Athlete of the Month-Congratulations Jill C.

Hometown: Montvale, NJ
Current Location: Philadelphia, PA (Fairmount neighborhood – as of July 1!)
Age: 24
Occupation: Process Engineer
College: Cornell University
 
How long have you been a CrossFitter? Just over 2 years

Did you ever play sports? Yes – grew up playing soccer and ran track in high school. In college I dabbled in recreational horseshoes and squash.
 
Got some cool (or uncool) hobbies you'd like to share? Curling is my coolest (or uncoolest – depending how you look at it) hobby. I play in a weekly competitive league and travel for bonspiels (tournaments) a few times a year. I love to travel – my goal is to visit one new country and one new state a year. I enjoy baking, running (shocker) and outdoor activities. I also love puns.

What is your biggest achievement at CrossFit? I’m having trouble citing something specific because I think my overall progression is what I’d consider my biggest achievement. I feel that I have grown in mental fortitude and physical strength. The day I conquered the 8 foot wall ascent was when I realized crossfit is as much a mental challenge as a physical one. But honestly, a huge accomplishment for me has been that I stopped eating ramen noodles.

What do you feel that you still need to work on? Everything! I feel like I have a good general grasp of most movements but would like to start fine tuning things and becoming more efficient. Stringing pull-ups and overhead squats, specifically.

Goals for the rest of this year? I have a few specific ones (see below) but my overall goal is to push myself more. I’m never confident enough to choose the appropriate weights. I start to have doubts and chicken out last minute by using lower weight. I’ve definitely improved a lot at selecting weights but I think there is still room to challenge myself further.

What's your favorite WOD? Anything involving the combination of legs and lungs – ie some form of running, cleans, and deadlifts.
 
How about your favorite food/snacks? Chocolate, ice cream and wawa chicken parm sandwhiches are easily my top 3 favorites. I have a huge sweet tooth. I strongly believe it’s never too early or too late for a pint of ben & jerry’s and/or bowl of easy mac.
 
What is the craziest workout outside of CF you have ever done? I’ve run 2 marathons which my family calls me crazy for. I also did an open water ocean swim as part of a triathlon, which was quite challenging for me.

What’s your least favorite WOD? Anything with more than 100 reps of a movement, especially if it’s push-ups – no thank you
 
Favorite lift/movement? The clean. There is an indescribable, satisfying sound made when the movement comes together from the barbell, weights and heels. Strange, I know, but like I said…indescribable.

What’s your least favorite lift/movement? The snatch. There is a describable sound of struggle associated with this movement. Not a fan.
 
What skill are you planning working on in the new year 2015 the most? Ring dips! It’s the last of 3 crossfit related 2015 goals (see last question for other 2) that I have not achieved yet. I keep hoping that one day I’ll wake up and magically have ring dip capabilities. It’s been 6 months and no such luck so I definitely need to focus on ring dip practice for the rest of the year.

Whats your favorite piece of workout "gear"? My side pony…does that count? Or wrist wraps because they have saved my forearms on numerous occasions.
 
What you say is your biggest improvement since starting CF? My biggest improvement has been gaining upper body strength. I’ve always been a runner and I started crossfit so I could add a strength component to marathon training. After only 6 months of crossfit, I took 10 minutes off my marathon PR. But I can also do things like rope climbs, pull-ups and wall ascents which are movements I would have never gained the strength for had I trained solely by running (pun intended – I had to include at least one).
 
Who is your favorite coach? My favorite part about KOP is the diversity of coaches. I love that everyone offers different perspectives and advice. I feel like I am always learning something new every time we review movements before wods, even after 2 years of crossfit. I’m partial to Coach Keith since he coached my intro class, shares a liking of ben and jerry’s, and lets me gab about my weekend at the Monday 5:30.

PR's to mention? Goals Reached? Nutrition highlights?.Last month, I hit a bodyweight clean which is the PR I’m most proud of. Getting a strict pull-up and rx-ing double under wods were the other 2 of my 2015 goals that I accomplished this year. Winning the nutrition challenge in January was pretty exciting too and I still zone (on the weekdays J ). I like math and puzzles so zoning meals turns into a nerdy game for me.
 
Thank you so much to the amazing coaches for the nomination. I am in awe and inspired by the achievements by everyone at KOP. I am appreciative to be part of this supportive and incredible community!