March Athlete of the Month – Bridget Rottinghaus
AOM for March Bridget Rottinghaus
Very few athletes have come as far as fast as Bridget Rottinghaus. Bridget first started coming to CrossFit in October of 2010. With no training or experience, she got off to a tentative start. At times she struggled to find her balance with the bar, and hesitated a bit on notching up the amount of weight she used. She was committed, but tentative.
Fast forward 4 months. It became evident how far Bridget had come during a recent burpee/kettlebell workout, when she was throwing herself to the ground on the burpees and insisting on the prescribed KB weight, all the while chasing a number of rounds that she refused to fall short on. Her lifts have become extremely solid, she is becoming stronger, confident, and fast. She is facing down prior demons like hand-stand pushups, climbs the rope with ease, and is well on her way to becoming one of the top firebreathers at CFPP.
Here are a few words from Bridget:
About My Family: I am blessed to be married to my awesome husband of 8 years, Brian. Little did we know 16 years ago when we started dating as juniors in highschool that we would now have two very active and fun little boys, Henry (5) and Mitchell (3). They are future cross-fitters as they are currently working on perfecting their burpees, as well as hspu’s on the side of their beds each evening before bed. And I can’t fail to mention our first baby, Gus-the-dog. He is our loving and very active boxer. He has also caught the Crossfit Bug that is running through the Rottinghaus family and is currently working on creating a Crossfit Canine Program.
HSPU
How I was introduced to CrossFit: Brian wanted to attend Power Performance’s open house this past fall, and the boys and I had no plans on that Friday evening, so we decided to tag along. Brian had been doing Crossfit at another gym in California where we used to live, and was interested in joining a Crossfit gym in Cincinnati. I had never even considered Crossfit for myself. I was extremely intimidated by the idea of it. I have to admit when I saw the gym, I was intrigued. Then Alicia approached me and invited me to come the next morning for a trial class. I was very scared as I don’t have a history of being an athlete. During the workout, I was regretting those mozzarella sticks and wine from the open house the night before, but after it was all over, I felt so good because I challenged myself in a way that I never had before. I was hooked and joined that day. The past 4 months since I’ve started Crossfit, I’ve never felt better. I am extremely thankful to Alicia, all of the trainers, and all of my fellow Crossfitters for pushing me to the next level and motivating me to keep comin’ back for more!
My favorite WOD/exercise is: box jumps, kettle bell, running
My nemesis exercise is: wall ball, hspu, thrusters
Outside of the gym, I like to: spend time with my family and friends, read, run, cook
My favorite Cheat food is: pizza, pizza, pizza…did I mention pizza?
My proudest accomplishment is: My beautiful family
My six month goal is: To do 1 unassisted pull-up, 10 consecutive double-unders, run my first half-marathon (I just signed up for the Flying Pig)
If you created a WOD and named it after yourself what would the workout be? “Bridget” : 4 rounds for time: Run 400m, 20 kettle bell swings, 25 box jumps
Rope Climb
What do you love the most about Power Performance? The community/family atmosphere. I love that everyone knows your name when you walk through the door. Everyone is extremely supportive and respectful, in regards to not only your performance in the gym, but also cares about you as a person in general. Working out with everyone at Power Performance is like having a whole bunch of inner voices cheering you on when you you are about to give up.
I love your WOD!!! You read my mind