As a camp counselor at Math Quest and Computer Quest, I took care of and taught twenty middle school students. My job included writing a lesson plan for the week and engaging the campers in their problem sets. Sometimes I held Sudoku tournaments or massive games of Mao. However, most of my time was spent getting to know the campers.
My biggest responsibility was helping these timid students break out of their shells. To do that, I talked to each camper about their interests and challenged them as if they were my peers. I put them in situations where group work and collaboration were necessary. As I watched them grow intellectually, …show more content…
After going to multiple doctor’s appointments, I just couldn’t keep up. Athletics took a backseat from my life for three excruciating years. Eventually, I lost the motivation to go to the gym or even pick up a basketball.
This year everything changed: I began CrossFit.
CrossFit is a high-intensity strength and conditioning program that combines Olympic weightlifting, calisthenics, gymnastics, and cardio. Every day, there is a WOD (workout of the day) that consists of a strength exercise and a metabolic conditioning exercise. Classes take place in a “box”: four walls filled with ropes, weights, boxes, bars, and tires.
Although I’d played sports before, my first class seemed to push me beyond my perceived limits. Intrigued by the challenge, I showed up the next day. Before I knew it, I was welcomed into what has become my second home.
I remember when I failed to back squat 70 pounds and completed my first workout with a measly 15-pound barbell—and still didn’t finish first. Today, I can back squat up to 225 pounds and can finish nearly every workout as prescribed. Every time I walk into the box, I am ready to give the WOD my