"The thing that I tell you now
It may not go over well
And it may not be photo-op
in the way that I spell it out
But you won't hear from the messenger,
don't wanna know bout something that you don't understand,
You got no fear of the underdog, that's why you will not survive..."
Well I am in the Zone. Training for the 2010 Affiliate Cup with my team at
Westlake Crossfit. My diet is perfect. I'm about to cut alcohol. Doing doubles to get me up to speed on my weaknesses. Propelled onward by a sense of competition, yes, but also commitment to my team.
If someone asked me to describe what makes me team unique, I would sum it up in this quote, taken from coach
Jarrod Freshour's blog:
"I would rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent than in the extent of my powers and dominion." -Alexander the Great
I can't quite explain the culture of the gym, except to say that it is teeming with old souls who are commited first and foremost to being great people.
I was actually on the phone yesterday with coach Joss - who had called just to check in, see how I was feeling, where my head was - and he said something about never compromising being a good, kind human being regardless of the circumstance. That thought process underlies absolutely everything we do at Westlake Crossfit.
I have never heard gossip. I have never felt that 'spirit' you feel when you go somewhere you're not welcome. I've felt exactly the opposite: openness, welcomeness, and respect for individual strengths and a thirst to work on individual weaknesses. A special source of this has come from coach
Jesse O'Brien - who until recently wasn't even a coach just a good, solid human being who wanted to help others achieve their individual potential.
This stands in stark contrast to what I have experienced at some other Crossfits. I was in a class once where some new people came in and were clearly timid. I reached out my hand to introduce myself just because it's the right thing to do as a human being and later found out that it was taken as me trying to 'insert' myself into the gym's "leadership."
We all struggle with making ourselves understood. Whether you are a skinny blonde girl who is always treated badly by other girls who are jealous, or a short, fat guy who can't do a squat without losing his breath. I can say without a doubt that you will have a home at Westlake Crossfit. Part of the reason I can say this is because I have experienced it myself - the love that the people at the gym have put on ME for exactly who I am, exactly where I am - nothing more, nothing less - has bled out into other areas of my life. I can honestly say that I am prouder to be ME because of that love.
So if you embrace a spirit of love, openness, sharing, encouragement, positivity, determination in the face of adversity, and a teensy anti-authoritarian / underdog streak... I encourage you to root for Westlake Crossfit at this year's Crossfit Affiliate Cup.
3, 2, 1... Let the Games begin...
Coach Je'Von Ikner
"Cause you don't talk to the water boy
and there's so much you could learn but you don't want to know,
You will not back up an inch ever,
that's why you will not survive..."
