10-Year Anniversary: Jay Junkin
Chris Sinagoga | Thursday, June 17, 2021 at 3:16PM During the summer months of 2009, Brian the Trainer left me alone in the CrossFit world with Old Faithful and not much else while he took a month-long trip to the west coast to visit his brother. During those months I hit the workouts solo - sneaking into Foley's weight room or else heading out to the track and improvising pull-ups on the back of the bleachers.
On one fateful July day I convinced my 14-year old neighbor Jay Junkin to do a CrossFit workout. So I walked him up to the track in the middle of the day, medball in my dufflebag, trying to think of a good workout to initiate him in what was going to be day 1 of a new lifelong CrossFit journey. The closer we got, the more pressure I felt to actually, you know, pick a workout for him; we were already sweating our balls off on the walk, so there would no need for a warmup, and therefore no extra time to plan. I needed to act fast, lest he would think I was a bad coach, so I decided on the first workout that popped into my mind:
"Kalsu"
For time:
135-lb. thrusters, 100 reps
*begin every minute with 5 burpees
It was known as the most difficult workout in CrossFit's arsenal and I figured that would be a good test to see if Jay really had what it takes to be a CrossFitter; I, of couse, had never done the workout. Plus, I'd be letting him off easy by using a 20-lb. medball (actually, Old Faithful was probably 19.2 pounds at the time).
About 3 minutes into the workout I realized this was a horrible, horrible idea but no amount of shaking legs or rounding back or missed catches in directly in the summer sun would deter me from trying to save face. "Okay, maybe let's try for 75 instead of 100" I told him. "And don't worry about the squat part of the wallball." It was no good. Jay stopped 37 wallballs in; neither one of us needed to say the workout was done. I remember thinking Jay Junkin would never do CrossFit again and it was my own damn fault.
Nearly two years had passed since that day; there was now this thing called the Champion's Club and I had successfully not killed dozens of kids right around Jay's age and we were getting ready for our second Summer. So I gingerly asked Jay if he would consider giving CrossFit another try and to my astonishment he agreed. He joined our first-ever Rookie 10 am session on June 13, 2011.
It is now 10 years later and Jay Junkin has about as healthy of a relationship with CrossFit as one can possible have, give or take hamstring mobility. He's been on a low trajectory towards a distant horizon since Day 1 and it's led him to the Jay you guys know today. Over the last decade the Champions Club has undergone some major changes; thankfully having Jay Junkin in our ranks wasn't one of them.
There really needs to be some other way of honoring our 10-year kids other than a collage of old videos and photos here, but until then I don't have words for how appreciative I am of Jay being such a staple in the Champions Club for the last 10 years. The patience he shows with his fitness and athleticism coupled with the humility and easy-going nature make him absolutely irreplaceable. We are truly lucky to have him. If we did an Athlete of the Decade award, he's be right there with Mrs. Carey. Congratulations my man! Let's hope there's another great decade ahead.
Recommended reading:
All-Decade List: Best Beast Mode (#11 and #6)
All-Decade List: Bring Your A-Game Session
Parents Under Pressure and the Jay Junkin Effect
Reader Comments (5)
Its always amazing to watch Jay workout. He does the difficult CF movements with ease. I am usually in awe of his athleticism and easy going personality. He is a favorite among the kids and parents. I remember when I was paired up with him for a Sunday team workout early in my first year at the CC. I was so nervous in fear of bringing him down. He never flinched or seemed to care who his partner was. I had a sense of relief. I had no idea who Jay was at the time except that he could do muscle ups and I could barely do a burpee. All around Jay is a good guy! Thanks Jay for being a great example for the younger athletes in your presence. Cheers to another 10 years!
The Champions Club wouldn't be the same without him! He's a staple for sure. I can always tell when he's on vacation because his lack of presence is noticeable. The kids love hanging around him! You'd never know if they annoy him because he's so tolerant, even with Dylan (which says a lot!). Thanks for being you, Jay!!!
Chris, you made a HUGE mistake in posting these videos. I spy a fan in video 3.
Congrats Jay. 10 years is impressive. Let me know if you ever re-do Kalsu and want some pointers.
Happy 10 years Jay!
congrats Jay! Glad to see that your spirit is alive and well at the box. Always a better session with a Junkin!