Featured Athlete – Fisher Maddox

I would like to thank CrossFit Beaumont for asking me to do this when there are so many others that are stronger, faster and/or have a moving story of how they have been changed by CrossFit. When Neal first asked me to do this I sat for a couple of days trying to figure out why my name and “Featured Athlete” are in the same sentence. In doing this process the only conclusion that I can reason is exactly what CrossFit is to me, which is a group of people from all different walks of life that are trying to better themselves by the goals and standards that they have set for themselves whether you are one of the premiere guys/gals or just an average everyday person, like myself, just trying to curb your habits outside of the gym.
So here we go…

My name is Fisher Maddox; I am 32 years old and a nine-year resident of Beaumont, Texas. I moved here from Baton Rouge, LA after graduating from LSU in December of 2007. I then married my wife Tara, in the spring of 2010 and since that time we have had 3 amazing little girls enter our lives. It was just before the birth of my oldest daughter in 2012 that I realized I needed to get in better shape if I was going to be the father of a little girl, much less three of them!

I was just like everyone that I see when he or she walks into the box for the first time, I was a little intimidated, nervous and wondering just exactly how I was going to finish this seemingly easy, yet brutal workout that Neal has posted. Then after a few classes you realize that even though you may have been a runner or a regular at the local gym, there is a certain level of cardio that goes along with lifting these recommended weights that does not come overnight. When I first started CrossFit, I did not understand what scaling was. I came in trying to compete with these other guys and girls that had been coming to cross fit for a lot longer than I had. There was a little bit of a reality check and I then realized I do not need to compete against everyone else right away but rather challenge myself to show up and give it what I can that day. Many of those days, making sweat angels on the ground and struggling to make it back to my feet…
I am extremely happy with the results that I have seen while I continue to not really follow the diet side of the program (this isn’t your fault Neal, I just love and won’t give up everything to do with bread, rice, gravy and a laundry list of other foods and beverages). All kidding aside, this to me is important because I feel that a lot of people are intimidated by CrossFit because they feel they have to fit a mold or do certain things in their diet to be a part of the cross fit community but in reality being an everyday person wanting to just feel better while outside of the gym is a great goal and one that I have set for myself.

While I have not been a “gym guy” throughout my life I have enjoyed the friendships and accountability that CrossFit provides as well as the ability to keep up with the energy levels of my children and wife. Cross Fit is a great avenue to me because no matter how strong or fast you think you are, walking in everyday you are on the same playing field as everyone else (if you scale properly) and challenged to work a little harder each time by Neal, Erica and the rest of the great coaches at CrossFit Beaumont.

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