Tuesday 6.13.2023
“CFDC”
For Time:
45 Kettlebell Swings (72/53)
400 Meter Run
35 Kettlebell Swings
800 Meter Run
25 Kettlebell Swings
1200 Meter Run
15 Kettlebell Swings
Box Brief:
Congrats to Aaron for being the June Member of the Month at Apollo! Scroll down to learn more about Aaron.
Congratulations on becoming this June’s Member of the Month! I love these opportunities to highlight amazing people in our community. Let’s kick off the question and get to know you a little better.
How long have you been doing CrossFit? What keeps you coming back?
I have been doing CrossFit since 2017 or so. My wife ,Talley, and I wanted to do a Spartan Race and it was suggested to do CrossFit to train for it. We joined a local box and haven’t look back since. For me, I used to do regular weight training and was very unsatisfied with it. I would get stronger, and my cardio would suffer, and then I would do cardio and my strength would suffer. The balance of cardio and strength of CrossFit is the best workout load in my opinion. Also, the community aspect of it keeps me coming back each time. Having people there who know my name and suffer alongside me builds some pretty good connections.
For those who may not know, you’re a High School Pastor at Canyon Ridge. What are some of your favorite things about this calling?
Yep, been doing student ministry for almost 10 years now. I love it. High School Students today are looking for deep connection that matters, with social media and our society being more digital than ever, isolation and depression are rapid in this generation. I love getting to see students find deep connection with Jesus and each other. Students finding a God and a people who know and love them. I love the similarities between CrossFit and student ministry. People come from all walks of life with different backgrounds and come together on something that challenges them, and ultimately helps them grow, one physically and one spiritually.
You have baby number 2 coming any day now! What are you most excited for in regards to having another child?
He or she is coming (we don’t know the gender)! By the time this comes out, they will be born, which is nuts! I’m most excited to see our daughter Juniper be a big sister. Right now, we have a little baby doll that Juniper carries around the house and says, “Baby!” all the time. I just hope she learns to carry her sibling not like her doll, which is a chokehold followed by being thrown down the stairs (but a great WWE move).
What is something most people at the gym wouldn’t know about you?
I’m a huge Virginia Tech Football fan. My uncle coached there forever. I’ve gotten to meet Michael Vick, Tyrod Taylor, Frank Beamer, and all those guys (if you don’t know who they are: Google it). Even got to go to the National Championship in 2000, even though I was 8 years old and didn’t really know what was going on. Huge Hokies fan!
If you had to make your perfect CrossFit workout, what would it be?
My favorite CrossFit workout was actually 19.1 from the CrossFit Open. It was 19 Minute AMRAP of 19 Calorie Row, and 19 Wall Balls. It’s a great workout for a taller person.
Here are two fun questions.
What two nonessential items would you want if you were shipwrecked on a deserted island?
If I’m going to be on a deserted island I might as well be comfy. I’m grabbing a hammock, and an umbrella for shade.
What fictional character do you identify with the most and why?
Ted Lasso. That show is awesome. In the show Ted loved to bring out the best in people and care for other people’s needs, I have such a desire to do that in people, but Ted also has a lot of personal baggage he’s had to deal with and uses his people pleasing ability to cope with it, which I can identify with too. Loved the flawed nature of bringing the best of a character and showing his dark side too. We as humans are both.