Goodbye, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu

It’s always hard to say goodbye to someone, but to say goodbye to three people at once makes this a particularly tough week. Jenna, Nick and Jag are all leaving Exeter…leaving CrossFit Exe. I wish them all the best, but it makes me sad to see three integral members of the gym leave.

When we moved into the new gym, I persuaded Jenna to come back in and try CrossFit again. Her first session back, no sign of Jenna, I thought she had bailed. Then, about 20 minutes into the session, in she walks and proceeds to shout out to me “This place is a f***ing nightmare to find!”. Needless to say the class was a little taken aback by her potty mouth, but they soon got used to it…nothing has changed in that regard! Jenna has worked really hard over the last year, fitting in CrossFit around a tough work schedule and a nagging back issue. Always desperate to learn and improve, she has become an integral part of the gym. Jenna, I’ll not miss your tardiness and potty mouth, but I will miss your giggling, your enthusiasm, and, of course, your long socks/short-shorts combination.

I’m not even sure when Nick started. He kind of just blended into the mix straight away, like he’d been part of the team from the beginning. From a training perspective, Nick has made massive gains. From a slightly weedy looking fella to the robust, hunk of a specimen you see today! Nick was always very powerful, but didn’t quite have the strength and stability to use that power. With a focus on strength work, midline stability, doing what we could with mobility, he is now up there as one of the best lifters in the gym. Hopefully the passion for lifting will continue and he manages to squeeze in some sessions on his travels. Nick, not sure where the world will lead you, but there will always be a place at CrossFit Exe for you.

Jag got dragged along to CrossFit by Jenna and, before long, it was a struggle to keep him out of the gym! A sprint kayaker, he already had a good engine and huge upper body strength, trouble was, he couldn’t get into any of the positions required in CrossFit. He’s worked diligently on his flexibility and mobility to allow him to fully express his ability in CrossFit. It’s a significant improvement when someone comes in with such mobility restrictions as Jag and 8 months later is consistently topping the workouts. Now if you can build up those spindly little legs, you’ll be a force to reckon with! An awesome member of the gym. Safe to say, everyone loves Jag.

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