10.7.21

Coaches Spotlight: Coach Marika has been with us for 6 years, first as a member then grew into a Coaching role here at CFNC. Marika was a natural choice to be a coach at CFNC due to her compassion and true love for helping others! Coach Marika can be seen lifting all the weights and grunting or spending extra time with members figuring out movements or talking through life things!!!What makes you, you?I'm optimisitic, competitive, aggressive (in a good way), happy and looooove a good laugh.Describe your experience at CFNC. I have been around since CFNC opened and I have seen so many people come and go as life takes them in and out of Charleston. I always look forward to seeing who is going to walk in the doors next. I hope to make their experience the same it has been for me - a jovial, rowdy family that has your back and will cheer you on as you pursue whatever challenge you lay out for yourself (I have saved every messsage from each of you who said something encouraging as I worked to achieve my Oly lifiting goals over the last two years).What do you enjoy the most about coaching?The people, the camraderie and repartee... But I also love the days when you really connect with an athlete and give them a cue that changes a movement for them, for the better - those are the days that you don't mind hanging out in an un air conditioned space in the worst part of August with a bunch of sweaty people. Oh... and the ability to introduce younger generations to music during the warm up that would otherwise be confined to the background in an elevator ride...What are your major life goals?Travel overseas - in particular, do a multisport (bike/kayak) tour with Dan in a coastal European destination ... we are still figuring out where; find and pursue new passions - even if I don't stick with it forever, I really enjoy what I learn along the way; keep slinging real estate bc I like it and building the real estate empire t include a commercial venture (which enables the traveling and such); keep crushing this marriage thing (We are sneaking up on 20 years in April!)What are your 3 major CrossFit/Fitness goals? Eyeballing some adventure races in 2022 (yeah I know .. running?! It's the biking and kayaking that have me excited), rebuild my engine, continue to lift big weights.What has been your favorite moment so far on your Coaches journey?I think it's a tie betwee the time the 6 am Class said they liked my music choices and the time that the whole ten am class dressed up as the players of both teams in Dodgeball. I swear my heart exploded that day...What has been your favorite CrossFit WOD and why?Wait... people have favorites?Where do you see yourself in 5 years?5 years older and hopefully wiser!Share a recipe for a favorite clean meal.Good timing on this one, I am in the middle of two weeks of clean eating recipes and have found some good new ones... Sheet Pan Chicken Shwarma BowlsWhat is your favorite cheat meal?I'm going through a pretty big ice cream phase right now and am into all the Tilamook flavors. FYI, you should wait three minutes after you scoop your ice cream for it to achieve the perfect consistency, according to the ice cream professionals.What is the most challenging aspect of CrossFit?Not getting ahead of yourself. Even now, I am trying to mount a comeback into crossfit after two years of Olympic Lifting and the struggle between the memory of what I could do and where my body is at in the current moment is pretty intense.As a coach what advice would you give to someone new to CrossFit?Listen and ask questions. If a coach is telling you something, we are seeing something and are trying to fix it. Don't be embarassed. And yes, you may get different cues from different coaches... that's a good thing bc ideally one of those might resonate with you and help you. Take it all in, from all sources. And if you are struggling with something - talk to us, dont just try to fade into the woodwork. We want to help and see you grow.What is your personal 'walkout song' or anthemShipping off to Boston