Athletes of the Month: Tori and Meghan Grimm

For October, we have two Athletes of the Month: Tori and Meghan Grimm!! The sisters can’t be separated, so they both get it for the month!

Tori

• I’ve always wanted to join a CrossFit gym, but was too intimidated to join myself, so when I moved back to Delaware after school I decided to drag my sister into joining the Riv with me so it would be less intimidating.

• CrossFit Riverfront has helped me reach the goals of being mentally and physically stronger. I’ve learned to push myself harder in order to get those extra reps I wasn’t able to complete before and despite the pain and soreness to just keep going because it’s all worth it in the end.

• My favorite workout is endurance class with Coach Mike and the one move I hate, but love to see him put on the board is burpee box jumps because they never fail to exhaust me. Mike’s classes are always the most difficult to get through, but I love the challenge.
• I’ve improved most on rowing and I’m still not even good at it, but I was probably hands down the worst rower going into the Riv every day. I thank Coach Mike for teasing me and including rowing in several workouts just so I could practice and get better at it.

• My favorite part of the Riv is the community and competition. It’s a completely non-judgmental place that makes you feel confident in working out but also pushes you to go harder than you did last workout. I love competing with my sister and the friends I’ve made at the Riv because it makes us better every day.

Meghan

1. What made you decide to join the Riv?

• My sister, Tori, encouraged me to join the Riv. She had just graduated from school and I had just moved back from VA. I needed something different with my workouts and joining the Riv was just what I was looking for.

2. How has CrossFit Riverfront helped you reach some of your fitness goals?

• CrossFit Riverfront has helped me become stronger. I was never able to do push-ups before Riv, now I can. I want to continue to improve on doing more reps without going to my knees.

3. What has been your favorite workout? What have you improved on most?

• My favorite workout is endurance class with Coach Mike. I love that coach Mike intertwines cardio and strength in the workouts. I find it challenging and exhausting. I have improved on my box jumps despite getting injured a week ago. I went from a 20 to 24. Coach Mike would like to see me get to 30 (not so sure about that anymore). Also, my running time has improved!

4. What is your favorite part of the Riv?

• My favorite part of the Riv is the feeling of being a part of a community and my new friends.

Athlete of the Month: Amy Nerlinger

Congratulations to Amy for being chosen as the Athlete of the Month for September! Amy often WOD’s multiple times a day and is always present for events and competitions. Definitely well deserved!

1.       What made you decide to join the Riv?

I had recently moved back to Wilmington from graduate school and I no longer had many close friends living in the area.  I wanted to join a community where I could meet new people with whom I shared similar interests.  Being an athlete most of my life, I also wanted to find a hobby that would support a healthy and active lifestyle.  I’ve had many past teammates who fell in love with CrossFit as a means of supporting their competitive, yet social, personalities, so I decided to give it a try.  Specifically regarding CrossFit Riverfront, I heard great things about the programming and community, so after researching the wide range of class types and class times that could work with my varying work schedule, I decided to sign-up!

2.       How has CrossFit Riverfront helped you reach some of your fitness goals?

A few years ago, I began focusing on distance running as a means of stress-relief and immersing myself in the outdoors.  It soon also became a primary motivator in my life – wanting to get faster every time I went out for a run.  Succeeding here helped me focus more on work, school, and some other factors in my life.  Last year I felt I plateaued on my half marathon pace.  I signed up for another half marathon earlier this year, hoping to PR.  Going into the race, I was nervous I hadn’t trained enough… I had “only” been taking the RivFit and CrossFit classes at the gym.  I ended up finishing the race with a new PR by 11 minutes.  I was super surprised, yet super proud of myself.  This just confirmed the overall fitness training I receive at the Riv and how the programming here can help you reach many goals other than just lifting weights! 

3.       What has been your favorite workout?  What have you improved on most?

My favorite workouts are the Endurance WODs and the Turf WODs.  These classes remind me most of the soccer and basketball practices I took part in most of my life. 

My primary area of improvement has definitely been my upper body strength.  I’ve always played sports that require mostly lower body and core strength, so tackling arm and shoulder strength has been tough.  Slowly but surely I’m continuing to improve the upper body technique and strength involved in many movements! 

4.       What is your favorite part of the Riv?  

My favorite part of the Riv is two-fold.  First, the community of members and coaches creates an environment that’s conducive to healthy competition, knowledgeable training, and positive support no matter your skill level.  I’ve learned how strong I can be and I’m motivated to push myself each day.  Second, the Riv supports a “work hard, play hard” lifestyle.  Each member works hard by pushing themselves to their limit each day, but we have so much fun doing it.  The events held by the Riv also help us remember it’s not just about work, but it’s also about gaining the confidence and happiness to enjoy the rest of our lives.

Athlete of the Month: Noel Smith

Congratulations to one of the hardest working guys at the Riv, Noel Smith, for being Athlete of the Month for August!!
1. What made you decide to join the Riv?

• I decided to join the Riv after months of unhappiness with my appearance. A friend from King of Prussia told me about CrossFit and sent me some links on what it was about & what to expect. I reached out to Justine & she told me to come in & give it a shot, I’ve been LOVE ever since!

2. How has CrossFit Riverfront helped you reach some of your fitness goals?

• For me, CrossFit Riverfront has given me the motivation to get up & get after it, the workouts are tough, some easier than others but the fact that all the coaches are willing to help out & give you advice on form or even cheer you on when you’re ready to give up, you definitely don’t get that anywhere else! Not to mention the awesome people that have offered advice & gave me the extra motivation to push to finish a round.

3. What has been your favorite workout? What have you improved on most?

• My favorite workout has to be anything that Coach Mike thinks of for his endurance classes. Running isn’t my strong point but the fact that he makes it challenging & fun at the same time keeps me coming back for more!

4. What is your favorite part of the Riv?

• My favorite part of the Riv hands down is the community atmosphere that you feel as soon as you walk through those doors. I was very intimidated when I walked in 2 months ago, but the second I saw how quick everyone was to take me by the hand & help me through those first few workouts, I could see why the the Riv was so popular. The Riv for me is my escape. It’s truly a judgement free zone!