November 2018 Athlete of the Month - Carolyn Castell

Sometimes its tough narrowing down our selection for Athlete of the Month. Not this time!
When I started giving my thoughts of Carolyn as November to other coaches, the instant excitement and agreement made me quickly realize I had the right person. Carolyn is a wife, mother of 3 and hard working 8:30am regular. She joined CrossFit Island Park 4 years ago when she was looking for something different than running. She was getting bored and needed something new. That is more of less the reason I started crossfit as well. I was running a lot and lost interest. Carolyn has improved tremendously and it has been noticed by every coach she has. In the last couple months, I’ve been told some positive stories by other coaches and made comments to them about how much better, stronger and toned Carolyn has gotten. I was excited to hear how she kept a positive attitude and encouraged her team to keep working hard during a team ski & bike workout this past month. I’ve also commented to Coach Anita and Coach Cleary how good Carolyn’s kip was while she was doing toes to bar one morning. While reading her Q&A, it’s great to see how important setting a good example for her children is. It may seem so simple or obvious for some, but it is a tough task in today’s world. I appreciate you daily efforts in the gym and I am confident you are leading by example outside the gym as well. Congratulations on November’s honor and thank you!

Written by: Coach Rob Moloney


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Q&A
How long have you been a member and how long have you been doing CrossFit?
I have been a member and a crossfitter for four years.  

What is your favorite thing about the gym?
It would definitely be the people and the friendships I’ve formed over the last few years. 

What is the biggest challenge you have overcome since joining the gym?
For me the biggest challenge  is not making excuses for myself, which is so easy to do.  I have to remind myself that putting in the hard work is what is going to help me achieve my goals. 

What is your favorite moment at the gym so far?
I can’t quite pinpoint just one because there are many.  It’s watching your friends hit their goals you know they’ve worked hard to achieve, it’s the cheering another member on during a tough workout, it’s working out for a good cause and sometimes it’s just the silliness that happens during a class. 

What's your favorite "cheat" food?
This was probably the hardest question for me because there are many.  I’m going to go with pizza.  

What would you say to someone who is thinking about starting?
Go for it! You’ll never regret trying to improve yourself. 

What drives you?  
My children.  I always want to set a good example for them.  I find them copying some of the things we do at the gym, at home because they want to workout like I do.  They also see how happy it makes me. 

What is you biggest fitness goal right now?
For me it’s having enough energy to keep up with my children.  They’re always on the move so I have to be too.