February 8th, 2016
Alice
Hang Power Snatch
In 12 Minutes, build to a 1RM: teams of 2
@20:00
“Graceabel”
For Time: teams of 2
60-Snatches (135/95)
60-Clean and Jerks (135/95)
Box Brief:
Bring a Friend day is this Thursday!!!
Congrats to Monte Stephenson for being the first ever Member of the Month at Apollo! Scroll down to learn more about Monte.
Monte
Why Did you start working out at Apollo and how long have you been here?
I had a real scare in November of 2009. I had some discomfort in my chest that turned out to be a serious case of heart disease. Although it was caught before I had a heart attack, I did have to undergo quintuple bypass heart surgery. It became clear to me that I needed to take steps to control my risk factors so I wouldn’t have to go through that again. Aside from the obvious health concerns, the FAA grounded me and required a rigorous process for me to get back flying again. My first attempt at fitness was going to a regular gym where I would walk on the treadmill or play around with various equipment and contraptions. Without any set plan, that experience was boring and I failed to see any real results. One day in October of 2011 my 17 year old daughter told me about a new gym that was opening up. I took her there to check it out and that’s when I met Chad. My intention was to sign my daughter up since she was working on a collegiate scholarship for soccer. I told her that CrossFit wasn’t for me because I wasn’t young or super athletic. Being persistent, she insisted that she would only do it if I signed up as well. Although I was intimidated I decided to give it a try. I found Crossfit exciting and challenging. The camaraderie among the athletes and coaches at Apollo was something that I wasn’t expecting and I really felt at home. I was able to get the support I needed to really push myself and achieve the fitness goals that I wasn’t able to do on my own. CrossFit really is for everyone and Apollo epitomizes that. It’s been a little over 4 years and I am now 53 years old but I feel stronger and healthier than ever.
Most of us know that you fly private jets and you’re just like Fonzie. You’re pretty cool. We get it! But how did you decide that flying was what you wanted to do?
I went to high school here in Las Vegas. During that time I worked at a couple of tire stores that my family owned. I earned my private pilot license shortly out of high school and continued to fly just for fun. I always assumed I would just grow up in the family business until it dawned on me that I hated working on cars and I hated retail sales! (Bad combination if you plan on owning a tire store someday). One of my best friends was working as a co-pilot on a Learjet and I envied him every time he was flying to some cool destination and I was stuck working on someone else’s clunker. I would often talk about how much I’d rather be a pilot than continue doing what I was doing until one day I was called out on it. Someone that I looked up to told me to stop “talking” about it rather than actually “doing” it. It was the wake up call that I needed so I made the decision to leave the family business to pursue something that I really enjoyed. It was one of the best decisions of my life.
If you could make the workout “Monte”, what would it be?
I am tempted to pick something easy that I am really good at but nothing comes to mind :-/……. I do seem to have a love/hate relationship with Olympic lifting. Despite the fact that it always kicks my butt, I enjoy working on the technical aspects and usually can’t wait to do it again. “Monte” would probably be a snatch ladder with 200 meter runs thrown in the mix to keep my cardiologist happy.
If you could go on “America’s Got Talent”, what would you showcase?
If I was on AGT I would showcase something that I call dancing although my wife would categorize it as comedy. I guess talent is in the eye of the beholder.
You’re about to be featured on The Food Network for a single dish. What would it be?
I enjoy cooking and especially like to grill. My featured dish would have to be a Cajun grilled Ahi with roasted peppers and grilled asparagus.
