Brian Beard

Brian Beard is our Athlete of the Month for July.  

Brian has been a member of CFC for four years and recently became our new owner with his wife Merissa.  But that isn’t why he is athlete of the month…lol!

Brian has always been an amazing athlete—most things come fairly easy to him.  He’s recently decided to attack his weaknesses and become friends with the rower.  He has pushed himself in WOD’s and has seen the results he is looking for. 

We are thankful for Brian’s leadership and example at CFC and look forward to seeing where this journey takes him!  

Robbie Sons

Our June Athlete of the Month is Robbie Sons.

Robbie is one of our most consistent members in the 11:30 am class and her hard work has paid off! She participated in the Open this year and showed us all that she has been sandbagging her workouts in the gym because she killed it! Robbie has recently gotten pull-ups, TTB, and double unders.  She doesn’t like the attention but we love shining the spotlight on her smiling face!  :)

How long have you been Crossfitting?
1 ½ years

What made you start CF?  
I wanted to try something different that would hold me more accountable and push me. Before Crossfit, I had only ever done group exercise classes where we never lifted over 30 pounds. I started with the Crossfit bootcamp that was held on the Acxiom Campus, then Kevin talked our group in to coming to the Crossfit gym.

What changes have you seen since starting CF? 
I’m getting stronger 😊 As far as physical changes, I have lost around 12 pounds and a little over 2% body fat.

What is your favorite/least favorite movement?
Favorite: burpees and squats
Least Favorite: Running

What is your favorite part of CF Conway?
I really enjoy the group that I work out with. Everyone is always encouraging and pushes you a little further than you thought you could go.

What are your long term goals?
To do a STRICT PULLUP and to be able to lift above my body weight in all movements.

What advice do you have for people wanting to start CF?
Don’t go to just one class. Make a commitment to go for a few weeks before you decide if it’s for you or not.

Gerald Tosh

Gerald Tosh is our May Athlete of the Month.  Gerald has been Crossfitting for 5 years and competed in his first Open this year.  He crushed his age division finishing 9th in AR with his best finish being 5th in 18.3!

He recently conquered double unders and is working on getting 100 unbroken.  

Way to go Gerald—we are super proud of you!

How long have you been Crossfitting?
Over 5 years.

What made you start CF?
My son was doing it, and he and his friends talked me into it.  It was a low point in my life, so it was a good distraction.

What changes have you seen since starting CF?
Certainly more physically fit, and better muscle tone.  I had been a runner for many years but never really worked all the muscles.

What is your favorite/least favorite movement?
I really like Double Unders of late since I finally feel like I’m conquering them, after trying for years.  Albeit, I realize I never put a 100% into it prior.  My least favorite, by far, is Overhead Squats.

What is your favorite part of CF Conway?
No doubt, the people and the camaraderie.  

What are your long term goals?
My long term goal is to do a challenging birthday WOD in February that will include Double Unders, Kettle Bell Swings, Burpees and a Calorie row.  I also plan to keep working on Double Unders, and would like to do 100 consecutive DUs by the end of July; I’m up to 65 now.

What advice do you have for people wanting to start CF?
Just do it, start!  You will love it, it will become part of your life.

Chuck Eastman

Chuck Eastman is our April Athlete of the Month!

Chuck is a local Pastor and finds it very rewarding to get away for an hour everyday and focus on himself.  

He is encouraging to everyone and always has a smile on his face - as long as he isn’t doing OHS!

He also loves going to the 8:30am class with all of the stay-at-home moms!  :)  We love Chuck at CFC - here is what he has to say:

How long have you been Crossfitting?
Almost 3 years 

What made you start CF?  
A good friend of mine is a Crossfit coach in Denver and he had been talking to me for years about trying it. 

What changes have you seen since starting CF? 
I’ve never felt this strong or been this healthy before. The Crossfit community challenges me to be consistent to the gym and to eat better. I’ve never been able to do both of those together in the past. 

What is your favorite/least favorite movement?
Hmm my favorite movement is probably deadlifts. I have a long list of least favorite but the absolute worst is squat snatch or overhead squats. Lol 

What is your favorite part of CF Conway?
I enjoy the intensity of the workouts but primarily the community of Crossfit Conway. I think the coaches are awesome and I think people genuinely care about each other. 

What are your long term goals? 
To stay healthy and work on becoming more flexible, and who knows maybe someday string together a few double unders :) 

What advice do you have for people wanting to start CF?
Don’t be intimidated by the intensity of the workouts (everything is scaleable) and don’t be afraid to ask questions and learn things that at first seem uncomfortable or impossible. 

Jennifer McNeal

Our February Athlete of the Month is Jennifer McNeal.  

Jennifer had three babies in two years. A few months after she delivered her twins she decided to lose the weight she had gained.  When she puts her mind to something she is all in!  She started eating better, counting macros, and coming to the box whenever she could.  She has lost 75lbs and looks amazing - but more importantly she is STRONG!  She also recently figured out double unders so she is ready for the Open 2018!  

Good luck Jennifer - we are cheering for you!

How long have you been Crossfitting?
I joined CFC Feb 2014, but I started doing CrossFit November 2013 at a box in North Little Rock. 

What made you start CF? 
I was attending a bootcamp program during the summer of 2013 in Little Rock that was being held at a CrossFit box and saw the women doing all these amazing things that I had never done and never dreamed of being able to do! I knew from that moment that I wanted to try CrossFit and I’ve been hooked ever since! :) 

What changes have you seen since starting CrossFit?
There are so many!!! Not only has my strength improved, but also my metal health! I feel like I’ve been on a rollercoaster for the past 4 years from getting married in 2014, having my 3 babies from 2015 to 2017, losing my dad in 2017, and CrossFit has been my constant!

After having Henry and Scarlett in March 2017, I started suffering from postpartum depression and anxiety. My anxiety was so bad that it felt impossible to even step foot out of my house most days. When I returned to CrossFit in July 2017, I could only go one day a week, and I couldn’t even attempt to take all 3 kids there by myself. Now you will see me there 4 days a week most weeks lugging 2 car seats and herding a toddler! This has been HUGE for me!!! Thank you CFC for helping me find myself again!!! 

What is your favorite/least favorite movement?
Favorite: Ah there are so many now! Double unders, sled pulls, farmers carry, and all the Olympic lifts! 
Least Favorite: BURPEES...UGH! My body just isn’t designed to do them efficiently LOL. Also, lunges! Together my legs are strong, but individually they’re like a newborn foal’s legs trying to walk for the first time. 

What is your favorite part of CF Conway?
Short answer the people! Long answer the coaches that always have my best interest and won’t let me do anything that would cause me to injure myself, but will push me to reveal my new potential. The class that always makes me feel like I’m on a team. Of course the childcare that keeps my babies safe and allows me to have my mommy time! 

What are your long term goals? 
Continue to get stronger, this year be able to do pull-ups, lose 30 more pounds and finally be able to stop focusing on trying to lose weight. I would also like to eventually take the Level 1 Certificate course. 

What advice do you have for people wanting to start CF?
To just try CrossFit! It’s not for everyone, but you won’t know until you try it! Everything can be modified to your fitness level.