Madeline Howard

Madeline Howard is our current Spotlight Athlete

Madeline has been at CFC for 2 years and has vastly improved over the last several months. Part of that is being committed to coming on a regular basis. She recently conquered pull-ups, double unders, and even a few butterfly pull-ups! It’s been fun watching her go from a casual cross fitter to actually trying and being competitive. Look out Maddie–muscle ups are next!!

How long have you been Crossfitting?
I’ve been doing CrossFit almost 2 years now.

What made you start Crossfit?
I was new to Conway and I was interested in starting to workout again while making friends at the same time!

What changes have you seen since starting Crossfit?
I’ve noticed a lot of physical and mental changes. When I first started, I could barely pick up a 35# barbell which was pretty disappointing. I would say my mental health has changed for the positive. I’m hoping to keep moving forward with more exciting changes, like new skills and weights:)

What is your favorite/least favorite movement?
My favorite movements are cleans and probably some of the gymnastics things. I also like petting the dogs that come in to the gym too. My least favorites are wall balls and thrusters.

What is your favorite part of Crossfit Conway?
My favorite part of Crossfit Conway is the environment. It’s very positive and uplifting. Walking into a new place when you’ve never lifted weights before can be daunting, but I’ve never felt out of place here. I enjoy the family environment that we have here and think it’s one of the best things we have to offer.

What are your long term goals?
I don’t think I have anything super specific that I want to accomplish. Of course there are skills that I want to learn, but I feel that learning advanced skills is a give-in. I really just want to stay healthy, active and do CrossFit as long as I can. Of course I want to keep PR’ing my lifts too;)

What advice do you have for people wanting to start CrossFit?
Just take a leap of faith and do it! You can make the excuse that it’s scary, but a lot of new things are scary. Do your research and go somewhere where you think you will do best and don’t go balls to the wall on your first day. It’s okay to dive in head first or test it out slowly, but don’t give up !

WHIT ABLES

Whit Ables is our May Athlete of the Month!

Whit made a commitment to come to classes everyday - so that he could make it a habit. He came for 75 days in a row! This included finishing his first Open - PR’ing lots of things, and even getting a few BMU! Congrats Whit - you are an inspiration to us all! :)

How long have you been Crossfitting?
I started CF April 2018. However, I've started going to CF religiously this year.

What made you start CF?
To be completely honest, I was fed up with being unhappy with my fitness level and my mentality toward my body. I wanted to face my fears head-on and join the most intense fitness program my mind could think of. Madeline Howard had mentioned CF to me a couple of months before I started so I had been contemplating it for a little bit. I decided to jump in headfirst with it, and I am so happy I did!

What changes have you seen since starting CF?
Of course, I have to mention physical changes because CF will definitely change your body for the better. I am stronger, I can work with intensity for longer periods of time, and I feel more coordinated and in-tune with my physical skills than I ever have. However, the most important change I've noticed since started CF is with my mind. Each workout has you plan and strategize how to approach the WOD most efficiently for your level (it's a mental workout as well!). Additionally, with CF, I have gained far more confidence in my abilities and with myself in general. I can't describe how amazing it feels to be able to do exactly what my self-doubt told me I couldn't do.

What is your favorite/least favorite movement?
My favorite movements by far are handstand push ups, pull-ups (and chest-to-bars), power cleans, and any type of box jumps. My least favorite movements are snatch, wall balls, and dumbbell thrusters.

What is your favorite part of CF Conway?
The CF Conway community is BY FAR my favorite part of CF Conway. I can't count how many times I have been supported, encouraged, and pushed (@ Kelly Trimble and Randall Woods!) by the community, and I have them to thank for all for the completion of any of my fitness goals. Any and all success in CF comes from dedication and hard work, and the CF Conway community fosters an environment that is so conducive to success. I have said it so many times, and I'll say it again. I love my Crossfit Conway family!

What are your long term goals?
I have a few long term goals with most of them involving getting stronger. As for personal goals, I would love to be able to deadlift 300+ lbs (I'm at 280 for the time being) and I would really love to get that elusive ring muscle up. For longer term goals, I can't wait until I can do WODs Rx on a consistent basis. The strength component isn't quite there yet, but I'm ready to put in the work!

What advice do you have for people wanting to start CF?
Don't think that you have to be a certain type of person to be a CF athlete. It doesn't matter what size you are, how tall you are, or what fitness level you were at before you join CF. CF is designed to be scaled for ANYONE to complete. I have absolutely no fitness background, and I am doing things at CF I could have never dreamed of doing before I joined. Take that first step! You will be supported by an amazing community that will only lift you up and celebrate your accomplishments with you. I can't think of any better way to begin or continue your fitness journey than with CF!

Josh Jerles

Our April AOTM is Josh Jerles.

Josh has been a consistent member of our 5:30 class for two years. He puts in extra work during Open Gym times - and his hard work paid off. He crushed some Open workouts and also got his first bar MU! He also keeps us all on our toes with his “that’s what she said” comments :)

Here is what Josh had to say about CFC:

How long have you been Crossfitting?
Just over two years now.

What made you start CF?
I played organized sports my whole life and never worked out without a group of people pushing me harder. After college, I tried to go to the gym by myself and it just didn’t work. With crossfit I found a challenging workout with a great community that pushes me.

What changes have you seen since starting CF?
After I quit playing football, I went through a 3-4 year period where I didn’t take care of my body like I was used to doing. Now, I’m getting closer to being in the best shape of my life and I feel great.

What is your favorite/least favorite movement?
Favorite is probably either the clean or snatch. Least favorite: thrusters, nobody likes thrusters.

What is your favorite part of CF Conway?
Just the people and the way everybody supports each other. I’ve found so many great people in one place which made moving here so much easier.

What are your long term goals?
I’d like to say I’m working towards being in the best shape of my life and continuing to get stronger. In reality, I workout so I can keep drinking beer and eating what I want and not get fat.

What advice do you have for people wanting to start CF?
Don’t be intimidated by the difficulty of the workouts. They really aren’t that bad and you’ll be surprised what you can really do!

Chris Shirley

Chris Shirley is our February Athlete of the month!

Chris joined CFC 7 months ago and has been committed to coming ever since. He recently got BMU and ring MU. Can’t wait to see how Chris performs in his first Open!

How long have you been Crossfitting?
7 months

What made you start CF?
I actually didnt know much about crossfit, a good friend of mine randomly messaged me one day telling me he joined crossfit in pine bluff and told me i should look into it and that he thought i would be good at it

What changes have you seen since starting CF?
I went into crossfit not doing any kind of weightlifting in years and zero experience with gymnastics so i would say ive gained a lot of strength and knowledge on lifts and gymnastics.i can jump higher and feel more explosive

What is your favorite/least favorite movement?
My favorite moves are burpee box jump overs and double unders because i feel thats two moves im getting pretty good at and by far my least favorite is squat snatch and rowing

What is your favorite part of CF Conway?
The friendly encouraging environment and the amazing coaching staff who day in and day out push you and challenge you to better yourself

What are your long term goals?
To challenge myself every workout and continue to improve on getting stronger and better at gymnastics and to just keep learning and maybe one day be in good enough shape to do the open and comps

What advice do you have for people wanting to start CF?
Don’t ever feel discouraged or insecure about joining crossfit because its an amazing experience and will help you in every day life.the atmosphere is friendly and you will have nothing but the best leadership from the coaches and athletes

Rebekah Turner

Rebekah Turner is our January Athlete of the Month!

In the little over a year that Rebekah has been doing CrossFit she has come such a long way! You can see her confidence build with each new movement she masters. After having a golf ball sized tumor removed from above her ear she was a little reluctant to get upside down. Recently she has been working on HSPU and I am quite sure she will get them and mark that off of her list as well!

I can’t wait to watch Rebekah in this years Open - she will be a force to be reckoned with for sure!

How long have you been Crossfitting?
About a year and three months

What made you start CF?
I completed a fitness challenge that Kevin led at Acxiom. The prize was a couple of Foundations-style classes. I tried it out and was instantly hooked!

What changes have you seen since starting CF?
I feel like I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in - and that includes high school sports back in the day. Being able to carry our 4 year old around for an extended period of time, or run and play outside with the 8 year old are things that weren’t very easy before Crossfit. I’ve seen improvements not only physically, but mentally as well. It’s given me self-confidence and a better self-image — things I’ve always struggled with!

What is your favorite/least favorite movement?
Favorites would have to be rowing, DB snatch, and thrusters.Least favorites would be squat snatch, DUs, and HSPU. 🤮

What is your favorite part of CF Conway?
The coaches and the comradery. The coaches are knowledgeable and encouraging, and the class environment creates a team atmosphere that can’t be beat. Nobody finishes alone!

What are your long term goals?
Aside from the elusive goals like bar/ring muscle ups, just being able to maintain a healthy lifestyle is my biggest goal.

What advice do you have for people wanting to start CF?
YOLO! 😉 Really... don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and give it a shot. There are some great people here. Come join us!