Athlete of the Month: August 2017
Anne Smanik
By Jenessa Connor
About three years ago, Anne unsuspectingly attended a CrossFit 718 party… and she never left. Well, that’s not entirely true. But she did have fun and, lucky for us, decided to become a member of the box.
Since then, she’s hit a ton of impressive PRs, incorporated functional fitness into her everyday life, and, most recently, earned her CrossFit Level 1 Certification! We’re so excited to watch Anne move into a coaching role with our next class of New U athletes.
Read our Q&A with August’s athlete of the month!
How did you discover CrossFit?
I learned about CrossFit from Dave (OG Smanik). He spent a lot of time doing this CrossFit thing, and I was curious about it. He brought me to a party at the old gym on 5th Ave, and I thought everyone was fun and cool. Also, I really liked the idea of a gym that feels more like a community, where people talk to each other, no headphones in, and maybe become real friends. I had that when I used to rock climb, but hadn’t since then.
What kinds of changes have you noticed since starting CrossFit?
Since starting CrossFit, besides feeling stronger, I also feel more self-aware. From making sure I’m lifting heavy objects correctly (sometimes I’ve gotta stack full kegs at work by myself because the dudes are lazy) to knowing what I should and shouldn’t eat because I know how I’m going to feel afterwards.
How do you make time for working out?
I work for a strange seasonal business, so I’ll go from a month of no time to do anything but work, to only working weekends, with all the time in the world to go to the gym. So I take advantage of the time when I have it, and when I don’t, I do what I can and remember that it’ll change soon enough. I have enough good habits formed that even when I can’t make it to the gym for a couple of days I don’t feel like I’m starting from scratch when I get back at it.
What are your favorite movements?
My favorites are the snatch and pull-ups. Snatch because I’m still not great at it—I’ve got lots of room for improvement. I like lightening up the load and working on my technique. Pull-ups because they’re just fun. Also, there are lots of variations to work on, so they don’t get boring.
What recent achievements are you most proud of?
I haven’t had a big PR lately. I’ve just been trying to improve some gymnastics skills I’m seriously lacking. I recently got a clean, no-chicken-wing, no-wonkiness bar muscle up, and I feel better doing handstand push-ups. Although I still use one ab mat because smashing my head on the ground is terrifying.
What are some of the goals you’re working on?
I’ve got lots of goals. I’m working on lots of gymnastics stuff. Five unbroken handstand push-ups with no ab mat, a ring muscle-up, consistent bar muscle-ups. Then there’s a 325# deadlift in my not-so-distant future, I think.
What’s your Fran time?
I only did Fran once, and I was brand new, so I’m sure it was all scaled and took half an hour.
You recently got your CrossFit Level 1 certification. What was that experience like?
I had been toying with the idea, then one day Tammy mentioned that I should get it so I could start helping her out with the next New U session. I thought that sounded like an awesome idea. So I did it. It was tricky—death by PVC, but also a lot of fun. And they made me try for a strict ring muscle up in front of everybody, and it almost worked! I’m excited to get started working with Tammy and the next New U crew. I’ve seen a bunch of the last crew stick around and have gotten to know some of them and see their improvements. I think it’s really cool!
