I have wanted to talk about my gym, TwinFreaks, for a while. But have so many things to say about it, I just never know what to start with first. So let’s start with with the most important first. If it wasn’t for these two people, I wouldn’t have my beloved little gym. TwinFreaks owners and head coaches, Margaret “Iron Maven” Graham and James “Big Squat Daddy” Drebenstedt. Of course I never call them that to their face. I am sure if I did there would probably be some sort of crazy ass burpee torture. So I usually just go with “yes, ma’am” or “yes, sir”.
They are two of the strongest people I personally know. I have watched them both Man/Woman-handle massively loaded barbells like tinker toys, it’s very impressive. But more importantly, they are probably the only two people in the world I will thank gratefully everyday (because and in spite of) devising those wicked workouts gar-awn-teed to turn me into a curled up, whimpering, sweaty puddle of tortured flesh. I adore them for kicking my ass, isn’t that sweet and moving in a twisted sort of way? I would never dream up some of the things we do, or have the will to carry them out on my own. Their motivation coupled with the belief in our abilities gets me through it. Because of them I am getting stronger and harder to kill everyday.
I joined TwinFreaks Crossfit at the end of January 2010, but because of schedule conflicts and recovery time from a surgery in April of this year, I never attended more then a handful of classes before May. Now since May, that’s a wild ride for me. Keep in mind that at the beginning of May I was a 39 year old housewife at 215 pounds, one month out of surgery, and no history of athletic pursuit. This is what my last 4 months have been like; I have dropped 10#, trained and competed in olympic weightlifting at the Rocky Mountain State Games, I even took home a silver in my weight class. Currently I am training to compete with my Coach JamesD and fellow gym member, Vanessa Pinter for a NASA Powerlifting meet to be held in November (a week before my 40th). kinda wild, huh.
As exciting as all of that is for me, today was extra special! Today I performed my very first handstand EVER! Ever-ever-ever-ever! At nearly 40 years old and 200# I got my big ol’ booty upside down. Not once, but 5 times! Think about it. All of that in only 4 months. Crossfit is amazing, and my gym is even more amazing! If any of my fellow gym members read this, I love you guys and love working out with you all. Thank you for helping me learn how to become an athlete, for helping me learn how to compete and have fun at it. For all the positive encouragement given to me and floating all around, we are such a positive and supportive group and I value that.
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