Steph — your hair looks good in all your vacay photos.

pablo here. i really enjoy the camaraderie of CFIntrepid. i think the way that others encourage you to do more than last time is terrific. very supportive place. the workouts can be intimidating, but i feel like i’m always in good company

Intrepid is everybody dropping whatever they were doing to run to hug our long lost friend Steph last night… and we don’t even like her that much!!! (JK!!!!)

It the 9:1 ratio of cheer squad to competitors at the NLI last weekend.

And it is loving the fact that I can barely lift my legs today because they are so sore!

welcome back you two!! thanks for posting all those great pics on FB. it’s a total culture lesson. love it.

Ah, Intrepid. Definitely the camaraderie and support are two of my faves and two elements I told Viv and Carla when trying to get them through the doors.
Also, introducing yourself to new people or face the burpee wrath is the bestest rule ever. It breaks the ice and hopefully nervousness subsides as CrossFit can be intimidating.
Intrepid: I love that we celebrate birthdays, PRs and successes, we send each other off on new endeavours, feed each other (BriAnna!), exchange recipes, help each other with goats because we know each other’s great capabilities, eat after WODs, dance at weddings, laugh at each other, with each other and poke fun at each other like a bunch of brothers and sisters (Marcus), rally and cheer athletes on at competitions, send each other texts when we miss each other or haven’t seen them in the gym for a minute, did I mention we like to eat? Damnit I miss you guys. Happy Thursday!

“Individuals push harder and risk more alongside trustworthy peers…” from Gym Jones, but I rcognize Crossfit Intrepid in that statement. You know, it may sound simplistic, I think introducing ourselves to each other and saying “hello” is the beginning step to forming that sense of trustworhtiness. To some, the outstrecthed hands introducing themselves on your first visit to CrossfitIntrepid may seem ritualistic, but it is a good ritual.

*wednesday, hmmm, I really want that weekend.

What the crap Becky! How come I am not included in the brother/sister relationship? I am totally on Marcus’s level.

Haha I love you Becky but I have to have an intervention here… did somebody hang out with their friend MJ this morning? You are a journalist but you just wrote the longest run-on sentence ever, mentioned food 4 times, and got the day wrong!

If this starts to sound like a love note to the ladies at Intrepid . . . it is!
Yes, of course at Intrepid we compete and push each other, but first and foremost we support each other, build each other up, look out for each other and (what I love) we make sure that no lady is left behind even in a testosterone driven environment.
After being away from the gym for 3 weeks my first thought when coming back wasn’t, “Oh man I am so out of shape i need to go workout” (that was second). It was, “I haven’t seen my girls in so long I can’t wait to workout with them!”
I <3 my Intrepid Ladies!!
Thanks for all the love last night
It is great to be home . . .

I’ve never been part of something like this. Before starting only 2 months ago, CF was just something I was doing to get to my wedding shape goals. I even thought I’d maybe go join my friend’s CF gym after getting myself up to a level where I wouldn’t be embarrassed to work out with her…but after a couple weeks of coming here I realized that the people here, the comraderie, and family spirit is going to keep me coming back beyond my wedding date and I couldn’t imagine leaving for any other CF gym. Even after finding out I was attending the “varsity” class, (Not gonna lie- it’s intimidating) I still wanted to come back because you all are so encouraging and watching you all is inspiring. Steph, it’s soo great seeing you yesterday and thank you for spotting me through the WOD.

The camaraderie of Intrepid is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced but, more than that, everyday I can’t wait to get to the gym and workout with my friends. Intrepid really is a family and you can feel that everyone not only cares about your success in the gym but cares about you personally. In the span of two minutes, I can go from talking to someone about life to them calling out a pull up rep that definitely didn’t count and encouraging me to do it better the next rep.

Everyday I’m pushed further than I would ever push myself and reminded that I can do a lot more than I give myself credit for. It’s not only the encouragement I get that is so awesome, but it’s the encouragement I’m able to give other people and the genuine interest I’ve taken in seeing other people reach their goals. I’m constantly inspired and motivated by everyone at Intrepid and so thankful I’ve found this family!

Anna, to what do you speak of? MJ? What is this?
JK. JK. MJ and I hung out this weekend. Could indeed be residuals. and as far as my run-ons, yes, they were/are always a weakness, plus, I like talk a lot.

The sense of team at Intrepid is the best part! When i first started i was so intimidated of everyone but everyone’s support and encouragement has been overwhelming now i can’t wait to come in after a long day and get an awesome workout in!!

you guys are all truly inspiring

Totally agree with the comments above – a very special group of people and a special place.

Laura – JV class is at 6 pm

First off, I want to share that I also love Steph’s hair in the picture~! Now, the $64,000 question is what makes Intrepid unique?

The only thing that makes Intrepid like the other CrossFit affiliates is that it is indeed a garage gym (with everything you need!). What makes the experience different are the people – trainers that are committed to helping you set goals and achieve them. At Intrepid there are no real shortcuts (and I have tried many on something as simple as the warm-up lap). Hard work and eating properly yield the best results. It is evident from our trainers who embody the standards set (though I hear Marcus does indulge in Nachos). Intrepid is supportive -someone is there to listen, pick you up when you are down, celebrate an accomplishment whether it is a birthday, PR, engagement, marriage or even a bad haircut. Intrepid is competitive but in the right way. I find that I will push myself because someone else is trying hard and that makes the workouts fun. Doing more than you think is possible. And Intrepid is safe – Ruth, Sean, Marcus, Avelyne, Jake, Holley and Steph are all there to ensure that I do things the right way. Sometimes I get upset when a rep is taken away (I will never forgive Marcus for my first Fran at Intrepid when I felt like I was going to die and gotta rep taken away because I didn’t put my head through on the thruster) but that adherence to a standard only makes me / us better. So it doesn’t matter what boat you are really in and nor necessarily the direction, what matters are the people in the boat with you. My boat is Intrepid.

All I can add to the comments above was how much I felt like part of a family last weekend. Here in a new town, the only thought I had was “I’ll be at CrossFit for my birthday morning… what better way to start the day?!?” It was my only plan for my birthday weekend – and it was awesome!