CrossFit Athletic Group

On this day 5 years ago Katie Shakes completed her first session of Fundamentals.

To call this a 5 year anniversary is somewhat misleading because Katie Shakes is a completely different person that when she walked in the doors. Her first Summer was inconsistent and showcased glimpses of strength, but not much happened through that school year. Then that 1,000m run/wallball workout happened in Summer 2015 and I was like HOLY S#%! Shakes! The next workout I had Murley secretly count her reps just to make sure there wasn't some Lindsey counting going on. And since then, the only time she has touched the 12-lb. dumbbells is when she helps clean the gym. Her complete athletic overhaul is something she should be very proud of.

In 2016 Katie Shakes won the Athlete of the Summer award and has been consistently the best female CrossFit athlete in our gym. Shannon's got her on speed. Murley's got her on endurance. Elizabeth's got her on form. Jennifer's got her on intensity. And all four of them combined could not lift Shakes's max effort deadlift. Her combination of strength and endurance is, honestly, ridiculous.

In recent years, Shakes has taken on a bigger role in the gym in terms of community building. She's organized rock climbing, golf field trips, and jazz concerts, set up major decorations for Theme Workouts, and now has built up a good client base of personal softball lessons for the turf. Seeing her grow up in front of our eyes has been a real privilege.

Thank you so much Katie for the time you have given to both myself, personally, and the gym as a whole. You are truly one-of-a-kind, and we are lucky you're on our team! Here's to another 5... 15... 50 years as the lower body of the Champions Club!

Recommended reading:

We Love to Hate the Shakes We Love

Athlete of the Spring 2018