CrossFit Athletic Group

On this day 3 years ago, Mr. Malak was rolling around on the floor pretending to mobilize when he told me about a guy he thought would be a good fit to join:

• Principal
• Loves basketball
• Three teenage kids
• Knows all the words to La Di Da Di

In euchre terms, I was handed a Kennedy Loner. So three days later, on August 14, Mr. Robinson rolled into the gym with... not Brady, or Kate, or Jack, or even one of the basketball kids he coached... but Mrs. Robinson, who was not a principal, thought La Di Da Di was a lullaby, and has gone on record saying her son's team needed a "basket-getter." I was already in a grunchy mood due to a whoopsie haircut an hour before, and then Mrs. Robinson was right there in front of me refusing to do hollow holds - let alone somersaults or handstands - and claiming her vertigo was something we'd just have to work around. After a few days I figured there was no way she'd stick around long enough to see her arms raised over her head.

I figured wrong. Spectacularly wrong.

...........

I have said multiple times that I don't know how it's possible to be cocky while doing CrossFit; being good costs so much more than being good at basketball or football. I stand by that completely, but as I was writing this I also realized how the same could be true for coaching CrossFit. Coaches are wrong at least as much as the athletes, and probably more so. Yet most times something goes well a coach is the first one to get credit.

I mean, look at Mrs. Robinson right there. Just look at her. She's an absolute unit! She has muscles. She can do 90(!) legit push-ups in a workout. She can do somersaults on command. She can run fast. She can lift 75 pounds over her head repeatedly. She can deadlift damn near 200 pounds. She can do pull-ups in the plural. I think she even did an L-sit for a fraction of a second. She is not a work in progress, or someone to keep your eye on in a few months or years. She's a full-blown stud who's undergone a complete athletic and mental overhaul in the most unassuming, under-the-radar way. And the best thing of all is I think she's starting to realize all of that now.

Actually, I take that back. I can't speak for her, but I can say for sure I am starting to realize that now.

I am truly humbled with not only how well Mrs. Robinson has been doing, but also with how she's embraced a change in lifestyle, work ethic, and mentality. And when I use the word "humble," I'm not necessarily proud of it, like the blessing I've received was more than the effort I put in, or appreciation I had. I save a special corner of admirance (if squoze is a word so is "admirance") for the Dillons and Mrs. Hanas and Carters and others who have proven me wrong over the years. The fact Mrs.Robinson is among you guys and thriving has much less to do with me and waaaaaaaay more to do with her resilience and character. And leg muscles. I'm grateful every time she walks through our garage door and I love seeing this version of Mrs. Robinson do her thing for everyone to see.