July Athlete of the Month

Congratulations Pete W---(aka Tropical Pete)

Hometown:

Penn Valley, PA

Current Location:
Devon, PA

Age:
35

Occupation:
Intellectual Property Attorney for Siemens

College:

University of Pennsylvania

How long have you been a CrossFitter?

Started at KoP in January of 2012, so just about two and a half years now.

Did you ever play sports?

I was always playing sports recreationally growing up but really focused on squash when I first picked up a racquet in 8^th grade.  I ended up playing all through high school and all four years on the team in college and kept playing competitively for years after college as well.  I worked my way up to the number one spot on the team my sophomore year and held it through senior year (due in very large part to a couple of weak recruiting classes, but still…).  I kept up playing post-college and even won the US nationals for my division in 2006.

Got some cool (or uncool) hobbies you'd like to share?

Crossfit mostly – though I’m not sure if that’s a cool or uncool hobby.  Outside of work and crossfit I spend most of my time either wrangling a wonderful and incredibly energetic three year old daughter or out at the barn or horse show watching my wife, who is a competitive equestrian rider, train and compete.

What is your biggest achievement at CrossFit?
All of the lifting movements were foreign to me starting out and in particular the shoulder to overhead lifts have always been tough for me, so my biggest achievement so far is probably reaching 200 pounds for my jerk.    

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

There are always too many things to work on, but to focus on a few things:  shoulder press, which has been stuck at about 125-130 pounds for years; strict handstand pushups – I think I can only do one without kipping; handstand walks (currently I just fall over immediately); and of course muscle ups (haven’t gotten one yet).

Goals for the rest of this year?

Aside from all of the crossfit specific things to work on listed above, I want to start running (want is strong here… I hate running, but always feel better and fitter for doing it and I’ve been avoiding it for years) – nothing crazy, but a few miles a couple of times a week. 

What's your favorite WOD?

Anything with Double Unders is always fun, so Annie is probably my 'best' WOD.  But i always like seeing some of the longer WODs show up like fight gone bad and Eva.

How about your favorite food/snacks?

pizza and wine (is wine a food?).  i'm a heavy carb lover, so pizza, pasta, bread, pretzels all don't last very long in my house.

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

probably one of the team workouts in college.  a few times we ran over to franklin field to run the stairs which as i learned the first time meant running up from the field to the top step of the first aisle, then across to aisle two, down the steps to the field and so forth up and down each aisle and repeat around the stadium two or three times.

What’s your least favorite WOD?

anything with muscle ups or heavy shoulder press but just because those are weak spots.  also filthy 50 which i sort of enjoy or so i think every time until i'm halfway through, somehow that one always makes me feel a little ill...

Favorite lift/movement?

double unders, rope climbs, back squats.

What’s your least favorite lift/movement?

Overhead squats, shoulder press, snatch – I might have some shoulder mobility issues that make the overhead squats and snatch difficult and shoulder press is just such a weak spot.

What skill have you been working on in 201​4​ the most?

I mostly just focus on showing up and working hard consistently and trying to maintain if not increase overall fitness.  If I’ve been focusing a bit more anywhere this year it’s probably on strength and trying to push the weights higher on the heavy strength days.

Whats your favorite piece of workout "gear"?

Probably the lifting shoes (inov-8 fast lifts).  After two years of crossfit I finally pulled the trigger and bought lifting shoes and they have made a huge difference, particularly with squats.

What you say is your biggest improvement since starting CF?

I’m much stronger than before starting crossfit, but the biggest improvement generally has been the consistency of working out which has been great for not just overall fitness but my energy level throughout the day after working out as well.

Who is your favorite coach?

All of the coaches are great.  I’m a 6/7am weekday member and really appreciate the whole roster of morning coaches and the different approaches and strengths of each.