September Athlete of the Month

Congratulations to Kristine Stinson for being named the Athlete of the Month for September. She has show great consistency this year, she is always willing to work hard, she has brought your whole family to the gym, and we appreciate her sense of humor. Thank you Kristine for making our gym a better place.

1. Please tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in NYC but have called Colorado home since 1984. My husband and I have been besties since 1992, and I am the proud mom to three beautiful and amazing kids. I work as an attorney in Glenwood Springs and love love love the mountains.

2. When did you become a member at Defiance West?

August of 2016, I believe (it has all become something of a blur).

3. What made you join Defiance West and why do you do it now?

I originally tried Crossfit at two other gyms because, to be honest, I didn’t know Defiance West was here! A friend brought it to my attention, and we decided to give it a try. I joined because I benefit from the structure of saying “I will go to this class, at this time” and scheduling it into my life. I also benefit from having a coach tell me what the workout is. I can come up with plenty of great workouts on my own but they don’t necessarily give me the same balance and, more importantly, I am the classic “re-negotiator” when it comes to deviating from a workout I planned while comfortably perched on a chair in my living room. Those internal mental discussions and alterations begin about 1/2 way into the first set. Ok, they start in the warm up: the beginning of the warm up. With a coach, I suck it up and say, “ok, let’s do this thing.” And then I say, “are you sure this isn’t a team workout?”. And then I check the board to see if there is a time cap. Finally, I stay because I love the camaraderie of this gym. No judgment, just pure support. People are so positive and funny and fun. It is a wonderful feeling to walk in the door and see friendly faces.

4. What were your thoughts after your first workout?

I. can’t. breathe. My next thought was, ooh, this is going to hurt tomorrow. (and it did).

5. What is your athletic background?

I have been very active my entire life. I swam competitively from 5 years old through college. Then, like so many “swammers”, I transitioned to triathlons and trail and road running. I lost my consistency after babies but have gotten back into it over the past few years.

6. What is your favorite movement or workout?

I enjoy any workout that transitions fairly quickly between movements, like rotating between kettlebell swings, push presses, and toes to bar. It keeps me moving and engaged, and I am not doing one exercise so long that I fall apart.

7. What is your least favorite?

Squat thruster combos. I hate them. Despise them. Loathe them. But, I do them because my coaches tell me to. And I try to do them right. And then I feel proud of myself for doing it and making the effort.

8. What has been your favorite or proudest moment since joining?

I have two right off my head. We did a work out a while back that was absolutely brutal. As a self-protective measure, my brain has blocked most of it but it ENDED with 100 burpees. Yes, 100. After I had done one, I called out "99 more burpees to go!" It was a joke but the gurgled laugh I gave my own joke had a little bit of hysteria in it. Somewhere at around 30 burpees, I was completely fried. Completely. But, I kept going and finished. There really was a moment when I thought, “no, I am so not going to finish this”. But, I just kept dropping and hopping and somehow finished it. Well, the other thing that makes me proud of myself, I am kind of in the middle of right now. One of the cool things about this gym is that it is not only about the workout. They like to challenge us to challenge ourselves: to voluntarily commit to something more. I signed up for the “committed club”. I committed to going to the gym a minimum of 15 times a month, every month, for the entire year of 2019. I learned early on that it is a lot harder than it seems. But, it has motivated me to go when I would have otherwise excused myself. When I started here, I was pleased if I went 2-3 times per week. With this challenge, it is not unusual to go 4-5 times a week and heaven help me if my schedule gets wild, which it can and does do. At the end of the year, if I do it without dropping below 15 workouts for any month of the year, I will have earned a t-shirt. We all know it is not about the prize at the end but the journey and the habits created. But, I have never worked so hard for a t-shirt and it better be super cool! I may just have to put it in a shadow box… when I get it, because absent some terrible catastrophe, I AM going to get it.

9. How has Defiance West changed your life, lifestyle, and level of fitness?

I have kind of become a crossfit junkie. I like that I can get a great workout with great people in a relatively short period of time. I habitually get up at an absurd hour in the morning to workout before school and work preparations begin. That is a big change for me in my adult life to consistently show up to workout.

10. What are your fitness goals for this year?

That t-shirt! It represents my commitment to showing up, being consistent, and taking care of myself so I can continue to be there to make the effort and don’t have an injury that will put me on the sidelines.

11. What is something most people don’t know about you?

I think 3-day eventing is an amazing sport, and I love watching it. (FYI: it involves horses).

12. What advice would you give to people looking to get started at our gym?

Try it. Commit to going 2-3 times a week for 6-8 weeks. Expect to hear from muscles you forgot about. It won’t be pretty at first but it will be worth it. Don’t compare yourself to others; focus on you. Try it and know that everyone at the gym is rooting for you and is willing to help!