Snatch : 125
Power clean : 160
Split jerk : 170
Deadlift : 265
CrossFit Online Lever 1
I have always been an athlete. From softball, to track, volleyball to basketball, I was always doing something. This is strange because I am not the most competitive in spirit. In middle school, I was very lucky and got very talented in volleyball and was playing on a team that traveled the country. I narrowed down my sports to track, volleyball, and softball and played travel softball and volleyball. In my freshman year of high school, I played up on varsity, we made it to the state semi-finals and I made it into the frosh 59 list (59 top freshmen from around the country) and I decided with my parents I was going to give the sport my best go. Year-round I played volleyball and beach volleyball, and in early 2012 I heard of this thing called CrossFit; the gym in my hometown had sessions for high school athletes. I fell in love, went multiple times a day during the summer, and went back year after year. I ended up going to Urbana University to play D2 volleyball and started as a freshman. I met my now husband there in the weight room, Colt. Throughout my college career, I also ran cross country and cheered. In college, I made the decision to become a middle school teacher, focusing on Science and Social studies. I am a student taught at Graham Middle School and am currently a STEAM teacher there in my 5th year.
My second year of teaching my life took a spiral. I was unhappy, hated my job, was depressed, and overall was mentally very unhappy. I gained about 25 pounds that year and was crying and anxious almost every day. One day, my very sweet and lovable husband had enough. He encouraged me to start CrossFit at home and told me it would be hard but he thinks it would help. Don’t tell him I said this, but he was right. I began following CrossFit programming at home with a single set of dumbbells. With each workout, I felt my confidence growing. I couldn’t get enough. Between YouTube and myself, I learned and taught myself CrossFit movements again and was getting very comfortable with it. I lost the 25 pounds in no time and began doing things I could have never done before. From there, I became addicted. I wanted to learn and do everything that I never thought I could do. The biggest thing I couldn’t believe, my depression and anxiety were so much smaller and manageable. I began fueling my body right and found an outlet for the stress of my job. As I began to feel more confident, I began coming into the gym with Colt. I was afraid at first, I didn’t want to invade on his space or embarrass him, but this further showed me what I needed in my life. The gym showed me people who were there for me through ups and downs, and those people who wanted to see me succeed as much as I wanted to succeed.
I understand stress overtaking your life. Finding a healthy outlet, and having people invested in you and your successes is necessary in this crazy life we have. I want every day you walk into the gym, to have the best hour of your life. This could mean letting off steam with your friends, throwing around heavy barbells, or just doing something outside of your comfort zone. Seeing members smile, friendships being formed, and people reaching goals they never thought they could reach motivate me to be the best coach I can be!
