Athlete of the Month
Athlete of the Month
All of us who work out here at Mission CrossFit SA train hard. We are all on our own journey in pursuit of a higher level of fitness, health and ultimately, life. It is not an easy journey, but it’s worth it. It requires hard work, sweat, discipline, and perseverance. The journey is filled with challenges, obstacles, and sometimes-even setbacks. And although every person’s road is unique, it is not a solo endeavor. We are in the pursuit of fitness together. Like a team, when a person is knocked down, the group responds by picking them up. Equally as important, when someone succeeds, their accomplishments are enjoyed and celebrated by the whole. To that end, every month, one person will be recognized for their outstanding achievements in fitness, whether they are in or out of the box.
This page is dedicated to that individual who portrays what CrossFit is at Mission CrossFit SA. It is someone who pushes hard, never gives up and wants to accomplish something each day they step foot inside our gym. They are chosen by their peers and lead by example. The athlete doesn’t necessarily lift the most amount of weight, or win every WOD, but instead they have passion and desire for what their individual goal is. Work hard, everyone is always paying attention, and you could be next!
October 2018 Athlete of the Month
September 2018 Athlete of the Month
Congratulations to Edgar Rodriguez for being selected as September 2018 Athlete of the Month. Edgar has put in a tremendous mount of work since first stepping foot into Mission. He came in looking for a competitive edge he was missing. Within a few months of doing normal class, he was able to transition to Mission’s Sport program. Doing Coach Drew nutrition program he has been able to attain his goal weight that he thought was unattainable. For those reasons and many more is why Edgar is deserving of Athlete of the Month. Also for those of you who have not got a “cut” by Edgar you are missing out!
August 2018 Athlete of the Month
Congratulations to Becky Fritz for being selected as August 2018 Athlete of the Month. You can normally find Becky at the 5am class ( usually by the fan ) . Over the past 2 years Becky has made tremendous strides and gains in all her lifts. Even a minor knee issue hasn’t kept her away, she still comes in and puts in the work with specific modifications. She has been a great addition to our Mission family. For those reasons and many more is why Becky is deserving of Athlete of the Month.
Started CrossFit-October 2016
Favorite WOD– Murph
Least favorite WOD-Bear
Favorite lift-Deadlift
Least favorite lift-Snatches
Story–Before Mission I spent time as a competitive swimmer, in the pool 5-6 days a week. That changed when I joined the Army and running, push-ups, sit-ups, and ruck marches became my fitness modalities. I came to love taking to the pavement to alleviate my frustrations. Over time running took a toll on my knees and once I left the military I focused on lower intensity activities. I loved yoga and also found myself dabbling in spin, kickboxing, Zumba, step, and even hula-hooping (go ahead and laugh). No matter which activity, I wasn’t really changing anything and I started to lose interest in something I loved – Fitness.
I heard about CrossFit when my husband dropped into MCF for a couple months in 2012 and I remember seeing measurable changes in his fitness. Still, I rolled my eyes for YEARS thinking it wasn’t for me. Climb ropes, throw barbells over my head, stand on my head, push sleds in an empty parking lot? No thanks. I trudged on in my own, “I think I’m fit” world.
In the summer of 2016 I completed an on ramp at Iron Major CrossFit (Leavenworth, Kansas) mostly because I wanted to spend some extra time with my husband and we could work out together. We ended up moving to San Antonio a few weeks later. I wasn’t sold on CrossFit yet and in the first few weeks I was nervous, frustrated, and almost ready to throw in the towel. The programming, the training, and my inexperience proved to be quite challenging. I told myself: “I will give it three months and if I still feel this frustrated, I’m quitting”. I watched videos of the CrossFit gal/guy night after night and asked a million questions in class. The 3 month commitment I made was all I needed.
The 5 am class quickly became a welcoming place where I could challenge myself and grow. If I needed help, the coaches were there to guide me. The ‘5am-ers’ would push me, encourage me, and even help the coaches sneak extra plates on my bar when I wasn’t looking. Now the 5am class is my ‘home’. Their support everyday and the amazing coaches and gym members in every class make every day in the gym a challenge, where I can’t fail, I can only get stronger, faster, and healthier in a safe and welcoming environment. I still find myself scaling and modifying some workouts because of chronic knee issues but I’ve never felt as strong and healthy as I do now.
Every day is a fitness challenge. It never plateaus, I can always push for one more rep, one more plate, or a better time. I know I am better today than when I started, and I’ll be better tomorrow after the WOD. I want my daughter to learn from me. I want her to know that no matter what age or circumstance, step outside your comfort zone. You will be amazed at what you have the potential to accomplish. I don’t think I’ll be in the open for a couple years yet, but I know I will push myself to the limit and with the people around me in class driving me even further.
I love being a part of Mission CrossFit and getting fit with and around the other members. Your motivation and support is priceless as I drive toward my fitness goals of being healthy and happy while I improve my fitness without getting hurt. Oh, and the socializing is pretty cool too. I cherish the friendship, support, and motivation that I receive every time I walk in the door. Your smiles, high-fives, sweaty hugs, and words of affirmation are what make our gym successful. I am proud to be Athlete of the Month, thank you.
Becky Fritz
July Athlete of the Month
Congratulations to Joseph Lapthorne for being selected as the July 2018 Athlete of the Month. Joseph has had an amazing fitness journey since arriving at Mission, it includes losing 30lbs!!! He is matching running speeds from back in his 20’s. Don’t we all wish we got stronger and faster with age? Well Joseph is putting in the work to accomplish it, hitting PR’s left and right. For those reasons and many more is why Joseph is deserving of Athlete of the month.
June 2018 Athlete of the Month
Congratulations to Jill Teixeira for being selected as the June 2018 Athlete of the Month. Jill has been a staple of the 8:30 am for the past 2 years. She always comes in with a great smile on her face, but don’t be fooled she will smoke you in the WOD. She has set some new PR’s and made some great friends. Its saddens Mission to say goodbye to Jill as she moves on to the next duty station and new chapter in her life. We hope to see you again sooner than later. For those reasons and many more is why Jill is deserving of Athlete of the month.
May 2018 Athlete of the Month
Congratulations to Dan Cornell for being selected as the May 2018 Athlete of the Month. Dan has been committed to Mission CrossFit since 2012!! He is by far fitter now than he ever imagined. Dan put in his work at the 5am class, if you say ” Hey i’ve never seen Dan at 5am class ” its because he gets to sleep in 30 more minutes and come in at 5:30 am to Mission Strength class. Over the past 2 years in the strength class he has increased his back squat from 300 to 390, his deadlift from 315 to 380 and his bench from 235 to 285. Amazing gains!!! For those reasons and many more is why Dan is deserving of Athlete of the month.
Started CrossFit- August 2012
Favorite WOD- Cindy
Least favorite WOD- Anything that combines running with heavy squats or cleans.
Favorite lift- Squats!
Least favorite lift- Sleds or the assault bike. Both of those are like bad girlfriends – they’ll take everything you give and still demand more.
Story- Somewhere in mid-2012 I agreed to sign up for a Tough Mudder with a bunch of my high school buddies. For whatever reason I thought it was some sort of 5k trail run where you jump over a hay bale and run through a mud puddle at the end. When I actually looked at the website (10-12 mile course, 26 obstacles, tons of mud, electric shocks…) I realized I had made a horrible mistake. I had always done some running and light lifting, but at that point in my life I had let myself get pretty out of shape. When I looked in the mirror six weeks out from the event I had to say “this guy ain’t going to make it.”But – while I will disappoint my wife, and I will make my mom sad, I refuse to look like a pansy in front of my high school buddies so I knew I needed to do something drastic.
I had a friend who had lost a bunch of weight on a low carb diet so I stripped all the sugar and most of the carbs out of my diet to try and lean out before the event. And I had a friend in the Secret Service who had started doing CrossFit and got huge seemingly overnight, so I Googled around to find the closest CrossFit gym and I was tremendously lucky to find Mission CrossFit. I did an intro class and did my Elements work and was hooked. I loved the variation in the workouts and really enjoyed how the workouts mixed lifting – squats, deadlifts, cleans – with bodyweight exercises, running, and so on. I survived the Tough Mudder and kept coming to CrossFit because I was having fun and getting fitter. Since then I have used CrossFit as the basis for my training for other events –Tough Mudders, a marathon, a half-ironman, and a bunch of GoRuck stuff.
About two years ago my wife started doing some powerlifting with her trainer and she was making great strides in her deadlift. And I was really proud of her. But I also noticed that if I didn’t step up my game her deadlift was going to outpace mine so I reached out to Coach Mike about working out with the Strength Crew. Lately that’s where I’ve been spending most of my time, and I’ve made a lot of gains and had a great time doing it.
I travel for work and that gives me the opportunity to drop in at CrossFit gyms all over the place. I’ve had positive experiences pretty much everywhere, but it has also shown me how exceptional Mission CrossFit is. The facility is top-notch. The coaching is fantastic. The community couldn’t be better. We are all really fortunate.If there is one thing I have learned from CrossFit and Strength Crew it is that if you set goals, show up, listen to your coaches, and do the work then you make progress. I’m grateful to Coach Mike and all the coaches, the Strength Crew, the 5am folks, and everybody in the Mission CrossFit community. I’m in way better shape than I ever would have been if I hadn’t found Mission CrossFit, and I’ve met amazing people as well.
