April Athlete of the Month: Steve Voss
Congratulations Steve, you are our April Athlete of the Month!
Steve has been a NoCoaster since Day 1! After 12 years, we still have a few of these OG’s left and are beyond grateful for their commitment, dedication and support to us and our community. Over the years, Steve has perfected a version of CrossFit that works best for him; he knows how hard to push on a daily basis, what modifications to use, and sprinkles in a bit of light hearted CrossFit comedy that allows him to keep coming back for more each day.
We love and appreciate Steve and couldn’t imagine NoCoast without him! Thank you for the years of love and support - you are and always have been an integral part of our lives and community!
Quotes from Steve:
“Honestly, it's kind of hard to say at this point and kind of hard to imagine where I'd be without it. If I go to the gym on my own, I just kind of putter around for a little while and then leave. The group classes, the prescribed workouts and the motivation from coaches and classmates makes a huge difference in the consistency and level of effort I'm able to put in. The coaching is also something that I really value in terms of learning and remembering to do the movements properly.”
“Participating in a couple of the wellness challenges has made me recognize that I feel better when I eat better - and it's pretty amazing the benefits that can come from fairly small changes.”
Age: 54 3/4
Athletic/Sports history/highlights:
No real highlights. I've been an exceptionally average performer in all my athletic endeavors, but I keep plugging away for the love of it. I've played ice hockey since age 5, lost my front teeth at age 10 and hope to still be skating for many years to come.
How long have you been CrossFitting?
About 13 years.
How did you get into CrossFit?
A friend of my wife's convinced her to try it. She convinced me to try it. I started at a different gym and was disappointed when all my favorite coaches started to disappear. Then I learned they were disappearing because they were starting their own gym closer to my home! (My Beyond the Whiteboard profile picture is from the NoCoast opening day workout.)
What is your favorite WOD/CrossFit movement?
I like all the Olympic lifts. Before I tried it, I thought it was all just brute strength but now I really appreciate how much skill and technique is involved. I also like everything on the rings, rope, and pull up rig.
What is your least favorite WOD/CrossFit movement?
Rowing for calories is the worst. All that effort, all that pulling and straining - and where do you go? Nowhere.
What is your most memorable CrossFit moment?
Has to be the time it took me over 48 hours to complete an Open workout. (It included rowing for calories.) And I only had the second slowest recorded time in the world!
How does nutrition play a role in your fitness and recovery?
My version of a paleo diet is to ask if someone from the paleolithic age had the opportunity to eat something, would they? If the answer is yes, then I can eat it.
But participating in a couple of the wellness challenges has made me recognize that I feel better when I eat better - and it's pretty amazing the benefits that can come from fairly small changes. So, I try to eat well but mostly I eat for calories. I still can't put on muscle mass though...
How has CrossFit improved your overall wellness?
Honestly, it's kind of hard to say at this point and kind of hard to imagine where I'd be without it. If I go to the gym on my own, I just kind of putter around for a little while and then leave. The group classes, the prescribed workouts and the motivation from coaches and classmates makes a huge difference in the consistency and level of effort I'm able to put in. The coaching is also something that I really value in terms of learning and remembering to do the movements properly. CrossFit makes me (sorry, allows me) to consistently do all kinds of things that I would not do on my own and, as I say, it's kind of hard to imagine where I would be without that.
How has CrossFit changed your family?
My young adult children begrudgingly admit that I'm kind of cool.
Advice to new people:
Play the long game. That means a lot of things but mostly it means Start Slow Before You Taper and remember that your contract says you can modify any workout, on any day, in any way to make it right for you.