Our athlete focus this month is Kathy Merz. If you ask anyone at CrossFit Thunderbolt, they will unanimously tell you that Kathy is a favorite. She’s a favorite because she’s positive, she’s inclusive, and she’s incredibly strong (Her strength rubs off on whoever works out next to her. Whether it’s a good, old fashioned Bro-sesh or an olympic lifting night – it’s proven scientifically that lifting next to Kathy makes you 25% stronger!!)   Kathy has true integrity in her movements (we’ve seen her no-rep herself, and we know she no-reps herself sometimes when noone is looking).  She works on her weaknesses with determination. She’s a friend to all who know her, she’s someone who is trustworthy,  and she’s fun.

1.Why did you choose CrossFit? Why CrossFit Thunderbolt?  I heard about CF a few years ago from Coach Ryan who I was training with. He thought I would be good at it so he started having me do some wods when we trained. After a few wods in, I was hooked. I loved the rush of how it made me feel- to push myself to the limit and make me do things I never thought I could do. I also loved the challenge it offered and the different yet functional movements it provided. Once I started and saw what it was about I knew it was something I wanted to do!

I chose CF Thunderbolt b/c I had been doing CF the non-traditional way for a year at Rush Copley. I remember seeing Thunderbolt was offering one day free to come in and check it out and I thought why not go and get a good workout in. I had come in with someone else one time in the summer prior to that day and it was a ton of fun. It took me awhile to join a CF gym b/c I was kind of particular in what I wanted and what they would offer so I ended up doing the month trial to see if I would like it. I remember Coach Molly telling me just try it for the month and see if it is the right place for me and once I started within the first week I knew this is where I was going to go. I loved the people here and the environment! I really appreciated the smaller class sizes so you can have more 1 on 1 with the coaches b/c I felt it would be able to help me with what I needed most from CF. I also enjoyed all the amazing coaches b/c each one of them gave you insight or perspective on movements that helps everyone become a better athlete everyday. Plus all the people here and how supportive each person was to each other. It’s such a positive environment and I really thrive on that!

2.What inspires you? I get inspired by so many things! Athletes who are better than me… I enjoy the push they give me since I want to keep up with them so I work harder to try to keep up with them. Also watching them helps me attack my weaknesses and become a better athlete b/c when I see them do something I can’t I think one day I will do that!. I also get inspired by everyone who PR’s a movement, is excited about a WOD and does well, accomplishes a goal they had, or anything that is fun and exciting!

3. What has been your favorite WOD so far? Worse WOD? My favorite wod I would say is Grace 🙂 but honestly I do really enjoy the wods with movements that have my weaknesses in them b/c it reminds me of what I need to work on still. As for worst wod there isn’t one that stands out but probably ones that have my weaknesses in them b/c I can’t do them effectively yet. Don’t get me wrong there are some bad ones but never one that I say never again…b/c you know I will easily do it again if someone wants to do it with me! 🙂

4. What’s your favorite lift? My favorite lift….Cleans for sure! But lately the snatch is one I am enjoying b/c it is so technical and I want to make sure I am doing it correct.

5. What surprised you about CrossFit? I was very surprised by how much the community comes together to support each other for everything! It’s amazing how everyone feels so excited for each other like its their own accomplishments. Its refreshing to see that nowadays!

6. Interesting fact about you?  This was a tough question but I guess I would say – when I am frustrated, cooking and coloring calm me down. I really enjoy cooking and have been told I am really good at it. If I had more time I would cook a heck of a lot more but I keep it simple for me since I feel like I have no time especially during the school year.

7. How long have you been with us at CFTB? And what drove you to take the plunge? I have been at CF Thunderbolt for a year and 3 months almost…YEAH!!!!!!. I tried out the month trial and after the inviting environment, group of people here, coaches, wods programmed, and the girls barbell bar (I learned on a guys bar up until this point), I thought I want to come here and this was the right place for me!

8. Tell us a typical day in the life of Kathy.  My day is divided into two categories… School year days….wake up, put comfy workout clothes on for work…YESSSSS!, eat breakfast in the car on my way to work every morning, at work deal with 8th graders all day, leave work at 3pm, workout at 4pm until ?, go home, shower, eat, prep my food for the following day, sometimes grade papers, then bed…repeat next day except weekends when I enjoy my days off from work! 🙂 Summertime days…workout, pool, workout, eat, enjoy and live it up, workout, relax..in any order! Hahaha

9. Tell us an insider secret about yourself that nobody here knows. Make it spicy. I am in awe of sea life specifically dolphins and whales. I was once in the Shamu show at Sea World and while I was doing the show with the trainers…I apparently gave a boob shot to the entire audience on the big screen not realizing it! It was one of my favorite moments to work with the whales yet not so much for everyone else hahaha!

10. Lay it on us. The “Kathy” workout – what would it be?   And what would the song or artist to go with it be? The Kathy workout…it would be a partner wod with cleans, wall balls, tire flips, fireman carry, and a few movements I am not so great at such as pull-ups or HSPU..got to work on those weaknesses still somehow! But then end with a cardio burner on the bike…oh the bike! 🙂 As for the music….anything LOUD hard rock, metal, alternative type music to get me pumped. I don’t have a particular song but I like many of the 4pm music play list.

11. If you could have the ultimate cheat meal, with no negative consequences, what would it be? As for the ultimate cheat meal….pizza, with a huge plate of nachos with all the fixings, bottle of sangria, with mint chocolate chip ice cream from baskin robbins with TONS of sprinkles!!!!!

Congratulations on earning the title “Athlete of the Month” Andrea!! You bring such great energy, buckets of smiles, and positive vibes each and every time you step into the gym. We are proud to have you a part of the Thunderbolt family!

When did you start with us and what inspired you to walk through the doors of CFTB?

A friend at work had been telling me to check out his brother’s gym in Oswego, but I never gave it much consideration since I already had a gym membership elsewhere. One sunny May morning on my way home one day after a particularly duchy day at said gym, I decided to pull in and ask what CrossFit was all about. I was looking for something that challenged me for sure, but I’d also been missing the comradery of being part of a team. It quickly became apparent that CFTB was exactly what I was looking for. I went in to work like a week later with my hands torn up and my co-worker asked what happened. I told him I finally tried CrossFit and I fell in love. The crazy part? CFTB is his brother’s gym…

You have become quite the CrossFit Athlete with the callouses as proof. What’s one of your favorite moments at CFTB so far?

I think any time anyone gets a PR it’s a pretty stellar moment. It’s like “Hey guys! So-and-so got their first whatever!” and the whole box stops to cheer and give high fives…and if Coach Molly’s there you’ll probably get a running hug/tackle and it feels awesome. It’s the little victories that make us keep motivated to get the next one, and CFTB celebrates those little victories in abundance. It’s hard not to love coming to work out when your fit fam is so dope and supportive.

It’s your day to shine, you are singing live at the Super Bowl, what song are you singing? 

I would get Mason on his drums, Kevin on the guitar, and Ashley with her sweet pre-wod dance moves and rock out to some “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina & the Waves. It would be epic.

Halloween is coming up, give us a clue about your costume!

I’m suuuuper pumped for the Halloween WOD! I’ve got a couple costumes I’m trying to decide between. It will be totally dependent on the weather…and if I can find a sweat-proof green skin dye…

Lay it on us. The “Louie” workout, and the song or artist to go with it.

Oh my golly I’ve dreamed of this…the “Chip to my Lou” (see what I did there?) would be a team WOD/chipper with pull-ups, partner pushups, partner sit ups, box jumps, relay sprints, fireman’s carries, wall balls, toes to bar, pistols…okay so like every gymnastics movement…and it would end with a 5k or something crazy. And the best part? We’d have an ALL NICKELBACK playlist!!!

If you could have the ultimate cheat meal, with no negative consequences, what would it be?

If I could eat anything I wanted and suffer no unpleasant repercussions I would go to Texas Roadhouse and eat like ten tubs of that cinnamon butter, a couple giant t-bone steaks, and then I’d roll myself over to Baskin Robins for a triple scoop of cinnamon oatmeal raisin ice cream.

Andrea. AKA “Louie” Musselman. A ray of sunshine, a woman of courage and never ending positivity, and an inspiration to us all. Tell us about your training experience over the last few months. 

My level of fitness has skyrocketed since I joined CFTB in May. I’m faster, stronger, leaner, more agile…and I have whole new skill set I didn’t have before, thanks to our amazing coaches. Scott is so aware and attentive of each individual athlete, Ana never lets you quit or give less than your best, Justin pushes you past the limits you have set for yourself in your mind, Molly’s infectious positive energy makes you feel like your little victories are the most important achievements in the world, and Tiff is the athlete and competitor you aspire to be. Though they’re all so different, I love the “all for one” attitude they share, and in turn, pass on to us. Through their guidance I’ve learned more about what I am capable of both physically and mentally in a few short months than I had in several years prior. I totally ‘drank the koolaid’ and I’m so happy I did.

Thank you for selecting me for athlete of the month. I really appreciate all the coaches for helping me reach my goals and helping to consider new goals I am still working towards. All the people at CrossFit Thunderbolt have been supportive and made my transformation possible. I want to thank everybody for all the encouraging words that has kept me going.

How long have you been with us at CFTB? And what drove you to take the plunge?

I have been at CrossFit Thunderbolt since the end of march. I was looking for something to do to workout since I was pretty out of shape. Katie had been doing CrossFit for about 3 months and had been asking me to try it. She convinced me to try it for a free two week period and after the two weeks I had to give her a good reason why I wanted to quit.  I have not found a good reason yet.

What’s one of your favorite moments at CFTB so far?

There have been a few moments that I have felt really proud since doing CrossFit. The first was being able to do my first pull up. I still want to be able to do 10 strict pull ups. The other two were being able to do handstand pushups and doing my first double under.

Tell us a typical day in the life of Jason Pauls?

My typical day starts with almost always being woken up by my son Holden trying to get him ready for school then off to work. My wife and I own Servpro of Aurora, a flood and fire mitigation company . So everyday I am  cleaning up someones disaster and making it “like it never happened”.  After work, if I am not at the box, I come home to have dinner with my family and then putting the kids to bed before trying to relax watch a few TV shows before heading up to bed.

Tell us an inside story about yourself that nobody here knows. Make it spicy if you wish. 

My spicy secret is that I met Katie online in a chat room. She was living in D.C. at the time.

We need to know, what’s The “Jason Pauls” workout, and the song or artist to go with it.

I do not know what the WOD would be called but the skills I think I am good at are kettle-bells, wall balls and box jumps so it would have those in it. The skills it would not include any running or rowing or squat cleans or thrusters. My favorite WOD song would be Fuel by Metallica.

If you could have the ultimate cheat meal, with no negative consequences, what would it be?

The cheat meal is so hard to choose because I love pizza and that could be an option. If I had to choose it would be lasagna that my mom makes with homemade rolls. Then a strawberry rhubarb crisp ala mode.

Seriously Jason…you have made a huge transformation since you started. We’ve heard many people mention it and compliment you personally…tell us about your personal transformation.

When I started at CrossFit Thunderbolt I weighed 250lbs and I was in 2XL shirts and 38 waist pants. At first I did not lose much on the scale. Instead I lost inches around my waist, and in 3 months I was in 34 waist pants and XL shirts. During the first 3 months I did not do much to change my diet.

My ultimate goal is to be under 200 lbs. and when I reach that goal I have plans to go skydiving. To reach that goal I have changed my diet and been trying eat paleo as much as possible.  If I stray from paleo and get a sandwich or some pizza I try to not get any extras with it or I try to leave off the cheese when I can which is hard cause I love cheese. Since I have been trying to eat better the weight has been coming off pretty fast in the last 3 months I have lost 33 pounds.  I am now at 214 pounds.

Congrats to Kimberly Casas for earning the title of Athlete of the Month for July! Here’s a little about Kim and how well deserved this title is:

1. Why did you choose CrossFit? Why CrossFit Thunderbolt?

I had previously seen the CrossFit Games on ESPN and was amazed by what the competitors were doing.  I knew that it was what I wanted to do, even though I was seriously intimidated.  I happened to drive by CrossFit Thunderbolt one day and looked it up online.  I signed up for the free trial class and was excited to get started.  I went with my sister and we got our butts kicked that first day, but it was great.  From that moment on I was hooked.

I initially chose Thunderbolt because I live close to it, but I kept coming back because of the wonderful people and coaches.  CrossFit became so much fun and I look forward to it.  It’s exhausting, but fun.

2. What inspires you?

Lots of things.  Family, friends, better health, gettin’ buff…  The main focus for me now is to get to my goal weight and keep on improving everyday so that I can live a long and healthy life.

3. Favorite WOD so far?

Definitely Murph.  It seemed so daunting at first, but doing it alongside great people and knowing why we were doing it made it enjoyable.  I’m hoping that the next time we do it I’ll be able to do a proper pull up.

Kim C. July Athlete of the Month

4. Favorite lift so far?

The clean and jerk.  It uses every part of your body and even though it can be a tad frustrating at times, I really like trying to get the technique down pact.  I’m not there yet, but I keep getting a little better each time.

5. What surprised you about CrossFit?

The sense of community.  I’ve gone to regular gyms before and most everyone tends to keep to themselves, but when I first walked into the box everyone was incredibly welcoming and patient.  Being surrounded by passionate people and devoted coaches is such a great motivator and gives me that extra oopmh I need.

6. Interesting fact about you? 

Youngest of four, but the tallest.  I love electronics and science (anatomy, cosmology, biology, paleontology, etc.).  My favorite movie is Jurassic Park, I’ve loved dinosaurs since I was a kid.  My favorites the parasaurolophus.

Kim isn’t done yet and she’s still on her journey, still working hard despite aches and pains, still fueling her body the best she can, still becoming better every day and leading by example. Thanks for being such an inspiration to all Kim, keep up the good work!

Athlete of the Month June

Katie Montgomery Crossfit Thunderbolt Athlete of the Month June

We are excited to announce that Katie Montgomery is our June 2015 Athlete of the Month!!

Katie started with us about five months ago and has made a huge mind and body transformation in that time.Initially, Katie messaged us for more information, mentioned she was 38 years old, 5’7” and 210 lbs. She said she exercised in the past, but not much the past few years as she has two small children. Katie started with our 3x per week membership and after a couple months she was feeling more confident in herself and the movements and moved to unlimited training.

Get to know Katie Montgomery:

1. Why did you choose CrossFit? Honestly, I was experimenting when I chose CrossFit, and saw the CrossFit Thunderbolt sign.  I wanted something challenging and interesting.

2. What inspires you?  Honestly, it depends on the day.  Sometimes my family, other members and coaches.  Often I’m inspired of my future self.  Cheesy I know, but helps me work harder.

3. Favorite WOD (Workout Of the Day) so far? Being done with any WOD?  Ha, ha. Hard to say….400meter run and toes to bar. I scaled down the run, but I always feel accomplished when I pace with good intensity, and I remember that WOD feeling good.

4. Favorite lift so far? Power clean, not my heaviest, but satisfying and I think I do it pretty well.

5. What surprised you about CrossFit? My mindset towards myself and athletics/self-esteem/confidence/weight-loss has improved dramatically.  I look back over the past 6 months and I ask myself. “How did that happen”?  I feel transformed!  Besides my own work, I credit the awesome coaches!! . My transformation feels surprising and is definitely something to get used to (in a good way). I feel like I could say a ton more but I’ll stop there.

6. Interesting fact about you? I don’t know what’s the most interesting, but here are a few facts.  I’m the youngest of 5 kids, and once upon a time I used to be pretty skilled at ceramics and painting.

• “So Ana complimented me today saying I was looking skinnier.  I smiled and said I was 2-3 lb to being under 200.It’s just SO FUNNY that under 200 used to be my goal for decent health (and looks for that matter).  Now it just seems like a drop in the bucket!!Anyway, thanks for helping elevate my expectations for myself!!  Your both are great coaches.” – Katie

• “Just a quick note to say tried on a SIZE 12 pants today.  SIZE 12!!  3 sizes down.  Totally crazy!  It’s actually really weird, but I’ll get used to it!”

Katie is also a member of our “Founder’s Club” which includes Nutrition Journaling and Coaching. Here are a few stats and journal entries to give you a glimpse into some of the ups and downs Katie had along the way. Katie recorded her food in an online journal for 4 months, with a total of approximately 120 journal entries with Coaching and guidance on each entry:

• Katie: A comment while she was in Chicago…”so decisions good, others less so.  BUT, I learned from most bad ones, and had fun!!!  Happy Sunday!!”
• Katie: “So my journals have been slipping I think.  I have a multitude of explanations, but the bottom line is the small things are the big things.  I continue to have self-esteem issues about succeeding at getting fit.  Which I think I will fade as I succeed, but sometimes it’s an emotional fight when I eat, etc., etc…”
• Coach Justin: “Lunch and dinner = excellent choices!!…don’t beat yourself up if every meal isn’t ideal…the back and forth communication is a big part of your “mental game”. This is something you still need. Nothing I hear/see is scaring me. It’s all pretty normal. The value of journaling is in life-changing habits…AND you are learning how to fuel the one and only body you have…correctly.”

Katie’s stats (started tracking 1 month after starting):

• Waist- dropped 1.5 inches 34.5 to 33.5
• Hips-dropped 7 inches from 47 to 40
• Arms-15.5 to 14 (1.5 inches lost)
• Chest-41.5 to 40 (1.5 down).
• Thigh-29.75 to 28 (1.75 down)
• Total weight loss of 30 lbs.

Katie isn’t done yet and she’s still on her journey, still working hard despite aches and pains, still fueling her body the best she can with a family of two children to care for, still becoming better every day and leading by example. She even got her husband Jason, who she said never works out, to join CrossFit Thunderbolt. Thanks for being such an inspiration to all Katie, keep up the good work!