Last summer, on a scorching hot Saturday morning, the 9am crew had just finished their warmup when two newcomers walked in for a tour.
I showed them around, and invited them to stay after warning them that the workout was particularly arduous. They stood on the sidewalk, just beyond the giant door, and watched for a half hour. They passed me as they drove away – my face purple, my stride failing as I waved to their car. I thought, "If they come back, they've got guts. This is NOT what I want people to see on their first day!"
They came back. This is Bridget's story.
It was about this time last year that I made the decision to apply to become an officer with the RCMP. Both my husband and I had found out that our respective places of employment were going through structural changes and job opportunities in the Soo were becoming increasingly limited. Becoming an officer is something that I’ve always thought about but I always pushed the idea to the back of my mind or had other dreams I wanted to pursue (like having children). My husband and children have been very supportive of my wish to become an officer and have given me the extra push and guidance I needed to make the commitment to pursue this dream.
I began training at Goodlife but after only a few months it became very clear that I would not reach the fitness level that I needed to in order to meet the physical requirements of the RCMP. A friend of ours is a firefighter in Southern Ontario and suggested we look into crossfit. He and his co-workers were doing crossfit and he told us about some of the advantages it had, especially the group workouts, where you are pushed to your limit.
My husband and I attended at the gym on a Saturday morning to see for ourselves what it was all about. The staff were all very knowledgeable and welcoming and answered any questions that we had. I remember just being amazed watching those who were doing the workout and thinking, OMG I’m never going to be able to do that. I started the very next week and have never looked back.
One of the things I love most about crossfit is how welcoming everyone has been. I have never once felt out of place or have been made to feel that I couldn’t do something. The 7:00 am group pushes me more than they know. When I see them lifting a certain weight or doing an exercise that I’m not sure I can do, I become more determined to try harder and push harder and for that I have to thank them.
I recently completed my first RX workout and that was a big accomplishment for me. Every day I feel stronger, more fit and I cannot believe the amount of energy I have now compared to when I first started. I am going to continue pushing myself, continue working on my endurance and try to perfect some of the skills I have just recently learned (like how to do a double under) and when it is time for me to complete the physical abilities test for the RCMP I will be ready.
One of my favorite crossfit memories so far has been participating in the Crossfit games. I’ve never considered myself an athlete and I had a lot of fun on the team I was with. I don’t think I will ever forget hearing my daughter’s cheer for me, “go mommy, go mommy”. My oldest daughter now wants to be “muscle girl” and I love that they see me as being strong and full of energy.
Note: Mike is now a regular at 7am, too. What a couple!