It is well overdue to recognize the OG Power Couple of Blackbird CrossFit, Joe & Diana Cavey! Talk about #couplegoals!
Diana has been with Blackbird since November 2015 and soon roped Joe into personal training to get him in the door. Soon enough, he was by her side in classes and has remained there. (Seriously, scroll the pictures and you will see these two are always set up beside each other powering through their workouts together.) I’m not quite sure when or how it happened, but Joe & Diana kind of took Matt & I under their wing. After years of running a series of successful gas stations in Carroll County while raising a young family, they said they saw something of theirselves in us. They were all too familiar with the challenges of running a family business. They generously share their experiences, wisdom, and listening ears over good wine and delicious meals. Their support and friendship over the years has meant the world to us.
Both Joe & Diana have made huge strides in their strength, endurance, and mobility. They have worked so hard over the years to put their health and longevity as a priority. Diana wakes up every day and does a series of mobility exercises before she even comes to the gym. Joe arrives at the gym and does his shoulder rehab exercises before we get started. I’ll never forget the day that he jumped rope for the first time! After spending a year rebuilding strength after 2 knee surgeries, this was a truly inspiring moment. When they live at the beach for the Summer, they join in our virtual classes to stay on track with their fitness. Joe & Diana do not sit still. They stay active in so many ways from hiking to pickle ball. They challenge themselves. They push outside of their comfort zone. They make delicious wine. And they inspire our community in so many ways, including that age is just a number! MEET JOE & DIANA….
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF.
We are Joe and Diana Cavey a couple that’s old enough to be married 42 years and have 3 grown/ married children as well as 7 grandchildren. We met in 1977 in Ocean City where we both lived working summers between college. After we got married, we worked together in a business we owned until we retired in 2013. Life has been a journey for sure and we couldn’t be happier that the road led to Blackbird CrossFit.
WHAT MADE YOU START CROSSFIT? WHAT HAS KEPT YOU DOING IT? HAS YOUR MOTIVATION CHANGED SINCE YOU FIRST STARTED?
Diana: Our daughter Laura Cline joined Blackbird and told me I would like it. One Saturday in November 2015, I woke up and said I’m going to a trial class at Blackbird. Laura came with me for support. I was blown away with the personal coaching and the friendliness of a group setting. I immediately felt comfortable and thought, I can do this!
Joe: Diana gave me personal training with Michelle for a Christmas gift as a way to ease me in. It was 3 months after my 2nd knee replacement and I was not sure I could or wanted to do CrossFit. Soon enough I found myself coming to Blackbird 3 times a week was much more fun than a typical gym and I was feeling stronger and challenged in ways I had never been before. We often do virtual workouts at home just because it makes both of us feel better to move.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT CROSSFIT?
Diana: For me it’s all about the social part. I try to talk to every person I see because I know how I felt when I started. It made all the difference when people talked to me. I’ve made some really good friends at Blackbird and I look forward to social events again.
Joe: I enjoy the low-key atmosphere and the fact there’s no pressure to do more. Also, the friendliness of everyone.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED SINCE JOINING BLACKBIRD CROSSFIT?
Diana: I learned that I can do a lot more than I thought I could do and to just kept going no matter what. I learned that people in the classes aren’t looking at me.
Joe: I learned to just show up no matter what is hurting and then scale the workout for my abilities and be consistent.
WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST CROSSFIT MOMENT?
Diana: Several proud moments, but doing the Open twice is top of the list. I had never done anything close to that and didn’t even know all the moves. I would come to a morning class to figure out how to do the movements right before Friday Night Lights.
Joe: This may not sound all that great but doing jump rope. I never jumped rope as a kid and at my age it’s a proud moment!
At the writing of this we are preparing to do our first full Murph, and that will be a crazy proud moment for both of us!
WHAT IMPACT HAS CROSSFIT HAD ON YOUR LIFE IN AND OUT OF THE GYM?
Diana: CrossFit has dramatically changed my life in every way. I feel stronger physically and mentally. I am less self conscious and just happier.
Joe: Everything I do outside the gym is now either a “chipper” or an “AMRAP”.
WHAT CROSSFIT GOALS ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING TOWARDS?
Diana: One goal is to bench press 100lbs, I am getting closer. Not sure if I’ll ever be able to do a pull-up, but I’ll keep trying.
Joe: My goal is to show up, do the workout, sweat and have the strength to walk out the door at the end without hurting something in my body.
FAVORITE LIFT, MOVEMENT, OR WOD? LEAST FAVORITE?
Diana: Favorite- bench press & cleans. Least favorite – burpees, thrusters, & wall balls.
Joe: Favorite- Dead lift, push press, & rowing. Least favorite- front squats & Turkish getups.
WHEN YOU’RE NOT CROSSFITTING WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DO?
Diana: I love interior design, oil painting, being outside, and spending time with my family and friends preferably while drinking wine.
Joe: Being in the wine cellar making wine, hiking in the woods, and surf fishing on the beach.
WHAT IS ONE FUN THING ABOUT YOU THAT WE MAY NOT KNOW YET?
We love all kinds of outdoor activities and a few years back we rode bicycles from Pittsburgh, PA to Georgetown, DC on the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal. It was a trip that we did portions of twice, staying in bed breakfast places along the trail.
WHAT IS ONE TIP YOU WOULD GIVE SOMEONE CONSIDERING CROSSFIT OR NEW TO CROSSFIT?
Just listen to the coaching, do your best and don’t quit. You will be surprised what you can do when actually start doing it!
WHAT IS YOUR DIET LIKE? HAS IT CHANGED SINCE STARTING CROSSFIT?
Both of us eat fairly clean with lots of veggies and home cooking. Since CrossFit, we have completely eliminated after dinner sweets from our diet. As we heard Steve say at a nutritional seminar, “Sweets are for special occasions.”
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WORKOUT FUEL? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE INDULGENCE?
Diana: Favorite indulgence is pizza and wine, of course.
Joe: I have too many indulgences to list, basically I’ll eat anything!
WHAT IS ONE POSITIVE THING THAT YOU TOOK AWAY FROM 2020?
Diana: I don’t need as much stuff as I had, I spent a lot of time purging things in the house and it feels
good to live with less.
Joe: During 2020 we did virtual workouts 5 days a week for 4 months. I gained so much conditioning and strength.
RESULTS!! TELL US ABOUT YOUR RESULTS!
Diana: when I started CrossFit, I couldn’t jump rope (I skipped rope), my dead lift was 50lbs and it took me a year to learn the clean, thruster and snatch. The first time I did wall balls it was Karen and I came home with a bloody chin from the ball hitting my face 150 times! Now I am gaining strength each week and I feel that even though my form may not be on point I do have a better understanding of what to do for the movements.
Recently, I’ve been doing running when prescribed instead of subbing something else. I’m still making progress.
FREEWRITE:
I’ll speak for both us here. We both have worked out at typical gyms on and off through the years where we showed up and did the same thing and got the same results. Not the story at Blackbird, with the constant varying workouts and the attentive coaching we are seeing results and strength gains. Who would think that at ages 67 and 63 we could do this kind of workout consistently? A few years ago, Joe was struggling with 2 bad knees, a bad shoulder and on and off back issues. I thought my days of being active were over after a horseback riding accident that left me with constant back pain. Not wanting to settle for a life with pain management as the solution, we decided to try moving. I need to give major credit to our daughter Laura Cline who has always pushed us to be active and introduced us to Blackbird CrossFit. To us Blackbird is a safe, supportive community that we love being a part of. Thanks to Matt and Rebekah for building Blackbird and adapting to the challenges of 2020 so that we could not only maintain our fitness but advance it! It is an honor to be named Athlete(s) of the Month, thank you for making us feel so comfortable and included.