May Athlete of the Month

Congratulations to Erica Gentry for being named the Athlete of the Month. Erica is as consistent as they come, is great at pushing herself, she makes class more fun when she is in it, and has worked hard on improving her mechanics. We appreciate having her in our gym!

1. Please tell us about yourself.

I grew up in the bay area of California and moved to Colorado to be closer to my parents and go to college. After graduation I took a job in Rifle making maps for the City and I’ve been there ever since. Eric and I met shortly after college and were married in 2005. We have an active 13-year-old daughter, Sydney, a boxer named Phoenix and we live in Silt Mesa. I love to travel with my family, spend time on the porch reading, work in my garden, and volunteer at our church.

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

October 2018.

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

I had been a member of 1211 in Rifle since 2013 and when it closed, I was heartbroken. We spoke to some friends who also made the transition from 1211 to Defiance and decided that it might be a good fit for us. I keep coming because I don’t know how to not CrossFit.

4. What were your thoughts after your first workout?

After my first CF workout I threw up in the dumpster and sat shaking in the parking lot for 20 minutes before I could drive home, and then struggled to sit on a toilet seat for a week – you know, the usual. That was almost 10 years ago. After my first Defiance workout, I thought “sweet, this will work, these people are pretty cool”. And in all honesty, we’ve met some of the nicest people at this gym.

5. What is your athletic background?

A little softball when I was younger and ladies league golf now but what you see at the gym is basically it.

6. What is your favorite movement or workout?

Cleans and snatches, when they are done right, they feel very powerful.

7. What is your least favorite?

I get frustrated by the things that require significant scaling like toe assisted pull ups, push ups or lunges.

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

3 power clean PRs from 125 up to 145# In your 40s PRs don’t come as often, so to hit those numbers in a short time was huge for me.

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

In the beginning I used CF to motivate me to get in shape, be active and ultimately lose 50 pounds. At the first gym I went to I was competing with and trying to keep up with CFitters that were much younger and stronger than me and while that pushed and motivated me, it didn’t always result in the best form. Since coming to DW I’ve actually learned to lift ‘less weight better’ and as I get older, I think that makes all the difference for maintaining and growing in functional fitness.

10. What are your fitness goals for this year?

Attend and do the work. Maybe hit a 150# clean.

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

I own an original, numbers matching 1957 Volkswagen bug

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

No time like the present. The people are ridiculously nice and you can scale any movement to be effective for you.