I was not an athlete in high school. In fact, I never even played t-ball on a youth league. I've never received a trophy, not even one of those short ones that coaches give to the kid who has the "best attitude." I guess that is what happens when you are the youngest of nine; too many uniforms, rides to practices, weekend games, and pizza parties, just for a an anonymous and cheaply made trophy.
It wasn’t until I joined the Air Force in 1999 at the age of 17 that I ran my first mile. That slow and excruciatingly painful mile sparked my passion for fitness. While stationed at my first duty assignment in Cheyenne, Wyoming, I was the only female on a flight of 40 male Security Forces Officers. Setting and meeting fitness goals were ways I could prove my worth on the field to my fellow airmen, but it also gave me the confidence I needed to make it in the field. Long cold nights on watch and even longer days of drills in all kinds of weather became my fitness tests, and I never failed.
I separated from the Air Force in 2003 and took my passion for fitness to the University of Rhode Island along with my Montgomery GI Bill and enrolled as a Kinesiology major. I eventually transferred to KansasStateUniversity as a Dietetics major and became certified as a personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine to help pay the bills along the way. I was the typical personal trainer: putting my clients in front of the mirror and instructing them to crank out three sets of 15 biceps curls, along with the occasional calf raise; and, yes, I may have even had them stand on a BOSU Ball at one time or another...
It wasn’t until the spring of ’08 that I was introduced to CrossFit. I had just completed my very first figure competition, and after spending three hours a day in the gym for 13 weeks and eating nothing other than chicken and brown rice, the last thing I wanted to do was get on the elliptical for 45 minutes or pick up the same damn weights and do the same damn shoulder raises that I had been doing for years. I spent a few weeks at Fort Benning, Georgia and watched the Army Rangers run through the gym on-post, doing what looked like a synchronized workout of the day: pull-ups, pushups, and air squats. I watched, stunned, as sweat poured from their bodies and blood dripped from their hands, as they grunted in pain, on the verge of tears, and I wanted in on it! That same day, I did my first WOD, Cindy. It hurt and I loved it! But how could I be finished in only 20 minutes? Surely, I needed to go run a mile or hop on the stair climber.
I came back to North Carolina shortly after and went straight to the first affiliate I could find, which was located one hour away. Tony Cowden from CrossFit Wilmington spent four hours with me on my first visit telling me all about the CrossFit Method. He told me, “Just wait, you’ll get it. Do it for four weeks and you will never turn back.” Well, I haven’t looked back. I attended the level one CrossFit Cert in August of ’08 at GSX in Fort Worth, Tx, and I began to have a large group of clients who followed me out of the back doors of our “Globo-Gym” where we would crank out our very own WOD a few times a week, next to the dumpsters belonging to the Mexican restaurant next door, while sand fleas bit us and loud music blared from my car radio. Unfortunately, my fellow-crossfitters and I were forced to hide our "secret" practices with which the "Globo-Gym" didn't want to be associated with. We were told we can’t chalk up our bleeding hands, we can’t drop our one set of bumper plates that we had at the time, we can’t use the one pull-up bar in the facility, and we can’t get in the way of the other members who are trying to “workout”....there sparked my passion to become my very own CrossFit Affiliate!
So what is it about CrossFit that I love so much and why am I eager to share it with you? I love the intensity. Just as much, I love to pass the enthusiasm I have for the methodology onto my clients. I love to see them “get it,” soak it up, and come back for more. Lighter, faster, and stronger every time. I love to see the look on their faces when they finish a WOD they never even thought they could start. I love to see their bodies change and see them grow stronger mentally, physically, and emotionally. I thrive on the challenge of CrossFit and igniting that inner warrior in others. Since becoming certified it has been my dream to open my very own affiliate and now my dream has come true!
CrossFit Level 2 Certified Trainer
CrossFit Kids Certified Trainer
CrossFit Olympic Lifting Certification
CrossFit Rowing Foundations Certification
Certified Personal Trainer, NationalAcademy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
Certified Personal Trainer, International Sports Science Association (ISAA)
Certified Group Exercise Instructor, Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA)
Certified Spinning Instructor, Mad Dogg Athletics
CPR, America Heart Association
Dietetics/Nutrition Major, Kansas State University
United States Air Force Security Forces, 1999-2003
Favorite WOD: Murph or Nancy
Least Favorite WOD: Eva
Favorite exercise: Overhead Squat
Least favorite exercise: Handstand push ups
Joel Bates
Co-Owner/Coach
CrossFit Level 1 Certified Trainer
CrossFit Rowing Foundations Certification
United States Army Military Police, 1998-2004
Diplomatic Security, 2004-2008
Progress Energy Securtiy Officer
Least favorite WOD: Nancy or anything with Over Head Squats
