Patrick has been with us from the very start. He joined our gym in Spring of 2015, and from day one, has exemplified exactly what we respect most in our members: hard work, team mentality, service and compassion. We would like to honor his awesome attitude and tenure here at our gym with the title of May 2017 Member of the Month.
1. When did you start your fitness journey? I have been active with sports my whole life. I started to take fitness a little more serious in college when I was joining the Coast Guard. However, it was probably 2010 when I started to really evaluate my health and wellness. I was always the big guy but I was never the strong guy. I wanted that to change, so I started crossfit and strength training.
2. How has American Sled Dogs elevated your fitness journey and what is the biggest highlight of your time here as a member? Sled Dogs made me realize I am tougher than I thought. When it first opened it was more of a functional fitness gym. We were doing hero WODs every Friday. It was tough. Sled Dogs helped to develop my mental toughness which is just as important as physical toughness. Which ties into my biggest highlight. Sled Dogs sponsored a team to compete in the RU Fit competition in Dec 2015. I had come down with the stomach flu Thursday evening. I was in bad shape and we couldn’t find a replacement. I was pretty upset. We had been doing two-a-days in the weeks leading up to the competition and here I was stuck in bed. After not eating Friday but being able to keep water down, my teammates and I decided I could still compete. So come Saturday morning there I was warming up, chugging Pedialite, eating oatmeal and praying I would be ok. We came in last but we completed every event and the competition. After the previous two days, that meant a lot to me because I attribute that mental toughness to Sled Dogs training.
3. What are your fitness goals? My fitness goals aren’t really quantitative. I’ve accomplished a lot already in my life. I do want to maintain a certain quality to life though. There is something to be said about a 30 year old learning a rough sport such as Rugby and wanting to continue to play it as long as possible. I still have a lot of traveling I want to do in life and keeping fit will greatly enhance my travel. Especially as I get older and carry on in life. Taking care of myself now helps me later in life.
4. What keeps you motivated to achieve your goals? My wife keeps me motivated. She is now getting ready to battle breast cancer for the 2nd time in a year. I watched her hide her fear and fatigue as she battled cancer with laughs and smiles the first time around. Less than a month after her surgery she had joined a Crossfit gym and was picking up the movements and getting stronger with every workout. I was amazed at her willingness to learn, her drive and determination, and her pure ability. She is my she-ro. (She hero)
5. What is your favorite exercise and training day? My favorite exercise by far is the deadlift. It’s the perfect showcase of raw power.
6. What is your job/career? I am a salesman in my civilian job and I am a BM1 in the Coast Guard Reserves Port Security Unit.
7. Do you have a funny, special or memorable story about the American Sled Dogs gym you’d like to share? I have earned this reputation for being the loud mouth during the workouts. Making smartass remarks. I’m only saying what the class is thinking. Lol. I found early on that working out can be laughable and it should be. My favorite anecdote is to remind the class, especially during a hard workout, that everyone not only volunteered for the workout but is also paying for the pain. That one usually gets a good laugh from everyone. Life is too short to take it serious. Why should a workout be different?
Thanks Patrick for being such a motivating and positive person in our gym. We appreciate you!
In addition to being an integral part of our regular strength and conditioning classes, Patrick has also been following nutrition guidance from our Nutrition Coach Courtney. She says about Patrick: “Patrick has been killing his nutrition all the while deployed. The odds for success while deployed with limited resources doesn’t make this easy for Patrick, but with hard work and dedication to becoming healthier he has proven that nothing will stop him. I definitely miss coaching Patrick in person he’s the type of client that keeps you on your toes, he does more than just show up and he has the biggest heart! I am so proud of his success and so thankful he chose me to help him reach his goals.”
