“I am truly honored to be selected as the athlete of the month for December. I would first like to thank all of the coaches and the entire Crossfit 128 community, especially Chris, Suzie, and the rest of the 5 am morning crew for making me feel at home so quickly. 2020 obviously was not a great year for anyone but joining 128 was a bright spot for me amidst everything else.

I started 2020 looking forward to finishing my senior year at Amherst, and my last season on the crew team. Unfortunately, my season was derailed early due to injuries. Just as I was getting healthy again our campus shut down and everyone was sent home. Like most other people my age, I moved back in with my parents and lost almost all motivation to stay fit. I was burnt out beyond belief after four years and couldn’t bring myself to hop on the erg knowing I wouldn’t be back with my teammates any time soon. I knew that what I was really missing was a community to keep me accountable and motivated. I had followed Crossfit for a little while and knew some friends who really enjoyed it.

In August I finally decided to reach out to a few of the boxes in the area. It just so happened that Ryan emailed me back first to set up a first consult. I showed up a bit nervous, knowing that I was out of shape and unsure of what I was getting myself into, but after just a few minutes I could tell that I was going to love it. I stayed for my first endurance class and almost killed myself, but I couldn’t wait to get back the next day. 

I can’t say enough about what the community at 128 has meant to me over the last few months. I have grown so much thanks to the support everyone else crazy enough to try slog through open workouts and max back squats at 5 am, and especially Chris, who saw me doing some mobility in the corner one morning and asked me how hard I wanted to push myself and where I wanted to go. I still don’t know exactly, but I’m positive I’ll be supported and challenged every step of the way. 

All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end 2020, and here’s to 2021!”