This member joined us only 7 months ago and since then we have seen her more times at the PR bell then we can count. No matter what the WOD is, she comes to the box with a huge smile on her face, gives everything she has and leaves looking forward to coming back for more. She loves CrossFit so much that if you go on her Facebook you can read numerous posts on her progress! We are happy to recognize Judith Coreas as our August Spotlight Athlete of the Month!!

I am truly honored, flattered, and humbled that you would choose me as the August Spotlight Athlete of the Month. Growing up, I played soccer, softball, swam, and ran cross country. After a few weeks, I would lose interest more often than not and either make up reasons as to why I couldn't go to practice or just quit. In 2014, I weighed a personally embarrassing 200 pounds (that’s a lot of weight for someone who is only 5’1”). That following summer, I decided it was time to do something about it, so I signed up at good ol’ Planet Fitness. I was so out of shape and lazy I would go for 15 minutes and leave. I gradually started to stay a little longer and eventually incorporated running. After three months, I had lost 35 pounds and was running half marathons around my neighborhood for fun. I told myself that this would be the one thing I didn’t quit and that I’d never gain the weight back.

Fast forward to 2015: I was so bored with the same old lifting and cardio routine. I started to venture out and look for something else--anything else--to keep me fit and interested. One day I noticed my friend kept posting online about this crazy thing called CrossFit and all the gains she was making. I was curious, so I messaged her and asked if I could come check it out. Fridays at her box was bring a friend day so I joined her. Little did I know that my first WOD would be Fight Gone Bad. I pretty much DIED that night; it was by far the worst thing I had ever done in my life. I remember thinking to myself, “…and you thought you were in shape.” At this point I wasn’t too fond about this whole CrossFit thing, but I knew that I wanted to get better at it. After I managed to scrape myself up off of the mat (still my signature post-WOD pose by the way), I ended up signing up. However, that was short lived; after a few weeks, I didn’t think it was for me and stopped going all together. I then fell back into bad eating and bad drinking habits as 2015 ended up getting the best of me unfortunately. By New Year’s Eve, I ended up gaining back more than half of the weight I had worked so hard to lose.

On January 25, 2016, I decided to give CrossFit another go and walked through the doors of Drop Box CrossFit. I didn't know anyone coming in so I was extremely nervous. However, as soon as I walked in, I found everyone so friendly and welcoming. So many people came up to me and introduced themselves that I completely forgot about how nervous I was. Instead I found myself trying to figure out a way to remember so many names.

I soon learned where #gmademedoit came from. I hadn’t even been there a month before I was conned into signing up for the 2016 CrossFit Open. It was during the Open that I knew CrossFit was for me. Before the fifth and final work-out of the Open, I decided to go RX (I blame the pre-workout for this rash decision). 16.5 is 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of thrusters (65 lb. for ladies) and bar-facing burpees. That's 84 reps… of each. It was actually way worse than it sounds. I have never pushed myself physically or mentally as much as much as I did that day. I was a little more than half way done when I started contemplating ways to fake an injury. By this point everyone in my heat had finished, and the entire box had made their way to my lane--all eyes were now on me! They all cheered me on until the very last rep, and let me tell you: it’s almost impossible to quit when you have that kind of support.

The camaraderie, energy, support that all of the coaches and athletes show for one another is one of a kind at Drop Box. I'm thrilled to say that not only have I lost all the weight I had gained back, but I have lost a ton of inches as well! This is the strongest I have personally felt--both physically and mentally--and the happiest I have ever been. CrossFit has become a huge part of my life and is actually something I enjoy and look forward to every day... well for the most part; I still die after every workout.

I would just like to say thank you for recognizing me as the August Spotlight Athlete of the Month. I seriously couldn’t ask for a better community to be a part of. I am so thankful for my Drop Box family and the support you all have shown me.

Video: 125# Clean and Jerk PR!, 7.28.16

Judith Coreas-August Athlete Spotlight of the Month