Athlete of the Month – April 2017 – John Rogacki

First off, what an honor it is to be chosen by my favorite community as April athlete of the month! I joined Beaverton CrossFit in December 2014, just six months after my first CrossFit class. I’d tried several different boxes during that initial six months in an attempt to find the best in the area, and BCF stuck out immediately. Instead of a single metcon on a Saturday morning, we would do three. People gave me crap for checking RX in Wodify when I didn’t achieve full upright position at the top of a box jump or get deep enough in the bottom of a squat. There was never a shortage of people offering to help me with things. Everyone joked with each other during warm-ups and this amazing community became quickly apparent.

I lifted weights and played sports during high school, which kept me in decent shape in my younger days. During my wilder 20’s, the sports fell to the side, but I’d still hit the gym for weight-lifting sessions. I would mountain bike, ski and surf on the weekends for a cardio fix. It was when my partner got pregnant four years ago that things began to change. All of a sudden I wasn’t able to get away for entire weekends to do those outdoor activities, and for the first time in my life I developed the dreaded love handles. A buddy of mine heard my grumblings and invited me with him to give CrossFit a try. Since joining BCF, I’ve worked up to training 4-5 days in a row, with one day off for active rest or yoga. I’m now 38 years old and consider myself to be in the best shape of my life. I feel full of energy and ready to take on anything that comes my way. The buddy that encouraged me to try CrossFit now probably regrets that decision when I beat him in something.

I always aim to be faster than my previous benchmark time and lift more than my previous max limit, assuming that I’m not risking injury with bad form. I still regularly one-up myself, which demonstrates that I have not yet achieved my maximum physical potential. My main driving goal is to achieve my maximum potential, where I have optimized my body and mind. The mental part is something that I’m excited to push further in the years ahead. I also love trying to beat all of you in whatever we’re competing at! From Dawna’s patience, Rich’s keen understanding of body mechanics, Drew’s constant encouragement, Dan’s technical tips to Mike’s walk of the walk (never just talk), the coaching at BCF has been extraordinary during the past 2.5 year journey, and I credit my progress to this. I always get a boost when they’re yelling at us during the heat of the WOD.

I’m inspired by the older folks that we train with, and particularly by Kirby. That dude busts his butt every day giving it his all. I hope that I can be somewhere close to the competitive level he is at in a couple of decades from now… or even now, as he just smoked me on a metcon earlier today.

Thanks again for this honor. The BCF community is one of the most enriching parts of my life, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to train and goof around with each of you.