CrossFit KOP

Olan & Dorothy

Because one is not enough, we have dueling athletes of the month for October:

Olan:

Hometown: Collegeville PA

Current Location: Norristown PA

Age: Younger than Wendy Smith

Occupation: Archnemisis of Wendy Smith

College: University of Mary Washington

Did you ever play sports? Baseball and wrestled in middle school

When did you start CrossFit? Intro session December 2009

What is your biggest achievement at CrossFit? 302 FGB

What do you feel that you still need to work on? First Squats then everything else

Goals for the rest of this year? 100 Consecutive Double Unders, string muscle-ups

What is your favorite time of day to WOD? Definately not the morning, love the 4:30 class

What's your favorite WOD? Grace

What’s your least favorite WOD? Nancy or anything else with OHS

What’s your favorite lift? Bench Press

What’s your least favorite lift? Overhead Squats

What's your favorite foods, and snacks? Nutritious: Chicken, Almonds, Blueberries Otherwise: Pizza and Beer

Whats your favorite piece of workout gear? My 20lb medicine ball

Who is your favorite coach? I'm not falling for this

PR's to mention?...Beating Dorothy at every WOD, particularly the King and Queen competition and Hell-en.



Dorothy (aka - Wendy Smith):
Hometown:
I grew up on a horse farm in Plymouth Meeting. Here’s a link to my family’s website (www.sandyhillfarm.org). That’s where I learned to throw hay bales to start developing powerful hips.

Current Location:
I currently live in Eagleville with my husband, Rich, two dogs (Sonny and Bandit), and two cats (Sweatpea and Henrietta).

Age: 36

Occupation:
I work at GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals as a Quality Manager in Drug Metabolism and Pharmakokinetics. I get to work with scientists who do some pretty amazing things. If you are interested, ask me some time.

College:
I just graduated from Delaware Valley College this May with a BS in Chemistry. I was a little slow.

Did you ever play sports?
I played field hockey and softball in high school and college. I also ran the hurdles in middle school which was completely hilarious since I can’t run or jump. I’m not sure why I thought it would be a good idea, but I remember that I hurt myself A LOT!


When did you start CrossFit?
October 2009…right after Crossfit KOP moved to the current box and added the 4:30 class.

What is your biggest achievement at CrossFit?
There are 2 instances that stand out for me. The first was getting my first pull up. I worked on them for 2 years before coming to Crossfit and never got anywhere. After starting Crossfit, it took me 3 months of hard work, but when it finally happened, and I saw the top of the bar for the first time, no one saw it. In my mind I was running around the box doing a victory lap. In reality, I stood there waiting for the confetti and balloons to fall from the ceiling. It never came. But now it makes me feel great when someone see me do them and wishes they could do them too. To them I say: If you really want to do a pull up, you can. Just work on it. If you put your mind to it, you can do anything.


The 2nd achievement was doing Grace at the prescribed weight. Those 30 clean and jerks were the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life. I’m not kidding. THE HARDEST! I really didn’t think I could do it, but Aimee and Cheri said I could, and I believed them. So I dug down deep, stomped my feet and did it. It took me 15 minutes, and I failed several lifts. But when I finally got done, I cried, because it was so hard and scary. I felt a fear that I had never felt before. It was like being afraid to go into a lion’s cage, but going anyway. It’s really hard to describe because I’ve never had another experience like it. Some might call it an awakening of sorts.



What do you feel that you still need to work on?
I need to work on soooooooo many things that it can be overwhelming. I pick 1 thing a month and focus on that. Last month I worked on double unders. This month I am working on stringing pull-ups. Next month I am working on pushups. These are the things in WODs where Olan usually beats me. He’s not working on anything, so I should be beating him every day soon.



Goals for the rest of this year?
Beat Olan.

My goal for the year was to beat him 10 times. So far, I’ve beaten him 9 times. The rules are clear:
1. WOD must be as Rx by both of us
2. WOD must be done at Crossfit KOP. At home doesn’t count. Doesn’t need to be during the same class.
3. No cheating…unless you really need to (That rule only applies to me. Olan never cheats.)
4. Taking your shirt off is not considered cheating. (That rule applies to Olan only.)

What is your favorite time of day to WOD?
I usually go to the 4:30 class on Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday. I go to the nooner on Friday. Sometimes I go to the 9AM on Saturday if I am not running on Sunday.

I rest on Wednesday and Saturday or Sunday.


What's your favorite WOD?
Any WOD where I beat Olan, which is usually something with overhead squats.

What’s your least favorite WOD?
I don’t have a least favorite, although I think Angie is pretty stupid and Wolverine is right up there with it. My hands always rip with that many pull-ups and then I have to take a bunch of days off to let them heal. I’m trying to use less chalk, but I think I’m addicted.

What’s your favorite lift?
The clean, definitely. I like power cleans the most, but I need to get my front squat stronger so I can stand up in a squat clean at a heavier weight. Olan can’t squat at all, so I don’t need to work on that for awhile.

What’s your least favorite lift?
I struggle the most with the dead lift compared to the other lifts. And front squats are no picnic either because I am not a fan of choking myself.

What's your favorite foods, and snacks?
I love ice cream. I’ve tried to quit several times unsuccessfully. It’s hopeless.

Whats your favorite piece of workout gear?
I love my iPhone for running. I can listen to music and record my mileage at the same time.

I used to wear a heart rate monitor, iPod, and GPS all at the same time. It was silly actually.

Who is your favorite coach?
I seriously love all of the coaches.

Evan was my first coach, so he will always have a special place in my heart.

Jason is my regular 4:30 coach and he has helped me to focus on perfect form which greatly improves my efficiency in everything.

Aimee always tells me to put more weight on the bar, and I appreciate that. When she tells me I can lift more, I always believe her.

Jeff is a good listener. He’s always willing to discuss any topic I might want to talk about. He has also helped me to deal with my mobility issues.

Tim runs an efficient class so you have time to stretch at the end. His warm ups are my favorite.

Cate always gets more out of me. She will very gently suggest that I not stop and I don’t want to disappoint her, so I just keep going even though I can no longer see.

Vinny is very energetic. When he’s teaching class, I feel like I should try a little harder so he doesn’t flex his pecs at me.

Chris’s classes are always fun. He also has little tips that will fix whatever problem I have. I couldn’t get double unders until he told me to move my hands forward slightly. That was all I needed.

Donkey is mean and sweet at the same time. She scares me a little. I just do whatever she says and try not to make eye contact.

Cindy is one of the most awesomess people I know. I haven’t taken any of her classes, but she has helped me a lot to deal with relationships and the emotional parts of Crossfit and life. Even if Cindy doesn’t know you, she loves you….seriously, I’m not even exaggerating.

Nikki taught me how to use my legs on the rower. I’m happy she has her own box now, but I miss her good example. She has great form and as a result she can lift a ton.

Mel, Laura & Steph, are gonna be awesome coaches someday too. I love working out with them now, and I look forward to them coaching me someday soon.

Each coach has taught me something different. Everyone has their own style and influence. That’s what I love about Crossfit KOP. It’s multi-dimensional.

PR's to mention?
My overhead squat is only 10 lbs less than Olan’s, and I can lick my elbow.

A few more notes to mention:

Dorothy
Height 5’5”
Weight 160ish

Annie 11:27
Fran 8:27
Grace 6:53
Helen 13:52
Hell-en 27:32
Karen 10:18
Nancy 18:19
OHS 135#
Max DU's 50

Competitive fact: Once pulled out own tooth for intimidation

Olan:
Height 5 10"
Weight 175

Annie 14:45
Fran 7:12
Grace 3:51
Helen(Row) 16:20
Hell-en 28:23
Karen 10:10
Nancy 22:36
OHS 145#
Max DU’s 39

Competitive fact: Once greased pull-up bars to slow Dorothy down