As we wrap up our 1-year anniversary celebration of CrossFit Mudtown there is so much to reflect on! We have not only grown as a gym and community but each of you have grown in some way through CFM. So many new friends, new PRs, new adventures, and more. We can’t wait to see what year two holds for us all. To remind you of all your greatness and achievements I wanted to recap the year month by month, event by event, PR by PR. Hopefully after looking over all you have done it will inspire you to go bigger this year!! Thank you for allowing us to do what we love and for being a part of our community!
Year in Review 2015-2016

March
– We sign CrossFit affiliate papers. Snag a building in Cahaba Heights. Order a ton of equipment. The gym is coming to fruition!
April 
– The doors of CrossFit Mudtown officially opened! So many people helped make this gym a reality! From painting, stopping in to help move things in, watching our children, and just being there to say ‘it looks good!” we appreciated the support.
– We ran our first official workout that was open to the public at CFM. Everyone did Cindy.
May
– CrossFit Mudtown continues to grow its members and classes are starting to fill up!
– Conducted our first OnRamp beginners class.
June
– We held our official grand opening party that included a workout to anyone who wanted to join in on the fun! We did Fight Gone Bad and had support from family (who all traveled), old members, new members, and (old and new) friends.
– Jacki also competed in the Wodlife Summer games and it was her first competition as a Muddy!!
July
– We continue to grow and new members are joining almost daily!
– The Vestavia Chamber of Commerce conducted a ribbon cutting ceremony welcoming us as a new business in Vestavia Hills.
August
– Nine athletes competed at the local competition Mayhem in the Mountain at Oak Mountain State Park. We had 3 teams, and 1 individual compete. Lainey, Alisha, Kelly, and Melinda led the ladies of CFM in a team. Danny, Nick I, Patrick, and Nick S were on a RX team and Clay, Leroy, Evan, Brian were on a scaled team. I was our RX individual athlete. Despite the heat we had more support than we could ever ask for! We had a tent set up and it was packed with friends and family throughout the day.
September
– We ran a kids workout for Kaidyn’s birthday and the coaches set up an obstacle course in the main work out area! The course included box (plate jumps) jumps, zig-zag sprints, tumbling, burpees, and much more!
– The gym sponsored a fun family event in Cahaba Heights called Back 2 School in the Hills. We had people try out equipment and chat more about CrossFit.
– A group of us participated in a service day hosted by the Vestavia Chamber. We picked up trash along Cahaba Heights Rd.
October
– The push up challenge left everyone at CFM with sore shoulders and better push up form! We challenged the members to do 3 ,000 push-ups this month. These push-ups could be done in any number amount anywhere you wanted! The winner of the challenge was Brian Warwick, but everyone that signed up completed the challenge!!
– Halloween was fun with a costume and pumpkin wod! After the workout we continued the fun upstairs with a party and pumpkin painting for kids.
– Jacki and a member of CrossFit Irondale competed in the Grid Iron games hosted by CrossFit Gardendale. They placed first in the competition.
November
– CrossFit held its first annual Lift Off event focusing on a 1 Rep Snatch, 1 Rep Clean and Jerk, and 1 Workout. This was set up like the CF open and we had many of our athletes register and participate.
December
– While the kids were on Christmas break we held a Mudtown kids class again! This workout included sled pushes and DL. The kids learned about healthy food choices using myplate.org. They enjoyed heathy fruit and cheese snack after the lesson.
– Coach Billy rowed 1 million meters in 2015!!! With the help of some friends he finished up his year-long goal at CFM!
January
– Kristen Skinner and Nick Smith competed in their first Olympic Lifting competition in Georgia. Nick placed 1st and Kristen 2nd in their respective weight classes.
– There was also something in the water at CFM because Jacki and Melinda announced they were pregnant and Nick Irvin announced he was going to be a daddy! (again)
February
– We had several athletes compete in the Wodlife Winter games this year. Jacki was on a team with a few girls from CrossFit Chelsea and CFM had 1 team of 4 compete. Danny, Clay, Brian, and Tyler did an awesome job representing CFM! Once again the CFM crew traveled and we were supported very well!
– We also had several athletes compete in the Tuff Love competition hosted by CrossFit Irondale with proceeds benefiting Christfit. Jacki and Sloan (from The Farm) Competed on an RX team as did Coach Danny and Coach Billy. Danny and Billy both hit huge PRs on the hang snatch and hang clean. Tyler and Brian did an awesome job battling through the WODs as did Clay and Nick! How can we all forget Clays “trip” that lead him to the scare of a lifetime!!
March
– The OPEN!!!! CrossFit Mudtown had over 35 members register and complete the Open this year and we could not be prouder! For 5 weeks we excitedly (some) waited for Dave Castro to dish out our poison. So many of you reached PR’s or completed movements you had never done before! There was lots of screaming, tears, and more high fives and hugs than we can count!!
-While the kids were on spring break we held another Mudtown kids class! The kids enjoyed a fun workout and healthy snack!
– The Assault Bike Gang was formed. Ride hard and fast my friends!!
– Mudtown Barbell was formed (hoping to get this on the regular schedule soon)
April
– Member appreciation week was April 25-30th. It was fun to see all our members being treated special and participating in everything we had going on that week.
– We hosted our 1st anniversary party and 1st Annual Muddy Awards. This was such a fun night and we can’t wait to do it again next year!

Wow! What a year. Looking at the goal board so many people have improved or were able to check something off their goal list this year! From getting a HSPU, PU, or DU, to hitting a new Clean and and Jerk PR, or a new FGB score, big goals were met.

We hope you all have had as much fun as we have and will continue on this crazy awesome ride we call functional fitness! Cheers!!

Heather Harris

From Coach Jacki: Not only is Heather a pretty awesome athlete but she is one of the most dedicated athletes at our morning classes. She is a staple at the 8:15 and rarely misses a class.  Not only does she show up daily, but she shows up with a positive attitude no matter what workout is thrown her way. I have never heard her complain about movements, weights, or duration of the workout.  She just does it, and does it well!  Since she joined us, I have watched Heather consistently go up on her back squats, PR on almost every barbell movement and shave minutes off benchmark workouts.  She is consistent on documenting her workouts and knows right where she wants to be with weights and times.  She is such a coachable athlete and has great understanding of the importance of form and technique.  Heather also registered for her first CrossFit Open this year and did amazing!!

If you don’t know Heather please make an effort to do so!  She is the first person to welcome someone new in class and will strike up a conversation within seconds of meeting them.  When I think about community, Heather is someone who comes to mind!

Member since: May 2015, I think.

How did you hear about CrossFit and what was your first experience/WOD? I first heard about CF through my friend, Gretchen. I signed up to try it for a month in November 2014. I can’t remember the first workout, but it killed me and continued to blow my mind each time I came. I can’t say I liked it much, but I paid for the month and was determined to finish it. By the end of the month, I was hooked. Gretchen was a great inspiration. She just kept saying not to compare myself with anyone, but just be grateful that I showed up and completed each class.

How many days do you CrossFit? What classes do you normally attend? My favorite time to come is M,W,F at 8:15 and I just signed up to bump it up to 4 times a week.

Favorite CrossFit movement/workout? My favorite movements are squats, deadlifts and hand stand pushups; although, I’m not great at them yet.

Least favorite? Getting beat up by double-unders.

What motivates you/keeps you coming back to CrossFit Mudtown? I am motivated to come back because I think it is the most effective workout I have ever done. I have seen more changes in my body than I ever have doing any workout in the same amount of time. It’s so different than anything I’ve ever done and I’ve learned that pushing myself can sometimes be much more of a mental than physical challenge. My brain wants to quit far earlier than my body does.

Favorite thing about Birmingham? I am from a small town in East Texas which I love and miss because my family is there, but Birmingham is a great place to raise a family. I love our community and our neighbors have become like a surrogate family for us. We love our church, Church of the Highlands and our amazing Pastor. We couldn’t ask for a better school for our girls. I love the hills, beautiful trees and back roads here. I love that we hardly have a winter, but still get 4 seasons. The beach is close and Smith Lake is our love.

What accomplishment are you the most proud of (outside and inside of the gym)? Outside of the gym, I am proud of being married to a man I love and respect and our two beautiful girls that we are raising. I’m also proud of the company my husband, mostly my husband, and I have started and grown over the past 16 years. Inside the gym, I’m proud that I’ve pushed myself and gotten completely out of my comfort zone. Years ago, I broke L1, 2 & 3 and had a spinal fusion, shattered my femur, broke my pelvic bone, several ribs and ruptured my spleen in 2 separate car accidents. Most days, my back causes a great deal of pain. I feel like I’ve gotten so much stronger. I still hurt and lots of days I over-do it, but CF has helped me strengthen my core which really helps reduce my back pain.

What is your favorite meal? My favorite meal would probably be Mexican food and dark-chocolate-anything for dessert.

What are some of your interests outside of CrossFit? Our family loves Smith Lake and we spend a lot of time on the lake with our dogs. We like to surf in the summer and sit by a camp fire in the winter. I love to read and my husband and I like to go on long trail walks, but most of my free time is running carpools to soccer, guitar, piano, gymnastics and dance. I really love to travel.

What do you do for a living? I work for our company, Office Insights, Inc, which is an office furniture installation company. I do the payroll and all the paperwork.

What is one goal you’re currently working on? Outside of the gym, I’d love to learn Spanish one day. Inside the gym, I am working on getting my pull-ups without a band and I’d like to get 50 unbroken double-unders.

Scott Patterson

From Coach Billy: Scott is strong, like really strong.  A member, who shall remained unnamed, asked me if Scott used steroids.  I LOL’d and said no, Scott is just very consistent, very patient, and he works very hard!  He earns every one of his PR’s by showing up every day and putting in the work.  Scott is literally the first one at the gym every day, most times he beats the 6am coach there.

I’ve seen Scott develop from a guy who couldn’t really squat at all to a guy who squatted 300 lbs, yesterday.  But that is not what I am most proud of.  I am most proud that he has taken his experience and shared it with his family, specifically his daughter Lindsey.

Fact you may not know: Scott served our country in the United States Marine Corp.  You should thank him for his service when you see him.

Member since:  June 2015

How did you hear about CrossFit and what was your first experience/WOD?  I heard about CrossFit about 3 years ago and joined a local CrossFit gym.  I don’t really remember my first WOD, but I was hooked on being able to get such a good workout in within just an hour.

How many days do you CrossFit? What classes do you normally attend?  My goal is to do CrossFit at least 4 times per week.  I normally attend the 6:00 am class.

Favorite CrossFit movement/workout?  I prefer workouts where you don’t have to do a whole bunch of the same exercise.  I would much prefer to do smaller sets of many different movements.

Least favorite CrossFit movement/workout?  I think we had a WOD of about 200 wallballs.  I hated that WOD.

What motivates you/keeps you coming back to CrossFit Mudtown?  I can definitely tell a difference in myself since I have been doing CrossFit so just having a higher fitness level keeps me motivated.

Favorite thing about Birmingham?  I’ve lived in some very populated and congested parts of the country such as Washington, DC, Southern California, Dallas, and to a lesser extent Charlotte, NC.  I hated the traffic in those places, and the amount of time it took to get to work and to go anywhere.  Being able to get to work in less than 10 minutes is a significant improvement in the quality of life.

What accomplishment are you the most proud of (outside and inside of the gym)?  I have two great kids who have never given me any real trouble.  I told them when they were growing up that I was their daddy, not their friend.  Now that they are adults I think that I can count them as my friends.  Inside the gym I’m proud of the improvement that I have made since I started.

What is your favorite meal?  I really enjoy a good steak.

What are some of your interests outside of CrossFit?  My primary goals are to be a good Christian, husband and father.  In addition to those 3 things, I enjoy Alabama football, the beach, and at some point in the future would like to play more golf.

What do you do for a living?  My background is in mortgage banking, and I moved to Birmingham about 6 years ago.  I work for a local law firm that represents lending institutions across the country.  I help them manage the business aspects of the law practice.

What is one goal that you are currently working on?  With respect to CrossFit, my goal this year is to lift a total weight of 900 lbs for the combined lifts of dead lift, strict press and back squat.  I’m progressing, and have improved upon my beginning year combined lift of 775 lbs.

Brad Castro

Brad was one of the first people to walk through our doors and he’s been instrumental in helping us build the amazing community we have today. He’s a joy to coach and never short on a good joke or encouraging others through their workout. Brad is very busy this month with a local CrossFit competition he’s running called TUFF Love (February 13th at CrossFit Irondale!) and the Mercedes half marathon he’s been training for the past few months. Let’s get to know him better!

Member since: April 2015

How did you hear about CrossFit and what was your first experience/WOD? My friend, colleague, and other Mudtown member Will Slappey invited me to CrossFit. I was much heavier then and my doctor told me I needed to get in the gym so after a few weeks of dodging his invitations I finally joined an OnRamp class at my previous gym. My first week or so of WODs was your typical OnRamp sort of intro WODs. Looking back they were a cake walk, but at that time they were anything but. I remember after doing a 2k timed row I couldn’t get my stick shift car into gear and had to sit in the parking lot for a good 15 minutes.

How many days do you CrossFit? What classes do you normally attend? I am a little all over the place at the moment. At one point I was at a solid 4 to 5 days a week. For the last 10 plus weeks Kristie (girlfriend and fellow CrossFitter) and I have been training for the Mercedes marathon so I have been running a lot and supplementing in WODs 2 or 3 days a week max. I am most always at the 5 pm. On a rare occasion you will find me at the 6 am.

Favorite CrossFit movement/workout? I love to lift Heavy…. Even if my heavy isn’t all that much I still love to hit new PR’s in deadlifts and back squats. In a WOD I like things that I can fly through like toes to bar, sit-ups, and running. Most recently I have fallen in love with the more gymnastic side with muscle ups.

Least favorite CrossFit movement/workout? I loathe thrusters… I don’t care if they are with a PVC pipe, I simply despise them. Not sure why but I cry a little every time I see them programmed. Also not a big fan of front squats in a WOD. And then there’s Grace…. If I can tackle her in under 10 minutes it’s an accomplishment for me.

What motivates you/keeps you coming back to CrossFit Mudtown? What motivates me and the reason I haven’t left to go join a gym like Lifetime is the Social Accountability that I get from my Mudtown family. Mudtown is my family that I run to when I am stressed at work and Tyler reminds me where I left my feminine hygiene products when I don’t come for a few days. People here honestly want to see you grow and they are willing to sweat right next to you to make sure you reach the goals you have set out to complete.

Favorite thing about Birmingham? I have lived in over 35 cities in the US and Birmingham is top 2 simply due to the people here. Let’s face it we really don’t have much like sports teams, or the beach, or a mountain to ski. But the people here are hands down the best in the nation. Oh yeah and cost of living is dirt cheap..

What accomplishment are you the most proud of (outside and inside of the gym)? Inside of the gym – not being fat. Outside of the Gym – My full surrender to God and his purpose for my life. Although this was not my accomplishment it took a lot of humbling to come to a place to know that I was ultimately not in control.

What is your favorite meal? Mexican. I know that in of itself is not a meal but it is my answer. Anything from or resembling Mexico.

What are some of your interests outside of CrossFit? I love to be outdoors. Snowboarding, hiking, surfing.
And most recently I have fallen in love with mud races. Kristie and I will be racing in the Atlanta Spartan race in March if anyone wants to join.. It is a blast. In the last year Kristie and I have had the honor of coaching crossfit at Christfit in Woodlawn which has been amazing not only for the kids in this community but for both of us as individuals. Neither of us have formal training and we are both relatively new to crossfit but with the help of our coaches we have been able to wing it with some degree of success. I like to call it channeling my inner Jacky when it comes time to motivate the kids.

What do you do for a living? I am the Operations Manager for a small privately owned commercial real-estate company and the Marketing Director for Slappey Communications.

What is one goal that you are currently working on? Double-unders. I finally broke down and ordered an RX rope.

Kristen Skinner

Intro by Billy Rodgers: As trainers we can only give you the platform and formula for success, its each individual athlete that actually makes the success happen.  Kristen Skinner is hands down one of the hardest workers in the gym, and is making success happen daily.  She shows up early and stays late, arranges extra training sessions, spends time taking care of and fueling her body, reads obsessively, and is always looking for more.  In turn, the results speak for themselves.  Across all 10 of the CrossFit recognized domains she has improved… Endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, accuracy.  Couple that with a kind heart and generous spirit of friendship and you have the type of person that makes CFM a great place to call home.

I encourage each of you to ask Kristen about the goals she has set for herself for inside and outside of the gym… some are very lofty, but none are out of her reach.  Then reflect on what goals you have for this month, this year, the next 3 years…  Talk about them with a coach and even fellow athletes and then go get them.

On January 30th, Kristen will achieve another goal she set for herself by competing in her first Olympic Weightlifting meet, the Buford Open.  By taking on this challenge, she is taking her training to a new level and I have no doubts that she will again find success.

Member since: August 2015

How did you hear about CrossFit and what was your first experience/WOD? My brother has been a member of the CrossFit community in Atlanta for several years now and spoke highly of his experience. I wasn’t seeing the results that I wanted to at a traditional gym, so I thought that I would give it a try. I started CrossFit in April 2015. My first WOD was 20 wall balls, 20 burpees, 20 sit-ups, 3xs. It laid me flat and I couldn’t walk properly for several days but I loved it!

How many days do you CrossFit? What classes do you normally attend? I usually attend the 6am class 3-4 times per week. Now that school is back in session you can probably catch me at the 6pm class more often.

Favorite CrossFit movement/workout? Surprisingly, the snatch.
Least favorite CrossFit movement/workout? There are several that make me groan, but hands down, the movement that makes me think twice about coming when I see it programmed is the deadlift.

What motivates you/keeps you coming back to CrossFit Mudtown? There are a multitude of factors that keep me returning to Mudtown including my fellow athletes who foster one of the most supportive environments I’ve ever been in, great coaching, and superb programming.

Favorite thing about Birmingham? Small town feel with all the perks of being in a big city, can’t go wrong there.

What accomplishment are you the most proud of (outside and inside the gym)? Outside of the gym, I am proud of finding a career that I am passionate about and that I genuinely enjoy. Inside of the gym, getting pull-ups!

What is your favorite meal? I love food, let’s face it. I love a beautiful steak with mashed potatoes. I could eat and entire basket of chips and queso. But, when it really comes down to it, my food of choice would be a hot loaf of French bread with butter.

What are some of your interests outside of CrossFit? I’m a bookworm, always have been and
always will be. When we lived in Mississippi, I was an avid cyclist, I would love to get back into that once I am don

What do you do for a living? I am a registered nurse at one of the local hospitals and a full-time nurse practitioner student.

What is one goal that you are currently working on? The biggest goal that I am
working on right now is finishing my Master’s in Nursing.

Patrick & Alisha Crossley

Patrick and Alisha bring a wonderful attitude and work ethic to their training at CrossFit Mudtown. Not only are they fun to be around, but they’re both intelligent and well dressed to boot. They brought their family to us in June and we’re so glad they did. Now for the details…

How did you hear about CrossFit and what was your first experience/WOD?
Patrick: I started Crossfit in 2012.  My first WOD was Angie and I couldn’t do an unassisted pull-up.  I cut the reps in half, scaled all of the movements, and it still took me forever.
Alisha: I started Crossfit six months after Patrick. I came into CF tired, depressed and incredibly out of shape. Within one month, I felt insanely better!

How many days do you CrossFit? What classes do you normally attend?
Patrick: I go 5 days a week, typically 6am.
Alisha: I aim for 4-5x week. Fall is peak season for me as a photographer, so I am starting to get back into my normal routine 😉

Favorite CrossFit movement/workout?
Patrick: Snatches and box jumps
Alisha: Squats. I just love to squat.

Least favorite CrossFit movement/workout?
Patrick: Wall-balls.
Alisha: Pull-ups

What motivates you/keeps you coming back to CrossFit Mudtown?
Patrick: I love the individual styles that each coach brings to CFM.  They are all very different, but help us focus on different aspects of our fitness to be well-rounded athletes.  I particularly enjoy the high level of technical instruction we get on Olympic lifts.
Alisha: Our coaches are phenomenal. The community that has been created is incredibly welcoming and diverse. I love our childcare program and the ability to WOD knowing that my littles are being cared for fully. I am continuously motivated and challenged yet never made to feel inadequate or lacking by our coaches or programming. That’s a tough a balance for any box to achieve and Mudtown does it better than anywhere we’ve been!

Favorite thing about Birmingham?
Patrick:  The food.  We have some of the best restaurants in the country here.
Alisha: What Patrick said. Our local food scene is exceptional.

What accomplishment are you the most proud of (outside and inside of the gym)?
Patrick: In the gym, I’m proud of how much my strength has improved this year. I’ve hit several PR’s recently and I feel like I have much more room for growth.  Outside of the gym I’m most proud of my family.  We are chaotic and usually tired, but I still look forward to coming home to them every day.
Alisha: I am most proud for getting to a place where I appreciate my body more for what it can accomplish rather than what it looks like (or weighs). As a female, I think there is a societal pressure most of us can relate to. Crossfit has allowed me to appreciate my thick legs and what they can squat instead of continuously wishing them away 🙂 Outside of the gym, I am most proud of my family and business. It has been humbling to watch the growth of both over the years. I feel so undeserving and so very thankful.

What is your favorite meal?
Patrick: Beef filet with smashed potatoes or pizza and beer.
Alisha: Macaroni and Cheese … or Sushi.

What are some of your interests outside of CrossFit?
Patrick: I love college football and attending the occasional Alabama game with my better half.
Alisha: I really enjoy traveling with Patrick and our littles. P and I try to break away solo at least twice a year and adventure together. Some of our favorite places include Rosemary Beach, Disney World and Savannah.

What do you do for a living?
Patrick: I work for Southern Company as the Project and Engineering Manager for the research and technology group.  We work on development of clean power technologies.
Alisha: I am a photographer … I specialize in weddings but capture an eclectic mix from time to time.

What is one goal that you are currently working on?
Patrick:  I’ve had a 185# snatch on my goal list for a long time.  I hope to get there before the end of the year.
Alisha: I am focusing heavily on my nutritional needs and how my foods impact my workouts and energy level. I really love macro counting and am working on the perfect numerical balance to lean out slowly