Each month Overland Park CrossFit recognizes a member who exemplifies our values and motivates others in the gym to push themselves with encouraging words. November’s Athlete of the Month is Victoria Fanning. Victoria was chosen because in her time here at OPCF, there have been several different positive changes we’ve seen in her as an athlete and as a person. She has grown to be a lot more confident; she has started to attack WODs with intensity; she has put an emphasis on moving with perfect form over heavier weights; and she is always looking for feedback so she can continue to improve.
Victoria possesses a desire to get better every single day and shows up to put in the work. No matter the challenge of the workout, she always gives it her best. Her hard work is paying off and we love having Victoria as a part of our OPCF community! Learn more about Victoria below!
How long have you been working out at Overland Park CrossFit? 5 months (and counting).
What were your thoughts after your first CrossFit workout? Do you remember what it was? I don’t remember what the workout was, but I remember thinking, “I can’t wait until I’m actually good at this.”
What has been your favorite workout so far? Anything with power cleans or snatches.
What is your favorite cheat meal? Not gonna lie, most, if not all, of my meals would be considered cheat meals; but if I had to choose something specific it would be an overflowing Chipotle bowl.
What did you want to be when you grew up and where do you work now? I was an outdoorsy kid, so I wanted to do anything that involved working with animals/nature. Right now I work part-time with my family’s cleaning company which allows me to focus mainly on school.
What do you like to do outside of work? I’ve been getting into reading lately. My favorite author is Haruki Murakami.
What advice would you give a newbie just starting at OPCF? The days when you really don’t feel like going to the gym are the days when it’s most important to go.
What is your favorite/least favorite movement? I really really really don’t like toes to bar, but that’s mostly because I’m not very good at them, or any gymnastics movement for that matter. My favorite would have to be the power clean, with power snatch being a close second.
What’s one CrossFit goal you have set for yourself to accomplish this next year? I would love to improve my gymnastics abilities and spend more time in the gym in general. Also, a muscle-up would be pretty cool.
What changes have you seen in yourself since starting at OPCF? Slowly but surely, my cardiovascular endurance is improving as well as my overall strength. I feel better in almost every way, and look forward to workouts more often than I dread them.
What is your biggest improvement or proudest accomplishment thus far? Since I started, I’ve done my best to actually show up and work out 5 days a week and give it my all. I haven’t been perfect and I have my off days, but I haven’t given up, and I don’t intend to stop anytime soon.
How do you fit working out into your weekly schedule? Working out always leaves me feeling good and in the mood to work more, so I try to go before I have to buckle down and do schoolwork.
What is something you have always wanted to do but haven’t yet? I really want to start going to the gym twice a day so I can spend some time working on skill, mobility, and technique.