Autumn Tucker

Autumn Tucker is our December Athlete of the Month!

Autumn started this time last year and has been consistently coming to the 6am class since then.  That alone deserves an award!  Autumn has an auto immune disease and she uses CrossFit to keep her body moving and healthy for years to come.  She doesn’t use her pain as an excuse but for motivation to push harder!  Here is what she has to say about her CF experience:

I've been going to CrossFit for a year now. When I got diagnosed with arthritis I knew I needed to start something to help me build muscle and get stronger so started CrossFit. The changes I have seen are I'm stronger, my mood is better, I feel better and my arthritis doesn’t flare up as much. My favorite move is a clean and my least favorite is a snatch. My favorite thing about CrossFit is you always have people cheering you on and telling you, you can do it. My long time goals are to stick with CrossFit for many years to stay in good shape and good health. My advice to anyone that wants to start CrossFit is that any age or body type can do it and it is very rewarding. Also you will meet amazing people! 

Dylan Easterling

Dylan Easterling is our November Athlete of the Month!

Dylan has come so far since last year when he joined our box. He recently got his first ring muscle up. He then conquered his big time fear of being upside down by working on hand stand pushups and finally stringing them together! Dylan has been getting into the competition side of CrossFit and will be most definitely be someone to watch out for in the 2019 Open. We love having you at CFC Dylan - do you have to move back home when school is over?! :)

How long have you been Crossfitting?
A year and a Half

What made you start CF?
I had played baseball all my life, and knew I wanted to keep active and get stronger. I went to a regular gym for a few months, but eventually got tired of sitting on a machine and going through the movements.

What changes have you seen since starting CF?
I've gained 15 pounds and have done movements that I thought I would never be able to do. Plus, I can lift my body weight above my head which I'm most proud of!

What is your favorite/least favorite movement?
My favorite movements would have to be thrusters and burpees. Although they end up destroying me in WODs, I've gotten better at both over time, and I like the full body workout that they provide.
My least favorite would be snatches and overhead squats.

What is your favorite part of CF Conway?
The community is my favorite part. Everyone is friendly and welcoming and there is always opportunities to get to know people outside of the box.

What are your long term goals?
A long term goal of mine for a while has been to do an ironman. Shorter term goals include getting better shoulder stability for overhead movements, as well as do a spartan Ultra Beast.

What advice do you have for people wanting to start CF?
Take a leap and go for it! The hardest part is walking in the door (not really, but you'll be glad that you did). Not only will you get in better shape, but you'll learn some cool things about yourself along the way.

Akshay Patel

Akshay Patel is our Athlete of the Month!

Akshay came to CFC during a six-week challenge.  He has come such a long way in a short time and that is mostly because of his insane drive to get better!  He puts full effort into everything he does and we all love watching him improve daily.

How long have you been Crossfitting?
10 months

What made you start CF?
I started CF with 6 weeks new you challenge and during that seeing all people around lifting heavy weight and doing complex movements encouraged me to start CF.

What changes have you seen since starting CF?
After starting CF, I am more physically fit. I feel more energetic. I learned a better way to lift heavy things in day to day life, by using legs rather than bending the back.😀. I am in better shape than I have been before.

What is your favorite/least favorite movement?
Favorite: Burpee and HSPU (Still need to get better though)
Least favorite: Power Snatch Squat/ Overhead Squat.

What is your favorite part of CF Conway?
The People. I have made lots of friends here. Where can you get this, "make FRIENDS while getting FIT", isn't it cool! That, and all the Coaches, who helped me to learn and master every movement.

What are your long-term goals?
Learn the gymnastic movement, to do in more better and smoother way. Do all events, maybe, in next Crossfit Open at RX level,

What advice do you have for people wanting to start CF?
Don't think too much about starting it. You will definitely see the change in yourself. It's the best way to get into total body fitness regardless of your skill level.

Shaylene DeBusk

Shaylene DeBusk is our Athlete of the Month

In the last several years Shaylene has gone from sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else compete to being one of the best competitors in our box. She has PR’d pretty much every lift she attempted lately. Most impressively was her 305 lb deadlift! She is crazy strong and has a motor for days. Now if she can just conquer those pesky HSPU there will be no stopping her!

How long have you been Crossfitting?
Five years

What made you start CF?
Warren and I had been going to a boot camp class, and my work supervisor started going to Crossfit in WLR. She encouraged us to go and thought we would love it...she was right!

What changes have you seen since starting CF?
I have more energy, better sleep, better nutrition, increased confidence, I can pick up kinda heavy things sometimes instead of just a PVC pipe, and I can do my job and other activities with greater ease than before CF. I actually really enjoy participating in team competitions instead of just sipping on the sidelines 😂 and I’m in better physical shape than I’ve ever been in before. Basically I’m just happier in general 😄

What is your favorite/least favorite movement?
Favorite—Wall balls or thrusters. Least favorite—most gymnastic movements in general, but especially TTB and HSPU 🤷🏼‍♀️

What is your favorite part of CF Conway?
The community. When I first started going to CF and heard everyone talking about “the community” I didn’t realize how life-changing that part of it would be. We’re all a big family with more than just fitness goals in common. We see each other everyday, and not only for the wod. We do life together; weekend brunch, post-wod dinner, float trips, campfires, and vacations to name a few. I’ve made some of the best friends I’ve ever had here, and if I had gained nothing else from going, those friendships alone would be worth it!

What are your long term goals?
Learning how to properly do all those dreaded gymnastic movements and getting stronger.

What advice do you have for people wanting to start CF?
Don’t wait until you’re “in better shape” to start! Crossfit is for everyone, no matter what fitness level you’re at. Don’t put it off and cheat yourself out of being your best version of you! 🏋🏼‍♀️

Tiffin Hubbard

Before

Tiffin Hubbard is our August Athlete of the Month.  Since starting our 50’s on Fire class in March Tiffin has lost over 50 pounds.  He is committed and in the gym almost every day.  CrossFit really changes people’s lives—Tiffin is a great example of that.  

Here is what he has to say about CFC:

Current

When did you startCrossFit?
I started CF March 3, 2018

I had been invited a few times by Chuck Eastman, but declined.  
Then I saw the 50's on Fire class announcements on my Facebook feed and signed up. (A big thanks to Brenda Jo for starting that class)

Since March I have lost 50 lbs.  I feel so much better.  I am having trouble keeping up with the changes in sizes of what I wear.

Favorite/least favorite movements:
I have lots of least favorite movements, but overhead squats is probably the worst.
Favorite movement is sitting down in front of the fan when a WOD is over.

Favorite part of CF:
There are three that stand out.
1. The team work attitude of encouragement.
2. The changing work out routine.
3. The coaches I learn something different from each one of them.

Long term goals: 
Back to the least favorite movements there are several I still want to get, and after visiting the competition last Saturday I want to do one at some point. 

Advice for anyone considering CrossFit:
One of my big concerns was being able to do the workouts, but the way that each movement can be scaled to fit your ability is huge, so regardless of your skill level you can still die on the floor at the end.