Athlete

CONGRATULATIONS TO TAYLOR TOMPKINS… Our first 2018 Athlete of the Month!
Taylor has been with us since April 2017, but seems like she’s been with us since the beginning. And man, does this girl impress! Taylor has the strongest work ethic of any member we’ve seen. She works incredibly hard and it shows! She is constantly improving her movement, skill, strength and speed. “Taylor has this amazing attitude and is so fun to work out with!” She basically kicks ass everyday. She recently competed in her first CrossFit competition, coming away with a ninth place finish in a team division. Super awesome! We love having you here at Big Rock with us Taylor!

Get to know Taylor a bit more…
What drew your attention to trying out CrossFit? – A combination of things really.  When I was in college my friend made me join the “Crossfit club,” which was my first real exposure to it.  It met once a week, and despite there being no weight lifting involved, it literally kicked my ass.  Then, I got out of college, and went back to doing nothing.  Eventually, the weight I gained in college and my laziness really started to catch up with me, so I decided I should do something.  And, because I hate running, and I generally quit traditional gyms after at least a month, I decided I should go try that thing I did in college, only for real this time.  So here I am 😊

What were you most excited about and what were you most nervous about CrossFit? – I’m not totally sure what I was most excited about… maybe just the prospect of getting in shape lol.  The weight lifting though, that was definitely the part that intimidated me the most.  And like most girls, I was raised to believe that if you lift too much weight you’ll bulk up and it won’t be pretty.  Turns out though, that the weight lifting is my favorite part.  So I’m super glad I got over that whole thing.

Now that you’ve got months of CrossFit under your belt, what keeps you coming? – I see results in so many different ways that don’t relate to the number on a scale.  Which is funny, because its really why I joined to begin with, and now its the part I care the least about.  But its fun, I love watching my weights go up, I feel stronger, and I’m not dying after just 5 burpees anymore.  I’m competing with myself, and proving to myself that I can do things I never thought I could, and that has been a really tremendous positive factor in my life. The sense of community is also really awesome, and I love the part about how I come in and someone else tells me what to do and I don’t have to think about it.  It’s really nice lol

Outside of CrossFit, what keeps you busy? – My 6 year old mostly lol.  But I work part time as a personal chef.  I spend a lot of time menu planning, recipe developing, and cooking.  Basically, when I’m not at the gym, I’m thinking about, making, or eating food.

Where did you grow up? – I grew up in New York.. Long Island to be specific 😊

What brought you to Duvall? – We spent a lot of time on the I-5 corridor when we were in the Navy, and we hated everything about it, so we decided we wanted to go east. We also wanted a smaller town vibe and a house with some acreage; so Duvall is where we landed.

Did you play sports growing up or as an adult? – haha… well technically yes I played softball and basketball when I was really young.  However, I sucked at basketball, and I hated softball so much that they always sent me outfield… where I would pretty much dig for worms the entire time.

Favorites:
Food: French fries
Drink: honestly.. plain old water.  But outside of that.. Alcoholic ? German style Beers.  Non Alcoholic ? Coffee
Color: green
Movie: 10 Things I Hate About You
Vacation: My vacations are pretty much always spent in New York. If i could go anywhere though…. probably Thailand or New Zealand.

CONGRATULATIONS TO MARTA MCCREARY!

This girl always walks in with a smile and a get-after-it mentality.  Even during the toughest workouts, her smile is still there!  Thank you Marta for being apart of our family. We love watching you get stronger!!!

Here is Marta’s CrossFit Story…

Before starting CF in the fall of last year, I had been searching for something to supplement my running and yoga routine. I recently ran my 4th marathon and it was not a great race. I felt I needed a change and I needed to get stronger. I was happy to discover there was a CF gym in town (I didn’t know then it’s called a box).

I was a little nervous, afraid everybody is super fit and will laugh at me, since I couldn’t even do a pull up or a push up. The thing that convinced me was that CrossFit Big Rock is owned by women and there are more female coaches than male. That could only be awesome, I thought. And I was right! The community here is so welcoming and encouraging that I keep coming back. I also really like that it is not all about more weight, that there is a lot of stretching and real emphasis on the proper form. The coaches are actually coaching! And doing a great job!

I love doing CrossFit. There is a whole lot of things I still can’t do (pull ups) but I made huge progress with others (push ups). I am getting stronger every week. I plan my work, my weekends and even my vacation around CrossFit. My husband thinks I am a little bit crazy 🙂

What was supposed to be an addition to my routine, became my primary focus. I still love running and there will be a time I will need to start training for the next marathon. But until then, CrossFit it is.

CONGRATULATIONS TO SARAI JACOBS!
Sarai, you are our Athlete of the Month for June! Hands down, this girl is one of the hardest workers we have here at Big Rock! There are times (and she mentions it below) where she doubts herself. And every time she comes out on top. She gives it her all and it shows. Sarai consistently improves in speed, movements, and increasing those weights.  We are super impressed with you, Sarai, and super proud of your determination and confidence! We basically think you’re a ROCK STAR!

Tell us a little about what lead you to walk through our doors here at CrossFit Big Rock? I had been looking for some kind of gym or fitness program that I could join that was low commitment. I hate to admit it but I’m kind of a quitter and since I knew that going in, I knew I wanted something that was flexible. 

What motivated you to come in? Sarah Eyer was actually the person who finally convinced me to try out CrossFit. She told me how cool everyone was there and how great the program was. So I finally went for it!

What keeps you coming back for more? It’s taken me 33 years but CrossFit has taught me that I can. I can do anything that I work hard for. As I reflect back, I can see the pattern in why I always quit things. I always quit because I was either told I can’t or I shouldn’t or I had those thoughts myself and no one to combat them. But at Crossfit I’ve experienced the opposite. Whenever I have a thought like “Sarai, what the heck are you doing? You can’t do this!” Someone yells “You got this! Pick it up! Keeping going! Nice work!” And my whole thinking shifts. I think “they are right, it’s hard but I can do this. I can and I will!”. That’s what keeps me coming back. 

Did you play sports growing up? I played basketball, soccer, and ran track in middle and high school.

Other than CrossFit, what other activities keep you busy? My family! Ha! I have 3 kids (age 11, 8, 2) I’ve been doing this motherhood thing for a long time and it has always been important to me to raise good kids. Kids with good hearts, that are kind and compassionate and always stand up for what is right. That takes a lot of work! But I firmly believe that my greatest accomplishment may very well be my children. So to me, there is too much at stake to not fully invest in them. I also love watching movies and TV shows.

What’s your favorite movement/WOD you hope to see on the whiteboard when you walk into class?  Oh man, not sure if I have a favorite haha. I like running. Or push or bench press.

Our May Athlete of the Month is no surprise to any of us here at CrossFit Big Rock… Congratulations to JAKE HOLMES!
Jake came to Big Rock about six months ago.  Jake is not new to CrossFit, but it had been a little while. Easing back into the cardio was the fun part (right Jake? Ok, maybe not). But lifting heavy, you could tell, was his favorite and it didn’t take very long at all to get those heavy weight plates back on the bar. Then you bet, just a few months back into it and he was PR’ing all over the place! Pretty exciting! He attends the 5:30am classes pretty regularly and now is mixing it up and WODing at night too so he can get his lifting in during Open Gym time. Jake, thanks for always walking into CFBR with a smile on your face and ready to tackle whatever is on the whiteboard. It’s been fun watching you get stronger and faster!

What’s your CrossFit story?
— Hey guys, I started Crossfit in November 2015.

What is your CrossFit favorite? And what’s not your favorite?
— Some of my favorite CrossFit favorites include team-based competitive activities, along with compounded movements that make each set excruciatingly painful (that’s when I start laughing from the pain). However, my least favorite has to be burpees, or thrusters. 

You recently got a new job. What draws you to that profession? Tell us about it…
— I am recently employed by King County in the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention as a Juvenile Detention Officer. Over the past few weeks, I can sum it up as going from having no responsibility of children, to having 10 children I am responsible for during my shift. I hope to have this be a building block into other possibilities within King County.

Other than work, what keeps you busy outside the box?
— What has kept me busy outside of the box. Over the past two months I have been house searching, so my weekends have been goners. Outside of that I enjoy video games. *insert super nerdy joke here.*

Most embarrassing moment?
— My most embarrassing moment… at least at the Box… was during Box Jumps early in the morning and biffing it, and eating rubber with my face.

Did you play sports growing up?
— I grew up playing Little League Baseball until age 11, where I switched over to Select baseball for the Riverview Ravens… in Middle School and High School I played both Baseball and Football.

What is your favorite cheat meal?
— Every meal is cheat meal. Just kidding. When I take my diet seriously, and I am trying to alter my food intake, my biggest cheat meal is breakfast… waffles, eggs, syrup, butter, bacon, and a milkshake.

Any advice for CrossFit newbies?
— I can say with confidence I came into CrossFit with strength, but no functional movement ability compared to the majority of others. CrossFit can be extremely daunting, and looks like a lot of work… and it is. However the community CrossFit brings with it far outweighs any difficulty one may have in choosing to begin at a CrossFit gym. Every coach I have had or come across is extremely welcoming, thoughtful, thorough, and wants the best for you. You have no idea what you are missing until you experience it.

One particular athlete, here at CrossFit Big Rock, has really stepped up her game lately and is shining! The Big Rock Intramural Open really brought out a fire in this gal and we all noticed. Congratulations goes out to Wendy Tumbleson as she’s earned the title of  April Athlete of the Month!

Wendy has been with CFBR since the beginning and has been a super supportive member. She is one of our regulars at night and weekends, and is one tough cookie. She’s so consistent, she’s so dedicated to staying healthy and has a great work ethic. Wendy doesn’t slack. She’s always pushing herself! Even her move to Redmond didn’t slow her down or distract her from getting into the box on a regular basis!

Here’s a little info on Wendy…

You have had several surgeries that would have put most folks on the couch.  What keeps you motivated to come in and get your workout on anyway? 
2 reasons:  1- The people mostly, keeps me coming back.  Every coach is very willing to help find me alternates as well as push me when I need it.  2- I want to be able to move as I age.  I also have to admit that I love the reaction from people when they find out I do CrossFit.

What is your favorite CrossFit lift?
Deadlift and Thrusters.

What is your most dreaded?
Snatch anything

What is your favorite treat? 
Rocky Road ice cream

Favorite destination?
Hawaii

Favorite quote?
This one is tough since I have a few.  Favorite recent one is “it is our choices that truly show what we are, far more than our abilities”.  (JK Rowling). Reminds me of the words I told my daughter in cheer-actions speak louder than words.