CrossFit Scottsdale » Athlete of the month

Athlete of the Month

spankynine — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:31:40 +0000

This month we honor another family as athlete of the month. The Middagh’s dad Jay, son Josh, and daughter-in-law Christina have executed a task that very few have ever done at CFS. They completed the world renowned HELL WEEK training program. Jay who turned 70 last month is the most youthful graduate we have ever had and both Josh and Christina completed the course with 2 broken toes and a sprained ankle that they picked up on day 3 “Fight me ” sparring with Sensei’ at Scottsdale Martial Arts center. Congratulations guys your courage, dedication and perseverance have encouraged others to climb the mountain. Thank you. P.S Jay your the toughest MFr I have ever had the privilege of coaching. HOORAH!

Athlete(s) of the Month

Luke — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 11:00:00 +0000

This month we are celebrating the success of Keith Robinson “Team Alpha”and Ken Galinski “Team Bravo”. Not only did they complete SealFit 1.0 they were leaders of their respective teams. What makes me even more proud is that they both came back to our program after taking some time off to heal wounds, clear minds and focus this summer.

Keith sat down in my office June 2^nd and told me he was just beat down physically and mentally by an old injury and that it was holding him back. He also told me that he would not be joining me at “KOKORO” camp for SealFit training later that month. We were both disappointed but understood it was much needed. After 6-8 weeks off we met again and slowly started All Level classes twice a week at 50% of the weights programmed. Then we added intensity… slowly to build Keith’s confidence and strength back up. Then back up to 3x a week plus the 2 hour SealFit class from 0500-0700 every Friday. Keith dominated the dojo, captured the flag and hit the bull’s eye. On the final day and class of SealFit 1.8 “Graduation Day” he was the “Lead Dog” and showed me the real Keith Robinson. It will be my privilege to watch Keith concur “Kokoro” on October 22^nd and complete the Goal he set.

Kenny “G” grew on my heart every week always smiling and keeping his cool. On the final evolution of 1.8 Ken got some super human strength and pushed the #245 sled in both directions without stopping. By far one of the most challenging and uncomfortable movements on the planet and Ken looked like a superhero ripping up the pavement.

This Friday SealFit 2.0 will begin with both of these men as Team Leaders. The theme of this course will be “Heroes” In honor of our American Forces especially our very own all over the world. This week we will be starting off with “Nolan” plus “Jedi” then we will get 1st class instruction from Sensei Tyler Warren on hand to hand combat and finish with “Fight gone bad” boxing style with 1 minute of sparing 5 different people 3x rounds . For those of you not quite ready to commit to the entire 8 week program come to the 1^st class and test yourself. If you do like it you’ll be back for 2.1. *You must have a level I band or higher to attend or see a Coach for approval/You must complete all 8x weeks to “Graduate” 9/9- 10/28 to receive your “Camo” band. Hell Week III will start week of 9/28. You will need a black classic CFS shirt/The SealFit program counts as 2x classes/Not all classes will be held on campus. Field trips for Swimming, hiking, and boxing will be part of the program. Complaints, problems and blames will not be tolerated for your safety during the entire 8 weeks if you have any questions or concerns visit the video section of this SealFit program brought to you exclusively at CrossFit Scottsdale.

“Forging Mental Toughness”

CrossFit Scottsdale’s Athletes of the Month Hallie — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:52:42 +0000 Today at CrossFit Scottsdale we celebrate two athletes and the journey they made that took them from student to Athlete of the Month. Erika a mom of 3 has seen dramatic results with her Paleo plan and has introduced it to her entire family. Husband Bill was the winner of 40 days in a cave and her son Jackson is a stud CrossFit KID. Erika has also seen a few Personal Records put on the board including a #220 deadlift. Thank you for showing us what real Moms are like, keep up the great work and never ever give up. Ted “AKA” Raphael Nadal is the hardest working athlete in the gym today. With a perfect attendance award of 8 classes in 5 days it’s easy to forget Ted has only been “Competing” for a few months. Taking class then yoga or Endurance then Strength he is quickly mastering the principals of “Hard work pays off”. So how do you become the next AOM? Ask these two athletes and I am sure they will tell you two different ways with the same purpose. Never give up and hard work pays off. Congratulations you two and thank you for your “Commitment to Excellence” Coach Luke Kayyem Athlete(s) of the month Luke — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:55:42 +0000 It is an absolute pleasure to announce our Athlete(s) of the month. Kurt Tompkins & Laura Carstens. Kurt was a former power builder and current Yogi who found CrossFit through our new Yoga instructor Jill Law Peterson. After a few short months Kurt not only competed in Friday Night Lights he placed 4thin the scaled division during the 6 week competition. Kurt also picked up his Level I (white band) and has set his goals to make the 2012 CrossFit Regionals. Laura competed as well in “FNL” and finished in the top 3 received her Level II (orange band) and is now on our 2011 CrossFit Regional Cup Team and is headed to Colorado next week to compete. Both of these athletes are not only in great shape but carry a positive energy with them and are a pleasure to coach. Congratulations guys keep up the great work. Athlete Of The Month Luke — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 22:21:54 +0000 A big THANK YOU to CrossFit Scottsdale! I really appreciate all the support you have given me and this Honor of Athlete of the Month. When I first started nine months ago, my motivation was to lose weight and be healthy. Little did I realize that my experience would be much more than that. My friends at work have noticed that I am looking trimmer and asked what I was doing. I told them about Crossfit and tried to explain the burpees, handstands, pull-ups, thrusters …they thought I was crazy for a 50 year old! After trying to explain it to my co-workers it made me wonder why I keep showing up. It’s pretty simple, it challenges me to do things both physically and mentally that I never thought I could do. I leave every workout totally exhausted but I feel stronger and ready to tackle the day. Thanks to all the Coaches your encouragement, knowledge and patience are remarkable (also not laughing and being CPR certified is appreciated). And to my teammates, Thanks for coming back for me on my last 400 meters and never leaving me behind. I feel honored to be connected with such positive people. The 0700 crew, from left Alison, Chris, Pam, Dani, Kurt and Don. Athlete Of The Month Luke — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 02:43:03 +0000 For the 1st time at CrossFit Scottsdale we honor a Mom and Son as our Athlete(s) of the month. Patty and Eric Stewart have shown us how important family and fitness are especially when you put them together. My family and I had the privilege of spending a few days in Maui together last Christmas and both Patty and her husband Chris are in fenomenal shape and joined us at CrossFit Lahaina for a Hawaiian WOD. Eric was a garage gym guy for over a year and joined our Team after Mom became hooked. Thank you both for your commitment and continued drive to live a healthy lifestyle for all generations. Athlete of the Month Luke — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 20:37:55 +0000 This month we would like to regognize our first sibling “Athlete of the Month” Tina Vange & Marc Lutz Tina was one of my very 1st students @ Globo Gym in October 2007. She had just had her 3rd beautiful little girl and only wanted a little instruction on some machines. She quickly learned about CrossFit and INTENSITY = RESULTS. She dropped the baby weight plus another 40 lbs. Tina trains 2x week and another day at home. After seeing such great results she asked if I would meet with her brother Marc who was at his heaviest weight in the summer of 2008 around #300. 2 years later and #80 lighter Marc did it the hard way, through CrossFit training 3x week, running and eating “Paleo”. He has had to buy a whole new wardrobe and now rocks a large CFS shirt and size 34 fight shorts. This weekend he will be running in the P.F Chang 1/2 marathon and we wish him the best. No crazy diets, gimmicks or magic pills. No excuses, complaints or obstacles. Both Marc and Tina have become part of our family. Tina took my son and I to our 1st Coyotes game and Marc has joined us at our home for numerous UFC fights. He might even be joining us for SEALFIT next month. So the next time you see this brother and sister in the gym make sure you give them a high 5, you guys are AMAZING! Coach Luke Kayyem Matt Blanton 2010 Athlete Of The Year Luke — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 06:22:12 +0000 I am honored to announce the 2010 Athlete Of The Year at CrossFit Scottsdale as Matt Blanton. Matt has had an outstanding year filled with perseverance, strength and endurance. From breaking his leg early in the year in a dirt biking crash to having his first daughter with wife Michele in April. “When Matt got injured and couldnt use his leg I told him to work on his pull ups and row only focusing on his upper body and core until he was 100%”. In May at the CrossFit Games Regional at UC Irvine Matt was a catalyst on our Affiliate Cup Team and was only getting better when he won the Chipper Challenge in July. When I watched him crush the CrossFit Fury competition in October I knew all of his hard work had paid off, he finished in 3rd place out of 64 of the top male athletes in Arizona. “He has the heart of a lion and the mind of a Jedi while encompassing core family values and integrity with his company Printing solutions“. Thank you for your commitment to “Elite Fitness” Matt you are a staple at CrossFit Scottsdale and a leader in our community. Who’s going to take 2011? Coach Luke Kayyem Athlete of the Month Luke — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:03:48 +0000 Congratulations to our Co-Athletes of the month Jennifer “Jenn D” Donovan & Brandon “Slo Mo” Nee These outstanding students have not just worked hard and pushed themselves past failure but they both have gotten the taste of competition. Jen has jumped into this sport head 1st competing at Fury, Barbells for Boobs, Rx Challenge and again she will be showcasing her skills this weekend at Flagstaff. Brandon has been digging in to his after school strength program and has seen significant gains in all of his lifts. He had a great showing in week II of the Rx challenge and is showcased as a top contender in the Southwest competition in February. More important is how both of these different athletes carry themselves in and outside of CrossFit Scottsdale. If you have not yet met either of them please take a second and introduce yourself. Good luck this weekend! Coach Luke Athlete of the Month Luke — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 18:07:56 +0000 Congratulations to two of the most courageous, outstanding, wonderful people I know. It has been a pleasure coaching Stu & Alison from barely walking and 50lbs overweight to running a mile and loosing 45lbs. Both Stu & Alison have made NO EXCUSES. Each with different goals and reasons for reaching them have shared one common thread. “SHOW UP, DONT QUIT” This last Saturday was the perfect ending to an outstanding month for both of these athletes. Stu ran in the “Chariots of FIRE 5K” competing in the advanced category and hours later entering the “Barbells for Boobs” charity event and hitting a personal record and finishing in under 5x minutes. Alison not only ran a mile without stopping she did it in 15x seconds less than the preliminary 5K last month, and with her dog Daisy. We are all so proud of both of these students for coming so far this last year. When you see them @ CFS stop and give them a huge high 5 and tell them how outstanding they are.