Age: 25
Sport:
CrossFit
Location:
Hardbat CrossFit (Newark, DE)
Here a
CrossFit athlete that you should keep in your radar. Krysty is young, strong as hell, super
athletic, and competitive! I met Krysty
sometime ago at a local CrossFit competition, and didn’t really take notice
until I saw this:
In case you're wondering, that is 205 on the bar! This woman
is a beast! She is not shy to share her
goal of making it to the 2014 CrossFit Games Mid-Atlantic Regionals that is
coming up this summer. If you are a fan of sport, CrossFit you should
keep your eyes peeled for Krysty.
 |
| Krysty sandwiched between CrossFit Games competitor Emily Friedman and Champion Sam Briggs |
Can you tell me about your background?
I was
definitely a tomboy when I was growing up and enjoyed being active and
competitive. I was the only girl who would play kickball at recess in
elementary school and would kick all the boys’ butts. I grew up in the small
town, Dover, PA. I lived in Lancaster, PA for 7 years while completing my
Bachelors and Masters degrees. I recently moved from Pennsylvania to Maryland
after accepting my first job as a school psychologist.
Where do you train?
I am
currently training at Hardbat CrossFit in Newark, DE, owned by Ian Hardin and
Derek Batman (Yes, that’s really his last name—haha). Ian has been doing all of
my programming. His program, Hardin-Fast, is solid (http://hardin-fast.com) for
anyone who wants to be a competitive CrossFit athlete.
What is your sport/fitness background/competitive
background?
I didn’t
get involved in any organized sports teams until I was in junior high and
finally convinced my mom to let me play basketball. I played volleyball and ran
track in high school. I also ran indoor and outdoor track at Millersville
University. I was a sprinter, dabbled in long jump, and ran on the sprint
relays. I’ve always had some natural ability and speed, but was never a
standout athlete. I have now been doing CrossFit for over 2 years and also got
my Level 1 CF certification over a year ago. I have done numerous competitions
since beginning CrossFit and really enjoy that aspect.
How did you find CrossFit?
Annie, a
friend in my graduate school cohort, was talking about CrossFit before one of
our summer classes. She told me that she thought I would really like it. In
September 2011, I went to my first CrossFit class at 5:45am. After trying it
out, I knew that CrossFit was what I needed to kick my butt back into shape. It
had been over 2 years since I had trained with any kind of intensity. I knew if
I was paying for a membership and a coach was telling me what to do, that I
would actually get myself out of bed to workout. That was the kind of
motivation that I needed to become active again.
Are you competing?
I am
competing. I think that has been one of the largest draws of CrossFit for me. I
really missed being a competitive athlete after college. I have done a lot of
local competitions over the past few years, as well as some partner and team
competitions. I am also looking to compete in some Olympic Lifting
competitions, as well. I think it would be really cool to qualify for the
American Open next year.
What are your goals & ambitions?
What is your greatest accomplishment in CF thus far?
Right
now, my goal is to make it to the 2014 CrossFit Games Mid-Atlantic Regional
competition this year. I have a lot of smaller goals that I am working on daily
in order to make that goal a reality. I am really working to improve my
conditioning and gymnastics skills with a lot of help from my coach. I think
that if I can make it through the Open, I could do pretty well at Regionals.
Regionals tends to be much more strength-biased than the Open. That strength
piece is definitely more within my wheelhouse, but I am trying to become more
balanced in all areas of the sport.
I am not
sure if I can pick a single greatest accomplishment. I am pretty proud of my
185# snatch. I would absolutely love to hit 200# before the Open. I am also
proud of being able to consistently do muscle ups now. They are still a work in
progress, but they are coming along.
What would your advice be to other women and/or young girls that
want to try this sport (or any sport) but are afraid to try for any reason?
Trying
something new can be scary. I was nervous when I first began CrossFit. I wasn’t
sure what it would be like, if I would like it, or what the people would be
like. You just need to take a leap of faith. Give it a try. If it isn’t for
you, then at least you figured it out for yourself instead of just wondering.
You don’t need an athletic background to try it either. Just give it a try and
give yourself a chance to become a stronger version of your awesome self.
CrossFit
has truly been one of the best things in my life for the past two years. With
the stress of a break-up and graduate school, it was great to have a place to
go to escape and focus on me. I’ve met countless people since beginning CrossFit.
The community aspect is one of the best parts. I have friends from many gyms in
different states and I consider many of those people as part of my family now.
I have gained so much through that support system. I love going into the gym
and watching others put in hard work and reach their goals. It makes me even
more motivated to push myself.
Why are you a MissFit?
I have never been good at acknowledging my own accomplishments because I
am a perfectionist, and my own worst critic. I am a MissFit because I can now
be happy with my accomplishments, but good is never good enough. I feel there
is always a way to better myself—mentally, physically, emotionally, or
intellectually.
I have worked hard to obtain both of my college degrees by myself. I’ve
worked to become the athlete I am now in a sport that I love. I have been blessed to be surrounded by
amazing people throughout my journey who have believed in me, and pushed me to
be more. It catches me off guard when other women say that they look up to me
or they want to be like me. It makes me step back and acknowledge how far I
have come and that I need to give myself credit sometimes. Those women have
become the voices in the back of my mind telling me that I can’t give up. I think this quote embodies me:
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things
that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail
away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore,
Dream, Discover." –Mark Twain
In the last 6 months, I took a leap of faith accepting a job, moving to a new state, and training at a new gym where I literally knew no one. When I decided to make that leap, I never anticipated that I would have made the gains that I have made or that I would be living and training with a Games athlete. I believe that everything happens for a reason and will work out the way that it should. I would advise all of the MissFits out there to continue on their own journeys and take a few chances to get where they want to go. It will be worth it.
Good luck in the 2014 CrossFit Open, Krysty! The MissFit Movement is pulling for you. Go all in and don’t look back!
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