October’s Athlete of the Month: Jose Gonzalez
State your Name and/or Nickname please:
Jose Gonzalez. No nickname yet, but hopefully I’ll work my way up to one.
Words to live by?
“With great power, comes great responsibility” and ” It is in our darkest moments that we must focus on the light”
What is your fitness background?
Well I never had a fitness background. I was overweight most of my life, and if I was in a sport I was usually the backup or benchwarmer.
How long have you been CrossFitting?
It has been 7 months.
What’s your favorite part of CrossFit Austin?
It’s the community! The people and coaches are awesome! It’s nice to be a part of a community that’s very supportive and encouraging. The tips I receive to improve my movements are always appreciated, and I feel like I might not have made these improvements without that help.
What are your training goals?
For now I want to try to make it back to 150lbs, but I’m in no rush. I’m OK where I’m at, but it doesn’t hurt to get stronger and lift heavier.
Favorite sport or activity?
Does guitar hero count as a sport? Ha! I like to listen to music, reading comics (yeah, I’m a nerd), or just going out for a run.
Recent adventure you’re planning?
The next big thing I have planned is a trip to Philadelphia after graduation next May, so I can get a tattoo!
Tell us something we don’t know about you…
Well I used to be overweight, I was up to 400lbs. I actually never thought I would loose that weight, and never thought I would be where I’m at now. Luckily I had a friend who gave me awesome diet tips, and a handful of workouts to do, and as time passed I lost up to 200lbs, and I’m still in shock that I did that. I never gave up on what I wanted, and never will.
Longhorns or Aggies?
Neither. I’m not a fan of college football, but if I had to have a team it would be Notre Dame because of the Rudy movie.
Jose, you started coming to CFA shortly after your friend Ed started with us. Tell us what it’s like to CrossFit with your friend and how competitive do y’all get?
It was fun! It had been a while since I hung out with him, and it was cool catching back up with him. Ah men, there was competition between us, and there seemed to be an unspoken agreement of bragging rights on the line, but it might have just been me. He was the guy that I tried to catch up to or do better than. It was helpful because now I have that drive to push myself, and if I ever go to a 530am workout (or if he shows up) I wanna see if I’ve caught up to him, or what I gotta work up to.
Leave the fine folks of CrossFit Austin with some parting words…
Never give up. No matter how things may seem, we can all overcome any odds. It’s just gonna take that extra push for us to get there, but it’s possible.
