We begin the New Year with a hardworking athlete whom we couldn’t be more proud of. JC’s committed effort and dedication since joining Drop Box have been impressive to watch. His constant desire to attack his weaknesses are evidenced by improvements across the board over the last year. JC has made leaps in everything from strength to gymnastics to aerobic conditioning. He partipates in all our events, brings a constant positive attitude at every class, helpful, and is very supportive to his fellow members. Congrats JC for being chosen as our January Athlete of the Month!

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I never expected to be selected Athlete of the Month. Thank you!!! I am honored to have been chosen. From the rookies, like me, to the multi-year vets, never a WOD goes by that I am not in awe and inspired by all of the other athletes. I am definitely motivated by the DBCF coaches and athletes! It is a great feeling be a part of such a dedicated group of athletes at DBCF.

About me

I grew up in VB (kindergarten to high school: PAHS 1991). I spent a few years at college before joining the the Navy (D.C., San Diego, and Bahrain) for 3 years. I left the Navy and I finished college in 2000. After college I moved to Houston to work as a Software Engineer at NASA. Eventually I returned to Virginia. I spent time in Charlottesville working in avionics, contracted with the Department of Defense in Norfolk and then with the federal government in Northern Virginia. In 2017, I made a permanent move back to VB to be closer to my family, my girlfriend, and her family.

Why CrossFit

Throughout my life I have been physically active in some aspect. In school and college I participated in various sports (baseball, football, wrestling, basketball, etc) at some level. In the military, I focused on general PT and weight training. But as time went by and life happened, I drifted away from working out and took up recreational and competitive softball. Eventually I stopped playing softball and joined Planet Fitness for GAINZ and not the free pizza. When work moved me to Northern VA, working out stopped. I became sedentary sitting at a desk.

Despite positive feedback and encouragement from close friends to try CrossFit, I never walked into a box. It wasn’t until the winter of 2017 that I realized I was not heading in a healthy direction. I found it difficult to help care for my dad who has hemiplegia due to a stroke. I weighed 235+ lbs and struggled to lift/hold my 180 lbs father. I knew I needed to do something. It was a random conversation about an old friend that led me to DBCF.

My DBCF Journey

At dinner with high school classmates, one friend mentioned that Coach Art co-owned DBCF, which happened to be close to my house. Art and I played Little League Baseball together. (If you ever watch the Little League World Series and see those kids throwing 70+mph and striking everyone out, that was Coach Art. I was the brave/dumb kid who volunteered to catch his fastballs.) I stopped by DBCF one day looking for Art and talked to Coach Stephanie for a few minutes. I hung out to watch the class start warm-ups and prep for the WOD. CrossFit definitely got my attention and I signed up for an intro class with Coach G the very next Saturday.

I will never forget that intro class, February 10, 2018. Coach Art popped in as Coach G was putting/pushing me through the intro WOD. It was on this day that I developed an extreme dislike for the Air Assault Bike and literally left my feelings of exhaustion and disgust in the parking lot afterwards. But I didn’t die!!! After fundamentals the following week, my DBCF journey has been continuous and rewarding. I know that CrossFit has become a part of my life because:

I talk about CrossFit
I have 3 pair of shoes for CrossFit and want more
I check the daily WOD before the world/national/sports news
I use words like ‘PR’, ‘spicy’ and ‘beast’ as part of my daily vocabulary
I have travelled and completed hotel WODs and/or dropped in at another box
I have several PVC pipes, foam roller and bands in my living room
I have rips and calluses and show them to everyone
I am eating healthier and feeling/looking better
I am trusting the process and definitely want to get better/do more
I came to DBCF for fitness, I stayed for the friends/family!

It is hard to believe that it has almost been a year since I started at DBCF. It has been an amazing experience. I cannot THANK the DBCF coaches and athletes enough for being a part of this journey with me. Hopefully, I am able to reciprocate the inspiration and encouragement I have received from all members of the DBCF family!

From 265# to 305# 1 Rep Max in 12 weeks, Hatch Squat Program.

Beach WOD- JC loves to paddle board and owns a couple of boards. Here he is prepping the class

JC participated in DBCF’s very first Softball Team

James Collins- January Spotlight Athlete of the Month