CrossFit Athletic Group

by, Mrs. Hana

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I don’t always remember to be thankful for the gifts surrounding me, but holy cow…this past Friday I was reminded of a part of what makes the Champions Club so dang special, and I’d like to take a sec to share. After missing 3 days of gym attendance due to conference prep and completion, I managed to drag myself to Friday’s workout. And man, am I glad I did!

Missing the 4:30 session time, but arriving early, I thought I’d hang out, do some seriously overdue mobility, and get ready for whatever Chris had in store for us. Well, when I came out of the bathroom from changing, the 4:30 workout crew was gone…just gone. The only ones remaining were the Nevarez clan and Aaron Sexton. Chatting with Aaron briefly, I learned that everyone had taken a field trip to the hill. Upon a little more convo, I also learned that the 3:30 session did NOT go, so I foolishly had hopes that the 5:30 session would stay put and decided to remain. Not my brightest moment, I’ll admit, but in the end, the hill was worth all the pain because I had the opportunity to see Aaron, aka “Aaron Sexton” as Johnny called him the ENTIRE time Friday night, in action with Lesley’s crew and vice versa.

Aaron and clan were playing a version of football in which, from my viewpoint, Aaron used endless amounts of energy and kept switching teams to either the girls or the boys, depending on who had possession of the ball. All of the kids showed marvelous athleticism, though I think Johnny was a standout as running back (seriously, the kid had a future-just watch him tuck that ball and run!) and gosh, does Aaron have endless patience. It was pure enjoyment watching the five of them engage in their game, and though I probably paid more attention to the game than I did to my actual mobility, it was the best “treatment” I could have given my slightly end-of-the-week tired self. I think my favorite moments were the conversations between Aaron and Johnny (though he had a MILLION with ALL of the kids, and all of them simultaneously, I swear!). Here’s what the convo with Johnny and Aaron sounded like EVERY. SINGLE. TIME:

Johnny (J): Aaron Sexton, you’re on our team.

Aaron (A): Yes, Johnny, but the girls have the ball right now, so I’m on their team.

J: But Aaron Sexton, you’re on our team.

A: But the girls got the ball from you, so I’m helping them right now.

J: Buy why Aaron Sexton?

Repeat convo 8 million times.

Next play, Aaron gets the boys the ball, Johnny gets it, and the kid tucks it, takes off running to the other end of the gym and yells, “TOUCHDOWN!!!”

[Edit-Chris: MSU blocking Aiden Hutchinson pictured above]

Constant calls for the ball, near death tackles and choke holds by the Nevarez kids (those worried Aaron and me a little but I think they’re fairly normal based on the kids’ reactions to them and how Johnny slid out of them each time), racing up and down the gym, and laughter ensued for the much of the time. Breaks were filled by a continuous stream of conversations and cast signing. I mostly smiled and watched. It was a complete and utter blast!

I could go on and on about Friday night, but I’ll wrap up by saying a couple things:

1. I’m a BIG fan of all of Lesley’s kiddos and Aaron!
2. Aaron definitely has a certain way with kiddos. He’s patient, kind, managed to give all 4 kids individual responses…like the whole time, and he had a genuinely good time too. Kudos, Aaron. You’d make a FANTASTIC teacher.
3. The hill STILL sucked but the awesomeness of this gym kept me a little warmer and made me hate Chris a little less during my suffering.
4. (this is the BIGGEST)-I could never see this in another gym, guaranteed. It was the fuel my soul needed, and a reason why I miss the gym when I’m away. Chris has nothing to do with it. Or mostly nothing to do with it :)

Champions Club is a pretty special place, and all about the people, the culture, the “what” that Chris allows it to be. Friday was just a sampling of that, and I’m sure every single one of us could write about moments like this one. Not many places (not just gyms) can you walk into and see, on any given day, college kids, moms, dads, or youngsters interacting like we do every day. The fact that it’s common here, makes CC unique. Kinda ironic, huh?