January Athlete of the Month: Rosie Briggs
Congratulations, Rosie! You are our January NoCoast Athlete of the Month!!
Rosie started her NoCoast journey exactly one year ago. In that short time she has not only proven herself as an incredible athlete, but she has become a leader within our community and someone we can all call a friend. Over the past year, Rosie has represented NoCoast in some local competitions, the Frisco Triathlon, and the Mountain Meltdown, as well as participated in our nutrition challenges and In House Open. We love Rosie’s commitment to our community and our program and are anxious to see what is in store for her this coming year!
Quotes from Rosie:
“I’m definitely fitter, faster and stronger than I’ve ever been. My conditioning is better now than when it was when I only did conditioning, and my strength doesn’t even compare to what it was when I just played sports and ran! Adding this huge strength component to my regular fitness routine has made me pay more attention to my diet since I need calories and protein to safely do what I’m asking of my body. I’ve learned that quality is much more important than quantity when it comes to fitness, and I have so much faith in the programming here and how it progresses my strength.”
“Within the first week of joining the gym, I had already been talked into signing up for the Frisco triathlon with the NoCoast crew, and a year later the gym is just basically a building filled with my favorite people doing my favorite activity. In March when I had a very sad death in the family, the gym was the only place I really wanted to go, and I think that speaks volumes about the kind of atmosphere that exists at this gym. When my car broke down, no less than four NoCoasters immediately offered theirs up to me until I could find a new one! I’m so lucky to have all these people around me every day.”
Age/Weight:
24/130
Athletic/Sports history/highlights:
I played soccer, basketball, and ran track my whole life, After graduating college I was really missing the competitive atmosphere and challenge of organized sports. I had lifted a little for pre-season for my sports but most of my background centered around conditioning, and I wanted to get stronger!
How long have you been CrossFitting?
I did my on-ramp in 2017 at a different gym, but only went to endurance classes a few times a week because I was racing 10ks at the time and was training for those. I didn’t really start actual CrossFit until January 2019 when I came to NoCoast!
How did you get into CrossFit?
Since starting soccer as a tiny little kid, I’ve always loved being challenged physically, as well as the competitive and supportive environment of a team sport. After I graduated, I was trying to challenge myself in the gym lifting and running alone, but couldn’t find that same motivation and joy that competing in sports brought me. When I was doing endurance classes at my first CrossFit gym, I was having fun and definitely being pushed but I still wasn’t totally in it and it didn’t have that “team” feel. When I moved to Lafayette, I decided to look for a CrossFit gym. I dropped into 3 to see how I liked them and when I walked into NoCoast I stopped looking! The programming NEVER bores me and the community feels like a team.
What is your favorite WOD/CrossFit movement?
Hmm. Close tie between burpees and rope climbs. I cannot resist a long, terrible Hero WOD.
What is your least favorite WOD/CrossFit movement?
I have a passionate love/hate relationship with the bike but we’re working on it. Honestly if a WOD or movement is painful (like a thruster) or I know I’m not particularly good at it (like the bike) I’m even more excited because I know the workout will leave me dying on the floor.
What is your most memorable CrossFit moment?
There have been so many, but one that’s fresh in my memory is from the 2020 Open. The overhead position is always a little scary for me because my left shoulder is unstable (again, workin’ on it!), so when 20.4 came out I was so excited to see pistols and cleans but a little nervous about the heavy jerks. I started being really down on myself, which isn’t at all like me, and I wanted to give up (even though the weight wasn’t outrageously heavy for me). But I gave myself a little pep talk, practiced my form a lot, took a rest day, and showed up to do my best. Coach Heather judged me and encouraged me all the way through, and I ended up getting a PR jerk and then making the lift 3 more times. It wasn’t necessarily a great show of athleticism or anything, but it was a good example of how much mindset and community play a role in CrossFit.
How does nutrition play a role in your fitness and recovery?
I notice SUCH a difference when I fuel my body right and when I don’t. I’ve never been one for junk food— I was raised in a household without junk food, and I don’t eat dairy or soy so my body is actually super sensitive to things like sugars or processed foods. However, I am a HUNGRY human and if I didn’t pay attention I would just eat my body weight in potatoes every day and nothing else. Doing things like nutrition challenges with NoCoast and paying attention to macros helps me eat enough and especially helps me get enough protein.
What has been your strategy working through injuries, tweaks/strains?
Oof, this is a relevant one right now. I’ve been paying attention to my shoulder pain (left over from high school sports) for years and modifying when it flares up, but I’m really being more proactive than ever right now in doing PT, mobility work and proper positioning and stabilization, not to mention modifying. Since I absolutely love pushing myself and can’t resist a high-rep WOD, it can be so tempting to just push through the pain instead of modifying. But I really check in with myself and think about long-term health, and always decide that that’s much more important than my competitiveness in the moment. It can be incredibly frustrating to watch other people snatching when snatching is SO FUN, and I’ve definitely gotten discouraged, but I always tell myself that I’m working on moving safely now so that I can keep doing it for many decades to come! Even if it’s just a little tweak or something that i could ignore, it’s probably indicating that something about how I’m moving isn’t safe and I’d much rather slow down and address that than really hurt myself later on. One thing that’s kept me going is just to keep showing up in the gym whether I’m there to do a workout, modify or even just do PT— just being there and seeing all my friends working out keeps me motivated to keep doing what I can in this moment instead of giving up/not coming at all.
How has NoCoast improved your overall wellness?
I’m definitely fitter, faster and stronger than I’ve ever been. My conditioning is better now than when it was when I only did conditioning, and my strength doesn’t even compare to what it was when I just played sports and ran! Adding this huge strength component to my regular fitness routine has made me pay more attention to my diet since I need calories and protein to safely do what I’m asking of my body. I’ve learned that quality is much more important than quantity when it comes to fitness, and I have so much faith in the programming here and how it progresses my strength. Dan told us to follow his squat program to get our 5 rep max back squat weight to turn into our 20 rep max, and even though I thought I was going to die, I did every session and sure enough, it happened! Dan ALMOST kills me sometimes but always makes me stronger.
How has NoCoast impacted your social life?
Wowie, where to begin? I don’t even remember meeting any of my NoCoast friends because it seems like I walked in for the first time and was just welcomed into the community. Within the first week of joining the gym, I had already been talked into signing up for the Frisco triathlon with the NoCoast crew, and a year later the gym is just basically a building filled with my favorite people doing my favorite activity. In March when I had a very sad death in the family, the gym was the only place I really wanted to go, and I think that speaks volumes about the kind of atmosphere that exists at this gym. When my car broke down, no less than four NoCoasters immediately offered theirs up to me until I could find a new one! I’m so lucky to have all these people around me every day.
Advice to new people:
I’d say focus on yourself and never compare your own progress to anyone else’s, but at the same time be inspired by the bad-ass athletes around you and cheer them on as much as you can! You’ll do your best when you’re having fun and when you feel supported by and supportive towards the people around you. Always keep in mind that we ALL fall on our heads on HSPU sometimes, we’ve all eaten it on a box jump and we’ve all clotheslined ourselves on a clean. Keep a good sense of humor and always workout from a place of joy!