even exercise, discover their capabilities. Perhaps the most rewarding part of Kristine’s CrossFit experience has been the friendships and deep connections she has made as a part of the community. It’s amazing to have a second family cheering you on and helping you to be your best.Kristine, her husband Geoff, teenage daughters Sadie and Amelia and their black lab Louie live in Plymouth. Together they enjoy spending time at the beach, live music, skiing, tennis, travel and spending time with family and friends.Credentials:CrossFit Level 2 Trainer (CF-L2)Judges Course 2022Spot the FlawNSCA Personal TrainerUCanRow2 Indoor Rowing CertifiedCPR & AED