Each month we spotlight a different CFA athlete who stands out and shows just how awesome they are. What is it that makes up an Athlete of the Month? It may not be the person that finishes the fastest, Rx’s every WOD, or gets a PR every time they walk in the gym. Although we love and celebrate when those things happen, the Athlete of the Month is made up of much more than physical ability. This person shows up, gives their best every time, and then gives a little more. They are hungry to learn and always ready to do the work. They support their fellow classmates and encourage them to reach their goals. This athlete embodies what we believe the CrossFit Austin Community should be about.
State your Name and/or Nickname please:Tyler Bolinger “Ty” Words to live by?Be kind What is your fitness background?Completely unathletic all the way through highschool, then started doing typical Gold’s Gym bro workouts with buddies in college. Stuck with that for a few years until my wife Shana started doing crossfit and loved it so much that she convinced me to join her and try it out. I pretty quickly fell in love with the weightlifting movements (even if I couldn’t do them super well), and have shifted my focus to pretty much solely weightlifting in the last 3 or 4 years. How long have you been CrossFitting?I started my crossfit journey at Crossfit Oak Hill (shut down a while ago, RIP) around I think 2017? So almost ten years now! Though you could argue that I’m not much of a crossfitter anymore now that i’m focusing on WL, I can still throw down some double unders or thrusters if need be. Take us back to your first day of CrossFit… How did you feel? How do you compare it to workouts today?Like I said above, I was coerced by my wife Shana (AISD Principal of the Year, btw) into leaving the curls and benchpress at Golds to try out this group fitness thing called crossfit. I remember thinking that working out against a clock was stupid, the fact that there were “rules” to doing box step ups was stupid and that burpees were just about the worst thing that ever happened to me. But for some reason I decided to keep coming back, maybe it was the novelty of being able to slam a loaded barbell from overhead, but more likely the friendships built on suffering through the same workout together day in and day out. What’s your favorite part of CrossFit Austin?This may come as a shock to no one, but my favorite part of Crossfit Austin is Austin Weightlifting. I am very passionate about weightlifting and I love that I get to share that with our Austin WL crew under the watchful eye of Coach Dylan, AKA Big Dog AKA Dump Truck AKA DJ Dumptruck. Current Training Goals/PRs?I want to Snatch 100kg. My best is like 96kg. I’m so freaking close. What advice do you have for folks just starting out in CrossFit?I think newer people can be worried about technique and making sure that they’re not going to hurt themselves doing these workouts, and that’s completely valid. That said, there’s something to be said for pushing yourself with some regularity. I think one the most valuable things I learned from crossfit, coming from the very self-paced, relaxed type of workout I was doing previously, is what it feels like to really push the boundaries of what you’re capable of and understand what intensity should feel like. How do you balance staying focused on training when life gets busy?Personally, I’ve never had a problem with work-life balance. I’m logging off work at 5 and getting ready for the gym pretty much no matter what, any problems still lingering are still gonna be there tomorrow. But since I work from home, coming to the gym and seeing my friends is also most of my interaction will other humans for the week. I don’t really have to “make time” for the gym, it’s something I actively look forward to and I’m honestly upset when I have to miss WL class. Not having any kids also helps, lol. What is your “cheat meal” go-to?Oooh, ok. I realize now that the prompt asked for one meal, but honestly you should just make a day of it in my opinion. How do you use your fitness outside of the gym?Groaning every time I get up off the couch, apparently. What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your fitness journey?Sitting in a chair all day for a desk job makes mobility a big issue for me. It takes a lot of stretching to maintain my mediocre level of flexibility. Tell us about a moment you felt most proud of yourself during a workout.I don’t know that I’d call it a “workout” but I had a WL competition, maybe last year, where I was on my final attempt in the clean and jerk and I hadn’t snatched very well, so I needed to hit an all time PR on my final attempt in order to qualify for a national level competition. I ended up getting the bar overhead and stabilized, but got called on a press out and wasn’t credited with the lift. Even though I didn’t end up qualifying, I remember feeling very proud of the fact that I was able to lock in and fight for that all time PR lift in such stressful circumstances. If you could create a WOD and name it for yourself, what would it be?Ty’s Burnout 3 rounds 1 mile run finisher What keeps you going on the days you don’t feel like it?Honestly, I never don’t feel like it. Even on days when I’m feeling beat up or lifts just aren’t moving like I want them to, I still enjoy coming to class and working with an empty bar if I need to. Maybe working in with someone new and getting to know them or help them through some of the technical aspects of the lifts. I just really like being around people doing weightlifting. What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?Right now, not a ton, but I’ve dabbled in many things throughout the years. I’m an amateur potter/ceramicist, I’ve played guitar for like 20 years, I used to brew my own beer, I like to cook, I play some video games every now and then, and I’m a wannabe tiki bartender. Tell us something we don’t know about you.I don’t think I really have anything in the way of dark mysterious secrets… I’m a licensed professional engineer in about 30 states? I’ve rewatched New Girl more times than I’m comfortable admitting? I own, objectively, too many pocket knives. Leave the fine folks of CrossFit Austin with some parting words…Sayonara, Sammy |
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She is a stickler for good form (which we love!), and she can sometimes be a little hesitant to add weight. But when we make her do it, she almost always proves that she is more than capable of handling it while maintaining that excellent form. We’ll keep working on convincing her to give herself a little more credit.
