Susie has been here in a variety of classes since the beginning. Now she’s even dragged her husband in. I love having her (and Nick) in the gym. She’s an athlete, so she knows the routine and has that attitude like each day in the gym is practice. She’s also one of the most strong people in the gym, male or female. I remember the day she deadlifted 375 pounds. That was unreal, and I think it was an eyeopener to what an athlete is truly capable of.
I am always impressed by her ability to take advice and coaching and embrace it. When we recommended work on her squat, she was in there day after day, working towards improvement. That’s just not necessarily normal for most people.
But more important than any of those things, she is just incredibly kind to everyone. She’s welcoming, helpful and really embodies the culture of the gym here and I’m thrilled to see her walk in the door.
What brought you into CrossFit Sandpoint in the first place?
Britian actually really pushed me into this. He kept telling me that he thought I would really like it. He finally wore me down and I started going.
What do you remember about your first experience (class or other)?
Woo. My first class was a 6:00 AM one – I actually did 6:00 AM for my first four months or so (shocking, I know). There was a rope climb. I couldn’t squat to 90 degrees. I thought I was going to puke. I may have almost cried. And my performance was so embarrassing that I felt like I HAD to come back, just to do better. I forced myself through the first couple classes, and then I kept coming back because I really enjoyed it.
What’s your favorite memory over the last 5 years?
This may be petty… but I think my favorite memory was doing a one rep max front squat with Kelli. I didn’t tell her that my bar had the 5.5 lbs on it (instead of the 5 lbs that she had) – and beat her by 1 lb. She’s so awesome and I was having so much fun lifting with her. And she kept really pushing me and wasn’t letting me wimp out or give up while it was still at a “comfortable” weight. I felt really proud about keeping up with her. And beating her. Pretty sure I did a very uncoordinated victory dance.
What are you most proud of over the last 5 years?
I’m really proud of learning all the different lifts and challenging myself on how much I can do. I’d never really lifted before, and I remember when I started, I didn’t think I would or could lift the heavy weights I saw. My initial PRs were so low – partially because my mobility was bad, but mostly because I had no idea how strong I actually was. I remember being so excited when I broke 200# on a deadlift, and then later crushing it with 375#. When I started I never thought I could do something like that. I’ve seen such gains across all my lifts and feeling that strong is so amazing. Lifting is my favorite part of the classes.
What keeps you coming back?
Everyone always says “the people” – but with good reason. I have never met a friendlier, cooler group of people. It’s always one of the best parts of my day to come in and throw weights around with this group. Everyone is encouraging, inclusive, friendly, and fun. There’s a ton of other stuff that keeps me coming back as well – I love the coaches, I love feeling strong, it’s fun, it’s a great place to work off the bad energy of the day, etc. But the people – the people are phenomenal.
What is still on your list of things to achieve?
Ahhh! I have so much to still achieve. I can do tons of kipping pull-ups but I still don’t have a strict pull-up. I can’t consistently get into a handstand, let alone do a handstand push-up (but I no longer donkey kick my head into the wall, so progress). I can’t sit in a squat. Those are probably my most immediate goals. I would really like to improve my mobility and my gymnastics.
Anything else miscellaneous you’d like to add?
I do NOT miss the turf. But I miss Attie.