Coach’s Blog

Our last coach in seniority but first place in Spotify playlists and HR complaints, ladies and gentlemen please welcome Coach Jessica Davis to the blogosphere.  Jess joined the CFKI coaching ranks in 2021 after being one of our original members who got to experience the glory of “the old gym” on Butterworth Court, and growing as an athlete and a very active contributor to the CFKI culture through the years.

As a coach, Jessica excels at understanding the stimulus of a workout and getting her athletes to scale appropriately, keeping everyone safely working hard.  She commands a large group and keeps everyone on task and moving, while at the same time providing personal attention.

You can find Jess at the gym coaching on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings, after she has escaped her day job as a environmental scientist and project manager for an offshore wind power company.  You can find your way to her heart by discussing squat depth, music of all sorts, and rose wine.  You can incur the wrath of Jess by lifting too much weight, resting, or bringing up Penn State football.

Here’s Jess in her own words:
I started CrossFit in 2013 as a way to lose weight. I was looking for something with more intensity than the running and boot camp workouts that I had been doing. When I walked into my first on-ramp class, I had no idea how CrossFit would change my life. Sure, I’ve lost the weight, but it pales in comparison to what I’ve gained. The community, the confidence, the mental toughness…all of these things have been instrumental to my personal growth over the past several years.

Eight years later, after some encouragement from friends, I decided to take the plunge and become a coach. It is unlike anything I’ve ever done before and a new and exciting challenge that I accept with open arms. I coach in the hopes that I can have an impact on someone’s life like CrossFit and the coaches have had on mine.

Thank you Jess for everything you have done for our CFKI athletes and your injection of hard work, positivity, and humor into our community over the years.  It wouldn’t be the same without you!

Ryan

Hey!  Did you know we have an Olympic Weightlifting class?  Yeah!  Tuesdays at 5:30pm, Coach Kyle leads us through drills to become better lifters, and you get an hour to throw barbells around, which is always fun.
What I love about Kyle’s coaching technique is that he is relentless.  He will see a specific movement in your lift that could be more efficient, and stay on it until you improve.  No more weight on the bar until it gets better.  He doesn’t care that you have an ego, he genuinely wants you to be a better athlete.

Here is Kyle in his own words:

I really like helping people become better athletes. I love seeing my athletes accomplish goals. I love seeing my athletes happy after a competition! I really just like seeing people happy.
I started working out when I was 14, for high school sports, and never stopped. I basically have 26 years of experience working out. Over that time I tried so many workout styles and philosophies. I always like to learn and understand what I’m doing and why I’m doing it, so I’ve accumulated a ton of workout knowledge through reading and listening and doing.
When I started CrossFit, I was really drawn to the Olympic style weightlifting. I was OBSESSED with weightlifting for a couple years. Every night I was online, either watching weightlifting videos or reading about weightlifting. I developed a great understanding of the lifts. I was a member at Baydog CrossFit, I saw a need for more complete weightlifting instruction, and started a weightlifting class. That weightlifting class began a new obsession… how to coach weightlifting. Now it’s been about 7 years of coaching weightlifting, and I’m getting pretty good at it!

Come lift with Kyle on Tuesdays at 5:30pm!  You can usually also find him at the gym during his lunch hour, lifting and doing crazy CrossFit workouts with Jimmy.

Ryan

Welcome back to our weekly celebration of our fantastic CFKI coaches!  It’s been so awesome to write about my teammates, and also to be able to share their story in their own words.  We have already highlighted eight coaches!  We have two left to gush about, and this time we’ll go with… Alyssa!  Who could be next??

Alyssa Stookey joined as a new member in 2012, just a couple months after we first opened our doors.  Looking back at my records, Alyssa was member #14.  In one of her first classes, we did a brutal shoulder workout called “Death by Handstand Push-ups”.  In the first minute do one HSPU, then in the second minute do two, in the third minute do three, continuing until you can’t complete the required number of reps in the minute.  I expected that some of my stronger athletes might get to minute 10, but that was a long shot.  Alyssa did 20+ rounds, and the rest of the class including me was just watching.  Eventually I said, “Alyssa you keep going, we’re going to move on to something else.”  So, she’s a pretty good athlete.
Alyssa is our first full-time member to compete at the CrossFit Games, placing 12th in the Women 40-44 division in 2021!  That’s 12th IN THE WORLD, just in case there’s any confusion.  Alyssa’s ability to compete at the highest level in CrossFit was shaped early on by years of competing in elite level gymnastics and later at the University of Maryland.  Alyssa is at the same time impressively strong and graceful, and in watching her move you would think that she’s not exerting that much effort!  But then she just keeps going and going…

In addition to coaching CrossFit classes, Alyssa has created and coached CFKI athletes through specialty gymnastics seminars, working on higher skill movements like handstands, pull-ups and toes-to-bar.  She also is a master programmer for individuals who can’t make it into the gym but have workout gear at home, and many CFKI athletes have seen great success by following her programs for strength-building, weight loss, and general conditioning.  Reach out to Alyssa if you’re in need of a great coach!

Now here’s Alyssa’s CrossFit and coaching journey in her own words:

My fitness journey began when my parents enrolled me in a local YMCA gymnastic class at the age of 3 to help develop hand/eye coordination; the rest is history! I became an elite level gymnast and was able to compete at a high level in a sport I loved for 20 years (even obtaining a full, Division I Scholarship)! After retiring from a sport that defined who I was since I was 3, all of a sudden I felt a void. I tried to fill that void with running. I ran several full marathons and have ran over a dozen half marathons, but something was still missing. Then, in 2012, I found CrossFit and fell in love! CrossFit pushes me outside my comfort zone, both physically and mentally, but most importantly it allows me to be part of an amazing community of fitness. I knew I wanted to help impact this community and use my own expertise (I have a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology) to help others become better and healthier versions of themselves. So, in 2015, I decided to sit for my Level 1 and began my CrossFit coaching career. I enjoy accompanying others on their fitness journey, facilitating their ability to reach their goals and beyond, pushing them to do things they never thought they were physically capable of achieving, and helping them become the best version of themselves. Most importantly, I seek to help instill healthy functional fitness habits that will translate to real world application and healthy lifestyle choices. CrossFit is so much more than thrusters and burpees. It’s methodology allows us to live healthier lifestyles and protects against chronic disease. Having a small part in sharing this methodology with others and being a part of their CrossFit journey is the most rewarding part of coaching! 

Thank you, Alyssa, for being a huge part of our CrossFit Kent Island family!  We appreciate all of your contributions to CFKI over the years.

If you’d like to work with Alyssa or any of our coaching team, reach out at ryan@crossfitkentisland.com and let us know how we can help.  We’ll get you connected to the best coach for you and get you on your way to achieving your goals!

Ryan

Today I have the privilege of sharing the inspirational story of Jimmy Lubonski, who became a CrossFit Kent Island coach in July 2021 and has quickly become a fan favorite in both the CFKI community and beyond.  His incredible accomplishment of completing “Murph” every day for a full year garnered the interest of the entire fitness world, and he has appeared on multiple popular podcasts and been featured in articles celebrating his achievement and also bringing awareness to physical and mental health in the first responder community, which has become Jimmy’s mission.  He continues that mission now with a full year of Hero workouts, each one dedicated to a different service member that died on that date years ago.

In addition to being tremendously tough, Jimmy is a talented athlete and loves to train.  He is very self-aware of his strengths and weaknesses as an athlete, and is diligent at eliminating his weaknesses to become the most well-rounded CrossFit competitor he can be.

This translates well into his workout programming and onsite coaching at CFKI, where he has developed a Strength and Conditioning class that is by all accounts challenging but also fun, and a great environment to get stronger, faster, and tougher.  Sounds like three things we could all improve on!

Here’s Jimmy in his own words:

I started doing CrossFit in my garage as a way to stay fit for my job as a police officer in the DC area. Eventually, I found myself at CrossFit Kent Island, where I quickly became a regular and was encouraged to get my CrossFit Level 1. In 2021, I decided to attempt 30 days of “Murph” Rx as a way to bring awareness to the importance of physical and mental health in the first responder community, as well as to honor LT Mike Murphy. During this time there was a large outpouring of support from first responders and military members who stated that I had inspired them to start taking their fitness seriously. 30 days quickly turned into 365 consecutive days of Murph. I went on to complete Murph 365 RX on Memorial Day 2022. On June 14^th, I started my newest challenge of “Hero 365” where I will attempt to complete 365 consecutive days of Hero WODs honoring the military member, police officer, or firefighter on the day they gave the ultimate sacrifice for us. For me, the whole purpose of these Hero WODs are to honor those men and women through hard work and also to inspire other military members and first responders to take their fitness seriously, as it will no doubt save them in the line of duty. The stories of these heroes motivate me to give my all and I can’t think of a better way to get our military and first responders moving. During the run for Murph 365 I was able to start FIT 4 DUTY FOUNDATION with another officer. Fit 4 Duty’s mission is to fund first responders’ CrossFit monthly membership at their local affiliate.

My favorite part about coaching is knowing that I play a part in someone’s mental and physical health. Seeing the joy on someone’s face when they achieve something they never thought possible is an amazing feeling.

 

Thank you, Jimmy, for being an AWESOME part of our CFKI community.  Just like all of our coaches, Jimmy brings a unique voice and approach to coaching.  And just like all of our coaches, he is committed to teaching and mastering the fundamentals, and then challenging his athletes to constantly improve.  Jimmy inspires us through his actions and reminds us through his coaching that the sky is the limit!

Jimmy coaches the 6am CrossFit class on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the 10am CrossFit class on Tuesday, and the 4:30pm CrossFit class on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  He also programs and coaches the Strength and Conditioning class, which meets at 5:30pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Jimmy generally trains at Open Gym time, weekdays at 11am-1pm.  Come get a great training session in with Jimmy!

Ryan

Good morning and happy Thursday!  This episode of “Get To Know Your CrossFit Coach” is brought to you by the success of the 5am class.  Who knew that our most consistently attended class would be the one that happens completely before sunrise?  Coach Jason leads the strong, resilient 5am crew through fun, energetic classes that get the day started right!  Jason brings the same super-positive energy to our CrossFit Kids program on Saturday mornings as well.  You have to come check it out for yourself!

Here is Jason Shand, in his own words:

I grew up on a cattle ranch in the small town of Fedor, Texas (population 76) in the middle of nowhere.  People who lived in what most would consider small towns within a half hour didn’t even know how to find Fedor.  When I got to my first class at the University of Michigan, there were 600 students, which was more than my entire high school and middle school combined.  I had a feeling of not belonging that I knew I’d have to work hard to overcome. For most of college, I rarely missed a class, spent a lot of Saturday nights at the library, but, in the end, I graduated and made a lot of friends for life.

I had a similar initial feeling when I first started CrossFit.  I walked into a gym of people walking on their hands, stringing together muscle ups and snatching so much weight I needed a calculator to add it up.  I quickly felt out of place, a little embarrassed, and again rather small in a big place.  Honestly, I just wanted to lose 10-15 lbs and have my clothes fit better.  But I showed up the next day and then again and again.  After a few months of being a box member, the owner asked me to go take my L1 and enter a 6 month internship to “possibly” become a coach.   When I asked her why, she simply told me that I “get the process”.  And thus, in 2013, my coaching career began.

I try to never forget the initial feeling from my first college and CrossFit classes as well as the realization soon after that those feelings were the same most people were having and we were all more alike than different.  This is my approach to coaching and my mindset when working with anyone.  If you are brand new or you’ve been doing CrossFit for a decade plus, there are workouts that are going to make you nervous or, honestly, you just don’t like.  The same thing happens to me all the time.  That doesn’t mean we can’t make it fun, embrace the suffering together and hand out some crisp high fives at the end.
I try to give as much coaching to the members who just walked through the door as I do to CFKI members of 10 years and even coaches when they take my class.  Over my 9+ years of coaching, I’ve come to enjoy the success of others more than my own.

For me, CrossFit is a means to train for life outside of the gym and I try to use metaphors for the movements in our classes to echo this sentiment.  Some of the 5 am crew have said my white board briefs often turn into science class.  I simply want all of our members to live their healthiest, happiest lives and give them all the tools and knowledge I can to do so.  I know I’m far from the coach I’d like to be so I am constantly trying to improve myself and learn to become not only a stronger coach but build a stronger community.

 

Jason holds a CrossFit Level 2 Trainer certificate, and is studying for his Level 3 exam!  He is also adding CrossFit Nutrition to his long list of seminars and courses attended – he is always learning!  When he doesn’t have his nose in a book (or listening to an audiobook since he probably logs 10 hours per day driving for his real job in construction equipment sales), Jason is also training to run the JFK 50 Miler!  Wow!

Come train with Jason at the 5am CrossFit class, or bring the kiddos out to CrossFit Kids class at 10:15am on Saturdays!

Ryan

It’s time once again for the latest segment in our “Get to Know Your Coach” series!  This time, we’re highlighting my better half, my CrossFit Open rival, the wizard behind the curtain that keep this whole CFKI show running, Denee Wolf.  Denee is away at a conference for her real job that puts food on the table, so this will be my own writing with a few of her own thoughts interspersed.  I’m wading into murky waters here, writing about my wife in one of her professional roles as a CrossFit coach (and where officially, I’m her boss), but as long as I keep it PG and positive, I think I’ll be in good shape…

Denee grew up in a small town about two hours north of Pittsburgh and two hours away from anything else, for that matter.  She excelled in sports, lettering in soccer, basketball, and volleyball in her freshman year of high school.  Denee is one of those people that if you introduce her to a new sport, prepare to lose as soon as she gets a hang of it, which is probably in a matter of minutes.  Not ultra-competitive by nature and a very intelligent athlete, she will scale every CrossFit workout to be exactly what she needs for that day.  She saves her competitive spirit for those few times a year that she actually competes… and wins.  In her first time competing in the Eastern Shore Affiliate Challenge (ESAC), Denee started flying through the first workout at a pace that I didn’t think was manageable for the long haul.  I counseled her, as her coach, to slow down and not run between movements.  “Take your time, you’re doing great!  Save some energy for the end!”  She didn’t listen, continued to sprint the entire workout, and won.

Denee’s wheelhouse workouts include short heavy intervals, long endurance burners, and everything in between.  When we compete against each other in the annual CrossFit Open, I will think that a certain workout favors me because I’m taller or I have a heavier 1RM deadlift so I should be able to win.  I don’t.  Denee finds a way, usually through sheer determination and heart, to push through the pain of the workout and come out on top.  It’s one thing that makes her a phenomenal athlete, and also qualifies her to be an amazing coach.

I’ve written in previous blogs about Denee’s supporting influence in starting the gym, so I won’t drain that again, but I do want to say that as a coach, she is involved more than you might think.
Denee has a full-time job, as most of our coaches do, and hers takes her on the road for days at a time.  So she does not have a regular coaching schedule but picks up classes as she can.  But as my partner in this crazy CFKI endeavor, we debrief every day about how things are going, which new members have joined, what are they like, how can we best serve and support them.  She gives me feedback on my coaching and how I can best help our members accomplish their goals.  So whether you see her in front of you at the whiteboard or not, know that she is making an impact on your fitness journey!

When she does get a chance to actively coach, her favorite part is teaching the fundamentals of movement.  Denee is outstanding at breaking down a complex movement and making sure that we understand all the basics, and then bringing it all back together.
Denee has achieved the CrossFit Level 2 Trainer status and has also completed the CrossFit Gymnastics, CrossFit Kids, and CrossFit Adaptive Athlete seminars.  She loves coaching all ages and abilities, and it really comes through in her enthusiasm and energy with each class.

Thank you, Denee, for everything you have done to grow the CFKI community and coach up our members into the great athletes and people that we are today!​​​​​​​

Ryan

Happy Wednesday, CFKI family!  Today I have the honor of highlighting another of our fantastic coaches, Liz Gilbert.  Coach Liz started as a CFKI member in 2015, and in 2018 we decided it was time for her to be a coach.  In addition to coaching CrossFit group classes, Liz translated her passion for teaching into coaching CrossFit Kids classes, and designed and ran a CrossFit Kids summer camp in 2019.  Liz teaches high school French, and we have even coached a CrossFit class in French to her students!
Liz also created a new offering during the pandemic-restricted summer of 2020 called “CrossFit UnBoxed” — a fully outdoor class featuring dumbbells and sandbags and a whole lotta sweat.

Here is Coach Liz in her own words:

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 2 years old and I was told I wouldn’t be able to do a lot of things. I was never an athlete when I was younger. I was always overly worried about my blood sugar levels going too low that I shied away from exercising. I was a smoker in high school and college. After I had to get surgery on both my eyes from diabetes complications, I started to take my health a lot more seriously. I quit smoking, began to run and workout.

I started CrossFit in 2015 and I loved it. I remember during my first On Ramp session the CrossFit class was doing snatches and Ryan apologized about the noise, and all I thought was “I want to pick up a heavy barbell and slam it into the ground.”

I became interested in coaching because I wanted to try to get a before-school CrossFit program going where I was teaching, but that has not come to fruition just yet.  What I love about coaching is helping people improve and push past the point of comfort in workouts. From my experience I know that this is where the results of CrossFit begin to really solidify, as there is as much of a mental adaptation to hard training as there is physical.

Right now I’ve been working on completing the Appalachian Trail.  I can only do it in sections since I have kids, a career, etc., but I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished so far. CrossFit has definitely helped me prepare for long days going up and down mountains with anywhere from 25-35 pounds on my back.

Liz coaches the 4:30pm class on Tuesday, and usually trains with the 6am class, where she may or may not show up with proper footwear.  There’s a lot to think about when you’re trying to get out the door for that early session!

Let’s hear it for Coach Liz!

Ryan

What’s up everyone!  In our third installment of “Get To Know Your CrossFit Coach”, this week we’d like to highlight Coach Erin Madden.  Erin has been with us since 2019 but as you can see she has an extensive coaching and athletic background before that.  Erin sent me a stream of consciousness over several emails and I cut and pasted it into the following story.  The cherry on top was a one-liner that I didn’t know where to plug, so I’ll just drop it right here:  Erin once held a plank for 11 minutes and 39 seconds.  Whoa!!  Hands, or forearms, Erin?  The world needs to know!!

Now, without further ado, the life and times of Erin Madden:

A little bit about me:

I was born and raised in Annapolis, MD. I played Lacrosse and Field Hockey at Archbishop Spalding in High School, played Division 1 Field Hockey in college at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT, and then went to Towson University where I won Outstanding Senior of the Year.  They had a ceremony and everything… I think I have a pic somewhere.

I guess you can say that I am the ultimate nerd because I’m always learning and taking classes… but I’m also a PE teacher so does that make me a cool nerd? I’m a huge fan of Marvel, Star Wars, and Harry Potter. I watch Home Alone and Hocus Pocus all year long. Not kidding. They are my favorite movies of all time. Fun fact about me is I bartended and managed a bar for six years before I become a teacher. My husband Kyle and I met while he was the doorman and I was a bartender.

I have medaled as a 59 kg and 64 kg weightlifter. The biggest meets I’ve competed at have been the American Open Series and The Masters Pan American Championships. This December, I am qualified for the American Open Finals in Atlanta… I’m still deciding whether I’m going to compete or not.

My favorite grades to teach are 3rd and 4th. My favorite moments as a parent are seeing my son find joy in sports and exercise. It’s amazing how much they pick up just from watching us. Sometimes it’s the cuss words but sometimes it’s walking up to people after they finish a workout and giving them a fist bump while saying “Good Job”. He did that to someone in class last week and I thought, “ya know maybe I’m not that bad at this parenting thing”. 

This month I will be hosting my 5th “Reps For Recovery” fundraiser. My parents and I started the fundraiser after my brother died from a drug overdose at the age of 26. He had been battling addiction for 10 years and mental illness for much longer. I recognized the important connection between physical and mental health and started Reps for Recovery as a way to connect the two, while benefiting the Samaritan House in Annapolis, MD. My dad serves on the board of directors there. Since he has passed, I find a lot of meaning in the words “Stay Humble” – a tattoo my brother had on his hand, He had those words above a picture of an anchor. If you look at my lifting shoes, there’s an anchor on one and the letters SH on the other. I also have an anchor tattoo on my foot as a reminder to honor my brother by always Staying Humble and Grounded.

At the end of a long day of teaching… and some days seem longer than others… hello Kindergarten…. I look forward to going to the gym and hanging out with grown-ups. A teacher’s day is insanely busy and you are making a million decisions a minute so it’s so nice to walk into a gym where a coach just tells me what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. I love just showing up and not having to think about anyone but myself… it’s definitely my “me time”. Even though my little buddy, Keegan, tags along with me most of the time… thank goodness for the kids room. Kyle is the CFKI weightlifting coach, and he doesn’t even realize how good he is. He is patient and supportive and really cares about his athletes not only as athletes but as people. He is also insanely knowledgeable about the Olympic Lifts.

I’ve been coaching CrossFit since 2013. I started at Baydog CrossFit, then coached at CrossFit South River, then True Core CrossFit and now have found a home at CrossFit Kent Island after moving to Kent Island in 2019.

I wanted to coach because it aligned naturally with being a Physical Education Teacher. I always believed that a huge part of my job as a physical educator is staying active and exercising. I like to lead my students by example. I have a CrossFit Level 2 certification, CrossFit Gymnastics cert, CrossFit Kids cert, and a USA Weightlifting Level 1 cert. I also have a Bachelors in Education and a Masters degree in Athletic Administration.  I am pursuing my National Board Certification so I can become a National Board Certified Teacher. I am also hoping to start studying for my CrossFit Level 3 test next summer. I’m not sure what that gets me other than a raise lol.  The most fun I have coaching is that I get to coach people I consider my friends. That’s what I love about CrossFit, everyone is like family so it is just one big community helping each other create the best version of themselves.

 

Wow!  Thanks to Erin for spilling the beans on all of her great achievements, and what drives her to continue working hard.  As all of our coaches are seeing, It’s not easy to write about yourself (if it is, then you may be a narcissist), but this is such a good way to get to know your coaches better as people.  As superhuman as they look with a barbell in their hands, they are just like us!

Erin coaches the 5am class on Wednesday and we are hoping to find some more time for her to coach. She currently attends the 5:30pm class on Monday and Thursday, and 5:30pm Weightlifting class on Tuesday, as well as the 4:30pm on Friday and 9am on Saturday.  Come take a class with her, or brew some strong coffee and join her with the infamous 5am crew!

Ryan

CFKI – Coaching – CrossFit – Community

As the next part in our series of highlighting our outstanding coaches, I would like to introduce you to Coach Alicia!
* Ryan’s note:  Alicia gave me some detailed bullet points, but it’s very hard to write about yourself so I might paraphrase and add on a bit.  If you see an overuse of the word “awesome”, that was probably me.

Alicia Higginbotham, Coach (Level 2 CrossFit, Obstacle Course Race prep)

Alicia’s athletic background originally centered around basketball.  In high school she scored over 1,000 points, and went on to play at Grove City College.  If you’ve noticed the basketball hoop outside the gym, that was me sharing a fun idea to have a hoop at the gym and Alicia running with it, making it a Christmas gift from all the coaches.  Thanks Alicia!
After college Alicia started getting into obstacle course racing (OCR) like Spartan Race, and has won or podiumed in her age group at races ranging from 3 to 10 miles long.  Awesome!

I asked Alicia why she started coaching:  “When I started CrossFit I was immediately hooked. After about 8 months I got my Level 1. I’ve always enjoyed the teaching/learning process no matter the subject. I love the challenge of teaching the same thing in a different way in order to better communicate with someone and help them improve.  I also love watching someone piece the info together and work hard toward their goal.

Of course there’s the building relationships side to coaching. Not only do you better understand where a person is coming from and what they need because of it, but It’s always amazed me how close you can get to the people you workout with. There’s something special about suffering next to someone.”

After the rather traumatic birth of her daughter and a rough recovery, Alicia’s focus shifted more to pregnancy and postpartum, and also training women in general. “Women are not small men” and should be fueling and training differently.  A large majority of research in health and fitness has been tested on men, and Alicia has found a passion for educating herself and passing on that knowledge to other female athletes.

As far as what is next for Alicia, athletically:  “Throughout the year I like to dabble in various competitions. Weightlifting, the CrossFit Open, obstacle course racing, and some good old-fashioned CrossFit competitions. My goal this year is to make the top 10% in the Open which I just barely missed last year. I’m open to being dragged into other competitions and sports if anyone ever wants a training buddy for an event!”

 

Thanks so much to Alicia for letting us know a little bit more about your background, your goals, and your “why”!

Alicia currently coaches the majority of our 10am classes and is there for Open Gym 11am-1pm.  And if you’re there, she will coach you up!  And maybe take pictures of you.  Come check out one of her classes!  You’ll have a blast, learn a lot, and come out the other side a better athlete!

Ryan

Those of you that have picked up one of our new shirts and tanks may have seen a really cool new logo on the back.  CFKI – Coaching – CrossFit – Community.  Thanks so much to Alicia’s sister Maggie for the awesome design!

The idea for this logo started a couple years ago as a napkin sketch and dinnertable discussion to rebrand CrossFit Kent Island, as CrossFit was getting a lot of bad press.  It ended this year as a decision to refocus and recommunicate our priorities as we crossed the 10-year threshold.  We are a CrossFit gym.  We always have been, and always will be.  CrossFit is the absolute best training methodology you could select for general physical preparedness… just getting really really fit.  Want to get strong?  CrossFit.  Want to build endurance?  CrossFit.  Want to build strength and an engine at the same time?  Oh, man, that’s a lay-up.  CROSSFIT.

But covid taught us that CrossFit classes are actually not our biggest strength, as much as they would seem to be.  Remember, we couldn’t workout together in the gym, and everyone had a different combination of equipment at home.  We assigned every member that wanted to continue to train (something like 90% of our membership) a coach.  And they COACHED.  They took each daily workout and made it work for each person at home.  They checked in to see how it was going and what sort of adjustments they could make.  They made personal connections on goals and aspirations and what life was like at home.  They coached.  That became a revelation for me — that it didn’t matter if we were coaching people through group CrossFit workouts, or virtually through a single session in the driveway, or a work-up to a Spartan Race or a weightlifting meet, or a personal issue at work.  Our coaches are very understanding, and caring, and authentic, and really good at getting people to achieve the results they are looking for.  They are outstanding at COACHING.  And that is our biggest strength and our main selling point.  So, thanks covid for that!

We connect with each other through coaching, we practice CrossFit, and because of those strong focuses, we have become a COMMUNITY.  And our community itself has become a strength, and a force to be reckoned with.  You can’t just blow a tornado through this town and expect people to not band together at CrossFit Kent Island to raise money and find places to stay for one another.  A member of our gym has a life-threatening illness?  You better believe our community is going to surround their family with love, raise money for their medical bills, and support them through their fight.  Negativity cannot penetrate our community – it will be repelled by the positive attitudes and love that we have for each other.

CFKI – COACHING – CROSSFIT – COMMUNITY

What we’d like to do over the next few weeks is highlight our amazing coaches that have helped to shape this awesome CFKI community, along with all of you.  I volunteered to embarrass myself first, but next week stay tuned for a personal look in on another of our coaches.  Why do they do what they do?  What inspires them?  We need to know!

 

Ryan Wolf, Coach (CrossFit, Unbeatable Mind, and Flag Football)

My “origin story” of coaching goes back to my first career before CrossFit – 8 years of management consulting in the healthcare industry.  If you like to wear suits and fly on planes, this is the job for you.  If you like to sleep and have a family life, this is not the job for you.  I did enjoy the job most of the time – the people I worked with were the most talented young consultants I ever could have imagined, and our clients always started by hating us and after 9 months were giving us hugs for saving their hospital and asking us not to go.  Eventually, Denee and I started to have a family, and when our second son Oliver was born, I began to get on the plane Monday morning seriously depressed.  I knew that I needed to make a change.  In thinking about what I should do, I started by thinking about what I liked about my current role.  As a project manager, I loved developing my project team as consultants and as young leaders in the world.  As a mentor to my clients’ executive teams, I loved identifying where they could lean into their strengths and hedge their weaknesses with strong subordinates.  In short, I loved developing people and seeing them succeed.  I was really into CrossFit training myself at the time, and so starting a CrossFit gym of my own seemed like a very good fit.  As the coach of every class, I would have the opportunity to help each member find a goal to shoot for and achieve it through CrossFit training.  As the years went by, my role shifted a bit to develop new coaches, mostly by identifying members that shared a love for personal development, and helping them find their leadership role within CFKI.  Although all of our coaches have different styles and come from different backgrounds, we all share that love and focus for connecting with and developing our members, and we all know that through CrossFit training and coaching we can affect many people’s lives for the better.

When I’m on the job, my personal methodology of coaching starts with understanding my client’s goals.  Wait, I take that back – their GOAL.  I think it’s important to have a singular focus on one most important thing that you would like to accomplish, or a vision of who you want to be, from your training.  Having a laser focus on one goal will give you something to quickly snap your mind to when the training seems too tough, or your motivation to get to the gym is waning.  Splitting focus into multiple goals can be pretty easy once you learn of all the movements that we practice in CrossFit – and how many of them you are not great at yet!  But trying to work toward multiple goals that are equal in your mind can diffuse your training focus and become demotivating when you’re not progressing toward any of them very quickly.

In my own training, my goal has most often been an upcoming event of some sort.  Each winter, my short-term goal becomes to perform better than the previous year in the CrossFit Open.  But most often, the event on my horizon that fuels my training is not CrossFit-related, but instead is a crucible event that checks at least two boxes:  1. It’s not something I’ve accomplished before, 2. It seems difficult enough that there is a decent chance that I will not succeed.  In the awesome book The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter, I learned that this type of maybe-I-can-do-it-maybe-I-can’t challenge is what the Japanese call a misogi.  A misogi challenge offers me the external motivation to train hard and smart toward the looming challenge, usually chosen about a year out.  I truly then enjoy the process of training, because I’m looking forward to testing myself and my training during the event.  When I finish the event, I feel like I have not only “checked that box,” but I have elevated myself physically, mentally, and emotionally, and I have even more confidence leading into the next one, whatever it is.  Some of my previous misogi challenges have included earning a full Navy ROTC scholarship when I was two years into college, a 31-mile trail race through the woods of West Virginia, this year’s 1-mile Bay Swim (it had been a while since I swam open water!), and SEALFIT Kokoro – a 50+ hour gut check administered by current and former SEALs.

Each of these misogi challenges tested me in different ways, but they all went way beyond the physical work into forging more mental toughness and emotional resilience.  These experiences, and the lessons I learned from them, guide my coaching with small groups and with individuals that I train toward their own specific goals.  I try to integrate physical, mental and emotional training in each session, identifying opportunities to practice techniques like breath control, visualization (win in your mind), positive self-talk, and setting micro-goals.

If you haven’t picked up a new shirt yet, do it soon, they are going fast!  If you have, we thank you for your support.  You, wearing our gear and spreading the gospel of CFKI, are our best marketing tool.  We actually don’t have any other marketing tools.  So, you’re alone on the front lines out there, sorry.

Seriously though, thank you so much for everything that you guys do every day to make this such an amazing place to work.  On behalf of all of our coaches, we love you and appreciate you.  You are CrossFit Kent Island!

Ryan