CrossFit and One Day of Rehab Turned Pat Crosby’s Life Around

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“Obstacles can’t stop you. Problems can’t stop you. Most of all, other people can’t stop you. Only you can stop you.” — Jeffrey Gitomer

Pat Crosby Re-invented Himself with CrossFit

Some backstory.

To an outsider, it looked like Pat Crosby had it all. He was the president of two technology companies, owned a boat and some homes.

But he also had a drinking problem. He was drinking all day, drinking with clients at every meal out, sometimes five days a week.

So he went to rehab. He made it exactly one day but it was a wake-up call.

Ya I’ll say.

Pat has always been athletic. He grew up playing hockey, going on to play for Bethel College in Minnesota. He kept playing hockey after college but also discovered endurance sports. He loved running and mountain biking, even competing in triathlons.

So in 2009, when a friend invited him over to try something called CrossFit, Pat was game. “We quickly went over the movements. With Metallica blasting out of the radio and the clock counting down, I came out pretty hot and barely finished under the 15-minute time cap. I am not sure what happened, but I knew I had worked harder than ever. I was immediately hooked.” 

Wrecked is more like it.  

He hasn’t looked back either. Since his one day in rehab, Crosby had sold his business and his boat. So it seemed perfectly timed for him to open his own gym, CrossFit SISU.

“My goal was to really just build a business that I could be passionate about, that I could get behind and it would help people live a healthier lifestyle,” said Crosby. 

And it’s that same passion that got Crosby to the CrossFit Games this year. At fifty-one, Crosby qualified as a masters athlete at the CrossFit Games in Madison. He placed 35th overall, fourth in his region, and first in Minnesota.

He’s a different man from ten years ago. “I’m so happy now. So happy now,” said Crosby.

Coffee Break Conversations

What to bring to the office for the break room…

This magical unicorn of a coffee creamer. High-protein, flavorful, sugar-, lactose-, soy-, gluten-free completely organic and with a good dose of MCT oil for those healthy fats. I mean, really, you can’t get any better than this when it comes to coffee creamer, if you’re into that sort of thing. Or you can just keep drinking your coffee black, like your cold dead creamer-hating heart. Your choice. 

What to tell your BFF who loves all things pumpkin spice…

Preach it, girl. No need to hide it. Instead, check out this list of fifty-five fall flavored delicious delicacies. Eat them all proudly! 

Things To…

WATCH: Eating for the Olympics 

Icelandic javelin thrower Asdis Hjalmsdottir is a three-time Olympic athlete and an Icelandic record holder. Since making the choice to focus on her nutrition with Working Against Gravity she has shifted her mentality, added years to her career and improved her training. 

SHE’S A CHAMPION.

HEAR: Patrick Vellner on Night and Day

PJ and Alanna from the Night and Day Podcast had second Fittest Man on Earth, Patrick Vellner, on the show talking about his rapid rise to the podium at the Games, his thoughts on the announced CrossFIt Games changes, and he tells a little great story about Margaux Alvarez.

EVERYONE LOVES PAT.

EAT: Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

All the things you love most about the classic sandwich but without those pesky grainy carbs. Tender steak, cheesy goodness, and a crispy topping from the broiler make this recipe a keeper.

BREAD’S DEAD, BABY.

KNOW: How to Debunk Misconceptions About CrossFit

Russ Greene, author of the Keep Fitness Legal blog, gives you the definitive guide on debunking the most popular myths about CrossFit. Be prepared to respond the next time someone says they’re too old or out of shape for CrossFit.

WE MADE FLASHCARDS. 

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is powered by

Chalk Up Community

• I WILL MISS YOU FOREVER — Jeff Alan Dempsey, who publicly dedcated his CrossFit Games appearance to his mother, has lost her to cancer. She passed away the evening of the September 17th.
• A READER REVIEWS AMRAP — Thomas Frank read AMRAP Mentality by Jason Khalipa and outined his takeaway from it. 
• NEW GYM IN TOWN — CrossFit Westwood opened their doors in Ft. Worth, TX. 
• AED DONATION — In July we told you about CrossFit Excess and the annual AED fundraiser they hold. Yesterday, CrossFit ATO was the recipient of one of those AED machines. 

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES (a highlight reel around social media of CrossFit pros and average joes)

Congratulations to Alex Parker on officially becoming a lawyer yesterday • Don’t forget to pre-order your Morning Chalk Up limited edition shirt • Tamara Gray shows her seven year CrossFit transformation • Well done Michael Underwood on his six-month transformation • Professional golfer Scott Stallings dropped in to CrossFit Terminus to see Emily Bridgers • Jared Enderton narrowly missed a 405 pound clean and jerk six times. 

…and this sushi loving triathlon athlete is our new spirit animal.

CrossFit Team Series Kicks Off — The 2018 CrossFit Team Series kicked off yesterday with the announcement of the first four workouts. Didn’t sign-up? It’s cool. You’ve got until Monday, September 24 at 5:00 PM PT to register.

— What you need to know: The first four partner workouts were released via live announcement on the CrossFit Games website yesterday. Athletes have until Monday, September 24 at 5:00 PM PT to complete the workout and submit their score. Teams must complete the workout with a judge at a licenesed affiliate or with a judge outside an affiliate while also filming the workout. The second set of Team Series Workouts will be announced next Wednesday. The deadline for Week 2 will be Monday, October 1.

— Who Won Last Year:

— Men: 1.) Travis Mayer and Noah Ohlsen, 2.) Scott Panchik and Ben Smith, 3.) Stephane Cossette and Alexandre Caron.

— Women: 1.) Katrin Davidsdottir and Annie Thorisdottir, 2.) Alessandra Pichelli and Whitney Heuser, 3.) Jessica Griffith and Kelley Jackson.

— Mixed Pairs: 1.) Carol-Ann Reason-Thibault and Alex Vigneault, 2.) Alexis Johnson and Travis Williams, 3.) Daniel Petro and Emily Bridgers.

USAW World Championships Teams Announced — Yesterday, USA Weightlifting announced the final roster for Team USA’s worlds team. They’ll be heading to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on November 1-11 for the 2018 World Weightlifting Championship. 

— Women: Alyssa Ritchey, Cortney Batchelor, Jourdan Delacruz, Caitlin Hogan, Jessica Lucero, Taylor Turner, Mattie Sasser, Hunter Elam, Mattie Rogers, Meredith Alwine, Jenny Arthur, and Sarah Robles.

— Men: Alex Lee, Jordan Wissinger, CJ Cummings, Harrison Maurus, Jordan Cantrell, John Downey, Nathan Damron, Jason Bonnick, D’Angelo Osorio, Wes Kitts, Caine Wilkes, and Keiser Witte.

“This is My CrossFit Story,” by Jennifer Burns, Morning Chalk Up 

My name is Jennifer Burns. I am 50 years old, and I started CrossFit three months ago.

I was overdue for a lifestyle change – not just to lose weight, but to get healthy, and tone and strengthen my body. Yes, any gym, any workout place, will offer tools to help with that. But I also wanted experts to work with me. And by work with, I don’t mean set me up on a machine, or count off my reps, or charge me by the hour to stand next to me while I walk on a treadmill. I wanted real coaches who would get to know me and help me advance every time I showed up – whose success was reliant on, and celebrated by, my own.

And that’s exactly what I got at CrossFit WCG.

I walked in on a random Tuesday evening hoping to get some information and maybe watch a few minutes of a WOD. Instead, I received 90 minutes of individualized attention. The owner of the Crossfit “box,” Bill Colavito, who is three years older than I am, took me aside and dedicated his evening to me. He taught me all kinds of CrossFit movements with the few essential pieces of equipment, weights, bars, boxes, balls and most of all, he hlped me learn the essential squat. That night, I went from doubting I could do anything (CrossFit? Are you kidding?) to accomplishing more than I ever thought I could for my first time. I was thrilled. And sore.

And sold. This was for me.

9/22: Shatter the Stigma III (Boyertown, PA)

9/22: New Kids on the 321 Block 2018 (Topsham, ME)

9/22: Femme Royale at Eagle Wing CrossFit (Orange, CA)

9/22: 2nd Annual CrossFit TUFF Charity Row-A-Thon (Nashua, NH)

9/22: Girls Gone RX Denver (Denver, CO)

9/22: Legends of the WOD (Grapevine, TX)

9/22: Beers and Burpees (Charlotte, NC)

9/22: Burpees 4 Autism at Lucky’s (Roswell, GA)

9/22: Lt. Nathan Flynn Memorial WOD (Columbia, MD)

9/22: Fall Jam (Columbus, OH)

9/22: 2018 GR Games (Grand Rapids, MI)

9/23 – 9/23: Field of Teams (Cedar Falls, IA)

9/22 – 9/23:The D-Town Throwdown (Decatur, Illinois)

9/22 – 9/23: The Cascade Classic (Seattle, WA)

9/22 – 9/23: Heartland Havoc 3 (Davenport, IA)

9/23: Games of the Ages Masters Team Competition (Hanson, MA)

9/23: Cadre Crucible Team Competition (Hudson, OH)

9/23: Detroit Red Wings WOD (Detroit, MI)

9/23: IronWorkz Gauntlet (Medina, OH)

9/24: CrossFit New England 3rd Annual Fundraising Golf Tournament (Hudson, MA)

9/28 – 9/29: Pensacola Beach Brawl (Pensacola Beach, FL)

9/28 – 9/29: The Primal Games (Savannah, GA)

9/29: Kilo Crush Fest (Hampton, VA)

9/29: Barcode Team Competition (Leander, TX)

9/29: Long Island Masters Team Competition (Hauppauge, NY)

9/29: Fallout Powered by Battleground Events (Long Beach, CA)

9/29: Battle for Boise (Meridian, ID)

9/29: 5th Annual WOD for a Cause (Murrietta, CA)

9/29: K-9 Pursuit (Bristol, CT)

9/29: Swolemates (Cincinnati, OH)

​9/29: CrossFit Be Someone Charity WODathon (Houston, TX)

9/29: Garage Girls (Pousbo, WA)

9/29: Adoption Fundraiser WOD (Millcreek, UT)

9/29: Warrior Slam at CrossFit Waldwick (Waldwick, NJ)

9/29: Fall Face Off 2018 (Albany, NY)

9/29: CrossFit Knightsdale Autism Awareness (Knightdale, NC)

9/29: Push Pull for Pancreatic Cancer @ CrossFit Petram (Middletown, DE)

9/29: Push Pull for Pancreatic Cancer @ CrossFit 88 (Park Ridge, IL)

9/29: 2018 515 Wingman Challenge (Grimes, IA)

10/3: Wodapalooza Qualifier (Online) 

10/5: The Hopper (Asheville, NC)

10/6: Beer City Beatdown (Asheville, NC)

10/6: Gallant Gauntlet 2 (Bedford, TX)

10/6: WOD for Water Troy (Troy, AL)

10/6: Cactus Games (Phoenix, AZ)

10/6: Pound-4-Pound Competition (Denver, CO)

10/6: Invictus Boston Barbells for Boobs (Boston, MA)

10/6: Girls Gone RX @ Old Line Crossfit (Millersville, MD)

10/6: The Battle To Benefit Badge (Utica NY)

10/6: Iron Eagle Challenge (Cookeville, TN)

10/6: The Grit Games (Jacksonville, FL)

10/6: Fit For Freedom (St. Peters, MO)

10/6: Fitness Freedom Project Jay WOD (San Marcos, CA)

10/6: OUTWOD (Philadelphia, PA)

10/6: Garden State Open 2018 (Berkeley Heights, NJ)

10/6: T-Town Throwdown (Toledo, OH)

10/6: 7th Annual Dog – WOD (Minneapolis, MN)

10/6: Hulks and Ninjas (Bangor, ME)

10/6 – 10/7: The Iron Clash (Fayetteville, NC)

10/6 – 10/7: 307 Throwdown (Casper, WY)

10/12 – 10/14: Faith RX’d (Denver, CO)

10/13: Barbells For Boobs 2018 (Sutton, MA)

10/13: WOD for a Cause (Bloomsburg, PA)

​10/13: C4 CrossFit Co-Ed Classic (Brunswick, NJ)

10/13: 2018 War in the Woods (Norton, MA)

10/13: The Festivus Games (Online)

10/13: Grand Games 2018 (Westfield, IN)

10/13: Push Pull for Pancreatic Cancer @ Red Island CrossFit (Smithfield, RI)

10/13: Barbells for Boobs (Steamboat Springs, CO)

10/13: Older, Wiser, Faster, Stronger (Plymouth, MI)

10/13: The Greenville Games (Greenville, SC)

10/13: Reps For Recovery (Hickory, NC) 

10/13: Kal-Haven Trail Ruck (Kalamazoo, MI)

10/13: Fall Brawl (Saint Michael, MN)

10/14: CrossFit for Kayden (Fallsington, PA)

10/20: BCS Classic 2018 (Bryan, TX)

10/20: Head 2 Head in Hamilton (Hamilton, NJ)

10/20: Fittest on the Valley VI (Lahaina, HI)

10/20: Crossfit Bona Fide Third Wheel Throwdown (Portsmouth, NH)

10/21: Me Jane, You Jane (Santa Rosa, CA)

10/20 – 10/21: The Independence Games (Florence, SC)

​10/20 – 10/21: The Lincoln Invitational (Spokane, WA)