Deadlift- 325, Clean-175, Front Squat-205, Diane-4:22
I’ve always been a pretty average athlete. I grew up dancing ballet for 12 years then ending that career when it interferes with playing both softball and basketball in high school. Throughout college and beyond I continued to stay active and had the typical cardio machine regimen, where I passed time reading books while on an elliptical, bike or stair stepper (otherwise my short attention span would have steered me elsewhere). I started taking Zumba classes with a friend and one day she brought me to a CrossFit class at her gym. It was over from there! Being a naturally competitive person (I beat kids in UNO in my spare time at my full time job) I fell in love with the sport, camaraderie, competition and community. I’ve met so many great people that are still in my life today through CrossFit that just have the biggest hearts, passion and are a great time to be around!
I was born premature and through my development it was discovered I had been born with scoliosis. When I was 12, I had corrective surgery where the majority of my cervical and thoracic spine were fused together and are still supported by 2 Harrington rods. The surgery forced me to relearn how to move, gain strength and support myself in activities of daily living including walking, standing and sitting. At 12 I thought this was a life sentence and I would never be able to play high school sports. Well, I have overcome that and then some! I continue to struggle with mobility, strength, and some skills because of my scoliosis but I have been able to adapt and even participate and excel in local competitions! After a few random injuries I have had to force myself to slow down, gain some self control and humility and proactively rehab bringing me to a new chapter of my life where I’m just trying to stay healthy and surround myself around good people!
I love people and helping people be their best. For those of you that don’t know, I’m a social worker by trade. The helping passion is in my blood and something that truly drives me to be a great coach. With my history and needing to rehab or scale myself I have developed many scaling options where a CrossFit workout can really be catered to the level of any athlete that comes in the gym from first day to injured to competitor. My favorite movement(s) to coach are the Olympic lifts. I love their complexity and watching people’s wheels turn in their head when something clicks for them! I genuinely get so much excitement for my athletes when I see a new skill or strength developed!