Brief personal history and journey towards beginning your CrossFit journey:
I have always been involved in sports throughout my life. I’ve played basketball, baseball, and football, and my life revolved around those sports. I can remember back in my grade school days during basketball season. I would at times have to practice twice a night for both my school team and traveling team. Then on the weekends, I would have to play seven to eight games in a three-day span. Basically, fitness has always been a part of my life. I have always been a competitive person, but after high school I somewhat lost that and have been trying to find that edge again. When college began, I routinely worked out with a friend in Platteville but then when I transferred here to Oshkosh I didn’t really know anybody and had no one to work out with. I eventually found someone later my sophomore year and that lasted the rest of the year. Come my junior year our schedules didn’t match up, so I began working out by myself. For me, working out has always been a place for me to get my mind off of whatever is going on in my life, whether it be with school, friends, or family. For that one or two hours working out has always been my “Happy Place,” as some might call it.
What brought you to CrossFit Oshkosh?
I was actually thinking about joining CrossFit last year at the beginning of the school year. Throughout the year, I kept it in my mind but never decided to give it a shot. Then this past summer came and a lot of things came together that sparked my enrollment in CrossFit. Most of which was that I didn’t want to work out by myself anymore, and I also wanted new and difficult challenges. So I decided to go check out CrossFit and messaged them on their website. Austin called me while I happened to be at the workout facility at Oshkosh. Later that day, I went down to the gym and honestly had no idea what to expect. I instantly liked the atmosphere, the people seemed nice, and the coach (Austin) seemed like a really good guy (I didn’t have the chance to meet Ben the other coach yet). This seemed like something I was going to like, because it is competitive, which I missed dearly because of my competitive nature.
Your first impression of CrossFit Oshkosh?
As I mentioned before, both coaches are not just great coaches but also great people in general. I really enjoyed the one-on-one classes at the beginning due to the complexity of some of the lifts. I do remember thinking to myself at the end of the one-on-one period of how difficult some of the WOD’s might be but thankfully, they turned out to be more fun than painful (most of the time).
What has been your biggest hurdle since starting?
I would have to say my biggest hurdle since starting has been learning the snatch and the double under. I honestly get so frustrated when I see these things come up on Wodify, but the only way to get better at something is to keep on doing it over and over again. Another hurdle would be just pushing myself through the WOD instead of taking breaks throughout and reminding myself that your body can endure so much more than what you think you can do.
What is your favorite aspect of CrossFit?
I believe squatting, Saturday workouts, and the people are my favorite aspects of CrossFit. For one, I don’t think I have ever squatted this much in my life especially during the squat cycle we just had, but it helped me improve my squat back to where it was in high school. I love Saturday partner workouts. They seem to be the hardest because it is the end of the week and everyone is just as sore as you are. Listening to Jock Jams throughout the workout definitely makes it better. I have met some amazing people there — they are all so nice and encouraging. It is definitely nice to start out your day with them.
What are your current goals in CrossFit?
- Getting better at the double under
- Be able to snatch some weight
- Do a couple of competitions throughout the year
- Squat 400 and front squat 300
- Just get better at everything because everything needs work
- Push myself more during the WODs
- Beat Ben in swimming sprints
What is something we don’t know about you?
When I was a little kid, I once bit my sister in the back over a Pokémon card. You can imagine this probably didn’t end up too well for me…
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