Athlete of the Month: Dani Young

Posted April 9, 2018

What made you decide to join the RIV?

Believe it or not, I was not much of an athlete growing up.  I was a gymnast from 2 – 14yrs old but after my early retirement from that, I did not get into any sports-ball type athletics.  I bowled in high school! But I don’t really think that counts.

In 2011, I found Obstacle Course Racing and was determined to do a 12 mile Tough Mudder.  I ran my first 5k that year and found out just how “fit” I really wasn’t.  After a year of running (hating every mile) and training on my own, I finished my first Tough Mudder and… ouch.  But crossing that finish line is all it took for me to become hooked on OCR.  Over the next 4 years my goals transformed from just wanting to survive a race, to never walking during a race, then to never failing on an obstacle, to hoping to finish as a top 10 female.  I knew the typical gyms were not going push me to these goals. CrossFit seemed to be all the rage at the time, so I started doing some research.  I wasn’t sold on CF but the RIV won me over because of the diversity and amount of classes.

How has the RIV helped you achieve some of your fitness goals?

After one year of rivFit my mile time dropped by 3 minutes and my obstacle completion rate was in the 90% range.  Add another 6 months and include a few WODs into the weekly mix (yup, I gave in and drank the CF Kool Aid) and I am usually in the top 10% of female finishers in all of my races.  I have done nothing but improve since my start at the RIV and it has been addicting!  I can’t wait to see what I can do next!

What has been your favorite workout? What have you improved the most?

Anything that is going to hurt the next day!  Preferably involving burpees, running/rowing, gymnastics, and at least 20 minutes of work (yeah, yeah… I’m that person).

My strength and endurance have obviously improved but I think my attitude and confidence have improved the most. Every failure I experience motivates me to keep striving towards success!  I no longer see my small stature as my greatest weakness, it just provides a greater opportunity to prove my strength.

What is your favorite part of the RIV?

Oh, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways…

Okay, I don’t want to get too sentimental here so I will keep it simple:
The music.  Who doesn’t love working out to some throw back hip-hop, reggae, or backstreet boys?!  No really, I do love the music.. I think I dance during most WODs.  But on a more serious note…
The Diversity of Classes.  My fitness goals are all over the place.  I want to lift more, run faster, climb higher, flip that tire, and hold on just a little looonnggerrrr.  The RIV has classes for all of these things!  From rivFit to Strongman, WODs to Endurance, and Cycling to Mobility I think I am getting the most well rounded version of fitness that anyone could ever ask for.  Except for maybe swimming.  Do you think we could add a pool anywhere? haha.  But, to be honest, my favorite part of the RIV is…
YOU!  The people are what MAKES the RIV one of my favorite places to be.  It sounds silly thinking that a gym can represent a community but the RIV is just that and more!  It does not matter how my day was or how late I am walking into class, haha, there are always people greeting me, asking me about my day, or what I thought of about a WOD, or just looking to talk about life.   The people are amazing, both the members and our dedicated coaches.  You ALL inspire me!  You provide the challenge and motivation that I need to push myself.  And YES, I mean all of you – from the parents setting their kids up with coloring books so you can work out, to the olympic lifter cleaning 200+ lbs, to the CrossFitters that are stringing 100 DUBS together and the CrossFitter leaving with welts because they are still working on getting one DUB, to the coach that volunteered to come in early to help judge the Open, the athlete that is having an off day, and even the member that just made it through their first class.  The members and coaches understand the struggle it takes to overcome that next obstacle ahead of you and they also know how sweet the reward is when you get there!  You all have believed in me and my abilities more than I do on most days and it is because of ALL OF YOU that I have come this far.  Thank you!  And y’all better keep it up!

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