Coach Lisa's Letter To Drop-Ins
Last Fall Lisa shared an open "Letter to Drop-ins" via her Stilettos to Snatches blog. Check out the post in its entirely below (thanks so much for sharing, Lisa!):
As someone who has dropped in to many gyms in California, the United States, and internationally, CrossFit gyms are always uniquely special. Each gym has their own personality, culture, and set of core members. It’s something I’ve always loved about CrossFit, especially as I got around to visiting gyms while abroad on vacation. I’ve touched on what to do and how to be when visiting, but what about when you’re visiting my gym? For today’s Fitness Friday post, I’d like to write you a brief letter on what you can expect when coming to my gym, Arena Ready. This Fitness Friday post was inspired by Joe, a recent drop-in from Southern California. After spending a few minutes with him after class, it inspired me to think about what to expect when dropping in to my gym.
Dear Arena Ready Visitor,
First of all, thank you so much for choosing to come to my gym. There are a number of well-known CrossFit gyms in San Francisco and the Bay Area to choose from, and I’m honored you chose my gym. We’re not all over Instagram or Facebook, we don’t play host or showcase our gym through social media, and we don’t advertise. So thank you for finding us, or thank you to the person who directed you to us.
Whether you’re here for a few days or a few hours, there are a handful of things you can expect when you’re at Arena Ready. Our community is small, but we are indeed, quite mighty. From doctors to company presidents to stay-at-home moms to independent business owners, we’re a mixed bag of personalities. That being said, there are a few things you can rely on whether you’re at our 6AM class or our 7PM class:
THE POWER OF SHE
It’s funny, but “SHE” and “she” are real things at Arena Ready. The first SHE, is Sarah Hopping Estrella. You’ve probably seen her as part of your due diligence. You know, the NPGL's San Francisco Fire powerhouse, 6x CFG Regional Athlete, and 7x National USAW medalist. Sarah, however, is also a coach. She’s someone who wants to help each member improve their capacity. Sarah will also give you feedback and make sure you move well. And then there’s the other “she.” If you’re in any of our classes, the female athletes are the workhorses. No disrespect to my male friends, but the female contingency at Arena Ready really kicks ass.
THE Q.O.D.
The question of the day that’s asked before class. It is probably the one thing I rely on to get me going early in the morning. Each class has a question of the day. If you happen to have Rob Estrella as your coach, you’ll get some AWESOME questions. It’s a great ice breaker, and it helps you get to know who we are. Like I said, we have a bunch of personalities, The Q.O.D. helps showcase our quirky stories, restaurant suggestions, or how many shoes we own.
HELPFUL HANDS
Finally, we want to help. We want to make sure you don’t run up the hill for our warm-up, that you know there’s another side to the gym to grab equipment from, where to do your handstand push-ups against the wall, and where you can buy your snacks from. We also want you to know that you’re welcome here, and will offer your high fives, fist bumps, or hugs after a workout. We’ll cheer for you until you finish the workout, and afterwards, we’ll both lament how hard those chest-to-bar pull-ups got or how heavy those squats were.
So after all of that, I again want to thank you for choosing my gym. You won’t find some of the typical CrossFit clichés at Arena Ready. Most of us keep our shirts on during workouts and avoid celebrating finding “Pukie” after a workout. But we do care about our guests, and want you to feel part of our little family when walk in. If you’re at the 6AM class on the weekdays, I know it seems like we’re not all awake, but we’re trying! If you have any plans to visit San Francisco, please contact me directly. I’m happy to answer any questions about my gym or CrossFit too.
-Lisa G (Stilettos to Snatches)
WOD For 10-07-17:
"Loco Moco v2.0"
With a Partner For Time:
BUY-IN: 800m Run TOGETHER
Then, BOTH Athletes Complete...
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Hang Squat Cleans @ 135/95 lbs
Burpee Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
BUY-OUT: 800m Run SPLIT, RELAY STYLE
***Both partners must run together for the 800m buy-in, and the round of 10 Hang Squat Cleans cannot start until both partners are in the door.
***Both partners must complete the 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 sequence, with one partner working at a time to complete a full round before the other partner starts their full round (e.g. Partner A performs 10 HSCs and 10 BBJs, then Partner B performs 10 HSCs and 10 BBJs).
***The 800m buy-out can be split in any fashion the team desires with only one partner running at a time, and time is called when a total of 800m has been completed.