CrossFit Athletic Group

There must be some weird karma thing that happens when I say "we aren't taking any more new people" because somehow new people keep finding us. As such, we have a 9 am Rookie class of 26 this year and every single one of them is a character fit for our gym... whether or not their attendance keep consistent for the long haul remains to be seen. But so far there are really good returns.

Two people need to be given special shouts for stocking up this session: first is Mrs. Teri, who sent every single good-natured kid she coaches our way, and secondly Coach Casey, who used his combination of basketball and baseball resources to create a consistent teenage male presence in the gym we haven't had since Jason, David Sap, and JZ back in 2013.

Another big theme has been starting late, or ending early, to allow for free time. This started with the Babies, of course, and also has been helpful in the Double-A session. But on the first Day of Summer we had 7 people show of for the Rookies and none of them talked; it was then I realized how truly awkward I can be trying to initiate small talk. So once the rest of the kids got out of school and the session suddenly became a consistent 20+, I gladly let them to the community building and ice breaking. Needless to say it's something I'll be encouraging for years to come.

Anyway, we're gonna start with Mrs. Teri's peeps.

Allie Good

Allie is an 8th grade soccer player going to Utica Eisenhower next year. She had a good start with her attendance, a long stretch of absence that, honestly, made me forget when she looked like, and a recent two weeks of consistency that has put her among the top performers in the session.

Ashlyn Boudia

Whoa boy, where do I start with Ashlyn, our sassy 7th grader. I suppose I could talk about her upside as a runner, or her newfound athleticism upside down, or her kipping pull-ups, or her rope climb... but I think I want to talk about her bullying skills, which rival Sam Curtis in the Monkey Exhibit power rankings. Ashlyn's highlight of the Summer was the most creative and subtle takedown/legsweep of Sam I've seen on this side of the Mississippi.

Karen Barry

Karen is the only person Mrs. Teri brought in this Summer that never, to my knowledge, actually played for her. Despite going to Ford and being in the same graduating class as Dillon and Paris, Karen never played high school soccer, and instead played for her club, The Hawks. Last August she injured her knee and was finally ready to start working out full-time in June. She'll be going to Grand Valley next year to play soccer, but is still humble enough to hang with the young soccer girls at her session like they her younger sister.

Grace Barry

Speaking of Karen's younger sister... Grace is actually Karen't younger sister. She's going into 7th grade and is in the same school district that leads into Ford. When she joined was right around the time where I was firm on closing off the any more new people. But when I called Karen and Grace's dad to get some background for Grace, he said she has just made the top team at her age group, then promptly told the coach she was taking the Summer off from soccer to work on her fitness. Seeing as I'm in the middle of an obsession over the concept of having an off-season, she was a lock. And good thing, because Grace really is doing great with our group.

Isabella Vollet

Isabella is an 8th grader about to enter her freshman year at Troy Athens. She's played for Mrs. Teri for a few years but had to cut things short this season due to a knee injury. Isabella is a tough read for me because she has probably the best form out of any girl is the session, and is really enjoying come in, and she sometimes lets little things like soreness, confidence, or a twisted ankle get in the way of her attending. If Isabella can improve her toughness then I think she'll be in the Dillon Sharp mold.

Jenna Moeller

Out of all the soccer girls in the gym, Jenna is the only one with any history of formal strength and conditioning. She was doing one-on-one sessions at a CrossFit gym on the eastside for about a month before Mrs. Teri said, "Yeah... you gotta check out the Champions Club." Jenna's really got it all in terms of fitness; she's a Rookie Jennifer Banet if I've ever seen one. She'll be going into her freshman year at Regina and her main sports are soccer and basketball, so as of now she plans to keep the CrossFit going in the fall, where she's the number 2 recruit on my board.

Katelyn

I hope it's okay for me to share a little bit here about Katelyn, one of our superstar 7th graders. Much like Grace, her dad called right on the edge of No More New People Please, let me know Katelyn was just placed on Mrs. Teri's team, and was up front about some potential conflicts - notably a summer math class and cross country - that would interfere with a consistent attendance. Plus she technically hadn't played for Mrs. Teri yet, and Mrs. Teri let me know she didn't know the family too well. When I watched her move at a session for the first time I not only noticed how much work was needed, but also how much different she was compared to the rest of the Monkeys in terms of outgoingness. Two weeks later she hadn't missed a single day, despite coming from over a half hour away, and got herself an Athlete of the Week award. I still think Katelyn is going to be a project, but she's been the surprise of the Summer so far and I'm really proud of how she's improved and molded to the group.

Priti Chahill

Finally we have Priti (the "t" is pronounced like a "th"), who was recruit number 1 for the Rookie class. Mrs. Teri has been talking about her since March and with good reason: Priti is about as well-natured and hard working as it is possible for an 8th grader to be. I wasn't warned that she'd be going on vacations for weeks at a time, but I realize I'm having a difficult time staying mad at Priti. She's going to Eisenhower next year.

Now on to Coach Casey's crew:

Josh Backos

Recruit number 1 for Coach Casey is Josh Backos, and much like Priti, Josh has been on the recruiting board since the spring. He's a freshman at Bloomfield Christian High School where he plays every sport because it's a small school and they need everyone to play every sport possible. His main sport is basketball, though, and he played with Dylan this spring on the local AAU scene. Josh is, hands-down, the best mover in the session and the most big league-ready out of any of the Rookies. Much like Priti, those freaking vacations keep getting in the way. Think Madison Bettys Summer 2019.

Caleb Backos

Unbeknownst to Coach Casey, Josh's older brother wanted to join for the Summer as well. Caleb (who I spent the entire month of June spelling with a K) was a sophomore at Bloomfield Christian and plays all the sports Josh does, only he considers baseball to be his primary one. Caleb's made the most improvements in handstands out of anyone and second only to Katelyn in terms of running technique improvement. Now I'm looking for him to find that little push his brother has.

Josh Perkins

Billie Jean

The wild card, as Coach Casey put it, has turned out to be the most consistent and hardest working out of the group, but you would never be able to tell by first glance, as Perk often strolls in late (even by our standards) looking asleep and dragging his sandals as he walks (he has since been banned from wearing sandals in here). But good Lord once the workout starts he goes as hard as any Jessica or Dillon in the star-studded 10 am session, and he has also shown a very good ability to analyze what his limiting factor is during a workout. I like Josh Perkins, and I didn't think I would be able to say that at the start of the Summer. He's going into his sophomore year at Bloomfield Christian and, much like Josh Backos, considers basketball to be his number one sport.

Jack Davenport

Jack had the best first impression out of anyone in the rookie class. Mom was on board, he was on board, even came in early to work on some basketball stuff one weekend... but freaking vacations and tennis has been in the way of consistent attendance. He's a freshman at Troy High and plays with the Joshes and Dylan on Coach's basketball team, so I think there will be plenty of peer pressure to get him in the right direction.

Zach Gillespie

The enigma of the session goes to Zach, for sure. He's another freshman at Troy who started on the varsity baseball team, and when you look at him you'd believe it. But there are some major fitness chinks in the armor that need fixing and he's been doing a great job so far of addressing them. He really did a number on his elbow during the baseball season this spring, so we've had to modify a bunch of workouts; that hasn't stopped him from seeing an improvement in his running, handstands, hollow rocks, and squats. He's my recruit number 1 for the fall.

Cameron Gillespie

I was warned about this one; Chris Farley's soul was mistakingly implanted back on earth like 22 and is now coming to the Champions Club 5 days per week. Cam reminds me of Master P, not only in sneaky athleticism but also his uncanny sense of humor at a young age. He's going into 8th grade and is a baseball/football kid. I hope we can keep this one!

Now on to the rest of the crew.

Wesley (aka World Wide) Ritter

We've known Wes for a while, as he was a New Kid from May, but since he came on so late in the year I thought it best for WWW to be in the Rookies session. I think he's found a good home here; we've refined some technique - especially deadlifts - and he's meshed well with the group. He's a baseball-only kid so we'll see him consistently through most of the year.

Loretta Ritter

As it turns out, Wesley the lone ranger son with a ton of sisters. One of his younger sisters, Loretta, wanted to join her brother a few weeks late and has made herself right at home here. She's going into 7th grade, looks like a twin of Mallory, and has spent a lot of time working on her midline control. But if you haven't seen her yet, the thing that will stick out is her truly exceptional pulling strength: she can already do 15+ pull-ups. Loretta goes to Planet Rock all the time, and no doubt that's where her ability came from, but it's cool to see her round out her fitness at a young age.

Kadence Browder

This is her second go-round here, and we all know Kadence is at that age where the idea of working out can seem like a chore more often than not. Actually, I'm there most of the time, and I'm sure the likes of Mr. Kuiper and Cecilia feel the same way. The difference is, as a 7th grader, it's important for Kadence to associate working out with fun. She's the most talented kid in this group, so once her desire to work out stops her from walking on 400m runs, she'll be out of the Rookie session and in with Conamora and the rest of the Monkey Exhibit.

Langston Browder

Much like Kadence, Langston is back in the Rookies session this Summer. I will admit he's really shown a lot of improvement so far on everything except running. He's deadlifting with a flat back and squatting lower and even climbing the rope without being asked. I think he's still at least a year away from buying in, but it's important to keep the thread connected.

Kyron Burton

Mrs. Burton's son and has been in the Double-A session since September. In a move that surprised both his mother any myself, Kyron asked if he could take CrossFit a little more serious this Summer, and lo he became the first official Rookie to sign up. So far Kyron has been showing flashes that there's a great athlete somewhere in that body, especially as a runner, so hopefully he's around this environment enough where that comes out for us to see.

William Lewis

Much like Kyron, William surprised me by wanting to go from once-a-week with the Double-A Session to the Triple-A level with the Rookies. What I love the most about William (or "Chad", as Cam calls him) so far this Summer is his increased comfort level with being here; the 6th grader is flying around the walls, providing a little sass to me, and picking fights with Kyron and Langston.

Mr. Slade

Mr. Mark came up to me back in April, asking if I would be open to taking a new parent. When I wold him they had to either be a teacher or a coach with a kid 7th grade or younger, he told me the guy in mind fit all three. And as if the impressions couldn't get any better, Mr. Slade (a Michigan fan, unlike his couch-burning Sparty friend) told me in our first phone conversation that he wanted to give his daughter a break from year-round sports to get her fitness on track (more on that below). Mr. Slade is a teacher at Stoney Creek high school, lives in Troy, and was the mastermind behind the 14% shooting display from the Greg Grant basketball champions. Despite that freaking golf course constantly calling his name (seriously dads, I just don't get what is appealing about golf), he has been making the most of his time in here. And yes, that's a Bobby Hurley Sacramento Kings jersey. He's a keeper!

Erica Slade

The daughter of our golf-loving, mid-90's basketball enthusiast is Erica, who came in as a workout-hating anything-but-9-am enthusiast and is now as hooked as anyone else in the session. Erica rivals Priti in terms of most outward enjoyment displayed for being here; she even got Katelyn Frazier to talk... or at least play in improvised game of baseball. I assume there was talking going on. Anyway, Erica's already got an Athlete of the Week to her name and has done nothing to stop the momentum since. She's going into 7th grade and her main sport is volleyball, but she also plays soccer and basketball.

Samantha Buekers

Samantha actually started in May; she's been in the Conamora camp since the days of the Babies session but never pulled the trigger for whatever reason. Mr. Gjon helped nudge Samantha into starting, but the soccer season proved to be too much for her to make it in consistently. The exact opposite has been true for the Summer; Samantha, if I remember correctly, has the 3rd best attendance out of all the Rookies and her improvements reflect that. She's going into 8th grade and plays soccer, but has a lot of potential as a runner also.

Blake Kuiper

That picture is all you need to know about Blake Kuiper. My guess is he's one year too early, but I also thought that about Alex Schulz and Dylan, so I'm leaving the door open for the youngest Kuiper. He can run, jump, has great timing on core-to-extremity movements, and has really improved midline stability. It's just the whole working out thing is soooooo much more physically challenging than the video games. And the rewards are not right there to be seen. Blake is going into 7th grade, so whenever the time is right we'll be ready for him.

Arthur Savella

Arthur is going into his freshman year at Rochester High School and does not play a sport. He's family friends with Isabella and got in juuuuust before I closed off the session for real. He was on the fringe as it was and his tryout laster a little over two weeks, but once he got into the rhythm of coming in he was money! He's been running well, lifting weights with great form, and is finding an athlete that has been waiting to get out. He's one of those kids, along with Wesley, whom I hope we see a lot of come fall and winter.

Gavin Bush

[I gotta get a picture of Gavin!]

[Update: I got a picture of Gavin!]

And it wouldn't be a Rookie session without a Shannon recruit. Originally Shannon had a list of 4 kids she wanted to bring in for the Summer, but after some close examining she crossed them out and replaced them with Gavin. He's a freshman going into his sophomore year at Seaholm and plays soccer in addition to running track for Shannon. He's on the Jack Davenport train in terms of attendance, with vacations popping up left and right. But he came in knowing squats, push-ups, hollow rocks, Pose running, and even mobility, plus he's an absolute no-brainer in terms of culture fit. So he's going to be a project that will hopefully make time to make this a priority. When he does, watch out track people!

Honorary Rookie: Pedro!

Pedro is Isabella's twin brother and was... er... peer pressured by me into working out earlier in the Summer; the first time I met him he said he kinda wanted to try out but wasn't sure he would be fit enough. As it turns out Pedro did just fine in his sessions here, and I think he's more in his own head than anything else. Once he gets used to the whole concept of muscles burning and heavy breathing and my general unpleasantness to be around I think he'll find himself a home here. That's why I'm including him in this Rookie class.

...........

Welp, there we have it. Not as much as Summer 2019 but enough to keep our 9 am session packed every day. So far this crew has been a gret start to the Champions Club's day and hopefully it will keep that way for the rest of the Summer.