In Coaching, Special Populations
January 23, 2013
Emily Beers convinces her mother to try CrossFit and experiences the trials and rewards of raising a new athlete.
I’ll never forget the moment her CrossFit life was conceived.
My mother phoned me up, hesitated a moment, interrupted and then blurted, “Em … I think … I think I’m ready to try CrossFit.”
I had been trying for months, but to no avail. At one point, I was so desperate I tried more artificial ways to get the ball moving. This involved Tabata squatting in her living room and doing sit-ups with her while watching a movie, our feet tucked under the couch to hold them down.
But this wasn’t satisfying to me. I needed her at my gym, attempting pull-ups and box jumps with the other 57-year-old women.
Needless to say, when she finally popped the question, my heart was filled with warmth as feelings of happiness and relief shot through my body. Following this was the morning sickness and nausea, as I feared the journey ahead.
“Am I capable of raising my mother into a CrossFitter?”
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6 Comments on “The Parent Trap”
1
wrote …
Beautiful!
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2
wrote …
This is great! I hope one day, I can get my mom to follow suit
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3
wrote …
this mom(and dad) did crossfit first and then got our kids (who are adults) involved. we have a garage gym and we love the fact that crossfit is something we can all do together. our son is currently serving in afghanistan and one of the things that has helped us through his deployment is comparing wod notes on a daily basis. love this article and feel the pride you have for your mom shining through!
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4
wrote …
this is awesome. I have expierienced some of the same things in the past few months. My Mom is about 2 months short of a year into crossfit. her friends complain "thats all she talks about is the gym", which makes me glow with pride. we have agreed to start working on Dad next. He is a bit more stubborn than mom so it will take some work, but given Mom's rediscovered can do attitude i think we will win.
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5
wrote …
I did CF first. My daughter was a gymnast and CF was at her gym so I did it while waiting for her. Many years later when she left gymnastics, CF was where she stopped while she decided what to do with her fitness life. She didn't really like CF but loved lifting. She is now a nationally ranked Oly lifter!!!
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6
wrote …
Awesome article!
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