MEMBER OF THE MONTH- Remee Brown

Photos: Oscar Bravo!

Remee joined our community, mid pandemic, in September of 2020, and she has fit right in with us right from the get go! Right from the start I could tell she had this competitive nature to her, always wanting to get better, taking coaching cues very well and always eager to learn new skills. With a background in sport, she picked things up very quickly and moved into our regular classes right away. My favourite has been watching her master the Kipping Pull-ups, TTB, and getting more comfortable in all the gymnastics movements! Her strength with a Barbell has shown from the get go as well, and I know she’ll continue to keep gaining and showing her strength there! Remee always shows up with a positive attitude, a smile on her face, and ready to attack each workout. Read more below to get to know her!

What is your background in Fitness/sport?

Throughout childhood I played every sport that was offered to me. I started with soccer, skating, basketball, and competitive swimming. Entering high school I was very focused on basketball and soccer but I was quickly introduced to rugby. Once I started rugby I quickly excelled and got selected for several high-level teams. By grade 11 I decided I wanted to play rugby in university. I ended up tearing two ACL’s one year apart, so I had to re-evaluate my rugby plans. Currently I am on the UVic tennis team and take part in basketball intramurals!

When did you start CrossFit/At Vic City?

I started at Vic city in September of 2020 while I was entering my second year of university. Athletics were always a huge part of my identity so not being able to access a team atmosphere during covid was really impacting me. I had always had an interest in CrossFit, so I decided to try it and see what happened. I’m so happy I did, the Vic City community is exactly what I needed!

Favourite memories in the gym?

I have two favourite memories in the gym. My first is from my first class ever, the WOD of the day was one of Cam’s 12-minute AMRAP’s. I remember thinking to myself that it couldn’t be that bad cause I had such an athletic background. I got overly competitive and tried to keep up with everyone in the class, by the end I was entirely gassed. I had to sit in my car for about 15 minutes trying to catch my breath before driving. That’s when I knew I had chosen the right sport.

My other favourite memory at Vic City is during the one-minute max assault bike in 2021 where I broke the pedal off the bike. I was about 30 seconds in, and I lost my pedal, I was beyond confused when I could not find my footing again. I got off the bike and the pedal snapped off. The last thing that I wanted to do was start over again, but Coach Tia encouraged me to restart. I think I was in more pain after that minute then I was after my knee surgeries.

What is your favourite movement?

My favourite movements are rowing, handstand push-ups, and anything on the bar!

Least favourite?

My least favourite movements are snatches and wall balls. YIKES.

Favourite WOD or type?

I like any WOD that I can come out of the gate at full speed and not slow down. Anything short and sweet or already paced out for me! I like to just put my head down and get through it.

What do you enjoy the most about CrossFit?

My favourite thing about CrossFit is the community! I have done lots of different forms of exercise, but the community at Vic City is unbeatable. CrossFit has given me confidence to trust my knees again after tearing two ACL’s, I have less pain in my knees now than I did before I tore them. I also love how healthy I feel mentally and physically when I am doing CrossFit every day. Whenever I have a rough day and the last thing I want to do is leave my house, I can always count on CrossFit to make me feel better. It’s consistently the best hour of my day! I’ve also gained some cool party tricks from CrossFit.

Most recent achievement that you are proud of?

Since September I have been working on being able to do all the Rx movements that we may see in the open. I have finally gotten most of them! Most recently I have been able to do double-unders consistently and handstand push-ups!

How many CrossFit Opens have you done?

I have only done 1 Open last year. I am hoping I’ll be able to get involved this year too!

What goals are you working towards right now?

I am currently working towards getting a muscle up, working on pacing in long workouts, and increasing my strength overhead. Eventually I would like to be able to compete!

Remee you have become such a key member in our community and we love having you! Your positive energy rubs off on those around you and we are so happy you joined us when you did! You are also a great example to many, being a student, and knowing the importance of exercise and how it affects your mental well-being and your studies, I think a lot of students can learn from you! We are so excited to see you attack this year's Open and for you to keep going after your goals, we know you’ll do great things. And hopefully get to be a part of a Competition representing, one day soon. Keep being awesome!

Give Remee a High Five next time you see her!

Coach Tia

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TRAINING WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

WARM UP: 2 x

Lying thoracic rotations x 5/side

Single leg glute bridge x 5/side

Plate floor to overhead x 10

Air squats x 10

WOD: SKILL AND FITNESS EMOM

Every 1 min for 35 mins, alternating between:

3 Wall Walks

12 Alternating Pistols

16 Single Arm Dumbbell Shoulder-to-Overheads

16 V Sit-ups

12 Dumbbell Hang Power Snatches

12/7 Assault Bike Calories

Rest 1 min

choose your reps and difficulty so that your effort here is a 7-8/10. Can sub in hspu for wall walks or alternate rounds of wall walks and hspu (choose reps as needed for both) Scale pistols to a box or pole or band, can do toes to bar sub for v situps