Athlete Profiles

March 2015 - Taffita Schurz

Name: Taffita (Taffi) Schurz

Nickname on the boards: Taffi

Member Since: January 2011

Occupation: Vice President, for the best eDiscovery company in the world, LDiscovery, LLC. (shameless plug)

Words to live by: The only time you look in your neighbor’s bowl is to make sure that they have enough. –Louis C.K. 

And from two of the most influential leaders I know, who perfectly encapsulate how to live:

Keep smiling out there. –Nelson Bagnardi

Stay humble. –Chris Weiler

Favorite quote: I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass…and I’m all out of bubblegum. –From the great Rowdy Roddy Piper.

Favorite movies: The Godfather, Jaws, Gone with the Wind, Blues Brothers, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the old-school version).

Favorite food: My favorite meal is my Grandpa Fritz’s, and now my mom’s, version of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and milk gravy. Hands down, the best food on the planet. My other vices include donuts and anything with dark chocolate. Since joining CF I’ve gotten on the clean-eating train, but I still enjoy the occasional cheat meal.

Favorite music or artist: When I’m not celebrating the entire catalog of 80s music a person can get their hands on, I’m likely listening to hip hop. Let me know if you would like me to serenade you to the tune of Digital Underground’s Humpty Dance.

Favorite sport or activity: Crossfit of course! It’s changed my life. I’ve never felt better and in addition to lifting heavy shit, I’ve met the most amazing people who inspire me every day. Shout outs to Sheena, Rene, Julie, Copper, Ingrid, Mary, Nancy, Super G, and Kristen. What a bunch of badass women. Too many names to list you all!

Sport or activity that you are training for: Life. I need to be able to keep up with The Dictator.

Goals
Personal: I’m a worrier. I’m working hard to cut that nonsense out and to live life in the moment.

      
Professional: I’ve got my eyes set on a couple of tech certs. You know who you are Information Security…

Athletic: Thanks to the Strong Program with Justin, and Stack’d with Dan and Sheena, I finally conquered strict pull-ups. Now I’d like to start kipping more than a couple at a time. I also just started one-on-one coaching with Sheena and she is molding me into the athlete I’d like to be…which is someone who can rock n’ roll better HSPs and OHSs.  I cannot thank the coaches enough for their support over the years.

I am passionate about: 

My son, The Dictator (common theme here huh) - He’s my world and I want to make him proud every day. 

Cooking and baking – Thank you mom for cleaning up all my messes and letting me lick the spoons every time. The kitchen is my Zen palace. 

Advancing women in the Tech field - I have the privilege of serving as the Chapter President for Chicago’s Women in eDiscovery Board. It’s a wonderful way to bring exceptional women together to learn, grow professionally, and become a driving force of change. 

Name some things we don’t know about you: 

I used to be a cheerleader. No joke.

I broke my collar bone and thumb at the same time. How you ask? See point one. The girls threw me in the air and forgot to catch me on my way back down.

I was a lifeguard for five years while working at a resort and summer camp. Having a swimsuit as your uniform every day is pretty spectacular.

I play the trumpet and piano. My trumpet is one of my prized possessions. My father played it and before him, his cousin. 

I was a jazz DJ for part of my college career. It was absolutely terrifying and I loved it.

Adventure you are planning: I’m taking my mom to Maui in May, and I cannot wait to show her my favorite island. We are also planning a full family vacation to Mexico for my dad’s birthday next February. This will be the first time he ventures out of the USA. Don’t worry Paps, the margaritas will calm your nerves.

February 2015 - Ondrej Fojtik

Name: Ondrej Fojtik

Nickname on the boards: (none yet)

Member Since: August 2013

Occupation: Contractor

Words to live by: Life is too short to worry about stupid things.  Have fun. Fall in love. Regret nothing and don’t let people bring you down.  

Favorite quote: Be all in or get all out, there is no halfway.

Favorite movies: Gladiator, Wolf of Wallstreet

Favorite food: Lockdown Cruelty to Animals Burger, but I have never met a food I didn’t like.

Favorite music or artist: U2, Linkin Park, Imagine Dragons, Jay-Z

Favorite sport or activity: Hockey, Crossfit. I love both equally.

Sport or activity that you are training for: Crossfit Masters, I’ve got 3 years and then I am going to CRUSH it.

Goals

Personal: Retire in 3 years so I can concentrate on competing in the Crossfit Masters J.  I want to be the best father and husband I can be.

Professional: Continue to grow and expand my business every year.  When other contractors hear the name O&P…they will cower.

Athletic: Improve on double-unders, overhead-squats, muscle-ups, and mobility.

I am passionate about: My work, my family, sports

Name some things we don’t know about you: Went to Czech Military training, used to play professional hockey in Europe, I am a diver, I have 3 year old twins (Maxim and Mia), I have ran a few marathons, I’ve climbed mountains and motorcycled through Central America, traveled through all of Europe.

Adventure you are planning: Vietnam by motorcycle

 

January 2015 - Ingrid Rockovich

Name: Ingrid Rockovich

Nickname on the boards: Duchess

Member Since: September 2011…I think.

Occupation: Integrated Media Manager at NBC Sports Group (formerly Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports).  I work primarily on Dew Tour and Pro Motocross making tv features, digital content and fun stuff on the internet about skateboarding/snowboarding/motocross racing.  And that’s why all of my t-shirts/hats/hoodies say Dew Tour on them.  I also am a photographer on the side – Right now, I focus primarily on family photos but really love taking candid photos of human subjects.

Words to live by: The Only Easy Day was Yesterday.  We even included this SEAL motto into our wedding vows.

Favorite quote: As part of Murph Training this past summer, we learned the Navy SEAL Code - this really resonated with me. So much so, Duke and I have them written on the back of our front door so we see them every time we leave the house:

Loyalty to Country, Team and Teammate

Serve with Honor and Integrity On and Off the Battlefield

Ready to Lead, Ready to Follow, Never Quit (This is my favorite section  of the entire code but I think they should be read as a group)

Take Responsibility for Your Actions and the Actions of Your Teammates

Excel was Warriors Through Discipline and Innovation

Train for War, Fight to Win, Defeat our Nation's Enemies

Earn Your Trident Every Day (While I don't have a trident...I think you earn the respect of those around you every day)

Favorite movies: In no particular order...Wayne’s World, Wildcats, Pitch Perfect, Lone Survivor, Miracle, Airborne (circa 1993)

Favorite food: Anything Eileen Gower cooks. I’m a real meat and potatoes kind of girl.  Literally, steak and mashed potatoes.  And bacon wrapped dates.  And I love candy – mostly of the chewy or fruity variety but I don’t discriminate when it comes to processed sugars.  This was the hardest part for me when doing the Nutrition Challenge.

Favorite music or artist: I’m really digging Sean Rowe and Shakey Graves right now.  Creepin on my Pandora?  Van Morrison, Ray LaMontagne, The Lumineers, etc.  However, my job keeps me pretty well engrained in the hiphop and dubstep genres so I’m generally bumpin’ some Wiz Khalifa or Rusko at work.  And then everyone has their “secret” music - mine is Meghan Trainor.

Favorite sport or activity:   To watch?  Football.  I have always loved it.  I particularly admire linebackers and their ability to read situations and react so athletically.  If I was a dude, this is what I would aspire to be.  To participate in?  Volleyball.  While I don’t play much anymore, I still really love the feeling of someone hitting the ball as hard as they can and my hands stuffing them at the net.

Sport or activity that you are training for:   GoRuck.  I completed a challenge back in July and, while Im proud of myself for completing the event, I would l like to be stronger for the next round and do it all with a smile.  I also really like working on general endurance.

Goals

Personal:     To live in the moment – not dwell on the past and not get too wrapped up in what might happen in the future

Professional:  To continue to grow myself as a leader at work and to create some really kick in the balls digital content – stuff action sports athletes would be “stoked” about.  I would also like to continue to grow my photography and challenge myself as an artist.  I love finding new ways to capture people in their element

Athletic:  It took my nearly 2 years to get pull-ups and I finally got them (Big Props to Meagles for running PullUp Clubbe - it was a HUGE turning point) so now I'm interested in getting strict dips, improving my pushups and improving my flexibility.  I'm also going to be entering a rucking 5k competition (Kill that 5K) and completing a GoRuck Heavy in 2015.

I am passionate about: My husband, My dog (Murphy - our 1 yr old boxer), My family, Finding ways to be creative and physically active each day (maybe not at the same time), a good ruck and good beer.

Name some things we don’t know about you: 

• When I was 6 years old, my family moved from New York to Hong Kong, then 2 years later to Germany, then a year later back to the States.  As a result, I can sing "Joy to the World" in Mandarin. 
• In 2008, I was hit by a baseball (line drive off of an aluminum bat) and crushed my eye socket/cheekbone.  I now have 3 plates and a few screws in the left side of my face/eyesocket.  My doctor told me that an inch in any direction might have killed me or caused me major damage so I'm incredibly thankful that the only long term side effects are setting off metal detectors in malls and knowing when it's going to rain. 
• I'm the first generation American in my family - my mother is Polish and father is German and both were born in Europe.  My grandfather is a Holocaust survivor who just turned 102...he's incredibly inspiring and used to air dyne 5 miles a day up until he had his hip replaced at 97. 
• I used to be into competitive gymnastics as a kid.  But when I turned 10 years old (and could grab the taller of the uneven bars with feet planted on the ground), I was encouraged to pursue other sports.  I think that's why I struggle with flexibility now - my soul is still hurt by being forced out of the sport.

Adventure you are planning:  Duke and I have tossed out the idea of participating in GoRuck "Beached" which is a 3-day "submersion into the world of special amphibious operations taught by former and current Special Operations soldiers".  I'd also like to head out to Wyoming at some point in the summer for some hiking and camping.  Yes, J$ - I said WYOMING.

December 2014 - Scott Thompson

Name: Scott Thompson

Nickname on the boards: Scott T

Member Since: Jan 2013

Occupation: self-employed advertising photographer and director

Words to live by:  I love this poem from the movie "The Grey,” I have it framed and hanging in my office:

"Once more into the fray...
Into the last good fight I'll ever know...
To live and die on this day...
To live and die on this day..."

Favorite quote: "When I have a camera in my hand, I know no fear."  -Alfred Eisenstaedt

Favorite movies: My favorite movies are wide and vast. I watch movies to study their cinematography, directing, storytelling and lighting to get ideas and learn techniques for my own work. For fun, I enjoy watching movies like Chef, Midnight in Paris and Hustle & Flow.

Favorite food: I love cooking, so I am always trying out new cuisines and finding new flavors to love.

Favorite music or artist: I am a BIG admirer of the Great American Songbook and the myriad of artists who perform from its collection. My favorite song is “Nearness of You” from that collection.

Favorite sport or activity: I enjoy being active and trying new activities. These past three years I focused on rock climbing and now I am addicted to Crossfit.

Sport or activity that you are training for: I am still working to accomplish more than 1 double under, a muscle up, and to make my 7-minute mile even faster.

Goals

Personal:  To always be pushing myself. I have a list of challenges and self improvements that I try to work on. One of my current challenges is to become a better speaker.

Professional: Continue to work on my personal projects that help develop my business. Make a strong effort on networking within the creative field and collaborate more with people.

Athletic: I slipped (lets be real, I was lazy) a few years back on my fitness and barely passed my Annual Fitness test in the Air National Guard for 2 years straight with a 75.2 % and 75.8% (Passing is 75%). After joining WCCF I raised my score up to a 92.8% and this year a 93.5%. I won’t let that happen again and will continue to strive to reach that 100%.

I am passionate about: Collaborating and working in a community with artists, supporting Veterans, loyalty and a solid handshake.

Name some things we don’t know about you:

• I was a rock and roll photographer in my early 20’s and traveled around on tour buses shooting for record companies.
• I have been a combat photographer for the Air National Guard for over 24 years.
• The most dangerous place I had to take photos was not while serving in the military in combat zones...or shark cage diving...or hanging out of helicopters by a rope...or hiking an active lava flow volcano...but while photographing a rock band in a biker bar in Rockford, IL. Amidst a crowd of drunk, slam dancing bikers, I broke one camera and collected plenty of bruises, cuts, body slams and puke from the crowd. I was truly afraid for my safety that night.
• I grew up in a small town. When I moved to Chicago 16 years ago, I had $50 in my pocket and no work; I was either going to sink or swim.

Adventure you are planning: I have a couple of small adventures going on every month (rock climbing trips, paintball, hiking, kayaking, etc) but my larger adventure planned this coming up year is a trip to hike Mount Kilimanjaro.

November 2014 - Terri Hartman

 

Name: 

Terri Hartman

Nickname on the boards: 

Terri, but I'm thinking about adopting just T if no one else has it (a few of my very closest friends call me T)

Member Since: 

September 2013

Occupation:

I just left my Marketing career of 20 years to become a full time Mom to our adorable little boys. 

Words to live by: 

Never stop being curious.  There's always something new to learn, to try, to strive for. 

Favorite quote:

Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. - Dalai Lama

Favorite movies: 

Ok, so with two small children at home my movie consumption over the past 5 years was limited to movies on my business flights. So my favorites are "oldies" - The Breakfast Club, When Harry Met Sally, A League of Their Own, Some Kind of Wonderful, really any John Hughes movie!

Favorite food: 

It's a toss up between really good cheese or really good chocolate, or maybe salumi - specifically finocchiona (Eataly has the best in Chicago.. get the finocchiona fino).

Favorite music or artist: 

Just like my movie selections, my music is all about feeling good. Don't bring me any sappy, whiny, my-life-is-over stuff. I pretty much listen to any genre except rap or death metal (speed metal, and all the other variations on this theme).  Right now I'm loving Meghan Trainor, Matt & Kim, Len, Paramore, and HAIM.  

Favorite sport or activity: 

I don't really follow any sports with regularity. My favorite activity for the past year has really been Crossfit and Oly.  I love working on Oly. 

 

Sport or activity that you are training for: 

Life. Seriously, just getting and staying healthy for myself and my family. 

 

Goals

 

Personal:

To be more patient with my kids, to do some activities just for me, and to continue to set aside "date night" (no matter how busy life gets).

Professional:

After an entire career in sales and marketing, I would love to find a way to marry my passions with my next career, and to make a difference in this world.  Life is too short to not love what you do every day.

Athletic: 

150 lb. power clean

Unassisted pull ups

I am passionate about: 

My family, my fitness, spending time with good friends, great food, and baking.

Name some things we don’t know about you: 

I was a Music major in college, and still pick up my clarinet to play once in a while.  I'd love to find the time to play in a community orchestra.  I also have my Professional Pastry certificate and love spending time baking just about anything, so a strict Paleo diet is probably not on the horizon for me anytime soon. 

 

Adventure you are planning:

In the near term, taking our kids to Disney World!  It seems so daunting.  After that adventure, we would like to plan another trip to Italy with a small group of dear friends. 

 

October 2014 - Charles Rubert Perez

Name: Charles Manuel Rubert Pérez (full latino name)

Nickname on the boards: Don’t have an official one yet, but I go by Rubert on the website’s message boards.

Member Since: August 2013

Occupation: Post-doctoral researcher in Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine at Northwestern University.

Words to live by: Life is short to waste it being insecure or too shy to take risks, start new adventures and not being open-minded.

Favorite quote: ‘If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds.’ – Jesse Jackson. I also credit my parents for always reminding me to never give up. 

I also follow this, specially those times when I am the last one to finish a WOD (like when I did squat clean Grace): “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop” – Confucius.

Favorite movies: I am a geek when it comes to movies. I am usually into sci-fi/fantasy/action movies such as Star Wars, all of the Marvel superhero movies, Inception and Hunger Games to name a few. I also enjoy a good drama or indie movie like Silver Linings Playbook and Her.

Favorite food: I enjoy eating and trying different types of food. Every time my partner is in town, we spend it exploring different restaurants around the city. I always enjoy Korean and, of course, Puerto Rican food. However, you will never go wrong with a delicious piece of fluffy chocolate cake with a creamy frosting accompanied with a good cup of coffee. #sweettooth

Favorite music or artist: I mostly listen to pop/rock, r&b, electronic and alternative music, but always enjoy a good slow song or ballad. One of my favorite bands has to be No Doubt. 

Favorite sport or activity: Crossfit, beach volleyball and playing with my dog.

Sport or activity that you are training for: Mainly running towards the bus or train when I’m late and try to teach my dog to not get bored while running with me. I did make a bet a couple of weeks ago with a co-worker to see how much weight (leanest mass possible) we can gain in three months; will be spending more time at the box lifting heavy stuff… 

Goals

Personal: Trying to become a better listener, be more confident in myself and pay more attention to details.

Professional: I will be applying soon for faculty positions in chemistry.

Athletic: After doing around 2 cycles of Oly, Murph training and currently the GST program, I have come a long way, but there’s always something to improve upon, which keeps me always motivated and interested. 

Some of the things I want to achieve:

1. Increase weight on OHS and Snatch – I’ve improved on my overhead position, but I am still working on my snatch technique.
2. Get the coveted muscle-up – currently trying to work on progressions with both the bar and rings.
3. Handstand walk – spending time stabilizing my handstand push-ups.
4. Arch body rock – simple to others, hard for me. Working hard on the arch body holds.
5. A 20 – 22 minute 5K – work on my cardiovascular endurance in general.

Overall I want to get stronger and improve my cardiovascular fitness. I want to start planning to compete in the future on other things outside the gym like running a half-marathon, competing on an obstacle/running event and/or in Trodo-like events. 

I am passionate about: Spending time with my significant other and dog, science, fitness, food and a good evening with friends.

Name some things we don’t know about you:  

1. I was in a dance group during my last two years of high school and in college. It was mostly a choreography-based dancing group that included hip-hop, salsa, jazz and contemporary.
2. I cannot straighten my right pinky; it’s always bent.
3. I like to put corn flakes in my ‘café con leche’, just like my grandmother taught me. Try gluten-free cornflakes in your coffee. It’s good.
4. I broke 3 pair of jeans 2-3 months after starting Oly. I gave up on jeans for a while and started wearing khaki pants for everything. I only found recently the perfect pair of jeans (Levis 514 stretch, emphasis on stretch). #bulkythighs 

Adventure you are planning: Hopefully, living with my partner again in the near future. Other things I want to do are to travel to Europe, Latin America and other places in the US. 

September 2014 - Thienhuong Pham

 

Name: Thienhuong Pham - can you pronounce that? no? Let's go with "Huong"

 

Nickname on the boards: Don't have one...boring, I know. Sam the Man does call me HP - maybe that will stick?

 

Member Since: March 2014

 

Occupation: Culinary Arts student at Le Cordon Bleu. Anyone need a personal chef to help you stay on track with your clean eating???? Seriously, hit me up.

 

Words to live by:  Demand more of yourself.   

If you're early you're on time, if you're on time, you're late.

 

Favorite quote: "My religion is very simple, my religion is kindness" - Dalai Lama

 

Favorite movies: anything disney/pixar - I am usually a sobbing mess by the end of these movies. Boyhood, An Education, Spirited Away.

 

Favorite food: I can't pick a favorite.  Maybe pho - it's a Vietnamese beef noodle soup. It's delicious.  If you ask me nicely, I may or may not make some for you.

 

Favorite music or artist: Again, there are too many artists that I like to pick a favorite. Currently listening to a lot of Chvrches, The Naked and Famous, Lucius, and LP.  Favorite author is currently David Rakoff - he is incredibly funny.  If you haven't read any David Rakoff, get off your butt and run to your nearest bookstore NOW.

 

Favorite sport or activity: Crossfit, biking, skiing, surfing, baseball

Sport or activity that you are training for: HOOVERBALL. oh and life in general, but mainly I just want to DOMINATE at hooverball

 

Goals

Personal: Be a better person! Be a better athlete, daughter, sister, friend.  

 

Professional: Graduate from culinary school and nail down some solid contacts in the industry.  

 

Athletic: Get stronger. seriously. Have the mobility down, now to back it up with some strength!

 

I am passionate about: Friends, family, cooking and sharing food with others.  

Name some things we don’t know about you:  

My elbows are really double jointed - ask me to do "the weird elbow thing" if you want to get weirded out.  

I used to contract for the US Department of Justice.  

I speak Vietnamese, Swahili, and Mandarin.  

I went to the University of Virginia and got degrees in Music and Psychology - wooooo liberal arts!

 

Adventure you are planning: 2/3 of my roommates are moving to Texas so am currently navigating the Chicago real estate market - if that's not an adventure, I don't know what is. I want to go back to Southeast Asia - Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam - #backtothemotherland

August 2014 - Paul Roux Janse van Rensburg

Name: Paul Roux Janse van Rensburg (YES IT'S THAT LONG)

Nickname on the boards: Ironically, Small Paul

Member Since: October 2012

Occupation: Investment Banking and Valuation Analyst at Houlihan Capital

Words to live by:  In everything you do be tender in mercy, fiery in passion and motivated by love.

Favorite quote:  “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” – Napoleon Hill

Favorite movies: Dinner with Schmucks, Step Brother, Gladiator, Troy, 300, and think most Oscar nominated movies are worth taking a look at.

Favorite food:  I love food in general. Some of my favorites include: Lamb chops and Boerewors (can be found at the Artizone Chicago online store). I also love a good steak, medium rare.

 

Favorite music or artist: The Partlotones (they are a South African band, check them out on Spotify), Foo Fighters, Zac Brown Band, Johnny Clegg (also South African)

Favorite sport or activity: Tennis, Golf, Crossfit

Sport or activity that you are training for: None specifically; however, putting up bigger numbers in weightlifting is something that motivates me while training. I am also training to make several other activities easier, such as volleyball, biking and MOVING (Lord knows how many people I will help this year) by being stronger, faster and bigger.

Goals

Personal: 

Be a better person. Everyone has flaws and it’s understanding your flaws and making an effort to improve on them that lets you improve yourself. Otherwise, working on being the best son, brother, boyfriend and friend that I can be. 

Professional: 

Open a wine importing business for my father's wine from Cape Town, South Africa. I am also in the process of taking the CPA exams, well maybe not during the summer…but I will take my next exam in October. I want to attain the Certified Public Accountant accreditation.

Athletic: 

Clean & Jerk – 300lbs (currently at 255lbs with C&J and 264 with Clean)

Snatch – 220lbs (currently at 180lbs, still a long way to go)

Back Squat – 400lbs

Front Squat – 350lbs

Also get my body fat percentage back to below 15%.

I am passionate about: Family, my amazing girlfriend, friends, Crossfit (including weightlifting) and becoming a better person. 

Name some things we don’t know about you: 

• Well, I am 6’4” and have been since I was14 years old (I am now 27). However, I was around 80 lbs. lighter. 
• I am from South Africa (the country), and yes there are white people there.
• I was on a tennis scholarship at a small university south of (Hot)lanta, where I played 3-4 hours of tennis per day, 5 or 6 days a week. 
• Since joining Crossfit, I have ripped 3 pairs of jeans by squatting on the dance floor…#JACKED

Adventure you are planning: I am taking a group of my friends to Cape Town, South Africa in November. We have several great activities planned, including Shark Cage diving, morning and night-time Safaris, and climbing Table Mountain. 

If anyone is interested, I know pretty much everything there is to do in the Cape Town area, and would be happy to offer recommendations on lekker things to do. In addition, my parents own a Wine Estate just outside the city with guest houses called La Provence. Anyone looking for travel suggestions, I highly recommend a trip to Cape Town and their vineyard (I know, shameless plug). 

July 2014 - Julie Hubbard

Name:  Julie Hubbard

Nickname on the boards:  Julie….boring, I know.  Meagles tried to get Hubba (my college nickname) to catch on, but it doesn’t seem to have stuck.

Member Since:  June 2009

Occupation:  Chief Financial Officer for a private foundation that funds educational research.

Words to live by:  Don’t judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes

Favorite quote: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”  Maya Angelou

Favorite movies:  Old School, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Wedding Crashers, Juno, The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, Argo…. 

Favorite Food:  Pizza, pizza and more pizza, although I don’t eat it too often.  I did the Winter Nutrition Challenge and haven’t been the same since!  Cutting out wheat, sugar and alcohol makes me feel like a champ!

Favorite music or artist:  I like a lot of different music.  Some of the music I’m currently listening to:  Avett Brothers, Mumford and Sons, U2, Steep Canyon Rangers, Punch Brothers and various others 

Favorite sport or activity:  Sports; crossfit, skiing, stand up paddleboard,  I love reading and I’m also learning to play the fiddle.  

Sport or activity that you are training for:  Nothing specific, so I’ll just say I’m training for life.

Personal Goals:  My continual goal is to be a better person, by that I mean trying to be a positive force in the world.   I’d like to spend more time giving back to others.

Professional Goals:  I enjoy my job and am glad I moved from the corporate world to the non-profit world

Athletic goals:  I’m not very close, but someday I’d love to get a muscle up!  I’m starting the second phase of the female body comp track (stack’d) and very excited about it.

I am passionate about:  my husband, Marc, and our dogs, Juno and Scrappy.  Also my friends and family!  I love learning new things (even when I’m not good at them).

Name some things we don’t know about you: 

• I have an incredibly immature sense of humor (I am guaranteed to laugh if you say “nuts” or  “balls”).  
• I went to band camp (I played the French horn)
• I was a spectator at the 2004 Olympics in Greece, I’m pretty sure I saw Sheena
• My favorite crossfit apparatus is chalk

Adventure you are planning:  this summer I’m going on two week long family vacations (one with my family, one with my husband’s family), if that’s not an adventure, I don’t know what is.

June 2014 - Michael Costello

Name: Michael Costello

Nickname: Cos or Elvis

Member since April 2013

Occupation: I am a business development officer for a privately held factoring company. our company provides invoice financing to small and medium sized companies. we essentially help companies more efficiently manage their cash flow.

We provide them with cash, send out their invoices to their clients, collect from those clients, account for the collections and make their bank deposit. this allows the company to concentrate on getting orders out on time and growing their business.

Words to live by: Give 100% each and every day of what you have -because what you save is forever lost.

Favorite quote: I have many but my favorite 2 quotes are as follows:
"Persistence in the face of failure breeds success." 
"Fools wish and grumble the wise work hard and wait" (James Allen)

Favorite movies: Crash, On the Waterfront, Flim Flam Man, and The Day of the Jackal.

Favorite music: country and Zach Brown Band, Van Morrison and rock and roll

Favorite sport: Basketball 

Favorite food: Dessert- Elis Cheesecake
Main entree: Steak medium well and a baked potato soaked with butter.

Sport i am training for: CrossFit. I want to improve upon my gymnastics skills and hopefully continue to get stronger with the olympic lifts. 

Personal goals: I am continually trying to learn new things. I also am working hard at understanding people and situations and that it is highly better to understand than to be understood.

Professional goals: I want to continue to build upon my portfolio. I have the largest and most profitable region in the company and want to continue that trend over the next couple of years.

Athletic: I enjoy the competition of CrossFit. It has allowed me to test myself against other athletes my age and has helped me to continue to expand my fitness.

I am passionate about: I really want to mentor children regarding health and fitness. I am disappointed at the disregard for fitness in our schools. Hopefully i can help set an example for them and they can learn at an early age the importance of taking good care of their bodies. 

some things you may not know about me: I enjoy writing poetry. I have written eulogies for funerals,toasts for weddings, and various poems for holidays and loved ones. I think that poetry writing is prose with a little more feeling. 

Adventure you are planning: I try and travel overseas every year.  2 years ago  I visited  Prague and Budapest. Last year I visited Ireland. I plan to visit spain this year in September. I always write ahead to a crossfit affiliate and attend a class.

I have found that this is a great way to meet with people from the country I am visiting and learn of some places to go that maybe are not on some travel guide book.