Featured Athlete: Jay Fleer

Have you met Jay Fleer? If you’ve been to CrossFit class at 6 AM recently, I’m sure you have. His kindness and warmth is unavoidable. If you haven’t had the opportunity to meet him yet, I encourage you to walk right on up to him and introduce yourself. He will be more than happy to shake your hand and get to know you.

What I enjoyed most about talking with Jay today for our podcast/video (more on that soon) was getting to hear his story about starting CrossFit. I know he has been a police detective for quite some time, so I assumed that he had been doing some sort strength and conditioning. It turned out that was not at all the case.

Jay’s path to CrossFit and living more healthfully started just last Valentine’s Day when he gave up smoking, fulfilling a promise he’d made to his daughters awhile ago. After giving up smoking he thought, and I paraphrase, “Well, I certainly do feel better, I should do other healthy things now too. I’d like to give running a shot.” So he did.

He really enjoyed running, but knew he also wanted to get stronger. Through a few internet searches he found CrossFit, and now the rest is history. Jay has been at The Hill for almost a year and he can’t get enough.

“I was addicted from day one… The concept of functional fitness, from head to toe.”

SP Jay

As Jay has gotten more and more into CrossFit he has become a stronger and better influence on his family, friends and co-workers. He credits his devotion and success so far to the style of workouts, community and coaches, but I’d like to give most of the credit, to Jay.

Jay is committed to getting into the box and putting in the hard work, no matter how he’s feeling. He shows true respect for his body, mind and spirit by pushing himself during workouts and helping others do the same through his encouragement and relentless smile.

Jay’s biggest fitness goal for the next year or so is getting a 300 pound back squat, he’s at about 225 pounds now. I believe wholeheartedly he can do it, and if you’ve ever seen him workout, I know you agree.

To learn more about my friend Jay, check out the podcast we recorded together and enjoy this sweet video!

Thanks for reading. Make sure you shake Jay’s hand next time you see him.

Cheers,

kjs… Kyle J Smith

 

Featured Athlete

Mark NussMark Before & After

Typically when the coaches all chat about who we’ll nominate for a month’s featured athlete, I’ll shoot that person an email & ask them some questions that I think pertain to them, their career, and family and how it all relates to The Hill. This month I’ve selfishly decided that, instead of letting Mark answer questions about himself, I’d attempt to take all the incredible things said by and about Mark and put them out there. But first, I’d like to let all who don’t know him get a feel for his attitude:

“I love this place. I’ve only been coming here for 4(ish) months and I’ve only been working out (really) for about 7. I have so much fun at the Hill. I feel like I’ve come a long way from where I started and, for the first time ever, I don’t care about where I stack up…it’s now a mentality that I’ve found what I want to do for life and just need to make little improvements towards every movement.
I’ve felt like I’m part of the family since day one- regardless of my abilities.  It’s infectious.  The Hill is FULL  of great people who have been nothing but welcoming and given me PLENTY to aspire to.”
It’s the Mark’s of the world that compel coaches, trainers, and gym owners everywhere to wake up and go to work each day. When he first came to the Hill, Mark was apprehensive (as we all are) but determined, persistent, and infectiously joyful. He’s an example to everyone around him that life is best lived actively and enthusiastically. Mark is a loving father, demonstrating for all parents that health, fitness, wellness, and community are foundational habits of happy people.Mark, The Hill is a better place because of you. From all of your coaches: thanks for the inspiration, hard work, and delightful attitude. On behalf of The Hill membership, thanks for being the embodiment of our cornerstone: Community. Commitment. Results.

Featured Athlete – Kylee Sprengel

FEATURED ATHLETE – KYLEE SPRENGELFAKS

1) How did you find CrossFit? What were you doing prior? One of the box owners in Lawrence pushed me to try it when I lived there, but I resisted because I didn’t want to “get bulky” and I thought it was a fad. I played softball at a very high level growing up and volleyball in college. Two months after moving to Kansas City and my failed attempt at trying to define myself as a runner (hahaha…) I finally conceded and gave it a try. Holy crap, I didn’t realize how out shape I was. Two things hooked me instantly – One: the no-bulls**t, no-frill approach to working out and variety in the programming. Two: the community. It has an awesomely similar feeling to being on a sports team. I found my home here at CFMH in August of last year. LOVE YOU ALL! ::wink:::

2) What are you up to when you’re not crushing it in the gym? It doesn’t really matter to me what I’m doing, so long as I’m in good company. I like to try new restaurants and explore different parts of the city. I’ll go to/watch pretty much any professional sports game and you will find me repping all my Chicago teams. Except the White Sox, ew. I also love a good Netflix binge with wine and cheese.

3) It’s no secret you love weightlifting. I mean, you just snatched 160#. Was this always the case? What do you like so much about it? Haha.. I’ve always been more of the power/strength athlete. Softball and volleyball both required that quick, explosive type of movement. I found my interest in weightlifting through CrossFit. There’s something to be said about the feeling you get from lifting something heavy from the ground to over your head… Maybe it’s just me, but it yields a much more satisfying feeling than, say, testing how many burpees you can do in a minute. I also appreciate that it’s just as much about speed and hitting positions (technique) as it is about strength. Its practice requires constant fine-tuning.

4) Favorite training song? Dirty, filthy, offensive hip-hop.

5) Cheat meal? Nachos, bruh… Or waffle fries.

Eric Rodenberg

Eric blowin’ it up with the Endurance crew

After moving to Kansas City last December for his wife’s schooling, Eric was looking to step up his physical activity from jogging and the occasional push-up. Eric was first exposed to CrossFit through the academy for the Missouri Highway Patrol and knew that was the edge he needed. Since beginning a full-time CrossFit training regimen at CrossFit Memorial Hill, Eric has seen incredible gains in both strength and stamina.  According to Eric, “I have enjoyed every second of it. Everyone at the gym has been great and really welcoming.”

Due to his hectic schedule as a Highway Patrolman, you’ll have the pleasure of seeing Eric at any number of class times. The most impactful part of Eric’s training is his consistency, effort, and pursuit of improvement. Eric’s strength gains have been dramatic and noticeable to all of his coaches.  He truly is an image of a lifelong pursuit of fitness. Great work, Eric. We’re all incredibly proud of you!

 

Christopher and Mandy Beltz

Team Beltz!

 

It seems fitting that we met at a gym in Kansas City almost 5 years ago and then got married back in 2011. In the short years that we’ve been together we’ve become inseparable and have combined our love of working out to include the other. We’ve been involved in some aspect of fitness since we were kids: Christopher has a background in weightlifting and cycling, and Mandy has a background in weightlifting and endurance running. We’ve completed organized bike rides, half and full marathons, and adventures races; all the while supporting and cheering on one another or tackling them as a team. We love the outdoors and anything that challenges our physical abilities. When we stumbled upon CrossFit, we knew that this was something we had to do. We knew that this was going to be the next level in our fitness that would push us even further than we had before and would challenge us on every level. Taken from a quote from Mandy, “CrossFit can make me feel in 20 minutes the same as I do running 4 hours in a marathon.” Needless to say, it has become our new passion, and we love the challenges it provides us. We are grateful to be a part of CrossFit Memorial Hill and love our new-found family there! Thank you to all that help and push us to be better. 

Coach’s note:
Mandy and Christopher exemplify the very core of CrossFit: working hard, having fun, and never shying away from weaknesses. From day 1, their attitude has been unwaveringly positive in achieving new goals and acquiring new skills. Never will you hear “I can’t”, but you’ll be sure to hear “I will, one day.” The entire coaching staff is honored to have the Beltz’ in class and they’re positive attitude is absolutely contagious. Congrats, guys!

 

Travis Castle

TS Featured Athlete

  • Originally from NW Kansas, been in KC for 7 years.
  • Pharmacist with Saint Luke’s Health System
  • KU Grad
  • Hobbies: I love to cook/anything food related. Learning French. Just started studying for Board Certification in Pharmacotherapy.
  • Age: 34

Continue reading “Travis Castle”