How old / young are you? 26 What is your occupation? VP of Operations at Human Movement Management When did you join Widespread CrossFit? The first day that WSCF opened!  I was lucky enough to know Matt and Kari before WSCF opened, but had told them that as soon as WSCF was open for business I’d make WSCF my home box, regardless of where I was living. Why did you decide to give CrossFit a try? I decided to give CrossFit a try after having the privilege of working with Matt.  He was always encouraging me, given my athletic background, to give it a go in the gym.  He’d tell me all the stories of the commraderie and achievements people had made through CrossFit, which I found to be very inspirational, and I was really drawn to the competitive yet very welcoming and encouraging atmosphere of CrossFit.  I wasn’t sure at first if I really wanted to commit, but Matt threw down a challenge that I couldn’t resist.  He said to me “give me one year with you in the gym, it will change your life.”  At that time I was looking for something new in life and wanted to make a positive change, one that would affect me both mentally and physically, so I said yes! Sign me up! What was your athletic background before starting CrossFit? I started playing soccer at age 4 and never really strayed from that path.  Soccer was, and still is, my favorite sport.  I’d say that I’m fairly proficient at all sports, but soccer is definitely my forte.  I played competitively in Colorado and the US all the way through High School and then went on to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs on a soccer scholarship where I played for 3 more years. What changes in your health, physique, and overall performance have you seen since starting CrossFit? My introduction to CrossFit came at a time in my life where I hadn’t been doing much athletically for about two and half years.  I had just come back from at 2 year stint in England and was still “mentally” recovering from a broken back in college.  Since accepting Matt’s challenge I have seen numerous improvements in my health, physique, and overall performance.  Health wise, I’m as healthy, if not healthier than I was during my peak in college.  My cardio endurance is back to where it was when I was playing soccer full time, my muscle endurance is continuing to improve on a weekly basis, I’ve gained 12 pounds of muscle (something that I’ve never been able to do), and I’ve managed to become proficient on lifts that, a year and half ago, were foreign movements to me, i.e snatch, jerk, front squat.  What advice would you give to someone with regards to starting CrossFit? Don’t be afraid to try something that makes you uncomfortable. Going to the gym and staying fit, can be intimidating.  Don’t judge your success off of what other people are doing in the gym.  We all have different goals that we are striving to accomplish and we will all take different paths to accomplish those goals.  Stay humble, be positive, encourage your fellow athletes (regardless of their abilities), keep an open mind, set measurable and attainable goals for yourself, and always remember to keep a smile on your face no matter how hard the movements or workouts may be! What is your favorite and least favorite CrossFit exercises / movement? My favorite movement is Toes to Bar, followed closely by pistols and rope climbs.  My least favorite movement is definitely wall balls! What is your most memorable CrossFit moment so far? My most memorable moment so far has to be the 2015 Open.  2014 was the first year that I took part in the open and I fell short of my goal, which was to complete all the workouts.  I think I only complete 3 of the 5 in 2014.  In 2015 I set a goal for myself that I would complete all the Open workouts at their prescribed weights.  My times weren’t the greatest, but I successfully managed to complete all 2015 Open workouts as prescribed.  It was an awesome feeling completing the last rep of the last workout in the Open this year, knowing that I had accomplished one of my goals! What do you like to do outside of CrossFit? Outside of CrossFit I like to play soccer, fly fish, camp, hike, bike around downtown Denver, enjoy the outdoors with family and friends, snowboard, and go to concerts at Red Rocks. What is your favorite “cheat” food or meal? Ice cream and homemade chocolate chip cookies! What is something people would be surprised to know about you? I’m the oldest of 5 children, and the other 4 are all sisters. Who or what inspires you the most? I’m inspired most by my parents in all aspects of my life, as well as my sisters.  I’m also inspired, in the gym, by a CrossFit slogan that I saw on a friends t-shirt – “Live sore to look good naked!” What is one goal you would like to accomplish through CrossFit? Back squat max of 300+ pounds and to continue to look good naked