December Athlete of the MOnth
Madison Clouatre
Hi everyone! For those of you that don’t know me,I’m Maddy ... one of those crazy 5AMers. I’ve been crossfitting for about 4 years. I had always been active growing up playing softball when I was younger and dancing 20+ hours a week all through high school. I continued to dance in college but not nearly as much so I filled some time visiting the gym. Visiting is all I really did... I wasn’t sure how to do much but I felt the need to stay active. I would go for a few days, do the same few exercises and take two weeks off and start all over again. After my own failed gym attempts I tried a variety of other types of workout but nothing stuck for more than a few months. I had always wanted to try CrossFit but after suffering from a debilitating back injury at the end of high school and having major surgery on my spine to repair it I was pretty confident I wouldn’t be able to do it. I thought the weights would be too heavy and I’d hurt myself again. One afternoon after a summer of not making it to the gym yet again I messaged my friend Marisa explaining why I was nervous to which she responded you don’t know if you don’t try. Just take it easy and give it a shot. So I did. After my first on ramp class with Hilary I couldn’t walk down the stairs to leave and I was instantly hooked. I haven’t looked back since. CrossFit has helped to show me how important it is to fuel my body appropriately, maintain a functional fitness for life, not just in the gym and listen to when my body’s had enough or when it can take another push. Over the last 4 years I have spent time in a few different gyms simply out of convenience of school and work however, I have always looked forward to the times I got to visit Clean Slate and I am so happy I get to work out here now consistently. It is so nice to see so many friendly faces every day all there for the same reasons ready to cheer each other on and suffer together ... even at 5AM. I am very thankful to have found the Clean Slate family and I look forward to continuing to suffer and grow with everyone!
November Athlete of the Month
Jose Vallejo
Hello everyone whom I haven’t met, my name is Jose.I started my CrossFit journey at CrossFit Clean Slate roughly 8 months ago. I’ve been doing CrossFit for about 4 years now and had taken a break from it for a while. I tried going to a regular gym but it just wasn’t the same. I quickly lost motivation and stopped going to the gym. I started slacking on my diet and put on some weight. For Christmas my wife got me a Groupon for CrossFit at CFCS. She knew how much I loved working out and I’m grateful for that gift. From the first time I walked in I knew that I had found a new home. On May 6th I re-injured my knee playing football and was told I would need ACL and knee cartilage replacement surgery. I was devastated, I had gotten surgery on that same knee 5 years ago and I knew that this time I’d have to hang up the cleats for good. Though I’ve lost something I loved doing, CrossFit has filled that void and my goal is to compete for the first time next year. My doctor said I could continue CrossFit and advised me to drop weight before the surgery. Though I could not run or cut, I worked my butt off during every workout and started eating better. I felt stronger as a person and felt like I was finally peaking. I went down from 245 to 208. It’s been 7 weeks since I got my surgery and it hasn’t stopped me from coming in and finding different ways to do a workout. Thank you to everyone for giving me the honor of being athlete of the month and for helping me stay motivated. I am always going to do my best to motivate you all as well because we aren’t just a group of people pushing each other to our limits doing these workouts,we’re family. This is only a small setback for a big come back! ✊🏽
-Jose
October Athlete of the month
Isabella Tran
Hello everyone, my name is Isabella and I am going into my 3rd year at crossfit. When I started I was coming from a different gym and thought I would have a hard time adjusting and making friends. That wasn’t the case at all. I still remember my first class and how welcoming everyone was and still is. This place is my home away from home as cliche as it sounds, once I enter this gym, all my worries and stress are gone... for that hour of course haha. But I wouldn’t want to workout anywhere besides here. The coaches are amazing, the WODS are fun (mostly) when i’m not dying, but always feel amazing afterwards. CHEERS TO CF CLEANSLATE AND EVERYONE IN IT. thanks for making working out so much fun.
