I am probably the last person who should be a featured athlete at Crossfit Beaumont. I’m 45 years old, I’m not strong, fast or really flexible. Clearly you would never mistake me for one of our elite athletes. In the crossfit world, I am sort of below average. The thing is – I’m completely okay with that.
My name is Lee Briggs and I have been a member of CFB for just over a year and a half. I am married (my wife Shanna just joined 3 weeks ago) and I have 2 beautiful daughters ages 8 and 11. Before Crossfit, I was a member at a “regular” gym and would workout 2-3 times a week, but my main recreational activity was golf. I was pretty good golfer at one time, but staying sharp in golf requires a lot of time – time that I no longer had. As my game deteriorated, I became very frustrated and started to think about quitting. After playing terrible in a tournament one weekend, I made the decision to quit my golf club and do something else altogether. I remembered seeing a story on 60 minutes one night about Crossfit and the next day I walked in for the first time.
I can honestly say that I knew almost nothing about Crossfit when I decided to try it. I did not know a single member of CFB, and I struggled to even find it the first time I went. Like most everyone, I was intimidated and confused (Do I walk in through the glass doors or the garage? Who in the hell is in charge?). The one thing that really did strike me was the sign that read “Check Your Ego at the Door”. I did not know what it meant at the time, but for some reason I liked it. Of course, those who were doing Crossfit totally got it. Crossfit is difficult and you fail, a lot. You are going to fail at lifting a heavier weight, and you are going to get beat by someone who is older, younger, thinner, heavier, male or female. If you can’t accept that, you won’t make it very long. There are several ladies that are half my age, weigh 110 lbs, and are stronger than me. Ego would say you can’t live with that, so ego has to stay behind.
I can say that I have been extremely happy with my experience at CFB. I know I should be going to stay in shape or whatever, but that is not my real motivation. Doing Crossfit is more like therapy for me. It is without a doubt the best escape and reliever of stress you can get. The people are terrific, it is never boring or stale, and it continually pushed you beyond your limits. It is also very simple and almost primal – warehouse, no heat or air, weights, bars, ropes, loud music. If you had a bad going in, you will forget all about it when you leave. Even if I did not see results from doing Crossfit, I would still go just for the experience.
Thank you to Neal, Erica and all the coaches at CFB. I love the environment you have created and it has changed my life for the better.
