Name: Ashley August

Started CrossFit: June 2013

Favorite WOD: Death by Clean and Jerk

Least Favorite WOD: Anything with rowing

Favorite Lift: Clean and Jerk

Least Favorite Lift: Overhead Squat

Story: I grew up involved in many competitive sports such as tennis, gymnastics, volleyball, etc. When I attended Trinity, I searched for similar activities to stay active. I did club tennis and even tried cheerleading for a year (worst idea ever). I even exerted some of my competitive energy into beer pong. My roommate freshman year soon introduced me to a style of workout she called “CrossFit”. Her mom was/is a CF trainer in Saint Louis so she would email us daily workouts that we could perform in our dorm room. We got pretty creative; using desks and desk chairs for box jumps; bought a portable pull up bar that we hung above our bathroom; books were converted to weights for Russian twists and goblet squats. She soon found Mission CrossFit and told me how much she loved it. I really wanted to attend this gym she spoke so highly of, but there was one issue…CrossFit is pretty expensive for a college student, and unless I didn’t want to eat for an entire month, it did not fit into my budget. Thus, I continued my “at-home” wods and would drag as many people as I could into them because they say misery loves company. After my friends and I graduated from Trinity May 2013, many moved away and I found it harder and harder to find people to workout with and help push me. I was, again, suggested to try Mission CrossFit by Ashley Rice, and joining was now a possibility since I actually had an income upon graduation. The first workout I tried there was Fran. I am pretty sure I even used a green band for pull-ups, but was still so exhausted and fatigued that I sat in my car a few minutes after the workout in fear that my arms didn’t have enough energy to drive 2 miles home without crashing. Somehow, I still decided to come back after Fran. We also did CrossFit Total my first week starting at Mission and it is crazy to see the gains I have made in one year, and it couldn’t have been done without all the dedicated coaches and members that keep me pushing myself. I have tried other CF gyms when out of town, and no other gyms have coaches that really want you to succeed and continue developing as an athlete as much as the coaches at Mission.