Hometown:
Silver Spring, MD.
Age: 47
Occupation: Designer/Illustrator/Painter
When did you first start CrossFitting?: Nov, 2011
Favorite WOD: One where there are lots of different rounds. One that has running, pushpress, box jumps, pull ups, push ups, rope climbs. The more things to do the better. Teams are also fun.
Least Favorite WOD: Overhead squats, Burpees, Thrusters, handstands. Yuck!
Tell us about your sports & fitness background: Pretty much all my life I have tried to be active. I was a drummer in a band in my twenties and that kept me active and in good shape. When that ended I did little to no exercise. I remember hitting a point where I felt like crap and looked like crap and I realized I had to do something. I found an app for my ipod and it was “Couch to 5K”. So I did that and that got me motivated, but going to the gym and running on a treadmill got to be a drag. So boring. So I quit doing any exercise.
How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel? I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was 2011 and Rachel Posell came up to me and my wife, Anya Karavanov, to see if we would be interested in doing a beginner family WOD on a Saturday morning at the Woodlin Elementary field. I said, sure, let’s see what this crossfit thing is all about. We ran, we jumped, we pushed, we skipped. I was saying to myself, “Hey man, this is tough and most definitely not boring.” I really liked the way people cheered you on. I liked the group atmostphere. I wanted to learn more.
What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)? Before CF: I remember always kind of dragging throughout the day, being a lot less sharp mentally, not as creative. Just kind of feeling like what a 44 year old male should feel like and accepting that as the way it will be.
After CF: I feel more strong now than when I was in my mid 30’s. I have a lot more energy. Mentally I am sharper and physically I can do things I never thought I would be able to do. I mean, I can jump up on a box or climb a rope to the ceiling. I have learned a lot about diet and that has helped too.
What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected? Very unexpected change for me has been a new excitement for life. I’m much more creative than I used to be. I thought the whole thing about CF was the physical change. Yes, physical change is part of it, but so much of it is a mental change, for me.
Please share with us any favorite CrossFit/CFIL moment(s)! Being the last of a group to finish a brutal WOD and hearing everyone clap and cheer me on. Watching Rachel do a PR! Climbing a rope to the ceiling!
Any advice for people just getting started? Have fun with it. Half the battle is getting in the front door. You do that, the rest of the worries melt away. Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative. One day at a time.
What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?
Painting, Illustration, Drumming, Hiking w/ Cooper, Hanging with my family.