Our Athlete of the Month for December is… DICKY!! We don’t think there would be any 5:30amer who wouldn’t want to take Dicky home to meet their mothers (you too fellas). Dicky came to Niche after the unfortunate closure of The Cell, and we are so glad he came to us!! Dicky is one of those ridiculously friendly early morning people. He walks in with a cheery smile, throws out the occasional pre/post/during WOD banter and is a sensible young man when it comes to his technique and looking after his body. Dicky is also up there with our most consistent gym goer. Let’s learn a bit more about our final Athlete of the Month for 2015!
photo courtesy of Carole Pilling photography
Why did you start CrossFit?
I started CrossFit because I needed a change of pace. After 3 years of running and pumping iron at a Globo Gym I was no closer to looking like the Rock.
That’s when I came across The Cell CrossFit website. I had a glance and instantly thought MADNESS!!!…….What kind of gym has ropes, tyres, sledge hammers, rings etc? And where were the free weights? So I decided to investigate this place further so booked in for a trial session and signed up to see what the fuss was all about.
I always considered myself reasonably fit so I walked in with a sense of arrogance. Safe to say, I was humbled very quickly when I got beaten by all the participants (male and female) during my first WOD. I figured these guys are doing something right and decided to invest some real time in this place. I started off at 2 days/week and haven’t looked back since.
What is your most memorable moment to date?
There’s been a few so far. Definitely getting my first ring muscle up is right up there. But the most memorable moment to date by far is when I beat Jeff Dagliesh (Ex cell members will know what I’m talking about). For the rest here is a short synopsis:
Jeff was my nemesis at The Cell. Like Vader to Skywalker, Khan to Kirk or Apollo to Rocky, Jeff tormented me day in, day out. And then one glorious Tuesday morning I managed to beat him in a WOD. Safe to say I made sure anyone and everyone knew about it. The next day things returned to normal as Jeff made it a point of soundly beating me. But it did not matter anymore. I had beaten him. My next goal was to beat him at his strength but fortunately for Jeff the universe had other ideas.
What tip would you give someone just starting in CrossFit?
It’s hard work…no doubt about that. But anything in life worth doing is hard work. Stick with it. There will be days especially at the beginning where you start to ask yourself “why do I do this to myself?”. But if you stick with it you will soon be asking the same question when you miss a session. After the first 2 months life gets a hell of a lot easier and a lot more fun.
Secondly, there will be the temptation to RX the workout and compete with the big dogs as soon as possible. Fight the temptation. Your body will thank you in the long run. CrossFit might be all about pushing yourself but it is also about identifying your limitations especially as a young budding CrossFitter. Nail the technique then the RX workouts will slowly start to filter into your routine without you even noticing it.
What is one random, non-CrossFit ‘thing’ about yourself?
I have never had Facebook or social media…except for LinkedIn which I had to acquire for my job.
