BTSCF Newsletter - November 2019
The holidays are officially here and we are moving quickly toward the end of the year. Coinciding with the end of the year we are fresh off the conclusion of the 2020 Open so now is the time to look back at your year, evaluate, and set new goals for the coming months and year. Take a peek at what is going on at Burn the Ships CrossFit.
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The Open & Wrap up Party
Burn the Ships CrossFit Athletes celebrating all of their accomplishments at the conclusion of the 2020 CrossFit Open.
For the first time, the CrossFit Open took place in the fall. The five week competition pushed our athletes with five different tests. Our athletes faced heavier weights or movements that they weren’t used to doing. One of our goals is to prepare our athletes for anything that comes their way. We want them to have the strength, endurance, and most importantly self awareness to help them through whatever they face.
The PR’s and wins that our athletes achieved during The Open are the results of their hard work and dedication to becoming a better version of themselves each day.
BTSCF athletes earned their first hand stand push-ups, pistol squats, muscle ups, and set PR’s with the barbell. We are proud of each of our athletes and we cannot wait to see how much they grow and can accomplish during the upcoming year.
The Open goes beyond the athletes competing each week. The experience our athletes have during the Open wouldn’t be the same without everyone who volunteered to judge, and for all of the friends and family who hung out to cheer and support everyone. We are so thankful for the community at BTSCF that continually raises the bar.
A big congratulations also goes out to Team Orange! We had over 60 athletes participate in the Open this year, so what better way to make it even more fun, than to split everyone into two teams. The margin of victory in each week was very small and Team Blue started off strong taking wins in both Weeks 1 and 2. Weeks 3 and 4 were taken by Team Orange to set up a winner take all Week 5. Team Orange took Week 5 and The Open win by only a few points.
After the competition, everyone hung out for our Open Close Party. Our friends from Log Tavern Brewing, New Mindset Massage, and Katery were on hand. During the party, we awarded two athletes, one from each team with our BTSCF Spirit of the Open Award. These athletes were committed to putting forth their best effort as well as being outstanding and supportive members of our community. Congratulations to Brandon Gurda and Bob Klein!
BTSCF Athlete Brandon Gurda after winning the Spirit of The Open award.
BTSCF Athlete Bob Klein after winning the Spirit of The Open award.
Silverback OLY Program
On November 17th, we kicked off a six week OLY program. Our athletes tested into the program to establish a base score in both Olympic lifts. Athletes had three attempts to achieve a max Snatch and Clean & Jerk.
The program includes two days of skill and strength based workouts each week, plus an Olympic Lifting Class every Sunday. The goal of this program is to improve technique and mechanics, strength, and speed.
The Port Jervis Stone Challenge
November 23, 2019. A mountain. A stone. The brainchild of two of our trainers, Alex and Sean, The Port Jervis Stone Challenge had our athletes run 1.2 miles down a mountain, pick up a stone, and carry it 1.2 miles back up to the top. The Port Jervis Stone Challenge was created as a fundraiser for the Outdoor Club of Port Jervis. Alex and Sean wanted to come up with a way to help raise money in a unique event. The idea was simple enough in concept, but a physical and mental challenge to complete and we love seeing our athletes find new ways to test their fitness. We had a large team of BTSCF members and their families participate and we were thrilled to help raise money that will support the upkeep and creation of new trails.
Awards were given to the fastest time, heaviest stone, and combination of time and weight in three divisions, Men’s, Women’s, and Junior’s. BTSCF cleaned house with our athletes all over the podium. In the Junior’s division, Kevin Mesnick Jr. won heaviest stone and came in first based on combined time and weight. In the Women’s division, Bonnie Hull also won for heaviest stone and came in first based on combined time and weight. In the Men’s division, Kevin Mesnick won based on his combined time and weight. Jim McCooey carried the heaviest stone which put him on the podium as well. A huge congratulations to all of our BTSCF Athletes that went out of their comfort zone to face the Port Jervis Stone Challenge. We also want to congratulate Alex and Sean for creating a fun event to benefit a great cause in our local community.
Kevin Mesnick Jr. completed the Stone Challenge in 27:41 with a 22 lb. stone earning the heaviest stone and overall winner of the Junior Division.
In the Women’s Division, Bonnie Hull was the overall winner and carried the heaviest stone. She completed the Stone Challenge in 26:39 with a 50 lb. stone.
Kevin Mesnick (center) was the overall winner in the Men’s Division completing the Stone Challenge in 23:35 with a 55 lb. stone. Jim McCooey (right) won heaviest stone in the Men’s Division completing the Stone Challenge with a 73 lb. stone.
“The Deck” Thanksgiving WOD
BTSCF Athletes after completing “The Deck” during the 8 am class on Thanksgiving.
On Thanksgiving morning, two classes of BTSCF athletes let the deck of cards determine how their workout would be done. The deck of cards were shuffled and the card flipped dictated the movement and number of reps each athlete would perform. The movements, determined by suit, were Push Press, Air Squats, Sit-ups, and Burpees.
BTSCF Athletes after completing “The Deck” during the 9 am class on Thanksgiving.
What Else is Happening at BTSCF?
Burpees for Food
Our athletes must really want their trainers to do a lot of burpees! The donations have been pouring in and we want them to keep coming! BTSCF is collecting shelf stable foods to benefit the Holy Trinity Food Pantry. For each item donated, the BTSCF Trainers will do one burpee. The trainers will be doing the burpees on Sunday, December 8th at 7:00 and will broadcast it online. Anyone who wants to come watch the trainers do their burpees is welcome to come.
Granite Games Winter Throwdown
There are two teams of BTSCF Athletes that will be participating in the Granite Games Winter Throwdown on Saturday, December 7. One team is comprised of Connor Schall, Robb Ruiz, and Mackenzie Decker. The other team is made up of Mike Simmons, Walt Albro, and Kevin Mesnick. The Throwdown will be held in Allentown, PA at CrossFit SYR. If you would like to go support these teams, please reach out to a trainer or one of the athletes for details.
BTSCF Holiday Party
Mark your calendars and please join us for our annual holiday party on December 14. More details to come soon!
October PR’s
BTSCF Athletes continue to raise the bar! Congratulations to everyone on your hard work!
Brennan - 75 lb. Strict Press, 95 lb. Push Jerk
Bonnie - 95 lb. Strict Press
Jon T. - 215 lb. x 3 Hang Power Clean, 77 Unbroken Double Unders, 137 Double Unders in 2 minutes, 7 Pistols
Kevin Jr. - 1st Set of Kipping Pull Ups
Rose - 20 Pistols
Colleen - 75 lb. Strict Press
Ashlyn - 55 lb. Clean & Jerk
Heather S. - 145 lb. x 5 Clean & Jerk, 100 lb. Strict Press
Jess F. - 93 lb. Strict Press
Mike S. - 6 Pistols
John G. - 1st time Kipping Pull Ups x 36
Jon H. - 32 Unbroken Double Unders
Darci - 115 lb. Clean & Jerk
Dee - 105 lb. x 2 Bench Press
Walt - 6:50 Mile Run
Nancy - 65 lb. Snatch
Amanda - First Kipping Handstand Push Up
Chase - First Kipping Pull Up
Kristine - 70 lb. Thruster, 37 lb. Power Snatch, 55 lb. Clean & Jerk, 14 lb. x 50 Wall Balls, Kipping
BTSCF Feature Athlete
Meet Morgan Slimskey: Fitness for Two
BTSCF Feature Athlete Morgan Slimskey performing hang power cleans as part of a metcon.
CrossFit frequently is painted in a light that causes many to have false notions about it. Other gyms sometimes feed into that as well. For Morgan Slimskey, that was her first exposure to CrossFit. She had the impression that CrossFit was an exclusive club and she would never be good enough to be a part of it. Morgan’s friend and “Turbo Twin” Erin convinced her to give it a try. Morgan said, “We had been working out together for years, and she had already taken her intro. She said she swore this would become our new favorite thing.”
In May of 2017, Morgan jumped in at Burn the Ships CrossFit and it turns out that Erin was right. She quickly learned that CrossFit wasn’t just about being the strongest or the fastest. Morgan learned the importance of performing all of the movements correctly; that it is about training her body to be the best that it could be for her to live the healthiest and happiest life that she could. She also found that CrossFit is a great self confidence booster because you get to see your body do things you didn’t think you could. That is why Morgan would tell someone on the fence about giving CrossFit a try to “Just. Walk. In. Put your fears aside and let us guide you through what is going to be a huge change in your life for the better.”
After roughly a year and a half into her CrossFit journey, Morgan had already taken the L1 and began teaching classes. She had also competed in competitions and two CrossFit Opens. Morgan was about to find out that she would be facing an all new challenge: pregnancy. There are people who believe that because someone is pregnant, they cannot continue to maintain an active lifestyle. Morgan is not one of those people. She consulted with her doctors, sought advice from BTSCF Owners Mike and Heather Simmons, and did plenty of her own research.
At the beginning of her pregnancy, Morgan found it challenging to adjust her routine. She was at her peak after months of hard training and competition. Backing down was tough for her to embrace, but she has completely adopted the “intention now, intensity later” mindset. Morgan has modified her workouts so she can still participate with other members while keeping her baby safe. Mike Simmons smirked when hearing about one of Morgan’s workout plans and said, “She’ll do what she can to get her workout in.” BTSCF Trainer (and “turbo twin”), Erin Schoeberl shared, “Morgan is tenacious and always up for a challenge. She is always pushing herself to be better, but during her pregnancy she has worked very hard to balance staying active and being smart about her body.” Morgan has said that she is so much more in tune with her body, and even more aware of when she needs to rest. Morgan is proof that with planning and listening to what your body needs, a healthy and active lifestyle can be maintained throughout pregnancy.
Morgan has been modifying and adapting workouts throughout her pregnancy. Here is example of one of her workouts. The original version was 5 Rounds of Max Bodyweight Bench Press, Max Strict Pull-Ups, and 400m Run.
Outside of the gym, Morgan is a merchandising supervisor for Home Depot. She spends 40+ hours a week walking on a concrete floor, lifting and moving, and doing a million other things. She attributes CrossFit to helping her stay fit to do the best job she can. She utilizes mental toughness she develops in the gym when the workload gets heavy and she gets overwhelmed to help her get the job done. In her free time, Morgan enjoys being a homebody and spending time with her family and dog. She also says cooking is a passion.
At the annual BTSCF Halloween WOD, Morgan made it a team of three with the baby bump and her “Turbo Twin,” Erin.
We hit Morgan with some rapid fire questions, here is what she had to say:
Q: What super power would you give yourself?
A: Flight
Q: What's your favorite healthy food?
A: Raspberries
Q: What's your favorite not so healthy food?
A: All the Mexican food!
Q: What TV Sitcom family or group would you be a member of?
A: The Big Bang Theory
Q: If you were famous, what would you be famous for?
A: My book collection
Q: If you could write your own fortune cookie fortune, what would it say?
A: “Don’t just wish for it. Make it happen.”
Q: If you were a professional wrestler, what would you finishing move be called?
A: The Slim Slam
Q: Who do you look up to for inspiration at BTSCF?
A: Honestly everyone, but the whole Simmons crew is goals.
Q: What is your favorite and least favorite movement?
A: Favorite is Hang Power Cleans. Least favorite is Full Snatches.
Q: What is the one thing you've done at BTSCF that your old self wouldn't ever believe?
A: A muscle up. Might have been the ugliest ever, but I did it!
The muscle up is one of the most challenging gymnastics movements. BTSCF Feature Athlete Morgan Slimskey picked a CrossFit Open workout to get her first one.
Hack Your WOD: Being the Best YOU in the Coming Year
The 2020 Open has ended. That means for almost all CrossFit athletes, they are now training for the 2021 Open. The Open offers great incite to the progress that was made over the previous year. Find your wins and be happy with them. You earned them. The Open also offers the opportunity to find your weaknesses. Embrace them. Self evaluation is an important step toward improvement. Was it gymnastics that forced you to scale? Do more gymnastics. Did a barbell weight stop you from progressing through a workout? Do a strength and lifting program. Work on your movement patterns and improve your technique.
Being the best version of you doesn’t just stop when you leave the gym though. What does your nutrition look like? How is your sleep and recovery? These are all aspects that will impact how you train and improve over the next year. The bottom line is it is simple, but not easy and with hard work and dedication, you can do it.
Here is a great illustration courtesy of Whiteboard Daily.
On a scale of 1-10, rate each aspect of your fitness. This will help guide you toward improving your fitness. If you want to take it a step further, ask a trainer to rate these aspects for your as well. You can talk to your trainers to help you make a plan to address your weaknesses. All athletes have their own goals and needs. Whether it is simply getting some mobility tips or gymnastics drills to work on, jumping into the OLY program, or signing up for nutrition coaching, the BTSCF team of trainers and community is there to help you reach your goals.