Sammy Burnett
As a kid growing up I was never the tallest, the fastest, or the most athletic, to be quite honest I was your average kid, but with one key factor, I was overweight. Despite this fact I always enjoyed playing sports and wanted to follow in the footsteps of my older brother and do the things he did. He has always been a role model to me and someone I greatly admired and if it wasn’t for him I probably never would’ve tried out Crossfit Retaliation. I remember him coming over one day after he had been to a 5:30am class and telling me about how awesome his workout was and how great the people were that went there and that I should try it sometime. I’ll be honest my first thought was “yeah right, like you’ll ever find me working out that early”, but he never stopped asking me to come and eventually I gave in and said sure why not, what’s the worst that could happen?
In about 2 more months I will have been a member of the Crossfit Retaliation family for a year and that is something I will never regret.
From eating whole Digiorno pizzas for lunch and downing Dr. Pepper and chomping on some peach rings while sitting playing video games to now helping my family understand better nutrition techniques and programming workouts. I can truly say that Crossfit has changed my life as well as the lives around me for the better. Now my family extends outside of my immediate relations and to the friends and people I see every day and for that I am forever thankful.
My story started with someone caring enough to invite me, what will be your story?
Jason & Taryn Hirsch
"My husband Jason and I had never stuck with any sort of workout longer than a month, before we started CrossFit. It was years of saying, THIS is the year we get in shape... And then we'd stop going. CrossFit put the fun back into workouts with it's variety, healthy competition for motivation, and constant correction and encouragement. In the 8 months that I've been doing Crossfit, I've gained an incredible amount of strength, and accomplished lifts I never thought possible. For someone who always said, "I have zero upper body strength", I'm suddenly doing handstands, pull-ups, and weights over 70 pounds. My mentality about fitness has changed from being purely concerned about how I look, to how much strength I've built and what I've achieved in today's workout. Everyone there believes in me when I think I can't do more, and that has given me so much confidence. Jason has been doing Crossfit for almost 2 years, lost about 20 pounds, and has muscle definition in places he's never had before. His fitness is more well rounded, and he has built up previously lacking core strength. Aches and pains like sore knees and lower back are mostly gone, due to improvements in strength, weight loss, and the incredible emphasis on good form. Workouts that once seemed daunting and unattainable, he now sees as a fun challenge, no longer telling himself, "I can't."
As a couple, CrossFit is something that we love to do together. While not on the same level, we still love to compete with and push each other. Instead of coming home from a hard day and taking it out on each other, we take it to CrossFit Retaliation and leave forgetting what made us angry. We might come in not speaking, but we invariably leave giving each other a high five for what we accomplished. Crossfit has become a lifestyle we pursue together, something we look forward to, and keeps us coming back for more. "
Barb Spratley
|
"Lets just say this, CROSSFIT SAVED MY LIFE! Before coming to CrossFit Retaliation, I was fighting depression for 32 years...unsuccessfully. I had cocooned myself in a Fat Suit that I had constructed for myself. The fat suit did exactly what it was designed to do...insulate me from people who may hurt me. It took many decades for me to realize that I was punishing myself by treating my body this way. That's where CrossFit Retaliation comes into the picture. 9 months ago, my best friend Tina O'Dell convinced me to go to the box and give CrossFit a try. I met Audra McNear and Jase Robinson. They helped me change everything! I'm doing exercises that I never thought I could do on a good day, even at 48 years old! I will joke with my husband Bob "THEY ARE TRYING TO KILL ME!" He will jokingly reply "They're only getting rid of Bad Barb, you'll be ok." I have so much admiration for all my coaches and everyone I workout with. They give me motivation, most of all kindness and love. I hope my CrossFit Retaliation family knows how much each and everyone of them has helped SAVE MY LIFE!"
|
Judi Smith
“I have never been an athletic type: no serious sports in high school, no summer sports leagues. I did do some horseback riding, but that was about it. Then I was challenged by my son to run the Indianapolis Mini Marathon, ok, time to maybe train a little, but I got bored. Running is great exercise, but not that exciting, so I decided to join a gym. I attended classes but wanted something more challenging, so when the gym added CrossFit to the schedule, that was what I needed. Classes were challenging, and I loved the workouts.
Then Retaliation opened, PERFECT, sign me up. The changes have been amazing to say the least. Before I really started working out seriously at the box, I was given an opportunity to participate in an event that was basically a 12 hour workout. After, I swore I would never do that again, that was horrible. I realized that I had very little upper body strength. I started going to the WODs more regularly and pushing the weight more on the upper body workouts. Natrually, I had to sign up for another 12 hour event, just to see how I would do. It was awesome! The difference was outstanding, I felt good the entire time, and could pull my own weight and sometimes some additional weight as well, no problems!
Not only has Retaliation been perfect for increasing my fitness, this place is like a second home. Everyone is so supportive and encouraging. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and the WODs tend to showcase those sometimes, but there is always someone there to cheer me on when I’m struggling.
I’ll never forget one day we did “Karen,” a workout of 150 wallball shots, (I am not good at wall ball shots, but I’m getting better). I was really struggling, I believe everyone else was done. I could hear Audra behind me, “C’mon Judi, you’ve done tougher s**t than this before!”. That’s what I needed to hear, that still rings in my head when I am struggling in any WOD, or race for that matter.
All I can add, is that if it weren’t for CrossFit Retaliation, Jase and Audra, and all the other coaches, I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing. I would have never realized that I was even capable of these things and would have just moved on. I would have missed out on so much! I love getting muddy on obstacle courses, and I have had a lot of people ask me what happens if they just skip an obstacle. I tell them probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned from CrossFit, try everything…you’ll surprise yourself.”
Tyler Stilwell
|
"I joined crossfit [Retaliation] in December, 2014 after I was invited by co-worker to try it out. I had previously read different articles about the pros and cons of crossfit, and was a little skeptical at first. However, after the first week, I knew this was the perfect solution for what I was looking to do. As a multi-sport athlete, injury prevention and strength training are two key components to success, and I found that crossfit has helped me with both. Not only have I noticed my physical appearance improving, but I have also noticed performance improvements as well. So far this year I have ran 4 half marathons, 2 10K’s, and an Olympic distance triathlon with almost all resulting in a PR which includes a first place overall in a local 10K event. I am currently training to do Ironman Louisville in October of this year [2015], and cannot wait to see the benefits of crossfit during that race! "
|
Angie Acra
"Exercise has been a part of my life for several years. I was at a point in my fitness journey where I was very bored with doing the same treadmill routine day after day. I wanted to achieve a higher level of fitness. The coaches at Crossfit Retaliation are willing to do what it takes to help you reach your fitness goals without injury. They are there to ensure proper technique is used with every workout. Crossfit challenges you within your own fitness level. I know I am stronger physically because of Crossfit, but to me that isn’t the most important part. I am much more confident in myself. Crossfit has given me a new mind set. The coaches at Crossfit Retaliation have encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone. I try things while doing Crossfit that I would never think of trying on my own. It is an awesome feeling to accomplish things you never thought possible. Crossfit Retaliation is a family of athletes all on their own journey to become better individuals. We support, encourage and celebrate one another’s achievements. This is a benefit you cannot obtain at any other kind of gym. I walk out of Crossfit Retaliation each time stronger than when I went in and feeling as though I can conquer the world. Crossfit has become a way of life for me and I feel like something emotionally, mentally, and physically is missing from my day when I am not able to attend. Crossfit is so much more than physical appearance (that is just an added benefit). I am a much better person because of my Crossfit journey."
