AOM Archive

June 2010 Jen "Jen-Bot" Anderberg

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:41:24 -0700

April 2010 Lynn "Chalk" Elliott

Wed, 2 Jun 2010 15:16:04 -0700

Time again for the coveted CFT AOM. This month, as with every month, we like to take a moment to acknowledge and respect one of our own that is displaying all of those attributes we hold so near and dear within our box. This month, the athlete we would like to notice is Lynn “Chalk” Elliott.

Now “Chalk” has been with us for a long time really. In the past however, her role was more of one of support. Some of you may know her beaux, Scott “Bodhi” Elliott. But “Chalk” has crossed over to the dark side and joined the ranks of athlete here at CFT and ever since there has been no looking back for her. She made the change last October when she signed up for her Phase 1 training and has shown huge gains and awesome commitment to the program since her very first day.

Lets take a quick look at some numbers.

1) Day 9 of Phase 1 “Dirty 30” Nov. 16/09. 12” box jump, 25lb push press, and 6 lb ball 27:43
April 14/10 “Filthy 50”. As Rx’d with the exception of the wall ball where she went to 10lbs. 38:55
Wow! That’s a massive improvement in work capacity.

Day 1. 8 Pull Ups in a green band. Today she has 3 unassisted pull ups in a row!

One of the areas that I know she down plays is her strength. She is rockin’ strong no matter what she says. 135lb x 3 Front squat, 180lb back squat, 225lb Deadlift, 105lb x 3 Thruster. Awesome numbers “Chalk”.

Not only is she kickin’ some ass with her wods, she shows up to as many social functions as she can and has enrolled in the Phase 2.5 Olympic Lifting sessions where she is making dramatic improvements as well. She has truly dedicated herself to a lifestyle of betterment and improvement. It is inspiring to watch and be a part of. She always shows up ready to work hard and with a smile on her face. The tenacity at which she conquers wods and attacks her weakness is commendable. She holds herself to a very high standard never shorting herself on ROM and demands near perfect form on every rep.

Well done “Chalk”. You are truly deserving of the April AOM.

Quote:

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."
~ Albert Einstein

March 2010 Naomi "Stitch" Boulay

Wed, 2 Jun 2010 15:11:42 -0700

Yet again, the coaches and owners at CFT didn’t have all that much trouble selecting March’s AOM. That special someone who has increased or changed some aspect of their training and as such separated themselves from the rest of the pack. It’s not always the loud or the boisterous that receive the most attention, at CFT quietly but effectively getting the job done can prove just as fruitful and yield equally impressive gains. This is the essence of Naomi “Stitch” Boulay. Not yelling, screaming, grunting, or drawing attention to herself. Nope, she’s more of the strong silent type, she just buckles down and gets ‘er done and boy is that paying off as of late!

“Stitch” joined CFT back in January of 2009. PeeB’s, Sully, and I all knew her and what she was capable of before she even set foot in the box having trained with her in the past. We were excited to have her become part of our CFT family and knew she would be a welcome addition to the team. She cruised through her CrossFit Eval and joined the group.

So what’s been the biggest change as of late? Easy answer: her commitment to the program. And we all know what happens when we do that. Pr’s start to fall, body composition starts to change, mood improves...the list goes on and on. But let’s look a little deeper.

I often say it in my day one talk to potential new clients. “You are only as fit as your weakest link, and you will see greater gains in overall fitness by addressing your weakness than by improving your strengths. “Stitch” has embraced this concept with vengeance.

As I stated earlier, a lot of us knew “Stitch” before joining CFT. She was awesome at attacking certain WOD’s, in particular those that involved high rep gymnastic components and light weight. You could see that these were the workouts that she really enjoyed and excelled at when performing. Less passion for the heavy lifting type WOD’s and rope climbs were not even a consideration (fear of heights).

A quick perusal through “Stitch’s” WOD tracking book indicates a few things to me straight away though:
She is getting stronger. A recent new Deadlift Pr of 195lbs, 70 lbs. on the Snatch and a 105lb Clean and Jerk. Awesome work!
All of a sudden I’m seeing the letters Rx’d a whole lot more in that book too!
Her attendance is the best it’s ever been!
She completed her first ever legit rope climb the other day!

So “Stitch”, in recognition of your improved attendance, the initiative you’ve shown by aggressively attacking your weakness’, by bringing your “strong silent” no nonsense approach to every WOD, and for that rockin’ handstand photo above....you have definitely earned the March Athlete of the Month. Well done girl, keep up the good work.

Quote:

“Our strength grows out of our weakness”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

February 2010 Cindy “Flo” Jantzen

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:46:56 -0700

I think this months AOM has been a long time coming. I think part of the reason that she hasn’t been recognized so far is simply this; traditionally our AOM is someone that rises up and starts making significant gains and changes after increasing their level of commitment to the program. As coaches and athletes we see marked gains and improvements from someone over a given period of time. Essentially they draw attention to themselves due to the fact that they are putting out the extra effort and in turn start seeing extra special results.

Harder to notice sometimes is the person that’s been hitting the WOD’s consistently and putting up great numbers for over a year. We don’t necessarily see the spike in performance associated with an increase in commitment because they have been so highly committed since day 1 when they walked through the door. This is the very definition of Cindy “Flo” Jantzen.

“Flo” joined us back in July of 2008 shortly after we opened. She brought a good foundation of fitness along with her but primarily in the CvCr Endurance component. She had a solid running background (hence the name “Flo”) and worked out on a regular basis. It was clear from the beginning that she was a solid athlete looking to take her fitness to the next level. The biggest chink in her armor at the time (as with most women) was in her strength component.

Now I don’t have a ton of stats for “Flo” right now because she took her book home to “clean it up”. A couple of things I do know straight off though. Her strength has gone up HUGE since she began CrossFit, she has one of the best L-Sit Pull Ups in the box (men and ladies included), she is one of 3 women at CFT that have a Muscle Up, she attends WOD’s on a very consistent basis, she never shaves reps or sacrifices form/mechanics for load, she is valued and respected member of the Team that shows up to as many events as she can (even if it means losing at DodgeBall). Really, I just can’t say enough good things about her. She hit’s the WOD’s hard, scales appropriately when needed (she’s a smart athlete too), and brings a great attitude to every workout. Often she is one of the first few done, yet you will see her cheering others on and even helping them clean up at the end of class.

“Flo”, it’s been a long time coming, but no one is more deserving than you. It’s time you were recognized for the level of commitment you’ve made, the gains you’ve realized, and the atmosphere you bring to the box every time you walk through the door. For those reasons and many many more, you are the CFT AOM for February. Well done girl.

Quote:

“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.”
~Malcolm S. Forbes

December 2009 Andrew “Focker” Roodbol

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:56:20 -0800

I know it’s almost February, sorry Focker, but we had some really important shit to blog about lately. Phase 2.5, Paleo challenge, Bus rental, scheduling proposals, etc. Was all that more important than recognizing Andrew “Focker” (not fucker) Roodbol? No, but I knew he’d understand, he’s just that kind of guy.

So, why is “Focker” the AOM for December? Don’t really need to answer that as I’m sure all of you already know. We all see his name consistently on the leader board. One of the questions I hear more than any other lately is “did you beat Focker?” Let me tell ya, since that little “Focker” joined us back in September I’ve witnessed some pretty amazing gains from him, but let’s take a look anyway.

Some Focking Numbers:
Back when he started with us he did “Elizabeth” but only used 95lbs. for the Clean, he did it in 10:10. Four days ago he rocked the 10 C+J, 30 GHD wod in 10:42 with 135lb. C+J !!
His “Fran” has gone from a 7:24 in November to a smokin’ 4:18 on January 11th
He was one of a small few that tackled the handstand walk/hold/pushup wod Rx’d and killed it.
He recently pr’s his Total at 700!

As all of you also know, being AOM isn’t only about killing workouts and making the leader board. It’s about commitment to the program, the attitude you bring to the box, and being part of the team. All things “Focker” excels at.

It pleases me to say that “Focker” is on the bus and registered to represent Taranis at the upcoming BC. Sectionals in March!!!

Andrew, your consistent presence in the box, your dedication to the program, your determined approach to achieving your best, your commitment to the team, and your top shelf performance are all reasons you have earned the recognition of December AOM. Well done brother. And sorry for the delay, but rest assured your efforts have not gone unnoticed by the team.

“In weightlifting, I don’t think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you.”
-Jack Handey