- How did your journey with CrossFit Northland began? How long have you been a member of CrossFit Northland? What made you decide to join our gym?
I started my CrossFit journey here in KC at CrossFit Northland May of 2019. I moved here from Oklahoma where I started CrossFit around 2014ish. When we found out we were moving here, the first thing we did was research and make a list of surrounding CrossFit gyms. CFN was the second gym we checked out and we decided to join shortly after. I’ve been in a gym for a long time, nothing compares to how intentional the coaches and staff are. You can see that in class one.
- Tell us about your fitness/health background? (Have you always been active? Played sports growing up? Tried other gym settings? Worked out at home? etc.)
I’ve been obsessed with everything fitness since I was a kid. I would do sit ups and curls in my bedroom as a 12 year old. I’ve always been active and played sports. I’ve played softball since I was 5 until my senior year. You may not see it now but my nickname in 1st grade softball was “hot wheels” apparently I used to be fast. I played basketball almost just as long, then tennis in high school and some college tennis at a very small community college. I’m somewhat competitive so I usually try to make anything a sport where I can take score. I’ve even kept score watching Jeopardy with Corey. 
I’ve been doing CrossFit since my town first got a box in 2014. I’ve taken a lot of big breaks during all those years because of life and fostering babies. It’s hard to make it to class everyday when you have 5 months old twin girls. But I’ve always made my health and fitness a focus for sure. I come from a very unhealthy family so I’m trying to beat genetics. I grew up on fast food. So nutrition is very important to me. I used to train with a bodybuilding trainer for years before CrossFit.
- How has CFN played a role in your life outside of the gym?
CFN has helped me meet people of all kinds and all walks of life as does everything else. But moving to a new city and state, it can be hard to find friends, especially at my age 
so coming to class and interacting with everyone makes it a lot easier. Everyone talks about a “gym family” and I guess you never really understand that until you live it. I would say that’s what CFN has become for me.
- Has CFN helped you overcome a challenge and, if so, tell us about it.
I’ve learned to not beat myself up for not performing 100%, 100% of the time. And sometimes that looks like coming to class and moving. That looks like scaling when my body says, yo scale that. Not like I can do a lot of stuff RX anyways, i mean let’s be honest. But that’s okay! That also looks like not comparing myself to someone that can lift more, someone that has more muscle, someone that is smaller than me, someone that moves better than me, but focusing on how I am doing and how I’m getting better. That’s only taken me 6 years and 3 different boxes to figure that out.
- In your opinion, what is the most valuable aspect of Crossfit Northland?
The coaching at CFN by far surpasses any other coaching I’ve ever seen. Like they actually know what they are talking about, they are invested in you and how you move and how you want to get better. I’ve never seen that intentionally at a gym before. There is confidence in knowing that I’m going to come to class, get real coaching, and a really good workout, every class. I’ve never been around coaches that actually care how well you do or get just as excited when you hit a movement or a PR quite like here. And that’s really exciting.
- What is something you would like to accomplish at the gym in the near future?
My goals for my time at CFN is to get stronger, physically and mentally, and to eventually do a competition completely RX. Like every moment RX. I know that is going to take some time and effort but if it’s going to happen anywhere, it will happen here because of the coaching and community that CFN has created over the years. Happy to be a part of it.