Athlete of the Month

 

 

Congratulations to Jess C!

 

Get to Know Jess C our Athlete of the Month – Q &A:

Hometown: Wilkes-Barre, PA

Current Location: Norristown, PA

Age: 34

Occupation: Engineer

College: Penn State

How long have you been a CrossFitter? Since November 2010, though I actually found the website in May and stared at it for months before working up the courage to walk in the door.

Did you ever play sports?

 

Me? Sports? Ha, no. If you ever saw me try to throw a ball, catch a ball, kick a ball, hit a ball with a stick, or dodge a ball, you'd understand the problem. In high school and college, I was involved in dance, and after that, I enjoyed other safe, non-sport activities like yoga, climbing, aikido, and cycling.

What is your biggest achievement at CrossFit?

 

Running a mile for the first time in my life. When I first started, I often struggled to finish the 400m warmup. A mile took me over 12 minutes, half walking, and I was in tears by the end. This spring, I finished a mile in just over 8 minutes!

What do you feel that you still need to work on?

Running, definitely, and general endurance.

 

Goals for the rest of this year?

 

Show up, give it my best, don't get hurt. Hmm. I may need a goal to work on more specific goals.

 

What's your favorite WOD?

The 12 Days of Christmas. The entertainment value alone is priceless.

 

What is the craziest insane workout outside of CF you have ever done?

Canyoneering in Zion National Park was a blast. Also, there was this one time we took a kayak trip down the Delaware after a flood, which was kind of crazy and insane in retrospect.

 

What’s your least favorite WOD?

KAREN

 

What’s your favorite lift?

Snatches. Bar's on the ground, bar goes up, whee! I may change my mind once I'm better at full squat snatches and have to deal with real weight, but for now, I do power snatches and they're fun. I'm also fond of dumbbell push presses.

 

What’s your least favorite lift?

Are wallballs a lift? I say they are. Wallballs. (See above re: Karen.)

 

What skill do you want to work on in 2012 the most ?

Skills I -want- to work on? Any lift (except wallballs). Skills I -should- work on? Wallballs. And double-unders and running.

 

What's your favorite foods, and snacks?

Pretty much all of them. Chocolate primarily, in all forms, as well as cheeseburgers, burritos, wings, sushi, pho, good southern barbeque, CowShare, tea, sweet potatoes, and beer. I also really, really like Brussels sprouts. For real.

 

Whats your favorite piece of workout "gear"?

I'm not a huge gear nut, but I love my Stem and Vivo shoes. Also, never underestimate the importance of quality undergarments.

 

What you say is your biggest improvement since starting CF?

Learning where my comfort zone really is, and learning how to push myself harder to stay out of it.

Who is your favorite coach?

Oh, the loaded question! I thought about this quite a bit, making a chart for every coach and listing pros and cons for each... no, just kidding. Sort of. But I have to pick Aimee as my favorite, coming in just ahead of Jason. Aimee's excellent coaching and the energy she brings to every class are just incredible, and I always enjoy Jason's colorful commentary, technical expertise, and nerdy spreadsheets. But Aimee gets top billing because, well, she's the one who started it all in KoP and that's pretty awesome. Rounding out my other favorites: Chris, you have an uncanny knack for appearing out of nowhere and yelling at me to keep going every time I want to sneak some rest in. Mel, you often challenge me to do more when I'm pretty sure I can't (and you've always been right). Tim, one of these days that whole POSE thing will click, I just know it. Cate, your positive attitude and all-around encouragement are truly appreciated. Vinny, your warmups are my workout (keep 'em coming, I'm up for the challenge)! Donkey, though I'm rarely in your classes, I applaud your general badassery (no pun intended). Laura and Steph, I've never seen 6am and probably never will, so I'm afraid you can't be in the running for favorite, but I admire you both immensely. Jeff and Cindy, I miss you guys! You can be my backup favorites. Overall, a big thank you to all of the coaches for making CFKoP such a fun and supportive community. 

 

What has it been like now that Jim has recently started CrossFitting with us?!?!?!

It's pretty cool. Before he joined, I would come home ranting about some workout, and Jim would listen patiently while privately wondering exactly what a GHD or Tabata was and why I wouldn't shut up about them. But now, we can bitch about WODs together! On the other hand, there can be some serious competition for the foam roller.

   

PR's to mention? Goals Reached? Nutrition highlights?...

I'm happiest about the improvement in mile time, but breaking 200# on a deadlift was also pretty thrilling.  I'm also proud to have participated in the Open this year and completed some really challenging workouts without scaling. As for nutrition, I eat 100% paleo maybe, oh, 25% of the time (gotta pick your battles, you know?). Instead, I just focus on avoiding dietary ruts and eating a wider variety of foods -- basically, more veggies, less ice cream. Not that there's anything wrong with ice cream, especially at breakfast.