January 2024 Athlete of the Month

Disa

Our January 2024 Athlete of the Month has been long overdue for this recognition! Disa has been a member of our community since mid-2020, is extremely coachable and finds a way to get to the gym even with various schedule changes. Her consistency over the years has truly been impressive! It’s been a pleasure having Disa as part of the gym fam! Thank you for also being encouraging to other athletes during WODs and a true friend in and out of the gym.

CONGRATS!!!

Where are you from / hometown?  Good question. My Dad was Active Duty Military so I have been told you claim where you graduated from HS. So Severna Park, MD.  

How long have you been CrossFitting?  Since July 2020.

What do you do for work? I am a stay at home Mom.

Any sports background? I played tennis in HS. And believe it or not, ran track in Middle School. (This is where I learned that running does not spark joy for me.)

Hidden Talent? I dance bachata.

Favorite movement or WOD? I love to bench press.

Best CF Movement  / Experience? The first time I climbed the rope I was extremely thrilled!

What are your goals? Honestly there are so many movements I have yet to master that it is an extensive list.

Favorite food or cheat meal? I absolutely love Thai food.

Why do you CrossFit? I consider it my grief therapy. I started going about seven months after my husband died. The world had shut down due to Covid regulations and my four kids need a Mom who is present and healthy. I was very intimidated as I was 51 years old and the type of gym classes I was used to were step aerobics and spin. I continue to show up because grief never really stops and distracting myself with these crazy WODs and getting to work out besides some amazing athletes is good for my soul.

Any advice for newbies? Best advice I ever got was from Coach Bri. I was really down on myself after a class where I thought I was the only one scaling the movements. I voiced my disappointment to her. She asked me how long I had been doing CF. I think it had been three months at that point. She then proceeded to pull EVERY single person in class over to us and asked them the same question. And their answers? 11 years. 7 years. 3 years, etc. It was in that moment I realized not to compare my progress with anyone else. This is a personal journey.

Motivational quote? I believe you can.