1. What brought you to CFG? How long have you been a member?
Elyssa: “I started my journey at Crossfit for Glory the summer before my freshman year of high school, 4 years ago, with my sister( Alexis Gonzalez) and my Dad (Lester Gonzalez). At the time I was playing soccer was going to try out for our flag football team at my high school, my goal with Crossfit was to help work all the muscles in my body and become more well rounded to help me with the sports I wanted to play in the future. Before joining, our family did lots of research. We watched youtube videos and read articles about what Crossfit even was and we were hooked! So when we heared a box was opening here in fishhawk and we decided to give it a try.”
Alexis: “When I was about to start my freshman year of High school, I played travel soccer and I wanted to tryout for my school’s soccer team. However I knew that trying to make the team would be difficult and that’s when I realized that I needed to improve my fitness in order to achieve this goal. I had no idea what CrossFit was at the time but I saw how a box just opened right around the corner where I lived. I started to research to see what CrossFit really was. At first glance, it seemed like a terrifying and hard workout and I was scared to join. Though, through research I saw how it changed peoples lives and how it was something that people actually enjoyed doing. I also saw how this was exactly what I needed in order to become a better athlete. Then once joining CrossFit for Glory, I learned not only to be a better athlete, but be an overall better person. I’ve been a member for about 5 years now, and I can not imagine my life without CrossFit. ”
2. What was your first impression? How has that changed?
Alexis: “I still remember my first foundations class like it was yesterday. The moment I stepped inside the gym, the environment was so welcoming and the people were all very nice. It was nice stepping into a gym and not feeling overwhelmed by equipment and people. When the class started, I was optimistic about it. The movements were fun to learn, and I discovered a lot of muscles that I never knew I had haha. Through the class I never felt like I couldn’t ask any questions, the coach’s were all willing to teach us the foundations of CrossFit and they were willing to make sure each individual in that room understood what each movement was and how important it was to take time to master each technique in order to improve in other movements. Today, the coaching is the same exact way. The coach’s are all very knowledgeable in the sport and they make CrossFit more enjoyable and I am so happy to have such great coach’s. My impression of the gym did change though. In the beginning my first impression of CrossFit for Glory was that it was an amazing environment, now I view CrossFit for Glory as a second home, and the box has only grown and improved over the years, and I am so happy that I was able to see it grow. ”
Elyssa: “I remember my first foundation class, it was very hard and I definitely thought I was going to pass out at any given moment haha. But I knew that feeling was good because it meant that it was the start to a better, more fit future. When I started my first class I felt included from the very first minute. Everyone was very nice and brought my family into the Crossfit for Glory family, and ever sense our lives have been changed for the better. We love the environment and I love coming in and always doing something new. I never once felt alone or worthless because everyone cheers you on no matter what you are doing. Something I love about Crossfit for Glory is that they support you inside and outside the box. Everyone would help out with my school fundraisers or have interest in the things I did outside the box and even celebrated a few of us who graduated from high school this year! It’s more then just a Gym, it’s a family.
3. What are you most proud of?
Elyssa: “I am most proud of the change and commitment I have made since starting Crossfit. Not only have I grown and changed physically but also it’s been a mental change. I am proud that even on days or workouts that push me so hard that I want to just stop and quit, I don’t and I keep going because I know everyone around me is feeling the exact same thing as I am and that’s what makes us better.”
Alexis: “I am most proud of how much discipline I’ve learned through CrossFit. Before CrossFit, I thought working out was to lose weight and my goals were to drop sizes in my clothes and be “skinny”. However, I learned that the point of working out is to become stronger and healthier and just, better in general. Before I would tell myself that I don’t need to do every rep, and that I would be fine. I always told myself that “I can’t”. CrossFit taught me that, I can. I can keep pushing. I can lift that barbell. I can run that mile. I can be better. I can be stronger. I can be healthier. I can be who I want to be, and I couldn’t be more proud of myself for learning that. Without CrossFit, I would of never pushed myself to try new things and I would not be who I am today if I never learned that.
4. What are you working towards now?
Alexis: “Right now I am working towards being better and staying healthy. The amazing thing about CrossFit is that there is always something to improve on. Though I’ve been doing CrossFit for a while now, there are still things I need to learn and work on, and I’m excited to continue growing and improving. I love CrossFit and I just want to work towards being more efficient in the sport and who knows maybe one day I’ll be able to go to the CrossFit games and compete.”
Elyssa: “I am always working toward improvement. I always look to see what I can to better, whether it’s being more proficient on pull ups and gymnastics movements or pushing to do a pound more then I did the time before. Any time I walk in the box there’s always something I learn and get better with, it’s a non stop cycle of learning and improvement.”
5. What’s your favorite CFG memory?
Elyssa: “My favorite memories are being able to be apart of the Crossfit games open. This is the one time of the year that no matter who you are or your skill level you can compete against people from across the world that are all working for a common goal that’s the same as yours. Everyone gets to feel what a Crossfit competition is. I loved having everyone cheer me on and everyone pushing me to do my absolute best, everyone at the box comes together for this event and I love being able to be with everyone and watching everyone one compete. There isn’t any sport or activity that does anything like what Crossfit does. That’s thing about crossfit, anyone can do it and there’s nothing else like it.”
Alexis: “My favorite memory at CFG was my very first CrossFit open. I wasn’t even going to do it, but I went to watch the first open workout at the gym. I loved the competitive environment, and it wasn’t like people were competing with each other, they were competing with themselves. I decided to sign up that same day when the open already started. It was fun challenging myself and I like how I didn’t feel like I was trying to beat anyone in the box, I was just trying to do the best I could, and pushed myself to work harder than I ever have and I was so proud of myself for doing it. And every year since I’ve done the CrossFit open, and every year I see how much I’ve improved and it’s exciting to see.
Thank you again for everything and making CrossFit amazing. It truly has changed my life for the better and I can’t wait to do CrossFit for the rest of my life! ”
