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State your Name and/or Nickname please:
George A. Valdez

Words to live by?
‘Pain is weakness leaving the body’ – USMC
‘The only easy day was yesterday’ – Navy SEALs
‘No Worries’ – local saying in Hawaii
‘It is what it is’ – local saying in Hawaii

What is your fitness background?
Due to a head injury when I was wee bit of a lad, all full contact sports were prohibited. But, all was not lost as I ran track and cross country in HS. Once I got to college, the workouts became sporadic. I think at one time I even took a weight lifting class in undergrad. Subsequently, all that changed pretty quickly while I went through pharmacy school. Learning about diabetes, erectile dysfunction and other disease states got me back to running and taking my health even more serious. Like they say, “Practice what you preach.”

To this day, we still have a membership to a local gym. It’s only real use is to practice my swimming, as I get ready for the Texas Tri Series. Before that, the gym scene was very boring. Run, do some weight lifting, go home and a few days later back to the same old workout routine. My cousin would post updates on Facebook about something called, “WOD”; looked intense. We needed a new challenge. So, my wife and I did some research and, voilà! Hence began our journey to the dark…I mean CrossFit… side.

How long have you been CrossFitting?
In February, it will be one year!

What’s your favorite part of CrossFit Austin?
My wife and I went to Maui in July of 2012 on holiday. Before getting to Maui, we did a little research into crossfit gyms in the area. I know what you may be thinking…”You were in bloody Maui and exercising”? In any event, we found a local gym called Lahaina CrossFit and completed several traveling WODs. The coach and locals were very hospitable. They even gave me a nickname…”Texas”. Aside from everyone having a perfect tan, what I remembered most was how the coach commended me on my deadlift technique. And that is what is my favorite part about CrossFit Austin: the consistent attention to detail performed by all the CFA coaches. They make it their priority to recognize bad form and immediately correct to prevent serious injuries later down the road.

The atmosphere at CrossFit Austin is pretty amazing too! Our “locals” are always motivating, high fiving each other and that experience is certainly second to none.

What are your training goals?
The 2013 year is going to be huge for me. I’m running a half and full marathon in January and February. I’m running the Capital 10K with my pharmacy team. I’m becoming a Spartan (HA-OOH!). I’m going on a solo mission for the ‘Murph’. Hopefully, I’ll be finishing the year with the completion of the Texas Tri series

Favorite sport or activity?
When I’m not dispensing medication, teaching about beta-blockers, or doing bear crawls, I really enjoy camping. It’s probably the only time my cell phone stays in my truck the duration of time we are camping.

Recent adventure you’re planning?
A friend of mine is a US Army Major. We hopefully plan on taking a little trip to Washington DC to run the Army 10-miler next October.

Tell us something we don’t know about you…
Hmmm? Well, I’m sort of a comic connoisseur. No, let me be honest…comic nerd. I actually have a tattoo of Captain America’s Shield on my right shoulder. I enjoyed reading comics but stopped because it got a little expensive. Plus, the extra money pays for CrossFit. (FYI…Stan Lee will be at the Austin Comic Con next November.)

Longhorns or Aggies?
Really? There is only ONE Texas school in the Lone Star State. Texas Fight!

You were one of the top spreaders of holiday “cheer” at our recent holiday party… If you had to pick a favorite holiday/theme party, what would it be and why?
I would have to say a robot themed party. Never been to one so that in itself would be a good reason to have one. Plus, I could already here someone saying, ‘I’m a sophisticated CrossFit robot sent back in time to make you do bear crawls’.

Leave the fine folks of CrossFit Austin with some parting words…
I have read some amazing stories regarding Navy SEALs. I can recall one moment that stood out from the book, “The Warrior Elite”: One of the instructors describes the infamous ‘hell week’ as “just a SPEED BUMP in BUDs.” I was totally blown away by that simple mentality. So, that is how I approach life’s little or big challenges. You feel it. You forget about it. You keep going forward.

I want to thank all the coaches at CrossFit Austin for selecting me as Athlete of the Month. We have so many other athletes that fit this role. I am truly honored for this recognition. One last thing…BEAR CRAWL!!!

If you missed the CFA Holiday Party last week, you might not have heard about our
2011 Push Up Man and Push Up Woman of the Year!

The Push-up Man and Woman of the Year exemplify everything that we love about our athletes, our community, and the human spirit. Not only do these people walk through the doors of CFA day in and day out, and work hard to improve themselves; they go out of their way to lift up everyone around them. They make their friends and families a priority over themselves. They lead and encourage by words, actions, and example. They represent the burning spirit of what makes our little South Austin gym unique and special. We at CrossFit Austin can humbly bestow no greater honor and we give our utmost heartfelt thanks that you both have chosen to make our gym, business, family, and lives a better place!

Push-Up Man of the Year: Lane Lowke State your Name and/or Nickname please: Lane Lowke Words to live by? In the words of the coolest dude I don’t know, Mathew McConaughey, “JK livin’: ‘Just Keep Livin’” What is your fitness background? In high school, it was the odd combination of football and tennis. College was mostly 12oz curls… on strength days I’d go 16oz. Before CrossFit it was mostly running and mountain biking. How long have you been CrossFitting? July 2011 What’s your favorite part of CrossFit Austin? For sure the community. CFA has truly made working out fun and something I look forward to on a daily basis. I have also met some of my nearest and dearest friends at CFA. What are your training goals? To be a fit and healthy old fart. Favorite sport or activity? Mountain biking the Greenbelt and surfing Lake Austin. Recent adventure you’re planning? Christmas cruise with the family. Tell us something we don’t know about you… I HATE fruit. Name one, I don’t like it. Including fruity candy, fruity gum and fruity drinks… even the raspberry drizzle will ruin a cheesecake for me. Longhorns or Aggies? That’s tough… I love the Longhorns because they are here in our great city, but there is something cool about the camaraderie of the Aggies. Go Stephen F Austin Lumber Jacks! How do you plan to use your new-found fame and honor as Push-Up Man of the Year? I’m considering retirement, going out on a high note! Or, Crash told me I could holler out “PUMOTY!” (Push-Up Man of the Year) any time in a workout and be exempt from any movement I don’t like… Leave the fine folks of CrossFit Austin with some parting words… In the spirit of JK livin’, relax and enjoy life, you only have one. Live it to the fullest!

Push-Up Woman of the Year: Janice Trinidad State your Name and/or Nickname please: Janice Trinidad Words to live by? Run towards your fear. What is your fitness background? Dabbled in several sports growing up (basketball, volleyball, tennis, ultimate frisbee, rowing)… Now, just CrossFit and running 5K’s. How long have you been CrossFitting? Little over a year. According to my little book, I’m starting week 78. What’s your favorite part of CrossFit Austin? It’s hard to pick a favorite (great WOD buddies, great coaches, well thought-out programming, clean, pretty well-organized box, great culture). As a teacher, I invest a lot of time developing and implementing good lesson plans & good logistics. It’s sooo nice to be on the receiving end of a teaching team that also spends a lot of time on lesson prep and logistics. It feels like a sweet, inspiring, and refreshing form of karma. What are your training goals? Right now, I’m working on getting a 5K PR and increasing the number of push-ups I can do unbroken up to 100. The latter’s because all my friends and family who don’t work out at CrossFit Austin keep congratulating me for being AMAZING at push-ups. Whenever I try to explain what really happened, the reality doesn’t measure up to the myth. Soon, both will be true. Favorite sport or activity? CrossFit Recent adventure you’re planning? 3 Regional FIRST Robotics Season (San Antonio, Lubbock, and Houston). And if all my students’ hard work really pays off, the Championship Regional in St. Louis. Tell us something we don’t know about you… My sisters and I are HUGE suckers for corny, clean kids’ jokes (like Highlights magazine level jokes). Whenever one of us finds one, we call each other ASAP and laugh like we’re 5. If you run by a good one, please tell me so I can share it; it will probably make someone’s day (or week). For example, the last one we exchanged was “What did the fish say when it swam into a wall? Dam!”. 🙂 So Good! Longhorns or Aggies? LONGHORNS How do you plan to use your new-found fame and honor as Push-Up Woman of the Year? I’m still gathering data on the properties of the Push-Up Woman of the Year Award. Once my study is complete, I will develop an equation that captures it’s essence so that next year’s winner will be ready to fully harness it’s power. Leave the fine folks of CrossFit Austin with some parting words… Thank you for being very positive and patient. I’m learning A LOT from y’all. At the start of my career, I really had no idea how to teach and be healthy at the same time. Being a part of CrossFit Austin is helping me figure out how to be healthy, high functioning, and happy all at once and that’s really precious.