Congratulations to Samuel Lawson on being selected as our July Spotlight Athlete of the Month! Sam has come a long way since he joined our gym a year ago. If he’s not working or with his kids, you can find Sam at any of our class times. Sam comes into the box quietly but once it’s go time, Sam’s performance speaks volumes!. He has made so much progress in his gymnastic ability, strength and endurance since he first started. Sam is extremely coachable and gives every workout 110%. Sam is supportive of our box’s activities and most importantly, supportive of his fellow gym members. Congratulations Sam!

i’m honored to have been selected to be Athlete of the Month! My experience with Drop Box the past year and some change has been nothing short of awesome!

A bit about myself—I was born in Denton, Texas which is right outside of Dallas. Growing up I was extremely active, and sports came very naturally to me. I played football all through middle school and high school and then was offered a football scholarship from NSU—which is how I ended up in the Hampton Roads area.

After College, I started going to a Mixed Martial Arts gym. I am a black belt in Muay Thai and I trained in MMA. A few years ago, I made a career change which required me to travel for work and did not allow me as much time to train in Martial Arts or stay active.

About 8 years ago, I had a friend take me to a CrossFit Gym, and I was not impressed by the gym or the community. I had a certain pre-conceived idea of “CrossFit” based on common stereotypes I had heard about in the past.   I did not have a very open mind walking in and I did not return after my first experience.

Early in 2018, Martin Fulco (our fellow Drop Box Member) told me that he was joining Drop Box. I told him that if he could actually stick to it for longer than a week, I would join him as well.   As soon I got back from my vacation, he was still there, so I kept my word and joined as well.

During the past year I have become extremely dedicated to working out and taking care of my body-- and have Drop Box to thank for all of my progress.   The coaches have been amazing. They have helped me improve my overall strength, endurance, technique, as well as my MOBILITY. They have helped me learn more about nutrition and how to utilize the foods I eat in conjunction with my workouts. I have been able to carry a lot of the skills I have learned in CrossFit over into day to day life as well as workouts I do outside of the gym.

The gym as a whole has a fantastic sense of community and from day one I have felt welcomed.   I have made several friends and enjoy the fact that everyone motivates and pushes each other to succeed. I hope that in the upcoming years I can continue to improve, but also be there to support and help others as they have helped me.

Sam started the New Year with his first bar muscle up!

Samuel’s 1st CompetitIon, Team Grit 2019, w/ His frIend Martin

BeaUty and Beast Comp, 1st Scaled DiviSion…. with partner Shana!

July Spotlight Athlete of the Month- Samuel Lawson