Reminder- only 1 class Today & Tomorrow 8:00am!
A Note from Coach Nick
For anyone who has lived under a rock over the past year at EXP, I wanted to introduce our Regional’s CrossFit team.
Leo P.
Angela P.
Brian M.
Melanie M.
Matt W.
Steph M.
This Team has qualified for the North East Regionals, and we couldn’t be prouder or more excited for this upcoming weekend. Now they did not do this alone. It took our entire community to help with this. From the support, to the contributions in the opens workouts from some unsung heroes, to the alternates who put in as much time as they did on weekdays and weekends (Matt E, Stacey, L1, Ryan, Patrick) it was our entire community that helped us qualify for the regional’s this year, and I want to personally thank everyone at our studio for that. But I wanted to give the limelight a bit to these 6 individuals for what they have accomplished this year, so here I go-
The Teams hard work and time devotion over the past one to two years (and longer) has been inspiring. If you want to see what your potential as a CrossFit athlete is, then you need know about these six individuals, as they have worked hard, and are some of the best examples of “results??? at our gym. The transformation that each individual has made from the time they walked in the door as a member, to where they are now as a person and athlete is nothing short of amazing and the outcome of a lot of focus and hard work. They wanted to learn CrossFit, to the best of their abilities, and they did. They wanted to get stronger, and they are. They wanted to make Regionals, and they are qualified and going this weekend to represent our gym and community. If you want to look at a group of individuals at our gym who personify what “follow through??? means in terms of a CrossFit athlete, then they are the ones to look up to and aspire to be like. I wanted to say a few words about each athlete that I have gotten to know so well.
The Boys/ Bro’s-
Brian-Is the Patriarch (Masters Athlete) at our studio as an athlete and coach, and he is one strong bada*s mofo. He walked in the door with more training under his belt in years then the rest of the coaches cumulatively have together. Brain was such a stellar member when he first joined here, that it didn’t take long for him to fall into a coach’s/ leadership position. Brian is a compassionate teacher by profession, and he certainly took his teaching skills, attention to detail, and genuine character with him when he coaches here at the studio. Brian’s first impression on people can be a bit intimidating to some because of his clear and apparent strength, but once you get to know him, you realize that he has a whole other side, one of being a great leader, coach, and teacher of all things CrossFit. He knows how to motivate many, and at all different levels. From high school athletes to grandmothers, Brain is great at motivation and teaching anyone. Brain as an athlete is as talented as they come. He not only is one of the strongest people at our gym, but he also has the engine to back it up. (try to run next to him for a 400m run, and see what happens…) His experience in strength training has been vital to the progress of our studio. He has helped lead and motivate every other guy and girl in here to get stronger, and has set the bar high for all to aspire to. We are proud that after over two years of hard work Brian, you get to compete at Regional’s this year and thanks for being such a great leader, not only as a coach, but as an athlete.
Matt- When Matt walked in the door he knew nothing CrossFit. Quickly it became apparent that he was a great athlete. His natural strength was overshadowed for a while by his ability to push through the intensity of any workout, and his tolerance for pain is as high as they come. Holy cow can this guy move in any workout that requires conditioning. Then as Matt progressed, he found a few training bro’s (Leo and Bri) that helped push him to the next level strength wise, and his true potential started to be shown. He is the text book “coachable athlete???. He shows up when he is supposed to, does what he is told to the best of his ability, and never complains. He is humble in knowing what he needs to work on, and constantly does. His consistency and progress has been nothing short of amazing since he walked in the door. Matt is also as generous as they come, helping provide some of the vital strength equipment that we have used to get everyone stronger, from the Olympic lifting boxes to the axel bars, we are very appreciative! We are proud of you Matt, and can’t wait to cheer you on!
Leo- I still remember Leo and Mag’s (Leos wonderful girlfriend) first class. I remember this kind of nerdy guy with big arms. After his first intro class was over, I remember saying to Tiffany, “I think he has good potential, and his burpees are really fast, but goofy…..???. Leo has evolved into the complete package in terms of a CrossFit athlete. There is nothing he is not good at (and his friends can attest to this, they refer to him as “Leo-To-The-Max??? because whatever he does, he does to the most extreme and intense level until he is better than anyone around him). From Magic to drinking games, to CrossFit, Leo is the go-to-guy to try and beat. When he first started he had a huge setback, he needed shoulder surgery. He went from not being able to overhead squat 65lbs properly, to now clean and jerking close to 300lbs post surgery. What an example of what can happen when you put your mind to it, even when the cards are not in your favor. The best thing about Leo has nothing to do with his athletic ability though. It is his personality, his ability to make you feel comfortable right away, to build you up, and relate to whatever it is that you are talking about (literally, he knows everything about everything…., not in an arrogant way, in a way that he can “talk shop??? on almost anything you can think of). Leo is a motivator to all, and a great coach and athlete. He is as stand up and genuine character as they get, and that is why he has seen success in every area of his life, and I am happy and honored to know such an individual.
The Girls-
Angela- She has as come so far as a person and athlete since I first met her. Her physical and mental progress is an inspiration to others, and she takes the role on well. Angela is constantly a leader/ mentor/ coach to newer CrossFitters’ who walk in the door, guiding them and making them feel comfortable and helping them with form, or anything crossfit (even where to go to get CrossFit cloths!). Her day in and day out consistency and motivation to work hard really demonstrates her focus and mental perseverance. Angela was never an athlete before CrossFit, but boy has it brought out the athlete within her, and what a great athlete she is. Angela is constantly getting better and better, and that can only be credited to her mental wherewithal in pursuing greatness, and using/ finding every last drop of her potential. We are very proud of you Angela, and are happy that you get to represent us this weekend, something you have worked so hard for over the past several years.
Mel- Is an inspirational role model to all parents and athletes out there. I see her on a day to day basis and see how well she has raised her son Zach, and he is an amazing individual and it is because he takes after her. Since Mel has been at EXP, she has been a great leader and role model to all of the other females, constantly challenging their frame of thought and encouraging them to try things they did not think was possible (but after her encouragement they always did them!). Her work ethic and focus is evident, She uses her time wisely and most effectively when at the gym, and her constant effort in balancing her family, career and athletics is noticed and should be applauded. We are so happy for you Mel, I remember your goal when you walked through our door, “I want to make Regional’s???…..well, you are there, and you deserve it! We are very proud to have you represent us!
Steph- She is the teams Matriarch. “Super Steph??? as everyone calls her. What can you say about Steph that is not said on a weekly and daily basis? She is such a hard working, smart, intelligent, and funny person, we are lucky to have her as part of our community. I have seen Steph personally transform her life many times over throughout the years, each time becoming a better version of herself. Who knew that an endurance athlete could be so strong, such a good leader, and such an amazing CrossFit athlete! She is one of the strongest and fittest athletes at our gym, and did I mention she is a Masters athlete…..that means she is always competing with people literally half of her own age…..and guess what, she usually kicks their butt! And whenever she is actually compared to her own demographic, you can see how much of an outlier she really is! At a Master’s competition this past fall, she literally won every event, and had the “most dominant performance??? (that comes right from the events director, Ben Bergeron). Then in the opens this year, she placed 42nd out of almost four and a half thousand other females in the world! Top 1% anyone? Everyone is cheering for you Steph, we are so happy that you get to go and enjoy Regional’s this weekend!
On another note, I cannot go forward anymore without talking about our individual competitor. I cannot hold back the excitement to congradulate the amazing-ness that is my wife, Tiffany Normandin. What can I say; she has been the most amazing person to watch day after day, year after year, getting better all of the time in everything that she does. Not only getting better as an athlete, but as a person, friend, wife, daughter, family member, business women, coach, and overall leader. The person she has become is exponentially more beautiful and inspiring then the person I feel in love with 10 years ago this June. From a CrossFit standpoint, Tiffany has improved every year, not only in her own training, but in how competitive she is within the sport. She went from 36th place in last year’s opens out of around 2600 females, to 31st out of around 5200 this year. So she placed higher out of twice as many athletes….pretty incredible in my book! She rarely gets the attention she deserves from me as a coach and my lack of acknowledgement of her within our community sometimes. I think this is because people and myself often think that it comes so easy to her in a “yea but that’s Tiffany??? kind of way. I want to remind everyone, and sometimes have to remind myself, that when I first met Tiffany, she could not jog on a treadmill at 5mph for more than a mile. She would say things like “ I will never be able to do a………fill in the blank……???mile, toe push-up, pull up, triathlon, half marathon, half Iornman, be competitive within the sport of CrossFit.??? Now although those thoughts may have crossed her mind at the start, or were spoken to me at some point, after each one of those statements she then turned that into the motivation that she then fueled her drive with. She has done everything on that list and more, and has done the same thing with her personal and professional areas of life also, constantly reinventing herself to be a better version of what was I thought to be a perfect version of herself. I apologize to all those reading this if it is a bit too sappy, but I want it known to all how proud I am of Tiffany, and how proud I am to stand next to her as her husband/ coach/ and best friend.
To all seven of you, I want to say I am so proud, and to keep things short winded for once, I cannot wait to be cheering you on in your glory this upcoming weekend!
Your Coach,
Nick

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WORKOUT Of the DAY:
Skill/Strength:  Back Squat 3.3.3.3.3.
WOD: [ TNER 13.4 ]
30 Wall Balls (20/14)
30 Ab Mat Sit Ups
30 Pistols
30 1 Arm DB Snatches (30/50)
2 Rounds for Time
Buy-out: 100 Hollow Rocks
Post scores to comment box below.