Each month Overland Park CrossFit recognizes a member who exemplifies our values and motivates others in the gym to push themselves with encouraging words. April’s Athlete of the Month is Klaudia Rossol. Klaudia was chosen because of her positive attitude, the intensity she brings to her workouts, the extra hours she spends before and after class working on different skills and lifts, and her commitment to helping others improve their nutrition. You can find Klaudia lifting heavy and pushing the pace at the 4:30pm class, making her one to chase on the OPCF leader board. However, even more impressive than her CrossFit stats, is her willingness to encourage and pour into other members at OPCF. Klaudia is such an inspiration to new and experienced athletes alike and we love having her as part of the OPCF community! Learn more about Klaudia below.
How long have you been working out at Overland Park CrossFit? My husband (Mark) and I joined OPCF the first Monday after we moved to Kansas City. It’s been about 12 months!
What were your thoughts after your first CrossFit workout? Do you remember what it was? My first workout was in April of 2015. I remember that there were wall balls and box jumps and that afterward I felt “defeated” by the workout! You know that feeling of shaky legs when you go to pick up the ball?! I had joined a friend for a “Bring a Friend” WOD with no expectations…but I couldn’t stop thinking about the experience ALL weekend and signed up for a CrossFit membership 2 days later.
What has been your favorite workout so far? There is no single workout that stands out as my favorite…but I love the ones where you’re gasping for air at the end. Those are typically the shorter, sprint workouts for me.
What is your favorite cheat meal? I love chocolate. However, I do better incorporating a little bit into my diet each day rather than saving for a cheat “meal”. You might have heard me say that every day I eat three chocolate covered nuts and three mini Cadbury eggs.
What did you want to be when you grew up and where do you work now? Growing up, I wanted to be everything! An actress, singer, psychologist, chef, dentist… Today I work in HR on the Talent Acquisition team.
What do you like to do outside of work? Outside of work I love to be at OPCF with all the friends I’ve made over the last year! I also really enjoy cooking, meal prep, and anything food related. I also love spending time with my husband and dogs.
What advice would you give a newbie just starting at OPCF? One thing I wish I could tell anyone hesitant or nervous about starting CrossFit is that it is for everyone! It is infinitely scalable, whether your goal is to make it more manageable or more challenging. If you’re a human, CrossFit is for you. You don’t need to be a certain body type/shape, size, age, color to participate in CrossFit.
What is your favorite/least favorite movement? My favorite movement is a clean, especially a solid power clean. My “least favorite” movements aren’t ones I necessarily dislike, but are the ones I struggle with, which are a lot of gymnastics movements. It’s exciting to work on those movements though because improvements are so noticeable!
What’s one Crossfit goal you have set for yourself to accomplish this next year? Oh I have so many goals! It’s hard to pick just one!
I recently achieved my first goal I had set for 2020, so I’m on to the next one, which is really improving on those gymnastics movements! A goal that is very important to me (and really trumps all other goals) is to remain pain and injury free. Soreness is welcome. ? I’m working hard on listening to my body! Finally, I really want to improve my aerobic capacity and increase my lactate threshold.
What I love about CrossFit is that goals are so fluid. Once you get 1 (insert movement) the goal becomes 2. Once you hit X pounds on a lift the goal becomes X+10. Same goes for metcons!
What changes have you seen in yourself since starting at OPCF? The biggest change I’ve experienced since joining OPCF hasn’t been within myself, but rather in the number and quality of amazing friendships I have developed through the community at our gym.
What is your biggest improvement or proudest accomplishment thus far? My proudest accomplishment has been competing in my first (team) competition earlier this year. I never thought I would ever participate in a competition (hello nerves!), but thanks to the encouragement of my OPCF friends, I committed to the experience and it was a BLAST.
How do you fit working out into your weekly schedule? Working out is a non-negotiable for me. I realized during busy/crazy times that there are things in my life that I can put “on hold” or on the back burner. Going to the gym is not one of those things. Just like I must eat, sleep, and go to work…I must get movement. Exercise helps make me stay healthy and sane so I can handle all the craziness of life!
What is something you have always wanted to do but haven’t yet? I struggle with getting in mobility work, so one thing I wish I did was more yoga or stretching…but haven’t been able to get that into my routine.