Athlete of the Month – April 2015 – Amy Cohn

AMY COHN is BBCF’s April 2015 Athlete of the Month! 

Amys Glory!

Our April Athlete of the Month was chosen by the athletes themselves!

Amy Cohn began her CrossFit journey in 2013 with a group Century High School teachers who would meet at 5am for WODs in the high school weight room.  Current Blackbird coaches, Steve Weatherholt and Justin Metzger led this group before coming to us. According to Justin, “Amy wasn’t ready to give up her traditional gym and cardio classes when she first started CrossFit.  She quickly began to understand that we were teaching movements that were going to improve her everyday life. Her questions soon turned from “What is a clean?”, into, “How much did I clean last week and what should I try for today?” Then we heard about Blackbird and Amy was ready to try it out with us. The rest is history. Now, we couldn’t be more proud of her making amazing strides in changing her diet through her first Paleo challenge in October, kicking butt in the 2015 Open, and achieving PRs regularly.”

 

Steve added, “Its not the CrossFit Games athletes or fire breathers that inspire me.  Amy is the type of athlete that inspires me.  She doesn’t skip workouts because she looks online and doesn’t like it or is afraid.  She only misses because she’s a busy teacher, wife, and mother and puts others before her own needs. But you better believe that if she has the time to come in to class she WILL be there. Seeing a person so dedicated to all aspects of her life and still finds the courage to come in to class and step outside her comfort zone makes her a role model and leader in our gym.”

 

Amy is the perfect example of what perseverance, courage, patience and hard work can reap. She gets it. She understands that this is HER journey to better health, strength and fitness and that keeps her from comparing herself to others. She doesn’t care about being the best, the fastest or the strongest, she cares about getting it right and doing her best. Because of this refreshing attitude, Amy is one of the most inspiring athletes that we have at Blackbird. We have all witnessed it for the past 8 months, but during the CrossFit Open last month, she left it all out on the floor each week! For 15.4 she came in early to work on her clean. Her previous PR was 67lbs and she needed to get to 75lbs to do the scaled workout as prescribed. Her extra work paid off, once again, and she nailed one 75lb clean! It was one of the highlights of the Open!

 

This determination has extended into promoting a healthy lifestyle for her entire family. Amy is working hard to change the eating habits and diet for her family and even instilling a love of fitness in her son who participates in our CrossFit Kids program. Amy is a role model to her students at Century, to her son, and to all of her friends at Blackbird CrossFit. We are incredibly proud to introduce you to her. Meet Amy…

 

1. TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF.DSC_0105

My name is Amy Cohn and I am 43 years old. I am a high school chemistry teacher at Century High School (Go Knights!). I am a mom to a 10 year old son and have been married for 18 years.

 2. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO START CROSSFIT? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING IT?

I started doing Crossfit with Justin, Steve, Jackie and other co-workers at Century in the mornings because the WODs sounded intriguing. I joined BBCF in July and continue to enjoy (though my face may not reflect that) the challenging workouts and learning how to fuel my body by eating healthy.

3. WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS AFTER YOUR 1st WOD?

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I thought I would puke! But I knew I wanted to do it again!

4. WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST CROSSFIT MOMENT?

Cleaning 75 pounds in the 15.4 Crossfit Open

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVEMENT/LIFT? LEAST FAVORITE?

DSC_0064My favorite movement is kettle bell swings. My least favorite is wall balls.

7. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CHEAT MEAL?

Italian food!

8. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT CROSSFIT?

The supportive community! From day one, everyone has been so supportive. I love that everyone encourages each other to do their best!

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9. WHAT IS THE ONE TIP YOU WOULD GIVE SOMEONE CONSIDERING CROSSFIT OR NEW TO CROSSFIT?

To take a deep breath and relax  (I should take my own advice!) and to know that you can scale any workout to meet your needs.

10. WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?

My goals are to start connecting double unders, finally get over my fear of the 18 inch box jump, and work towards an unassisted pull-up. I have a ways to go, but I know with continued practice, I will get there.

11. WHAT HAS CROSSFIT DONE FOR YOU IN AND OUT OF THE BOX?DSC_0400

I am more confident. I have proven to myself that I am stronger than I think I am.

FREEWRITE:

I would like to thank Rebekah and Matt Titus for all of their instruction, encouragement, and patience. Your belief in me has allowed me to push harder and start believing in myself more. I would also like to thank all of the coaches: Justin, Steve, Michelle, and Monika. I have learned and continue to learn from each of you every class. Finally, to all of my BBCF family- You are the best! Each of you has made a positive impact on my life and I feel so lucky to be a part of this community!