I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Bill and Caity Henninger since I started competing in 2009 and I’ve been lucky enough to have their support the entire time.  And of course I was THRILLED to join the Rouge team as an athlete in 2010.

Why am I so pro- Rogue?  Because from the first time I met the Henningers’ they’ve shown they’re hard workers that genuinely care about those around them.  They started a business from scratch and built it with their blood sweat and tears.  Thats admirable.

This past regional only further confirmed why I am a proud member of the Rogue Team.  At the end of the event mother nature decided to unleash rain.  Unfortunately the event still needs to be packed up and shipped to the next location.  Where was Caity?  In the 45 degree weather while it was pouring rain tearing down the rig with the crew

It would be easy for Caity to pull the ‘boss card’ but she never does.  She’s always in the trenches getting dirty.  I have mad respect for that and hope to always be willing to get my hands dirty.

My girlfriend has had enough of hearing me complain about knee pain so she took the initiative to write a month of programming that stays away from any knee abusing movements.

Day 1:
135 Bench Press
5 Burpees
on the minute every minute for 10min

As I began warming up the 105lbs felt heavy. I looked at her and said ’135? no effing way…”

She had zero sympathy responding with ‘you have to add another 30? oh…..”

That left me feeling less than secure about the weight choice. But I moved into the Rogue Westside Half Rack and where I had the safety bars just incase the bar came down and didn’t go back up. One warmup up rep at a pretty slow pace and I was feeling less than confident about it, but said….ok….

3..2..1…GO…. I completed 1 bench press and 5 burpees and looked at Mimi with a worried face. That cycle continued for 9 more minutes and I had done it! I had bench pressed my body weight 10 times and completed 50 burpees. Not bad considering my 1 rep max is 155lbs…. or maybe my previous 1rep max was 155lbs.

1 day down…. 29 to GO!

4 years ago I sat on the stoop of the gym I was coaching at at the time and talked with Jillian Niemister about wanting to start a non-profit.  Utilizing CrossFit to raise funds to help the less fortunate.

What does that mean though?  What would I call it?  Whom would I help?

I didn’t have any of those answers other than I knew I wanted to pay it forward.  4 years later it’s finally come together, and today I meet with my lawyer to create I Am Stronger.

It started as an event we’re hosting this year, a partner competition to raise funds for a member fighting breast cancer (www.Iamstronger.org) and it’s grown into so much  more.  I finally have a name….. and a purpose…..

Name: I Am Stronger
Purpose: Generate funds for those that have survived something mentally, emotionally or physically challenging. Utilizing the statement…. ‘I Am Stronger’ as the base.
Example: Be it I Am Stronger than breast cancer 

Left quite a bit to be desired.  I found myself in the Cinnci area about 3 hours before Mimi was able to get there.  Needing to kill the time I googled gyms, and the closest and only option that came up was Planet Fitness….. rut row….

Knowing beggers can’t be choosers I paid my one day pass, which is $15.98 for a day when its only $9.99 for a WHOLE month, and hit the locker room.  Which was prettier than I knew what to do with.  I didn’t even want to but my reused water bottle down.

I took a deep breath, looked into the mirror and thought ‘you can do this’

I headed into the gym…..row after row after row after row after row of treadmills, bikes and ellipticals was the first layer of fitness I faced.  Knowing I can’t run I passed the treadmills.  The bikes were recumbent and that seemed too much like lounging so I skipped those.  That left the elipticals. Knowing I use that to warm up for PT I thought ‘good enough’.

5min later I got off, and hit my mobility/stretching in the ‘Ab & Streching room’, yes, they have a clearly marked ‘Ab & stretching room’  It was off to find some free weights to do a bench press.  Much to my surprise, not a single free weight?  WHAT?  How can a gym not have a single free weight?  So I had to settle for what I could and use the machine for bench and stayed a little lighter as you can’t even get proper range of motion being tied to a rail.

Hmmm…. now what….. I had to think about what I had access to.  No weights, no kettlebells.  They did thankfully have dumbbells.  They also had a stationary dip machine.    That was all I needed….. 12min later I had kicked my own ass….. planet fitness style

5 Dips
10 Burpees
15 DB Push Press (20lbs each hand)
6 rounds and 3 dips

I made it work, but needless to say, Planet Fitness is not high on my list of places to wod again. But it is always fun to watch people stare at you like you’re crazy.

Not bad for an art major that had no direction 9 years ago.

3 years ago when I opened Coca CrossFit my vision was to be a premier fitness facility for ‘outlier sports’ (CrossFit/Powerlifting/Strongman & Olympic Lifting).  So far we’re off to a great start offering an amazing CrossFit experience, and recently partnering with Columbus Weightlifting.

More recently a new twist on creating a premier fitness facility walked through my door as a follow up to an inquiry.  I had sent a note to a local community college about getting an intern at the same time they were investigating CrossFit.  After the head of the program attended a Saturday class and spent almost an hour picking my brain we decided we’d investigate a possible synergy further.

That week I headed to Lorain County Community College to meet with my contact and the dean of the school, and head of the fitness center.  After talking about their vision and seeing their space we began exploring another avenue, a class at Coca CrossFit.

After three more meetings and a lot of kicking ideas around we decided hosting an 8 week class at Coca was the best option.  Knowing all the topics we wanted to cover, the easiest way to cover it all was to host it my facility where I have access to all the ‘toys’.

The course name and description are all a work in progress as we’re working with CFHQ to make sure we align with them and ‘play by the rules’.  We’re fully aware that using the CrossFit name is very sensitive and the LAST thing we want to do is misrepresent what we’re trying to do.

I’ve been lucky over the last 7 years to learn from a wide variety of coaches both inside and outside of CrossFit, read books, attend classes and on and on and on.  Over that time I’ve gathered a vast base of knowledge that I can’t wait to share with the next generation of trainers.  I’ve got a facility that is fully set up to expose people to every ‘outlier sport’ I originally said I would support.  And of course, who better to share how to run a business and build a brand than a young entrepreneur already doing it?

We think the course will be an even blend between training and business ownership education.

Where you question ‘how can i possibly keep this pace?’

I have that conversation at least once  a week, and then I remember why I work so hard….. The more work I can put in now, the more doors will open tomorrow, the more opportunities I’ll have to leave a positive impact on the largest population as possible.

At the end of the day I have been able to have a TON of amazing experiences and I’m sure there will be many more great opportunities coming.  All because I work hard and put in long days.

And of course…… I do take time to slow down, breath and enjoy the little things.  So I can be a work-aholic, but I do take down time too.  I just don’t really like slowing down.

I wrote this as part of the 1 year anniversary celebration. Never in my wildest dreams would I think that one place would have such an influence on my life. And I am even more thankful every day than I am the day before. You have no idea the number of lives that you have touched and improved, even though you have never met the person in real life. This…. this is what makes Kate Rawlings special and Coca a home like no other.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…. Wait, that’s already been used. A few months ago, I was at a party and starting talking CrossFit with some people I knew. During the course of the conversation, a friend of mine mentioned that there was a CrossFit facility in North Ridgeville. I thought about it and decided to find out where, as I had joined the main site in 2010 and knew a little of what I would be in for when I joined…. Or so I thought. I checked out Coca during the week and it instantly felt right.

I can’t really explain it, but the first impression was something that I had recently posted on Facebook: Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. I spoke with Paul and he gave me some great insight into not only Coca, but Kate. Once the WOD was done, we spoke a little about the program, GPP, and the free Saturday class. I show up on Saturday and you instantly made me feel welcome. We went through a quick warm-up (jump rope), learned some moves (including how to drop a kettle bell onto plywood – oops), and began the workout containing some running, box jumps, and kettle bell swings. I finished the workout and felt winded, but immediately knew that this is what I had been searching for.

I affectionately refer to that first Saturday as the first cup of Kool-Aid, as we all know the first cup is free and begins the addiction. During the next few weeks, I attended a few more free classes and started GPP. I learned more about you and your expectations, views, some of your struggles, and personality traits that I have always admired in others. Lucky for me, they are all wrapped up in someone who is not only a CrossFit trainer, but a CrossFit competitor as well! It is a lot easier to listen to someone give advice and guidance when they have gone through the struggles first hand.

On top of all of this, you continually make me feel part not only part of the Coca family and the CrossFit community, but part of your own inner circle. I could go on about the different ways that you have affected not only my life, but the ways that I have heard about or personally witnessed you affecting the lives of others. You do more than you will ever realize to help others and you don’t even need to be physically present. Your values become embedded in the Coca family and we want to make sure that others feel the same way. It’s not only a pleasure (or hardship, depending on the WOD) training under Kate “killer” Rawlings, but an honor to be a part of the beginning stages of an empire in the making.

Do you remember being in first grade and sitting in a circle when Suzi was told a sentence and she told Jimmy, and he told Sam, and he told Jen, and she told the teach?

And Suzi was told ‘I love kittens’

And the teacher was told ‘I hate mittens?’

That’s what happens when stories end up generations from the origination.  Unfortunately, that simple game of telephone never goes away, regardless of how old we become be it corporate america, PTA meetings, and yes, even the CrossFit world.

I giggle every time this happens because it’s SO preventable.  I know I’ve prided myself on being an open book, having an open door policy and going directly to the source of my personal concerns.   One of the main reasons I started this blog was to have a place that I could share what I was feeling on any given day exactly what I was feeling.  There’s something freeing about just being yourself.  I plan on continuing to share my life journey  sharing all the highs and of course the lows (lets face it we all have them).

Oh… and if you have any questions you can reach me directly at (440) 724.6587 or cocacrossfit@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to help in any way I can.

I know it sounds so cheesy, but it’s also very true.  Everyday that I wake up I’m building my dream. What’s my dream?

3 years ago when I knew I was going to open a CrossFit affiliate I knew it would be so much more.  I’ve wanted to create a facility that had CrossFit, Olympic Lifting and Strongman.  I would say that Coca has the CrossFit thing DOWN!  We offer a wide variety of Strongman implements that we include in our programing on a regular basis.  Still working on building the Strongman program, but it’s coming along.

Our olympic lifting club has really started to gain some momentum.  We forged a partnership with Columbus Weightlifting after two full years of gaining trust, building relationships and creating a shared vision.  Our next step, sketch out and budget for 3 fully outfitted lifting platforms.

I’ve often been told I think too big, dream to much and need to stay grounded to reality.  To that I say….. no thanks….. if I didn’t think big and dream too much Coca CrossFit wouldn’t be what it is today because I NEVER would have had the courage to open doors. Sometimes you have to think big and dream too much to do big things.

It’s official ….. I have another games season in the books, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the outcome.  I managed to land in 111 place in the region just 6 months after a double micro fracture on my right knee.

It confirmed to me that I want to get healthy and compete.  My goal the next few months is to slow back down again, focus on strengthening my knee, letting the scar tissue set and  becoming a mobility master.