Who Are the People in Your Neighbourhood

Coach B and me! Can you believe it!!

Oh, who are the people in your neighborhood?
In your neighborhood?
In your neighborhood?
Say, who are the people in your neighborhood?
The people that you meet each day

In case you missed the tune

Meet Miss Deanne, our lovely Aussie!  She’s a “people in our Crossfit Neighbourhood!”

We have been in Canada since Christmas Eve last year and we are leaving to go back today – 7 months later.  My husband is a head and neck surgeon and the best micro vascular training in the world is in Toronto so here we are…with our kids (16, 14, 11 and 5)  but minus Tilly the dog. She’s an outside dog anyway.

There are only a few CrossFit affiliates in Australia, much, much less than in Northern America, so I decided that my stay in Canada was going to be a CrossFit experience – I was going to learn as much as I could.  I had been exposed to CrossFit though Andrew Catermole at CrossFit Sydney last year and I would like to say that I loved it but that would be a lie as I hated every moment of those first workouts.  During them I even hated Andrew.  They were the hardest things I had done for a long, long time.  I really wanted to forget the whole thing, as it was kicking my butt but my pride would not let me be beaten.  And everything else seemed like a waste of time after those sessions.  I googled CrossFit Toronto before we came over and made sure our rental was fairly close…

After the jetlag had subsided, my husband drove me to meet John and Machiko (I was not used to driving on the ‘wrong side’ of the road).  I signed up for the bootcamp and signed the boys up as well.  We all got up at 5:15am in the middle of winter for a month.  I am so proud of them for doing that with me.  The first day I nearly killed us all, turning into the oncoming traffic but they were so spent they didn’t yell much.  We graduated to regular CrossFit Class a month later.

There is something about physical challenge that reveals a lot about a person, and I like that.  I have never seen someone stop or give up on a WOD – ever.  So I think the thing I like most about CrossFit is that it attracts the sort of people I want in my life, and in my kids’ lives.  The CrossFit method is now part of our lives.  I was lucky enough to complete a few certifications over here.  When we return to Australia I plan to open a CrossFit affiliate in Wollongong and share the love…

Many, many thanks to John and Machiko for creating CrossFit Toronto.  I am going to miss you all very much.

Fave WOD:  Annie

Least Fave WOD: Anything with the letters AMRAP in it

Best skill: Running

Goat: Press

All time highlights:
Meeting Coach Burgener and Coach Rippetoe.
Watching Sam PR on a box jump beyond her expectations.

Deanne we will miss you dearly.  CrossFit Wollongong is quite possibly the best name ever, and sounds like a great “field trip social” for the Toronto crew!

Having completed the Olympic Lifting Certification with Coach Burgener this past weekend, seems today’s Snatch workout is a perfect farewell WOD!

Workout

Randy

75 reps for time of:

• Power Snatch (boys: 75#; girls: 55#)