Meet the Mother-Daughter Duo Who Travel the World as CrossFit Medical Team Volunteers
For years, Reese Robinson wanted nothing to do with CrossFit.
- It was something her mother, Janelle Robinson, was passionate about, but when Reese finally agreed to try a class, she felt like she was going to die.
Fast forward to today, and at 20 years old, Reese not only attends CrossFit classes five days a week at CrossFit FirePit in Greensboro, NC, but also volunteers with her mother on the medical team at competitions worldwide.
How She Got Here
Two years ago, Reese was diagnosed with a heart condition that caused her heart rate to spike even when she was resting. It was terrifying for both her and her mother.
- “She used to send me pictures of her Apple Watch when she was sitting in class, and it said her heart rate was at 240 beats a minute just sitting there,” Janelle, a firefighter and EMT who has been doing CrossFit since 2015, told us.
It turns out Reese’s Apple Watch maxes out at 240, but when doctors tested her, they found her heart rate soaring as high as 270 beats per minute.
Luckily, Reese’s condition was treatable. The day before she turned 18, she had heart surgery, and she says she’s felt fine ever since.
After her surgery, Reese understood she needed to begin exercising. At the same time, her mother was in Madison, WI, volunteering at the 2023 CrossFit Games. Reese tuned in to see what it was all about, and suddenly her interest was sparked.
- “So one day, I was like, ‘You know, I think I want to go to CrossFit with you,’” Reese remembers telling her mother.
It was music to Janelle’s ears, who had always hoped this day would come.
Two years later, Reese has made tremendous gains and couldn’t be more excited about going to the gym five days a week.
- “I can do pull-ups, toes-to-bar, and my double-unders are getting pretty good,” Reese said. “My mom is still so much stronger than me, but with more technical skills, I’m starting to catch her.”
Joining the Medical Team
As she got more involved in CrossFit, Reese, who is trained in First Aid and CPR, decided to join her mother as a volunteer on the medical team.
- This season, they traveled to TYR Wodapalooza in Miami, FL, the Madrid Fitness Festival in Spain, Syndicate Crown in Knoxville, TN, the World Fitness Project’s (WFP) Tour Stop I in Indianapolis, IN, as well as the Masters CrossFit Games in Columbus, OH, the Adaptive CrossFit Games in Las Vegas, NV, and the CrossFit Games in Albany, NY. Next up for them is Wodapalooza again, scheduled for March of next year.
Reese has become so dedicated that she’s earning her degree from North Carolina Central University entirely online, enabling her to keep traveling to competitions with her mother.
- “It is so much fun to go to all the different cities and meet the elite athletes. But I have also gotten to know a lot of the adaptive athletes, and it’s so fun to watch their journey,” Reese said of how rewarding the experiences have been so far.
She added, “My mom and I have so much fun traveling together. She’s my best friend. And we always stay for a couple of days before or after the event to explore the city.”
As for Janelle, she couldn’t be happier that her 20-year-old daughter loves traveling with her, but providing those opportunities for herself and Reese isn’t cheap.
Generally, competitions provide meals and a variety of apparel and swag to volunteers, but they are responsible for their own flights and accommodations.
To pay for their trips, Janelle uses the revenue she earns from selling bags she makes out of old fire hoses through her company, Burn Bags USA.
- “I often joke that I have the company just to help pay for our travel. And sometimes we’ll stop at fire stations on our trips and get an old fire hose, so I can expense the trip,” she laughed.
The Big Picture
After years of holding out and avoiding CrossFit, Reese can’t imagine her life without it today.
Not only has it allowed her to travel to places she might never have otherwise seen, but it has also made her more fit and confident than she ever could have imagined.
Best of all, she’s happier than ever.
- “I have dealt with anxiety since I was in the second grade, and my heart condition only made it worse. So my one hour at CrossFit is the one hour a day where I’m not thinking about everything, and my head is quiet,” she said.
Reese added: “In that hour, I’m just working on myself, and it makes me feel so much better for the rest of the day.”
Featured image: @reese.robinsonn / Instagram
