“Thank you to my wife for supporting me during the past year. FYI, she is killing it in the gym too and I have no doubt she’ll be AOTM in the near future.” –Bryan Bednarczyk
No truer words could’ve been spoken back in July of 2018 by Jackie’s husband upon the announcement of him taking the Athlete of the Month honor. Once you learn how to pronounce and spell their name, you can’t help but fall for this amazing couple; hell, the whole amazing Dorsey family! Jackie can tell you the story of how her entire family came to be Blackbirds down below. We can tell you that we were quickly impressed with this easy-going little powerhouse early on.
Jackie is simply a life-long athlete. Anything to stay active, she’s up for. And she has inspired and supported her family in those endeavors as well. If she can’t make it to the gym one day, she’ll do at-home workouts with her kids and sister, Jillian (who grew up in our CrossFit Kids program and now attends regular classes). She takes her grandparents to their own gym a few times a week. And she even joins her Uncle Mitch (another BBCF Dorsey family recruit) during his training runs for extra support in his athletic pursuits. See, we told you that you’d fall in love with her!
She came back after her second pregnancy ready to get to work. She listened to our coaching advice and took it slow. But about six months ago, it was GAME ON. You could find her on the pull up bar during any down time working for her strict pull ups. That strength work quickly earned her kipping pull ups plus strict and kipping chest-to-bar pull ups. Jackie is throwing around Rx weights in class, with a body weight of only 115. It may take her a bit longer than other Rx athletes, but she can and will do it. We are pretty sure that she doesn’t always realize that her strength to body weight ratio puts her amongst the strongest women in our gym! She has continually challenged herself, but also has the discipline to listen to her coaches and respect the process. She’s a Mighty Mouse with the determination of a true athlete. She inspires not only the other mothers in the gym, but everyone who has followed her hard-earned progress. MEET JACKIE…
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF.
My name is Jackie Bednarczyk and I’m 32 years old. I have my Masters in School Counseling, but currently stay home with our two awesome (almost) 2 and (almost) 4 year old girls. You also might see my husband (Bryan) around the gym who attends the ridiculously early 5:30 am class every day.
WHAT MADE YOU START CROSSFIT? WHAT HAS KEPT YOU DOING IT? HAS YOUR MOTIVATION CHANGED SINCE YOU FIRST STARTED?
My brother joined Blackbird around 3 years ago and I started making fun of him for it around 3 years ago… and then he lost 50+ pounds and that’s when I shut up about it. At that point, I realized he was onto something major.
Physical activity has always been a big part of who I am. I played softball at Stevenson University and after graduation I really struggled to find motivation to workout. It was more of something I did because I knew I should, not necessarily because I wanted to.
I started coming to Blackbird as a part of the Maternal Fitness program well into my pregnancy with my second daughter. The program was held on Sundays and would include a workout one week and a yoga session the next for expecting mothers. I really enjoyed the program and right after I had my second daughter I signed up for regular classes at BBCF. Coming back after having a child is no joke and Blackbird helped me learn to be patient and trust the process.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED SINCE JOINING BLACKBIRD?
Since joining Blackbird, I have learned to be patient when it comes to goal setting. I stopped expecting such quick results when it comes to my body and learned putting in a little work every day is the fastest way to reach any goal i’ve set. I have also learned to STRETCH! I have been an athlete my whole life and whenever it was time to stretch before a game or practice I had perfected the “lay on the ground and look like I’m doing something” stretch. Since doing crossfit workouts, I have learned what a difference stretching can make in my workouts and day to day tasks.
I can’t even tell you how much I’ve learned about proper form when it comes to movements during the lifts and workouts. My sister, Jen and I used to go to a local gym nearby and almost killed ourselves a few times attempting to lift heavy, when we pretty much had no idea what we were doing. I am definitely thankful for the constant wealth of knowledge the coaches have to offer.
WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST CROSSFIT MOMENT?
My proudest moment was probably a couple of weeks ago when I completed a workout at RX weight that included clusters (a squat clean and thruster). The weight was pretty heavy for me and each rep was a struggle. I really wasn’t sure if I was going to finish. I ended up being last person finished in my class, but couldn’t have been happier that I finished the workout.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LIFT, MOVEMENT, OR WOD? LEAST FAVORITE?
Pull ups–they’re fun
Thrusters–they’re not fun (except for the mentally unstable like my husband)
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BLACKBIRD OR JUST CROSSFIT IN GENERAL?
I love the variety of the workouts and I love that I have the opportunity to come into the gym, see some friends, and forget about whatever could be stressing me out that day for a little while. It’s also nice having conversations with people above the age of 4. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with my girls, but I can only discuss the storylines of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so much.
WHAT IMPACT HAS CROSSFIT HAD ON YOU IN AND OUT OF THE GYM?
You hear so much mixed advice in the media about what is healthy for your body, and BBCF has helped us to find what truly works for us. It has helped me and my husband get healthy on an individual level and create a healthy lifestyle for our children and that has been invaluable.
One of the coolest things about BBCF is the ripple affect it has had throughout my family. Over time my brother Jon, mom (Marcia), sister Jillian, and uncle Mitch have all joined the gym.
WHAT ARE YOUR CROSSFIT GOALS? HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO REACHING THEM?
I would love to get a bar muscle up at some point and want to improve upon all of my lifts.
WHEN YOU ARE NOT CROSSFITTING, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DO?
I love to hang out around the house with Bryan and the girls and if it’s nice out you will definitely find us outside. I also love hanging out and traveling with my parents, siblings, and extended family.
WHAT IS ONE FUN THING ABOUT YOU THAT WE MAY NOT KNOW YET?
I’m undefeated at Mario Kart Wii…come at me!
WHAT IS THE ONE TIP YOU’D GIVE SOMEONE CONSIDERING CROSSFIT OR WHO IS NEW TO CROSSFIT?
I think a lot of what holds people up from walking in the door of a CrossFit gym is their comfort zone. While CrossFit is widely known, I think a lot of people don’t know what to expect and that keeps them from coming in. My advice is that something good always comes from stepping outside of your comfort zone. When was the last time you stepped outside of your comfort zone?
WHAT IS YOUR DIET LIKE? HAS IT CHANGED SINCE STARTING CROSSFIT? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WORKOUT FUEL?
I was surprised to learn that I wasn’t eating enough. I eat more often now and feel more energized and more full. It’s made a huge difference especially when it comes to chasing the girls around all day.
RESULTS! TELL US ABOUT YOUR RESULTS!!
Though I don’t have a major weight loss story, I do feel like my body has changed drastically. Working out and a healthy diet has made my everyday tasks easier. If something needs lifting, I can do it on my own. What comes to mind specifically is our trip to Disney last year. I was pretty shocked when I was able to move our luggage around and carry my one year around all of the parks with little to no issues. In general, I feel stronger and more confident to take on whatever life might throw at me.
FREEWRITE:
I couldn’t feel more honored to be this months AOTM. I can’t thank Matt, Rebekah, the coaching staff, and the entire BBCF community enough for your support, encouragement and friendship. It has meant more to me than you know. I feel like I have learned more about my body and general health over the past year and a half than any other point in my life and it has made me a better mom, wife, daughter, sister, and friend. I also want to give a quick shout out to Bryan, my mom, and brother for being so supportive and listening to me complain about soreness. Watching how hard you guys push yourselves helps me to push a little harder even when I feel like I can’t.
Also quick shout out to the 9:30 class for not judging me too harshly when I regularly injure myself in stupid ways and laughing it off with me(ie splitting my chin open on a push press and needing 3 stitches). Thanks guys!