Brief personal history and journey towards beginning your CrossFit journey:
I have always been into working out. In high school I was in competitive all-star cheerleading (WHICH IS A SPORT) and occasionally went to the YMCA to run and do some of the machines, oh and Zumba. Then I started doing kick boxing classes which were cool and fun. During my sophomore year of college, I started venturing over to the lifting stations at the rec at UWO and experimented with deadlifts and squats, having absolutely no idea what I was doing. I was working out daily with a friend who knew a lot more about lifting than I did, so I just kind of followed her routine which was around 30 minutes of cardio followed by a “leg day” or “arm day”.
What brought you to CrossFit Oshkosh?
I got bored of my daily routine and got in a really bad relationship with the treadmill and elliptical machines, I hated them. I had heard of CrossFit a couple years ago but didn’t really know what it consisted of and always stayed away because I heard it was hard, like impossible hard. I literally just goggled CrossFit and found CrossFit Oshkosh. I called to ask if I could come in for a class and the rest is history.
Your first impression of CrossFit Oshkosh?
I remember Sue helping me with my front squats on my first day of class (thanks Sue!) and I remember my first WOD consisted of jumping lunges and running. I honestly can’t even tell you what I was thinking during my first class, I think I might have blacked out, but whatever it was it was a good feeling because two years later I’m still coming back for more! I do remember thinking it was weird that the box looked like a garage though.
What has been your biggest hurdle since starting?
I honestly think the Snatch, and just WOD’s in general. I remember dreading going to classes when it was snatch day, and then I hated snatching during class. Now I get excited when I see we are snatching! It is one of my favorite lifts. WOD’s have always been hard for me physically and mentally. Since I started though I have seen a huge change in how I go about them. I’m taking less breaks in the middle pushing myself harder. Another thing that has been a big hurdle for me is patience. Sometimes I can get pretty frustrated if pull-ups aren’t feeling so hot that day or my body decides that I’m not going to lift as much as I wanted to. I’m definitely learning to enjoy the process though – you have to have the bad days to get the good days!
What is your favorite aspect of CrossFit?
Okay well I could go on and on with this one. I always joke around that my greatest friends I made in college were my CrossFit friends. The people I have met through the box are people I hope to keep as lifelong friends. The coaches are some of the greatest mentors I have ever had. I love oly lifting and I love the feeling of laying on the ground dead after a hard WOD, it’s somehow rewarding and there’s just nothing like it. Thanks to CrossFit I am doing things I literally never even imagined my self being able to do. I love the community and I love competing. I also like how CrossFit is similar to cheerleading, in both sports you are working to get new skills. I also love how there is not negative body image talk in the CrossFit community. A couple years ago I had the worst body image and only cared about being “skinny”. Since starting CrossFit that has totally vanished, I mean yeah I would love to look like Brooke Ence, but I can also squat 280 pounds so I’ll take that over being able to fit in a size 2 jeans. So yeah I pretty much love every aspect of CrossFit. CrossFit was definitely a life changer for me. I honestly don’t think I could have found something more perfect for me. I would recommend CrossFit, especially CrossFit Oshkosh, to anyone in a heartbeat.
What are your current goals in CrossFit?
The list is endless. I want to be able to do muscle ups, back squat 300, front squat 250, clean and jerk 200, snatch 150, butterfly pull ups and eventually chest to bars, improve my time on all the girls. Yeah I have a lot of work to do. Mainly, I don’t want to ever stop getting better.
What is something we don’t know about you?
Let’s be honest I’m pretty much an open book. I love one direction, I coach all-star cheerleading and I would eat pizza every day if I could. But you all already knew that. Hmmmm, I guess a lot of people probably don’t know I was born in Long Beach, CA and slept through an earthquake at the age of only 3 months, pretty proud of that one! If you want to know anything else about me just ask ☺!
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