Ever come to DCF at 7am? If so, you’ve likely had a stellar workout with Rivers. He always has a great attitude and extremely coachable. He is willing to push himself and take a challenge to the next level. It would not be Rivers without his “scurry” run during warm ups when we do shuttle runs. His patience with his progression and gains with adding weight to the barbell have provided him the “slow and steady,” safe success in the CrossFit realm. Well done!
What’s your athletic/fitness background?I played all sorts of backyard team sports for years and years… baseball, basketball, ultimate frisbee, flag football. The two sports I played in a more organized fashion were soccer and tennis, although I spent most of my high school career on the bench. Somehow being 5’5″ doesn’t generally work out too well for goalkeepers… if only I had discovered box jumps in high school! Several years after college, I took up running and ran a bunch of half marathons while doing some light weightlifting and an occasional yoga class. Two years ago, I re-learned how to swim so that I could do a pair of triathlons. And then I discovered CrossFit.
What was your first CrossFit workout and what did you think of it?I did one of the Saturday Intro classes at DCF. I don’t really remember what it involved, but I vaguely remember some box jumps and burpees. I enjoyed it enough that after I survived my two triathlons, I decided to jump into CrossFit.
What’s been the biggest change for you since starting CrossFit?
I now have very little interest in working out by myself. I love exercising together as part of a community and also having a coach to keep an eye on me. The whole experience is much more rewarding and energizing than trying to motivate myself to do a few squats while no one else is paying attention.
What’s been your favorite DCF moment up to now?
Anytime someone notices that I’m dancing during class or between sets. That’s how you know I’m having fun.
What’s been your least favorite DCF moment up to now?
Anything involving snatches. (see below)
Least favorite CrossFit movement/WOD?
Snatches, without a doubt. I may have skipped some workouts because they involved snatches.
Favorite CrossFit movement/WOD?
Deadlifts. Nothing is more satisfying than to lift all that weight off the ground.
When did you know you were hooked?
It happened little by little. The first sign was when I bought new shoes instead of continuing to follow Amon’s instructions to take off my running shoes. The second clue was when I realized that I’d actually started enjoying thrusters. The last straw was when I realized that I was telling people that my morning workout was my favorite part of my day.
Any advice for people starting out?
The hardest part for me was getting myself to the gym. For a while, it was easy to talk myself out of going, particularly when I was sore from a previous workout. Eventually, I realized that after class, I was always glad that I had gone, and that became my motivation for getting myself there even when I didn’t want to go.