After School Family

After School Family

Em. Danielle. AD. Chad. Jaimie. Jerome. Cole. SKim.TBattle. Scrat. Meegs. Fred.

When I first climbed on the box to get through the bay door of the original Trident building, little did I know that these names, and many more, would become my after school family. I had no idea what I was getting myself into workout or people wise.

Before Trident, I worked out on my own at a Fitness First. The people there would look at me funny as I ran up and down the stairs from the weights to the treadmills to do my 400 or 800m runs from the CrossFit main site workouts. My times kind of sucked, as you can imagine. Then Em, a friend and coworker, told me about a CrossFit gym opening up and that I should go check it out. I did and haven’t looked back.

We all have our story about how and why we walked into a place, but what keeps us coming back? For me, it wasn’t just the workouts. It was that group of people that busting their butt day in and day out beside me. We celebrated personal bests. We commiserated after a brutal metcon or chipper. Hero WODS were days that we pushed each other more because of the meaning behind the workout. We learned about each other's jobs, families and, more importantly, what movements we all loved and hated in the gym. We hung out on the couches after workouts. We hit the bars on a Friday or Saturday night and certainly spent time whenever there was a Rally in the Alley or other Trident based festivity.

A lot of those names have left Trident over the years, moving away for jobs, families, new assignments, and the impact of Covid. But they are still the core of my Trident memories. They are still my after school family.

These days, I’m not in the box as much as I’d like, but I see the same type of community forming and it’s great to see. So if you’re new to Trident, or an old timer, introduce yourself to someone new. Write your name on the whiteboard. Give that fist bump or high five after a workout. Grab a new partner on a Saturday morning. Build your own morning, mid day or after work family. Just remember the Three Rules; have fun, be safe, and no hands on hips.

Coach Nate "Pres"