I have been involved with competitive sports since the age of four as a swimmer. From there I played baseball, basketball, team handball, and golf. Once out of college and in the real world my time to play decreased but my drive for athletics did not. I lifted weights, swam 1-2 miles daily, ran obstacle course races, and coached my kids’ sports teams. It wasn’t until I found CrossFit that the itch for intensity got scratched. That was three years ago and I drank all the Kool-aid. Within the first six months I competed locally and within two years I got my CrossFit Level 1 and my ACE Personal Training certification.
What started as an urge for intense fitness quickly turned into a desire to help others. Sure, I want each athlete to crush the WODs and accumulate PR’s, but what really drives me as a coach is the idea of our members being fit enough to play with their kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. The idea of someone getting off diabetes medication and taking control of their nutrition. The idea of a person who used to say “I can’t”, but now says “bring it” with confidence and grit. Longevity and optimum life experience are my goals for our athletes. I look at Crossfit as a means of helping people be happy, fit, and functioning for their entire lives.
There is no specific recipe for success, but one thing will always hold true: Walking through the door will always be the most challenging part of your first steps. My belief is that everyone should have a competency in their own health and wellness. It is my goal to help you uncover what your true capacities are both inside and outside the gym. At Neuse River, we are not a health club. We are an organization built on the fundamental idea that by lifting each other up we can accomplish more as athletes and humans.