April Featured Athlete: Scott Walters

“All of you are awesome! There isn’t one person I’m not happy to see… Matt and the other owners and staff have built a truly commendable facility where we can all pursue our best.”

Take a moment to get to know a man that demonstrates dedication and hard work inside the gym, at his workplace and with his family! And who else do you know has 2016 goals of looking like Rich Froning with no shirt and growing a fuller beard?

1. What’s your athletic background?
   

   I played golf in high school. That about sums it up. Recreationally, I’ve always enjoyed basketball, tennis, and football. Running sucks.

    

2. What was your first experience with CF?
   

   Before the gym opened, the owners held free WODs on the south lawn of the Liberty Memorial. Brianna took me to one of these. The WOD was a team format, I think 3 rounds of like 100 kettlebell swings and 800m burden runs with the kettlebell and a med ball. It was hard and I didn’t come back for over a year.

    

3. When did you start CF?

   I began in February 2014, with the fundamental class, which at that time was called Crossfit 101. Z was the coach.

    

4. Why did you choose CrossFit Memorial Hill?
   

   It was the only exposure I had to Crossfit at the time, the owners were friendly, and the gym is only a few blocks from where I work. Oh, and Brianna had been working out at CFMH for a year.
   

5. What keeps you coming back?

   It has become a lifestyle for our family. Before Crossfit, exercise and health were a low priority at best, and not connected to our lives in general. Over the years, though, fitness has become ingrained in our lives to the point that our hobbies have become more fitness related, our kids are into exercise, and we have learned to look at health as adding enjoyment to our lives, instead of taking away things away from them, like good food, fun, time, inches on our waist, and pounds off the scale.

    

6. Why do you live in KC? And how do you like to spend your free time?
   

   Both Brianna and I grew up in this area. Most of our immediate family lives here, and we’ve never seriously considered leaving. Our free time is mostly spent with each other and close relatives, usually at home, either doing some sort of home improvement project, playing games, or watching movies. I like to find ways to include drinking beer in all these activities.

    

7. What do you like about KC?

   KC is a pretty well-rounded place. It’s both big and small, without some of the drawbacks of each. There are many options for everything to do, unlike smaller cities, but there is not the congestion and urban isolation of larger urban areas. In KC, the whole metro area is very accessible. From Independence, I can easily and quickly get to south Johnson County (not that I’d ever want to), the Legends, the Northland, anywhere in the metro. In bigger cities covering that much territory is harder, so people tend to stay in their own neighborhoods and sub-communities, not really experiencing the whole city very often.

    

8. What are one or two improvements you have seen in your life since starting CF?

   I’ve noticed a lot of improvements in myself the past two years. The obvious ones are that I’ve dropped some excess weight, toned up, feel better about myself, and my clothes fit more comfortably. But, more importantly, I’ve made lots of valuable friends, become more disciplined, have a better understanding of overall health, and become closer to Brianna as we’ve both grown in the CFMH community.
   

9. What are your goals for 2016?

   I want to keep on the track I’m on, continuing to improve all my lifts, movements, and work capacity. Also, to look like Rich Froning with no shirt and a fuller beard.

    

10. What would you say to someone thinking about starting CF?

    Don’t be intimidated by it. Don’t shy away from the membership cost, the loud music, the complicated workouts, the lingo, weights crashing on the floor, girls who are more ripped than you are, guys who appear to be chiseled from stone, or the fact that everyone seems to know and like everyone else. And, something Brianna told me when I started: “No one can judge you when they’re lying on the floor gasping for air, too.”

     

11. What’s your favorite & least favorite CF movement?

    My favorite movement is probably snatch, followed closely by muscle-ups. My least favorite is probably back squat, but I’m trying to work on that. 

12. What’s your favorite cheat meal?

    Only because I eat it all the time — pizza and ice cream — with, you guessed it, a cold brew or six.

     

13. Anything else you would like to share with The Hill family?

    All of you are awesome! There isn’t one person I’m not happy to see there, or anyone I would like to see leave. I miss all those who I’ve seen go elsewhere over the years. But to everyone who still loves The Hill but hates hill runs as much as me, you are all collectively my favorite people. Matt and the other owners and staff have built a truly commendable facility where we can all pursue our best. I hope that we can continue to be a part of it for years to come.