Congratulations to Carrie Sisk our newest Blackbird Athlete of the Month!
When you find out that Carrie is a therapist, all of her good qualities then make that much more sense. She has the best attitude: toward others and toward herself, her progress in the gym, and her challenges. She always has an encouraging word. And she has more than a healthy dose of competition with her sister and brother-in-law, fellow Blackbirds, Meghan and Greg that keeps us all laughing.
Carrie has been a Blackbird for a little less than two years. In that time she has proven herself a force, with a gentle twist. She pushes her limits. She is tenacious in her pursuit for personal excellence. She is relentless in mastering form and mechanics. She seeks out coaching for improvement. And she seems to smile and stare down adversity. These qualities could describe an aggressive, Type A competitor, but Carrie takes everything in stride. She enjoys her training by giving herself grace on days when she doesn’t meet her own expectations in the gym. There’s no failure, just progress. We love that about her!
COMMITTED has been Carrie’s theme for the past year. She made it into our Inaugural Blackbird Committed Club, attending 15 classes a month for 12 months in a row! And she committed herself to cleaning up her nutrition by working with one of our Blackbird Nutrition Coaches.
“Carrie came looking for some help with her GI issues. For three months she committed to a consistent nutrition routine and tweaked some foods she was noticing were problematic. At the end of our program, she was able to gain control of her gut health, feel better in her clothes, and perform better in the gym. She has worked hard to keep up with the lifestyle change. Three months after our initial work, she continued her weight loss and muscle gains! Not everyone is willing to commit six months to hard work in the kitchen, so I am super proud of her!” explains Coach Steve.
Carrie’s drive, perseverance, and hard work make her a perfect Athlete of the Month!
Check out her story…
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF.
Hi! My name is Carrie Sisk and I am 30 years old. I am getting married in September 2022 to
my Fiancé, Ryan! I have a fur baby named Sadie and will be a step-mom to an awesome 14-
year-old. I have a Bachelor’s in History secondary education from Salisbury University and a
Master’s in Counseling from McDaniel College. I am a Licensed Clinical Professional
Counselor (LCPC) and work in management at Shady Grove Medical Center Behavioral
Health.
WHAT MADE YOU START CROSSFIT? WHAT HAS KEPT YOU DOING IT?
I made a huge life shift in July 2020. I was kind of lost and not taking the best care of myself mentally or physically. I moved back to Sykesville for a fresh start and joined Blackbird CrossFit in August 2020 at the encouragement of my sister, Meghan Messer, and brother-in-law, Greg Messer. You can typically find me in the 5:30am class. I work in a high stress field so getting a WOD done before the chaos is the best way to start my day. A little healthy competition with my sister is always motivating too!
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED SINCE JOINING BLACKBIRD CROSSFIT?
That you can be sore every day! Just kidding! I have learned so much about my comfort zone and my ability to push past it. I have gained a lot of confidence in myself as well. I never thought I’d be able to do half the movements I’ve learned but here I am, just out here moderately killing it!
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BLACKBIRD?
The community at Blackbird is AMAZING! Whether they are cheering you on to finish that last bit of a brutal WOD or being supportive through personal woes, the Blackbird community is consistently there.
WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST CROSSFIT MOMENT?
I was part of the first committed club class to hit 12 months. 😊 I’m even continuing the streak, I’m on month 16. Doing two CrossFit Open WODs as prescribed this year was also a big highlight for me.
WHAT IMPACT HAS CROSSFIT HAD ON YOUR LIFE IN AND OUT OF THE GYM?
CrossFit has given me a sense of self! I’m a therapist so I give a lot of myself to others. I hold CrossFit close to my heart because it’s one thing that I do specifically for me.
WHAT CROSSFIT GOALS ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING TOWARDS?
My current focus is kipping pull-ups, I am striving for Rx Murph this year. I have been working on negatives and the kipping motion after class in the Sweat Lodge. I am also determined to get double unders within 2022.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LIFT, MOVEMENT, OR WOD? LEAST FAVORITE?
Hang cleans and split jerks are my absolute favorite! I also really enjoy rope climbs, but maybe that’s because I mastered that movement before my sister did. Anything and everything with a med ball, can we just not?!?! I will also do just about anything to avoid jumping jacks 😂
WHAT IS YOUR DIET LIKE? HAS IT CHANGED SINCE STARTING CROSSFIT?
I worked with Coach Steve for 1:1 nutrition from September 2021-December 2021. My sole purpose to starting nutrition coaching was to manage my GI issues. I have a history of pancreatitis and a whole mess of mystery GI issues that led to multiple hospital visits, procedures, tests and by the Summer of 2021 daily medication. Coach Steve took the time to develop a nutrition plan that worked for me, my body’s needs and my goals. I am beyond thrilled to not only be off all GI medication but to not even require doctor follow-up at this time. I haven’t felt this good physically since 2017 before I was first diagnosed! I still have a hateful sweet tooth that gets the best of me at times. I have learned that it’s ok to treat yourself every now and then, and I’m always motivated to get back on track.
WHEN YOU’RE NOT CROSSFITTING WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DO?
I love to camp! We have a travel trailer and really enjoy going camping with other Blackbird families and friends. I also value time with my family, Sunday family dinners provide a lot of good core memories. As any other crazy dog mom, spending time with black lab is my happy place.
WHAT IS ONE TIP YOU WOULD GIVE SOMEONE CONSIDERING CROSSFIT OR NEW TO CROSSFIT?
DO IT! CrossFit can sound intimidating but it is hands down one of the best decisions I have ever made. I believe that I am in the best mental and physical shape of my life and I know there is still room for improvement.
WHAT IS ONE FUN THING WE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Most people know I have a scar on my left leg but not the cause. I was born with an insanely large hemangioma (birth mark). After four surgeries to remove it, my left leg was significantly smaller than my right. Through my time at Blackbird I have increased the muscle in my left leg so much that the difference between the two is minimal. I think that is really cool!
RESULTS! TELL US ABOUT YOUR RESULTS!
I’d say my health shows my biggest results! I have gained five pounds of skeletal muscle mass and have lost over eight percent of body fat. My asthma is under control, inhaler use is minimal. I no longer need medications for sleep or GI symptoms.
During Open 2021 I scaled all three WODs, Open 2022 I Rx’d two out of three WODS!
I can deadlift over 250# ☺
FREEWRITE:
Wow! I am so honored to be April’s Blackbird CrossFit’s athlete of the month! I would consider myself about as average as it gets so it’s really exciting to be considered for this. I am beyond thankful for my sister and brother-in-law for encouraging me to join this fantastic gym and community! The coaching staff here is amazing and have made it really easy to fall in love with Blackbird and CrossFit in general over the past year and a half. Huge shout out to Ryan who puts up with my two… ok maybe it’s four… alarms in the morning so I can make it to the 5:30am class, you’re the real MVP!