Member Spotlight: Level Up Cycle & Fitness
Nuts and Bolts
Monday-Thursday 5:30am – 6:30pm, Friday 5:30am – 11am Saturday 7:00am-10:00am
110 N. Everest Rd. Newberg, OR 97132
971-281-8681
levelupcyclefitness@gmail.com
Business History
2021 – Owned and Operated by Crystal Merrow, Diane Kenney and Kara Johnson
Mission Statement
Mission: To incorporate a powerful shift in mindset and take brave action that supports health and fitness. To enhance the quality of lives within the community we serve.
Vision: To provide purpose-driven exercise supporting a positive and powerful lifelong love for fitness, healthy habits and community unity.
Business Products or Services
Indoor Cycling, Group Fitness, Online Classes, Barre, Strength Training, HIIT, Yoga, Strong Nation, SPIKED and Kids Room
Customer Engagement
Testimonials
“Level Up Cycle and fitness provides a variety of top-notch fitness classes that are accessible to everyone, from someone starting their fitness journey to experienced athletes. Kara, Diane and Crystal are skilled fitness instructors who deliver excellent classes and always strive to help each individual get their best workout. Level Up has become a community of support during a time when we all needed personal connection, motivation and support. All are welcome!”
-Leslie Brittell
“Level Up provides amazing classes! I am so grateful for the instructors and the opportunity to still be able to workout together. They push me, and I really need this!”
-Brynn Kuehne
“I have been cycling with Level Up for a year now. Even through the crazy obstacles this year has thrown, they have done everything to make sure they still provide quality and fun workouts! I love that they not only teach the classes, but also take time to build relationships with everyone in the class. I have loved my experience with Level Up and can’t wait to keep working with them towards my goals!”
-Karly Knauss
“What do you do when one of your favorite outdoor activities is riding your bicycle on the road or trails but you live in Oregon where you only get a few days that it’s not raining, too hot to safely ride, or the smoke from wildfires is too thick to breathe?
Ride with Level Up Cycle and Fitness in the comfort of your home. The trainers provide great motivation and challenging rides. The music is always fun (sometimes they can even get us to spin on the correct beat). Equipment and skill level don’t matter. If you can’t make it to the live classes, do a recorded class at your schedule.
After completing the challenging workouts, the next time you need to pedal two wheels to the top of Rex Hill, it will seem easy.”
-Gregg Scholz
“I so love being a Level Up member! I love starting my morning with the Level Up community because it starts the day off the right way. Not only does it help keep me physically healthy, the classes also incorporate elements to help me better myself mentally, boosting my confidence and mental clarity throughout the day. The days I start with Level Up always seem to go more smoothly! I particularly enjoy the cycling and full body strength classes, but I am looking forward to doing some of the others soon with this great community of people. Thank you so much for providing this amazing community!”
–Dawn Morales
“Level Up Fitness provides everything I value in a fitness center – high quality workouts, a variety of classes, thoughtfully designed workouts that challenge me and simultaneously have strategic modification options, and instructors who foster a sense of community and value each member.”
-Suzanne Jensen
“For me it is important to be held accountable and I get that with Level Up. I feel seen and acknowledged. I feel encouraged to give more than if I work out alone. I appreciate the positivity and words of wisdom from all three instructors. It is not just about the workout but the self care and the message that I am worth the work it takes to have a healthy body. Level Up is a must for me. It is the camaraderie of others that keeps me working at 100% rather than letting myself quit because I am tired or hot or not in the mood. I love the changes that all the instructors: Kara, Diane, and Crystal, make all the time to keep my mind working and attentive. Every workout is not rote but designed. And I love the music! I highly recommend this program.”
-Lorie A Stevens
“I have been a member of Level Up since our community gym closed earlier this year. I cannot say enough great things about this group. I love the variety of classes that are offered, I am able to get the best full body workouts! I look forward to every class I take with this amazing group. Kara, Crystal, and Diane are always so positive and encouraging. They make working out fun! Their passion for group fitness is truly inspiring. I am so thankful to be part of this wonderful group!”
-Jen Lambert
“Level Up! Something I didn’t know I needed in my life but am ever so glad I found it! I love the energy and positive vibes of not only the instructors but the community members! I love being able to connect, push each other and uplift! I am ever so glad Level Up came into my life! I have found a new love, cycling, and met some amazingly talented ladies!”
-Megan Gehring
Misconceptions
We are by schedule only. We do not have “open” gym time.
Name Origin Story
It was quite fun and occasionally hilarious when Diane, Crystal and Kara were trying to
come up with a name for our new fitness group and business. It had to be catchy but also
really needed to reflect our vision for what this would all be about. The texts were flying for
days.
When Kara ran “level up” by her husband he said it was too “gamer-ish”. We all thought it
was catchy, but Kara couldn’t get past her husband’s comment, so we kept brainstorming.
Kara came back to it one evening and randomly searched the internet for what “level up”
meant. She happened to stumble on an excerpt from a post by Cindy Yantis, author of
Thought Changer Blog. It read:
“What does it mean to level up? Simply put, it means to improve your current station in a
way that feels like a powerful shift. And, it starts with a change in thought, a shift in mindset,
followed by brave action…”
Kara took a screenshot, circled this excerpt and sent it to Crystal and Diane with the words,
I think I know. THIS is what we wanted to be about.
A powerful shift in thinking. Getting curious about our potential. Opening our minds and
hearts to the possibility of more, of better. Brave action–a willingness to sit with discomfort,
knowing greater strength is on the other side. Peeling back the layers to eventually reveal
our best, truest selves.
It applies in all areas of life. To us, each fitness class is really a practice, and often
metaphoric to our life journeys.
Diane, Crystal and Kara are extremely intentional about this name, this brand. We are here
to cheer each other on.
Starting Up Stories
The pandemic was hard on all of us in different ways. One of the saddest days was when
Newberg’s Excell Fitness, a beloved gym and community-gathering place, closed its doors for
good in December of 2020. This wasn’t just any gym. Excell was a place of connection,
accountability, growth and joy. Parents could bring their young children to the kid’s room and
enjoy an hour to take care of themselves. Lifelong friendships were formed here. Members and
staff would often comment on how everyone there felt like family. There’s a reason for this–
people bond in special ways when they do something challenging together.
We, Kara Johnson, Diane Kenney and Crystal Merrow, are highly trained and committed fitness
instructors who worked closely together throughout the pandemic. We stayed loyal to Excell
Fitness (a long-time workplace for us) during the first shutdown, teaching free Facebook live
classes for months. After the gym closed for good, we wanted a way to keep our community
together. Two months later, we started Level Up Cycle and Fitness, as a virtual gym, offering a
full schedule of Zoom classes. Through the tremendous support of the Newberg-Dundee
community, we are now getting back in-person by opening a fitness studio designed with the
same passion and community spirit that we were all born from. Welcome to Level Up!
