Kim Leblanc
I was doing Reformer classes with Mira at the Pilates studio and she kept telling us how excited she was about opening a “CrossFit” gym with her partner Sean. So in March of 2009 Denise and I decided to go and have a CrossFit session; We did an 8 minutes workout and it kicked my butt…8 minutes. I soon gave up my reformer classes as they could not give me the work out I was getting at CrossFit. I believe I’m the oldest in the Kamloops family and I never thought I could do such challenging workouts at my age. My best reward was the day my youngest son came with a friend to do Jaymie’s workout, and they got their butts kicked, I‘m sure they never thought it would be that hard if “mom” was doing it! I’m so much stronger today than I was two years ago and I truly believe I can only get better.
DAY JOB: I work with Public Health, in the Protection and Licensing Department as a clerk.
CROSS FIT FAVORITES: Squats, barbell, and slam ball
CROSS FIT GOATS: Double Unders, OH Squats, Pull ups, ring dips, running, and many more
WHY I CROSS FIT: I get the “runner’s high” which i never got when I was actually running. Workouts are short and to the point and I really do feel great. Sean & Mira
WORDS OF WISDOM: You don’t stop laughing because you grow old . . . you grow old because you stop laughing !
You won’t be remembered for your size 8 bikini when your gone.
LESSONS LEARNED: Smiles are contagious, NO PAIN NO GAIN
Dave Lewis
I began CrossFit over one year ago on my own to improve my fitness for work. I didn’t have a coach and learned all the moves and techniques from the internet. I loved the philosophy and ideas behind CrossFit but knew my results could be much better if I had some guidance and support. Luckily, I heard about Sean and his CrossFit gym and started as soon as I could.
The results have been incredible in the short time I’ve been going. Not only do I have more energy throughout my shifts, but my endurance and strength have increased more than I could imagine in such a short time. I recently tracked someone through the woods in 3 1/2 feet of snow up north and at times I couldn’t even see my dog Zak ahead of me in the snow. As we made our way I realized that all the hard work “CrossFitting” was paying off. I was able to keep lead with Zak and make clear tactical decisions without losing a beat. Not only do I feel fit, I feel mentally sharper and much more confident at work.
Day Job: Police Dog Handler
CrossFit Favorites: The community, thrusters
CrossFit Goat: Double-unders, overhead squats
Why I CrossFit: To teach my body and mind what I’m capable of doing. To be stronger and faster.
Lessons Learned: Very few easy things in life are worth the effort.
Travis Mackney
I started CrossFit February 2010 and never looked back. I had enjoyed fitness and everything to do with it since I was young, always very active, and in high school started lifting weights and going to the gym a lot and loved feeling good, well so I thought. Once I joined CrossFit that all changed, I was challenged in ways I never thought and left feeling like I accomplished something, which is an awesome feeling!! I think CrossFit is for everyone, it doesn’t matter what you want out of it, and it doesn’t matter what level you’re at. Personally, I want to compete in CrossFit and test myself as an athlete and record my progress as I get better, and with our gym I am able to get all the training I need and great coaching. I joined CrossFit with one of my best friends Jaymie, both excelled in it, but we lost Jaymie in May 2010 and it was really tough for me to deal with, but thanks to Sean and Mira and the community, I was able to deal with it and keep going which helped me in a huge way, and we named a WOD after her, which is a real burner!! These are just a few reason why I CrossFit .
Day Job: Heavy equipment operator (Excavator) , and some landscaping
CrossFit Favourites: Body weight WODs (ring dips, push-ups, pull-ups ect…)
CrossFit Goat: Squats , presses , running. I find because of my size the weight is usually a lot heavier for me, and my endurance could be better. But everything is getting better with a lot of work!
Why I love CrossFit: The biggest thing is the community for me, you don’t have to worry about anyone looking down on you if you can’t do something as well or at all, everyone helps each other get stronger and faster no matter what your weaknesses are, and Sean and Mira make it fun to come, with something new all the time .
Words of Wisdom: “CrossFit is like a fine art – Critiqued by many but understood by few “ ” What good is it to look like Tarzan and play like Jane ? ” – John Welbourn , CF Football. Just a couple CrossFit quotes I like .
Lessons Learned: You never realize your true potential until you push yourself there.
Vicki Scott
I lead an active life; my family and I like to play! Snowboarding in the winter, wake-boarding in summer, riding mountain bikes and hiking during the cross-over seasons. I love to participate in many different activities, but am admittedly a master at few! CrossFit, however, has changed the level at which I am able to participate in my sports. At 37, my body is more functionally competent now than it has ever been. As a former fitness competitor and gym junkie, I used to think I was in “pretty good shape.” Now I realize just how much my body is capable of, and what true fitness means. I love that CrossFit is holistic; participation in the sport encourages adoption of a lifestyle healthy in both mind and body.
Day Job: Full time grade 5 teacher and even fuller time Momma to two little mini-CrossFitters, Emma the snowboarding ballerina and William the extreme skiing BMXer! (Oh, and being Marshall’s partner in life could easily be considered my “other full-time job!” 
CrossFit Favorite: I love the positive energy I get from all my crossfit friends. Of course, there is something addicting about making consistent progress and hitting new personal records!
Why I CrossFit: I Crossfit because it makes me better at life; since becoming a crossfit client I have been able to participate more fully and with less injury in my play. Additionally, as a life-time “gym-goer,” I NEVER experienced the addicting inspiration, comraderie, and support I have found at Crossfit.
CrossFit Goal: If I maintain consistent attendance and effort, and let Sean do his job job of super-rad coaching, everything else falls into place. Oh, and double unders….sigh. Nine months ago I couldn’t pull up my own bodyweight. Now I climb the rope and do unimaginable (to myself!) amounts of pull ups! Times are consistently lower, weights consistently higher, and (yes, Ky, this is for you…!) jeans are consistently looser! If it ain’t broke – don’t fix it!
Lessons Learned: Sometimes you’re ahead and sometimes you’re behind. The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself. ~ thanks Baz Luhrmann Oh, and lessons from our coach: “It’s only weight – pick it up. It will either come up or it won’t.” and “You only have to do one…at a time.”
Words of Wisdom: Do Crossfit.
Anna Desireau
I’ve completed 90 races in 15 years. Anything from 10km runs to marathons (42.2km), sprint triathlons to full Ironman races (3.8km open water swim, 180km bike, 42.2km run). My best overall time for one of these events was 10hrs. 48mins. I placed 3rd in my age category.
My biggest accomplishments are:
• Qualifying for the Boston Marathon twice
• Qualifying and competing in the Worlds Ironman Championships in Kona, Hawaii 3 times
• Finishing 10 Ironman races in 7 years
• Nominated for Kamloops Female Athlete of the Year in 2007
• Was Provincial Champion twice for winning my age category in two qualifying races for ½ Ironman
• Have never dropped out or quit a race
• Still married after 18 years
As you can see, training and racing is a BIG part of my life and would have been very difficult without the support of my loved one.
I feel extremely fortunate to have the CrossFit gym with Sean and Mira in our community. Their hands on, one-on-one coaching allows me to try new things the proper way, forcing me to live outside my comfort zone. I have gained a huge amount of respect practicing this sport. It’s not easy. At 45 years old I strive to be stronger and faster. Naturally, Natural Strength CrossFit fits right into my training program.
Thanks to all my new CrossFit friends that I’ve made. Keep up the good work, “we are all amazing!”
Day Job: Award wining hair stylist for 2010.
Favorites: Anything using natural strength/endurance.
Goat: Would just like to be stronger in general.
Words of Wisdom: Say you can and you will.
Lessons Learned: You have to go through hell before you get to heaven.
Matt Lepp
I started CrossFit almost two years ago. From day one everything about it made sense to me. The workouts were fast and intense, the movements were functional and focused on large muscle groups, and it was different every day so I never got bored. If you talk to Sean or Mira they will tell you that I’ve come a pretty long way from when I first set foot in the gym. I couldn’t do a pull up, had never dead lifted in my life, and was just really weak…I was skinny fat. Doing the workouts as prescribed seemed like an impossible feat, but I kept at it and continued to surprise myself for months and months. I still do, and that’s why I love CrossFit.
Day Job: Student, entrepreneur
CrossFit Favorites: The feeling after completing a workout where you are laying on the ground in agony, but feel great. I coined the term “satisaustion” My favorite movements are overhead or front squats, double unders, and push press/jerk. My favorite workouts are Fight Gone Bad, Filthy Fifty, Helen.
CrossFit Goat: Ring dips, handstand pushups. At this point in my training strength is a big setback for me and something I’m (need to be) working on. Most prescribed lifts are quite difficult for me.
Why I CrossFit: I love the community, the support and comraudery make me want to walk through the door each day. I feel like CrosFit keeps me in shape for everything else that I enjoy doing. Its a lifestyle.
Words of Wisdom: Pain is just weakness leaving your body.
Lessons Learned: Pain will go away, results will stay. You truly will get better at everything.
(Coaches edit: Matt forgot to mention that he won our 1st Male CrossFitter of the Year award in 2010 due to his attitude, consistency and great improvements in the gym.)
Mira Singh
Turning 50 this year is a little stressful but I have to admit that I love my life and I am super happy because I feel I am in the best shape I have ever been. I’ve taught group exercise classes for over 25 years and really felt that I was in good shape, strong, fast, etc… that was proven wrong when I started to CrossFit with Sean after moving from Montreal to Kamloops in 2008. I now know that it is possible to reverse the aging process by exercising hard, eating smart and having the right amount of rest.
Day Job: Owner/Coach – Natural Strength CrossFit and Pilates Instructor – Body Control Pilates
CrossFit Favorite: New PR’s are sweet of course but from where I stand, I love the expression on a clients face when they realize how much they have improved.
Why I CrossFit: I enjoy the challenges involved in the CrossFit programming. Simply put, it works and keeps my “hyperactive body/mind” entertained. This year my goal is to enter into the “masters” CrossFit Games.
CrossFit Goat: Handstand push-ups, ring dips.
Lessons Learned: Be patient with where you are and realize that you are capable of anything.
Words of Wisdom: Routine is the enemy (-CrossFit quote-). There is no magic pill, there is no EASY way to look and feel great, it’s you who decides what you want and the choices you make
Chris Koch
As I enter my 40’s, it feels like I’ve already had a lifetime of outdoor pursuits and fitness. My two main pursuits are whitewater kayaking and adventure racing and I find CrossFit is an excellent fit for both.
I have whitewater kayaked for 22 years now and am absolutely in love with this sport. I appreciate what CrossFit brings to this activity - I have a stronger core; better range of motion; and improved upper body strength.
I have also been an adventure racer since 1996 with Team Spirit Canada. This is a sport in its own world for endurance and teamwork. I have lost count, but I have done some 30+ expedition length races (5 days or longer) around the World with some of the best people outside of the CrossFit gym I have ever met. In 2011, I will be competing in the World’s in Tasmania. We competed once in the World’s before – having come 13th. Knowing what is required of my body in these events, I find CrossFit to be a good part of my preparation. Perhaps understated, is the ease in which I can get a quality workout in a limited time. Additionally there is the support CrossFit brings to all my other training activities through increased strength and general health. The continued improvement is always a motivator as well.
Day Job: Owner/Engineer – Shine Energy Systems
CrossFit Favorites: The camaraderie
CrossFit Goat: Presses
Words of Wisdom: You don’t have a clue what your limits are.
Sean White
I discovered CrossFit when I was in Montreal, studying Exercise Science at University and working as a personal trainer there. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love, I flew to Virginia to get certified a few months after adopting the program. I like it because it’s not a fitness “trick” or a fad like so much out there. I really appreciate and believe it’s important to maintain the integrity and quality of our unique philosophy. A lot of copycat programs out there are missing the point. It’s not difficult nonsense, it’s measurable improvement in all fitness domains. It simply states what fitness is and leads you there. Do it or don’t. I have no doubt that I’ve learned and accomplished a lot more than I would have had I not found this CrossFit community.
Day Job: Owner/Coach – Natural Strength CrossFit
CrossFit Favorites: It’s exciting when anyone gets a new PR, dead-lifts, pull-ups, cleans
CrossFit Goat: Anything overhead, burpees
Why I CrossFit: Self-improvement = identifying weakness and doing something about it other than complaining. Because CrossFit competition is fun, it’s cool to see what people are capable of. Because who wouldn’t want to be stronger? or faster? It may also be the best way to be prepared in case of Zombie attack.
Words of Wisdom: There are few things graven in stone, except that you have to squat or you’re a pussy. – Mark Rippetoe
Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. – Reggie Leach
Lessons Learned: Training is a process, not the results of one day.
