The Athlete of the Month for October 2017 is a woman who likes to wake up and work out. 6:15am is her preferring time of day. She either runs to the gym or gets a ride with her husband. We nominated her as Athlete of the Month to highlight her dedication to Industrial Athletics. Since joining, she has spread the word of CrossFit to friends and family. That includes her husband, friends, and children. She went whitewater rafting, helped spread the word of for our No Complaining Challenge and would be at axe throwing at the end of the month if it wasn’t for an overnight in an old, haunted monastery. The Athlete of the Month for October 2017 is:
CHARISSA HOWE
1. Where are you from originally? My family is from Pittsburgh and this is where I’m sort of from, but we lived in Kansas when I was 6-16 years old. We moved back when I was in high school. So, I’m basically from Pittsburgh, but I still drawl when I’m tired.
2. If not from Pittsburgh, what brought you to Pittsburgh? N/A
3. Where do you work? I am a Presbyterian minister serving Emsworth Presbyterian Church and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church of Sewickley.
4. What is your favorite hobby? Aside from CrossFit and running, I love to read and write. I also knit and crochet (I used to teach fiber arts professionally.)
5. How did you discover CrossFit? My husband used to do CrossFit in the backyard years ago, so I’ve known about it for a while. He’s pretty intense, though, so I stuck to running and yoga until I found IA.
6. When did you start CrossFit? I started in December of 2016.
7. Why did you start CrossFit? I wanted to get stronger to up my marathon game.
8. What is your favorite thing to do in CrossFit? Aside from running, I love the barbells. Lifting was frustrating for me at first because I wanted to be living lots of weight like some of the other badass ladies I admire at the gym, but as my form has improved, my weight has gone up. Now I look forward to living days.
9. What is your least favorite thing to do in CrossFit? Wall balls. I’m not complaining about them. . . Just answering the question. 🙂
10. What is the number 1 thing you want to get better at? Pull ups. I’m so. . . So. . . Close.
11. What is your favorite part about coming to CrossFit at Industrial Athletics? I just love the sense of community there. The outings and meeting up at 5K’s and things just makes me so happy. We’ve met such great people at IA.
12. What is your favorite CrossFit WOD? As much as I love lifting, my favorite WODs are high-cardio ones because I can do that forever. I like workouts that I can do RX on, which is low gymnastics skills and not heavy weight. Anything involving running, double unders, box jumps, etc. I like working on the other stuff too, but it’s fun to do what I’m really good at.
