MICF athlete who is committed to improvement
This is an opportunity for us to showcase an individual who regardless of current ability (or lack thereof!) comes in and works hard day in and day out to improve themselves both physically and mentally. We are a community who celebrate each others accomplishments and achievements and this is a place to meet a few of those people.
Athlete of the Month November: Scott St.Marie
Congratulations Scott, you earned it man!
Thanks Corey!
I started Crossfit, like most of us, looking for change in my exercise routine. I had been doing the same routine for years: Hitting the gym for some cardio machine work and lifting a few weights. Occasional jogs around the neighborhood and going for bike rides on the weekend. It was really getting stale and physically I had hit a plateau. After my first Crossfit workout I loved it immediately, the feeling of being totally trashed, covered in sweat, and sore (oh sooo sore).
However, even after month or so I had some doubts. “Double Unders” were impossible, still had to use the green band for pull-ups, everybody was still lifting more weight, and hand stand push-up were a joke. I thought maybe Crossfit was really only for super fit athletics with “monkey like” strength and agility. Not me!
Then the Crossfit seed started to sprout. I started getting the movements down, adding more weight, using smaller pull-up bands, a few DUs in a row. But I knew I was hooked when after a hard WOD I started to get upset while sitting at my desk: “I could’ve RX’d if I only added 10 more pounds” then “if I wouldn’t have rested so much between movement I could have gotten another round in” and “I can’t wait till the next WOD, I’m going to kick-butt”.
The rest is history! Now whenever Corey says “Hey anybody want to do the Warrior Dash?” Sure why not. “Go Ruck Challenge?” Might as well. “Escape from the Rock Tri’s in two weeks” Ok! I believe I can participate in all these events, with little or no specific training, because of my increased overall level of fitness achieved at MI Crossfit.
Thanks to all coaches (Corey, Allison, and Katie) and everybody at MI Crossfit. It’s the support and encouragement of this community that keeps me coming back and working my hardest.
-Scott
Athlete of the Month for October: Lorie
Lorie T is athlete for many reasons; Lets start with her commute:
Loire takes a ferry to Seattle every day where she works at a major down town high rise construction site. She drives PAST her work site all the way over to Mercer Island for the WOD. Yes, that’s right, she is also in construction. There is no sitting behind a desk for Lorie. After her WOD she spends the day keeping her work site safe watching out for her construction crew.
When it comes to the WODs Lorie pushes herself to the limit every day. She continually slips more weight on the bar to get that PR or to get as close to RX as she can. When Lore first started CrossFit RX’ed WODs were a distant goal. But slowly she got stronger and faster. She saw good results but as soon as she embarrassed the Paleo diet the results in performance were amazing! Not only does she push herself, but you can expect loud, encouraging yells to fly across the room toward anyone she sees slowing down!
Lorie goes out of her way to support the MICF community. She has help us get new box jump boxes, brings in Paleo food to share and drops more “likes” on Facebook than anyone I know. She also concludes every email with “box jump to ya”, or Kettlebell swing comin at ya” or whatever CrossFit movement she has on her mind at the time.
And lastly, and by far my favorite, Loire comes in all the time with a new CF story from work. Like the time she got in trouble for Overhead squatting a 12’ stick of Re-bar on the job site. Or the time she had a pushup contest with the guys on her crew. One day she met a concrete truck driver who had his own jump rope in his truck and would skip rope while waiting to pour his load, of course, Loire wend over and made a new friend!
Loire works hard and she gets results and I have never heard a single excuse out of her! And for that, Loire is our MICF Athlete of the month!
From Loire: What a honor!! Thanks Coach Corey. I started Crossfit to lose weight. I’m middle aged and started to see “The Middle Age Spread”. I needed something to make me accountable. From my first class @ MIC I was hooked. Coach Allison made me feel welcomed and that I could do this. I love the verity of each workout. I’ve learned to eat right and to push my body to limits I never thought I could. To walk away from a WOD and feel so proud of myself and the rest of our Crew is a amazing feeling. I know Crossfit will be in my life for many years to come. I haven’t lost any weight, I’ve lost two jean sizes!! My body is starting to show results of all my hard work! Thanks Coach Corey for your patience and love of Crossfit, Box Jump to Ya, Lorie
… see what I mean!!
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The Athlete of the month for September is Ray Benitez
Ray has been with MICF since almost the very beginning…
When MICF first opened I met Ray in the weight room. He was on the treadmill and eagerly flagged me down with lots of questions about CrossFit. He really wanted to try it, but couldn’t come to the class because he had to leave for work before class was over. On a daily basis I would see Ray, running on the treadmill, almost salivating as he watched the CrossFitters throwin’ around bumper plates, kettle-bells and med-balls. Finally one day Ray came over with a smile on his face like a kid on Christmas morning, “I can go in late to work today!” , and so it started. Ray got in his first CrossFit workout, and of course, he was hooked.
Im still not sure how, but he figured out how to rearrange his work schedule so that he could make it into the 6am class and still be at work in time to not get fired!
Ray is AofM for many reasons. Ray is a triathlete, completing many Tri’s of almost all distances and has seen great results in his tri’s from Crossfit. He is also a family man, with the newest addition Ava coming just 2 weeks ago! He is the first to welcome a new face into the CrossFit class and is quick to offer help to anyone who looks like they might need it. Ray is definitely one of our fittest, fastest athletes and is also one of the most humble. He is a perfect example of the kind of community that makes MICF more than just a place to get in a good workout!
From Ray:
“I have been enjoying Cross Fit for over a year. Prior to joining I had been looking for something that was going to “challenge” me. I was already putting in long hours in running, biking, and swimming along with 2 days of weight training per week. I was content with my fitness level but hit that dreaded plateau. I didn’t know how to get stronger or faster without putting more time into my training schedule which already felt excessive. I heard and read about Cross Fit and was elated to see that it came to Mercer Island. Corey invited me over for a WOD and that’s all it took. My first Cross Fit WOD was a truly humbling experience. My throat and lungs burned and my legs were so fatigued, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to walk the next day. Yeah, it was exactly what I was looking for. I decided to stick with it and after 4 weeks of CF, I was seeing significant results in my running and riding. I was feeling better than I had in years and realized that I was more efficient both at work and home. Over the last year I have pushed myself harder than I ever thought possible and am stronger than I have ever been. I didn’t think this was possible at the age of 42. I also now have a great group of friends who I look forward to seeing at least three times a week. We push each other through each WOD and celebrate once it’s over. It has been inspiring to watch fellow Cross Fitters gain strength and confidence while transforming their bodies with Cross Fit.
I am truly grateful that Corey has brought Cross Fit to Mercer Island. I look forward to each work out and have an amazing sense of accomplishment when it’s over.
Thanks Coach Corey, Allison, and Katie!” – Ray
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August Athlete of the Month: John H.
John has been with MICF since Febuary of this year. When I first met him I was glad to see that he was motivated to stay active and that he was interested in a functional life style. Much quicker than I expected, John was in the full swing of things pushing past the scaled workouts and doing the full thing with the rest of the class. Every morning John comes in with a smile on his face and he always has an insightful comment to make us laugh. He has numorus stories about how CrossFit has prepaired him for some kind of challenge that life has thrown at him!
Corey –
When you told me I was going to be named “Athlete of the Month” at Mercer Island Crossfit, my first reaction was:
Are you kidding me? I struggle to get through 3 workouts a week. I’m barely awake at 6 a.m. I should probably be in Silver Sneakers. I “scale” weights and reps so I can keep up (sort of) with the rest of the class. I lose count often. Call them “senior moments.”
Burpees make me burp, squats make me squirt, roll-ups rack my back, and double-unders describe my chin and my belly. I do “toes to air,” not “toes to bar.” When you tell us to pick a bar, I start thinking of a martini at Oliver’s or a beer at the Pyramid Alehouse.
I once told you, “I’m a little more fit, but a lot more cross.” You wrote that on the whiteboard, outing me as a grouchy curmudgeon, which happens to be true. And yet, and yet….Here’s what has happened since I started Crossfit in January:
I’m sleeping better, eating healthier, and have a lot more energy. Yard work is much easier; I unloaded a whole load of dirt from a pickup truck by myself. When my wife was out in our boat and it went dead in the water, I paddled out in a kayak and towed her back to the dock. None of this would have been possible without Crossfit.
In short(s), I’m a huge fan and I’ll keep coming until I drop, which could happen anytime. More likely, I’ll drop a wall ball on my head, and my pass throughs will suddenly take on a whole new meaning….This 65-year-old aging Boomer is honored by your award. It’s the best athletic award I’ve ever gotten. In fact, it’s the only athletic award I’ve ever gotten. (Well, I was runner-up in the Forest Hills Grade School boys’ tetherball tournament in 1957. Does that count?)
Inspired by this award, I promise to spend more time on Burpees: http://www.burpee.com/. Can’t wait. Seriously.
John Hamer
