Congratulations to the guy who always walks in the gym smiling no matter what kind of day he’s having. Whether he’s early or if he’s late and catching heat for it, Al keeps taking it all in stride. For those of you who’ve been in class with Al, you might have joked about the times he comes in late. This lateness has diminished over time. We all have busy schedules and we certainly understand that getting to the gym even for 45 minutes can be tricky for some. Al is a hard working franchise business owner who always makes time to take his two boys to their sports and still gets his workout in. I’ve had the pleasure to coach Al plenty of times over the last 2 years and it’s been aweome to be a part of his improvement. One vivid memory coaching Al was an Olympic lifting day when we make a awesome breakthrough in technique. The footwork, bar path and speed were all clicking and his lifts were looking more crisp than ever. He has since continued to improve, and  always looks to get “his barbell.” One of the days we were doing strict toes to bar, I saw Al jump up and rip through a solid set of kipping toes to bar. I was happily shocked how good he got because it’s been a struggle for him to get rid of the empty swings mid set. It was awesome to learn he got some encouragement and tips from a fellow member (Laura) that worked for him. This is definitely an Athlete of the Month selection we were excited to announce because of the energy Al brings and we know this will fuel him to improve even more. Keep working hard and we will continue to help you reach your goals. 

A big congratulations to Terrence Sweeney on being our August Athlete of the Month. Terr is the kind of person you we just knew that he was going to flourish in this gym setting. We know many people do, but to see it from the first couple days, it’s something different. In just 6 months of taking class, his strength gains are quite evident and I see the confidence growing in a number of movements. In the Q&A, he talks about the day Coach Ryan helped him with the technqiue and confidence on the climbing rope. That is as memorable for us coaches as you athletes. It’s a cool moment. I hope you get more of those skill moments, Terr. His eagerness to be in the gym, coachability and want to improve makes coaching so enjoyable. Coach Meg has been asking to name Terrence Athlete of the Month for almost 3 months. It’s not hard to see when the honest hard work is being put in day after day. As far as those current goals below, he might need to come up with a couple more because those listed are not far off. I’ve seen the handstands a number of times. And they’re freestanding. Keep up the consistency and your results will continue to show.

The wait is over. Below is Q&A for our very deserving July Athlete of the Month, Lacey Colucci. I always learn even more about our selected honoree through the Q&A. Before reading through her answers, I had Lacey on a short list of members who I wanted to spotlight. With Anita’s suggestion one day, it was solidified that Lacey’s photo would go on the wall. She’s quiet, humble, coachable, athletic, generous, encouraging and grateful. For me, it’s cool to coach someone who is a natural athlete. Lacey moves well, has good body awareness, picks up on demos and cues well and is interested/proactive in improving. Below she mentions the day when we gave her the nudge to RX “Jackie”. That was awesome to watch. This is actually the second athlete of the month who did this workout RX for the first time and it became a standout moment. Lacey is a mom of 2 is a living example how to live and treat others. She was also the first member to meet my son. Lacey was working in the hospital where he was born and would check in on us. That’s something we don’t forget.

Our June 2024 Athlete of the Month is one of the most chill, down to earth, real guys you will meet. Craig Hayes has been a member for about 3 years. He may be a quiet guy but doesn’t shy away from a challenge. He signed up and took a weightlifting course we held and worked out alongside seasoned athletes in the gym. Craig did well with the Sandbag Challenge bakc in April where we sent about 6 teams to the beach. He’s game to partner with whoever needs one. This was very apparent for Casey’s hero wod this year. He just wanted to come, workout, support and give his best but needed an early time slot. There was no preferred partner. I was happy to see that attitude. 
Craig is relatable on so many levels and you will realize that when you read his Q&A. My favorite response has to be about the biggest challenge he has overcome since joining. It is the most raw, real answer that is so true for many of us. The challenges of life never stop but they differ from day to day, month to month and year to year. Whether it’s work, family, personal, social or whatever else… the challenges will be there. Craig’s approach and clarity for that is admirable. It’s honestly always great to have him in my classes. We shoot the shit, he’s very coachable and works hard. I can’t ask for more.

This write up is long overdue but the Q&A is well worth the read. Nicole Ambrosini aka Nikki Daytona is and will always be our May 2024 Athlete of the Month, even with the delay in Q&A and post. So many of you can relate to Nicole in one way or another. She is pretty quiet (unless with her girls crew). She is a hard worker, consistent, addicted to the high of fitness, loves food, wine, grew up playing sports, has a sense of humor, has a good group of friends, gets embarassed, is humble and so much more. You won’t get all of that out of just being in class with her, so I’m very happy we selected her as AOTM and get to share some stuff about her. Nicole is one of those few members I can name who will make getting to the gym such a priority that you will see her at the 4:30pm class if she misses the 5:30am. You’ll see her in a 7am Sunday class on a busy social weekend. The dedication is admirable. She is easy to talk to, coachable and we are lucky to have her in this gym community. So with that being said if you don’t know her and see her in class, embarass her by introducing yourself… She’s a good runner too.

I remember pretty vividly Alyssa’s first class at IP Fitness. Her and Danni came in to join as they moved to Long Beach and were switching gyms. They weren’t very consistent at the time and I remember we had pull-ups in the program. Those reps were a struggle and a few hands were torn that class. Fastforward to Murph this year (and even last year) and these two are thriving. It 100% helps to join a gym like ours with a friend. Accountability from someone you trust is crucial. Alyssa is a former college softball pitcher and is coach of the 2024 CHSAA Undefeated State Champs St. Anthonys. Congrats on an awesome year! When Alice was chosen for our Athlete of the Month honor, it wasnt based on just the previous month as people sometimes think. She was actually not in the previous month as much due to coaching duties. However, her consistency, work ethic and discpline over several months allowed her to get her quality workouts in when she did make it to the gym. She also looks like she hasn’t missed a beat as she is back to class more frequently. One of my favorite moments for Alyssa is seeing her handstand walk progress from January through March. Keep up with your skill maintenence and you will forever own it. If you havent been in class with Alyssa, she’s a great person to be around, very down to earth and doesn’t take herself too seriously. It’s a pleasure to acknowedge to efforts and I look forward to seeing more gains to come.