Athlete Spotlight
Athlete Spotlight! Meet Logan-
This is the guy who finishes a gnarly workout, picks himself up and finishes it again with anyone else still working. His work ethic is something to be admired. He's a firefighter for Ontario and is always improving his fitness wether he's at work or at the box. Logan started Crossfit as a natural power house but has since worked on his coordination and technique. He still may not be one of our most efficient athletes but his strength makes up for that and he continues to improve on that day by day. A red neck and fire fighter at heart, Logan is such a helpfulness fun athlete to have in and out of the gym. If he isn't wearing camo and you can see him make sure you give him a high 5 and tell him you're coming for him in the next workout!!
Meet Shirley! From 3-2-1 GO to Namaste, she’s on the grind everyday, commuting to San Diego multiple times throughout the week and still finds time to make it in to workout consistently. Shirley also put in a lot of work into becoming our very first yoga teacher and helped us kick start our Sunday morning yoga sessions. She has made tremendous strides in our gym since she first started. Shirley would swear to her coaches that she was unable to squat; she claimed it wasn't “anatomically possible” for her to get below parallel. Shirley is a behind the scenes athlete, still working hard regardless if anyone is taking notice; always practicing to improve her form and technique; pushing to challenge her limits and is constantly breaking through her self doubt. Shirley is now squatting below parallel normally and continues to set personal records regularly.
You can find Shirley usually in our afternoon classes, being a goofball and a social butterfly. Be sure to say hi and chat her up about whatever. Namaste!!
Meet Maggie McNamar
Maggie’s answer to why she does Crossfit?
“When I fall down I need to be able to get back up!”
Sounds like a burpee to me! A while back Maggie’s son Christopher got her into Crossfit and she kept coming back because of the energy, great people, and different/challenging workouts. Her favorite part of Crossfit is the community and getting stronger. Maggie is a staple to our 9am class and often times the one behind all the silliness. It's probably her laugh and definitely her snort you're hearing from across the gym as she’s cracking up at one of her own jokes. She always has a smile on her face while walking into the gym and takes good care of everyone in there like they are one of her own children. It was very cool for us as coaches to see her do this year's "CrossFit Open" workouts and put up some great reps and scores. She’s a model for all moms with younger kids (as she is a mom of 3 college graduates now) to stay consistent in fitness. Thanks for always bring your great spirit to the gym Maggie! Oh! And thanks for the killer batch of cookies!
Athlete Spotlight-James Groat
James Groat is 38 and a member of Crossfit to the Core since May 2013. He's a husband and father of 3. For never playing much organized sports growing up, he picked up the competitive aspect of Crossfit pretty quick. You can usually rely on him to know the workout before he walks in the door, know if he will have to scale the weight or movements and know who time he can and should beat. He has taken to Crossfit well as it is his first formal fitness regimen. He knows how much his body can take and how much he can push. He has been a consistent 3 to 4 days a week athlete and is silent as a mouse compared to the rest of the rambunctious 9 am class he usually attends. Often times during a lift session, you will walk over after watching his lift that looks on point and he will look at you, point to the bar and say "that was a PR." He's made great progress in his time here, frequently seeing PR's in strength and met cons. He has a sharp wit, a good eye for technique and enjoys a good beer. He also knows more facts about Crossfit Games athletes than you would think and enjoys following regionals and the games! In fact he called it that a female athlete from Iceland would see the podium for this years 2015 Crossfit Games! Thanks for always being a consistent and coachable athlete James!
Athlete Spotlight-Brian George
“Babe, I just signed us up for Crossfit. We start in three weeks.”
These are the words Brian George, a software developer in San Clemente, read just over two years ago in a text message from his wife, Sherri. Even though in the past he had completed several triathlons, two rounds of P90X, and a half marathon, few words had created anxiety like Sherri’s had. For three weeks he pondered if Crossfit would be too challenging, if he would get injured, and if it... would be worth the investment. Once he walked in the door, he discovered that yes, Crossfit is really hard work, but the coaches at Crossfit to the Core are all about building skills and strength at each athlete’s own pace.
One of the things that has been really neat to see is how skills he’s built over time have come together. This was shown during the 2015 Crossfit Open. Brian achieved his first, second, and third muscle ups all in one day. “All the pieces finally clicked. It felt great.”
While Brian became bored with other sports, he isn’t bored now. “I’ve been Crossfitting for two years now, and other than the benchmarks, I’ve never repeated a workout. And with the benchmarks, it’s great to see real progress.” Preparing for the unknown and unknowable once seemed daunting, but now it’s fun.
Not only is Brian now in the best shape of his life, Crossfit has become more than just a daily workout. His passion is helping others manage their personal finances, and last summer he facilitated a 9 week class with an entire table filled with Crossfit to the Core friends. “Iron sharpens iron. It’s nice that we can all sharpen/refine each other both inside and outside of the box.”
Come meet Brian during the 5pm class. He’s the white collared worker with the blue collared hands.
Athlete Spotlight-David Bourguignon
Meet David Bourguignon! Yes, that is his last name. And yes that is David wearing a pink outfit on a random Saturday. David is easily one of our most spirited members in the gym day in and day out. He's a family man who always brings an extremely high level of athleticism and competitiveness. He's always pushing not only himself to be better but also athletes with better and lesser abilities. When he started he had a wonderful running background but didn't know what a barbell was if it landed on his face. He's the type of guy that couldn't believe the girl next to him was lifting heavier than he was, which drove him to focus more on his technique and weightlifting strength. Now one of our most consistent athletes not only in attendance but also in performance. Even though this guy's sense of humor takes some getting used to he's always smiling in the box ready to push his limits and the limits of those around him! I encourage you to be open to his encouragement! It can be very helpful!
Athlete Spotlight-Nancy Alderson
Meet Nancy:
Nancy Alderson had both of her hips replaced in 2009 and 2010. She accidentally found Crossfit to the Core when her friend found an internet promotion and invited her to try. Not knowing exactly what she was getting into, she was understandably apprehensive at first. The docs had told her all the things she couldn’t, shouldn’t or wouldn’t be able to do. Nancy has stuck with it and has been a loyal member for just under 2 years. Through hard work, patience, scaling and progression, she is now able to do many of the things the docs said she wouldn’t be able to. She loves working out to heavy metal music, and always has the most popular dishes at the box’s paleo potluck.
Athlete Spotlight-Taryn
Meet Taryn!
She is a bust-ass CrossFitter and a super busy mommy of four. When Taryn found us two years ago, she was desperately searching for something to help her regain her fitness, her self-esteem, her zest for life… She needed to find her mojo! Well, Taryn definitely grabbed CrossFit by the horns and quickly became one of the top athletes in the box. She kept getting leaner and stronger and the PR's kept coming. Nothing could slow her down...until Bella came to town! While pregnant, Taryn bravely continued a scaled down 5 day/week training schedule until just a couple weeks from her due date. Finally last March, healthy, beautiful baby Bella was born and we all couldn't be happier! Now, three months later, Taryn is back in the box… And we all couldn't be happier! Welcome back Taryn!
Athlete Spotlight-John Agostini
Meet John! He is a very busy veterinarian in San Clemente who was driven to be able to be more active. He has always been active in activities such as skiing, wind surfing, etc. but got caught up with his busy practice and lifestyle. After joining CrossFit to the Core, he has been able to discover his potential, strengthen his body and has rediscovered his passion for life and his favorite activities.