Congratulations to our AOTM

Congrats Diane!

Hometown: Audubon New Jersey

 Current Location: Norristown

Age: 42.5 years

Occupation: Domestic goddess/chaos whisperer...aka I clean and organized houses for the past 24 years

College: Rosement for sociology and psychology Cabrini for my masters in ed.

How long have you been a CrossFitter? 2 years 2 months I joined after a Spartan race..so I could learn to climb a rope.

 Did you ever play sports? soccer..gymnastics..softball..and was a wicked roller skater a long long long time ago

 Got some cool (or uncool) hobbies you'd like to share? I like redoing furniture..painting..obsessed with watching the news..i love forensic files..diy projects..im the treasurer of my daughters school...(and no I don't curse or give the finger at school meetings..i can act normal when needed) I collect roosters....and love decorating for Christmas..it just makes me so happy..im a little crazy about my dog..jojo

What is your biggest achievement at CrossFit? the strength I've gained in the past 2 years..im pretty proud of that. Before crossfit I never really worked with free weights..i did all machines..so picking up a barbell was new to me and completely addicting. Also coming in third at brawl in the burbs was awesome #teamsouka

What do you feel that you still need to work on? my brain just wants to reverse curl..i want too one day learn to clean a barbell..there is a reward for the person who get it to sink in..its very frustrating,,i watch hookgrip videos all the time thinking that it will help...but it doesn't!! I think a miracle is needed..Paul thinks I need to be shipped off to Russia in order to have a shot..i might just have to agree with him.

 Goals for the rest of this year? I want to start swimming...before im 50 I want to do and an half ironman..i have no idea how to swim..i mean I know how not to drown but have no idea how it will be swimming a few miles

 What's your favorite WOD? I like strength wods..Isabelle is a nice one

How about your favorite food/snacks? ICE CREAM! if I could have one food for the rest of omy life it would be ice cream...vanilla..i hate chocolate ice cream! Mcdonalds mcflurrys and dairy queen blizzards with oreos are orgasmic Sugar is my downfall What is the craziest workout outside of CF you have ever done? I know this is hard to believe but I actually ran 2 half marathons..i have the ribbons and photos to prove it.. The best part was..i didn't train one mile for it..in my head I was running for my friend..and I wasn't going to stop till it was over. 3 hours later I did it..and it by far was one of the proudest moments of my life. To prove it was a fluke..i did it again 6 months later . 

What’s your least favorite WOD? I'll do any wod ..but I prefer them not to involve..rowing..running or burpees

Favorite lift/movement?any type of squat..back.. front..pause..box..love them all I also like the jerk 

What’s your least favorite lift/movement? Benching...my 8yr old can bench more.. Im also not a great rower..

What skill have you been working on in 2013 the most? This year I really worked on squatting and since may of 2013 ive added 55lb to it.

 Whats your favorite piece of workout "gear"? My belt.....knee wraps and my ipod. Ever since I switched from knee sleeves to knee wraps ive had no problems with my knees. I will never squat without them! my ipod is important to me because certain songs help me get the job done. my favorite song to squat to is kanye wests..black skinhead

 What you say is your biggest improvement since starting CF? When I started crossfit I squatted 285...but to be honest it was horrible and would have never counted. Doing barbells changed all that.. Aimee instructing me about pushing my knees out.. and Pauls' strength programing really made me a much better squatter and its something I really love. I've ended trying to increase my pr weight.but.ill never stop squatting..its my favorite thing to do and it makes me a better rider..and maybe just maybe one day i'll actually get an ass from doing it. haha

Who is your favorite coach? There isn't a coach I don't like..okay there was one..but her stay was brief..i mean she played enya at wods..who does that :)
Most of my classes are with two coaches..Paul and Aimee. I love Paul maybe its because hes 2 % black..or maybe because from day 1 when we broke the jerk blocks he always wanted me to get stronger and he always takes the time to show me how to be a better lifter. I will always be grateful for meeting him..he really did a lot for me whether he knows it or not and I just love him to pieces..even when hes grumpy Aimee always pushes me even when I don't want too and try to bribe her with rotisserie chicken. Sometimes I need to be forced to do or try something..like the rope..the cargo net. Aimee has also been very supportive in the nutrition area..explaining the zone diet to me..answering my texts about blocks ..and I need someone like her in my life! I am so grateful for Kop and for what it has done for me! She has built a great place!!!!

PR's to mention? Goals Reached? Nutrition highlights?..squatting 325 was nice and actually unexpected..i had only been 2 weeks into a strength program and had no plans of pr ing that day..it just happened. And the day I jerked 200 made me happy..it was the one class I took with laura and she basically said I wasn't leaving till I hit it!

Nutrition ..im a yoyo with that..im either really good..or really bad. The one thing ive noticed is that the older I get the harder it is to come off and its really easy to put on. Currently as I write this..10/21..im doing zone..im down 12lbs in 15 days..im planning on sticking with this until I get to my goal. and when I do you will all know about it.there is going to be a party..its been anever ending fight for 8 years Goals reached......i will never stop setting goals and achieving them.

Some of you know what fuels everything I do..and some of you don't. 4 years ago my best friend of 30 years died of cancer 3 days after being diagnosed. It destroyed me and caused me to sink further in a depression I had already been battling. Long story short a high school friend on facebook reached out to me and kept asking me to ride the city to shore American cancer society bike ride. It was 68 miles..i had to ride over the ben franklin bridge..which I have huge bridge phobias...and I didn't know if I could do it. I finally said yes...and when I crossed the finsh line surrounded by cancer survivors and patients it gave me goose bumps..I cried like I always do and I was hooked. I went home and immediately signed up for the MS ride...ive been doing it ever since. My friend beside having cancer was born with spina bifida..which made his paralyzed from the waist down. I decided that I would just throw myself in anything and everything and do it all for Tim..literally..id be the legs he never had and just doing every challenge in his honor. Doing this has made me a happier person. He was a remarkable person who I feel lead me to great things..incredible people and magical places, such as crossfit kop..so many of you have touch my heart..and im glad to have you in my life The tattoo on my arm say it all....with pain comes strength...for me this sums up the last 4 years of my life.