Our LinkedIn personas usually revolve around our work life. We read article upon article about how to be better at this in the workplace, or how to make the right career choice by following three simple rules. I have certainly benefitted from those articles but sometimes, a little change in the usual line-up is warranted.
I found that in order to be better in the workplace, I had to spend time in the gym. But it was not just any gym, it was one that provided so much more than a place to lift heavy weight.
It was a great place that made me better. Not just physically or mentally but better in my career.
My gym is closing after a good run and I wanted to share the impact the gym and the people there had on my life. I heard once that Life is a series of Seasons that you pass through in different places with different people and I would agree with that sentiment.
For the gym and myself, another Season is about to change. This last Season was one that featured furious turbulence I never anticipated and was equally unprepared for, and it lasted 6 years.
Thankfully, at the start of this Season, I found Matt Clark and The Phoenix Gym, or Crossfit 801, as it was known back then. For 6 years I worked hard at Matt's gym and I am now equipped with the Strength, Skill, and Experience to take on whatever the next Season may bring my way.
Matt provided a gym that was more like a sanctuary and it was not just me that found solace there:
It was a place we all went to Work through our Trials.
It was a place we all went to Work on being better at Fitness.
It was a place we all went to Work so we could take on Life.
It was a place we all went to be Together.
It was a place we all went to be Alone.
It was a place we all went to prove we could do It.
In the end, it was a place we all went because, well, it really was a Sanctuary.
But it was not all Matt!! In those 6 years I got to work with some great coaches that provided invaluable instruction that I still use today. Thank You to Christopher Stowe. I am old enough to be his dad but he always treated me with respect. He taught me how to execute a sweet Pull-up and recognized when I had enough when I was just starting out. He also let me choose Hair Metal for the WOD! Winger + WOD = Awesome.
Thank you to Ryan Walker. You provided the mobility work that helped me put up massive weight on my squat! Your attention to the details has paid off for me. My knees and back squat PR thank you too. And remember, WOD+ will live forever.
Thank you to Jessica Ann Michie. I loved working with you on Olympic lifts on many an afternoon when I had nowhere else to go. You always listened to my many anecdotes and facts about 80's and 90's music with what appeared to be great interest! I have more, just let me know.
Thank you to Anne Casstevens. Your bench press technique pushed my bench press max to almost 300lbs! And I simply cannot look at a Kettlebell without thinking of you! You truly are the Queen of Kettlebells.
Finally, a Thank you to all of the friends I made in these past 6 years. I do hope our paths cross again. I wish you all much success. Here's to the next Season for all of Us. As The Phoenix Gym comes to the end of its Season I am confident we are all equipped with the Strength, Skill, and Experience to know We Can Do it.
Because We Did.
Lift Heavy,
- Clayton P.
