June 2019 Athlete of the Month - Jeannie Schloen
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Our June Athlete of the Month has been a long time coming. Jeannie has been on the list of potential honorees a few times but each time it was time she decide on the athlete, Jeannie was sick for a couple weeks. Jeannie has been very consistent in the gym and is coming off a week full of PRs. She bested her clean, bench press and deadlift all this week. That is one hell of a week. Although hitting heavier lifts of late, Jeannie is definitely known had being one of our faster runners in the gym. She was a cross-country and track runner in high school. Her favorites were 400s and 800s. There’s no surprise she excels in our running workouts. Everyday Jeannie comes to class, she is 100% focused and looking to improve. Her first class nearly 3 and a half years ago, Jeannie climbed rope. That takes most new members a while to grasp. From day one, our coaches were excited to coach Jeannie. Thank you for trusting in our program and coaches. Keep showing up and putting in the work. It continues to pay off.
Written by: Coach Rob Moloney
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Q&A
Why you started Crossfit?
I started CrossFit because I was looking to get back into a workout routine after a long hiatus. I hadn't worked out consistently since my high school cross country and track years. My husband introduced me to CrossFit. He used to be a member of a gym in Babylon. He began accumulating his own equipment and built a personal gym in his wood shop. So my first few CrossFit WODs were in my husband's wood shop. It quickly became clear that in order to progress, I needed some real coaching. So I decided to join CIP - a decision that has changed my life!
How long have you been a member and how long have you been doing CrossFit?
I have been doing CrossFit since February 2016 when I joined CIP.
What is your favorite thing about the gym?
It's a three way tie between the community, the programming, and the coaching. The supportive community is what pushes me to keep moving even when I feel like giving up. It fulfills that void that I felt after high school when I was no longer part of a team. The programming is second to none. The fact that Rob programs things like strength cycles and wall ball mentality tests as well as writing an intent for every single workout makes our gym far superior to most. And then there's the coaching. I put 100% trust in all of our coaches knowing the knowledge and experience that they bring to the table. It's the combination of the community, the programming, and the coaching that has helped me get to the point that I'm at today.
What is the biggest challenge you have overcome since joining the gym?
When I joined the gym, I had been battling a bad case IT band syndrome which kept me from running for several years. I'm assuming that all of the strength training involved in CrossFit fixed whatever imbalances I had that were causing my IT band syndrome because when running was programmed into workouts that first summer after I joined, much to my surprise, I was running pain free again for the first time in years!
What is your favorite moment at the gym so far?
Honestly, every day that I come into the gym is my favorite. It's the one hour a day where I can block out all of life's stressors and just get totally lost in what I'm doing. It's almost meditative for me. But if I had to choose, I would say the Open is my favorite time of year in the gym because the energy is incredible. I remember watching Chris get his first bar muscle up during an Open workout a few years back. The entire gym was cheering for him. It was a pretty incredible moment.
What's your favorite "cheat" food?
Ice cream. A pint of Ben & Jerry's stands no chance against me.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about starting?
What are you waiting for? You've got nothing to lose and absolutely everything to gain. Most people, I find, are scared that they aren't going to be able to do all of the movements. They feel like they need to get into better shape before starting CrossFit. To those people, I say, I'm 3 1/2 years in and I still can't do all of the movements! Everything can be scaled to the level that you're currently at and as you get stronger and you improve on certain skills, you find yourself doing things that you never thought you'd be able to do!
What drives you?
Being the best version of myself is what drives me in and out of the gym. I love that progress can so easily be tracked in CrossFit. Shaving seconds off my mile time, getting movements that I previously was unable to do, and hitting new PRs keeps me coming back for more day after day and year after year.
What is your biggest fitness goal right now?
I have a few - getting better at double unders so that I don't look like I've just been in an S&M video every time they're programmed and improving upper body strength (push ups, hand stand push ups, strict press, etc.) are big ones. I'd also love to get my first muscle up!
