Crossfit links to the classroom

Breathe . . .in and out. Check the timer with big red numbers, “Do I have 2 minutes left yet?”  The numbers read 4:16 . . .”No,” the clock glares back at me. “Stop checking me out.” Steady, steady, I keep working, my muscles screaming, my lungs feeling like a clogged sink drain. The coach calls it out, as I knew he would, so why was I checking the clock in the first place? “Two minute warning! Time to hit that floor! Leave it all behind! Give it all you’ve got! Anything else you do from here is extra credit. GET IT!” Okay, he’ll usually only shout one of those phrases, but my mind fills in the rest. My adult-initiated asthma keeps me from going as fast as my muscles want to, but at the two-minute warning, I know that I’ll get to breathe and recover so that’s my moment to shine . . .

After every workout, we use some sort of self-reflection. Did we get a personal record (PR)? “Go write it on the PR Wall!” What was our time/score? “Go tell your coach or write it on the board!” How did we compare to our previous abilities? To others? (All scores go on the board . . .so we get an idea of how we did in relation to each other, and of course, brings out some natural competitive spirit. If I’m not in last place, I’m happy. When someone is last to finish a workout, or struggling, or even if we get to class early to catch the last one working hard, we cheer. We cheer our hearts out for each other. We are a family that works hard, motivates one another, and acknowledges EVERY effort. And because of this supportive environment, we keep coming back to beat our bodies up, no matter what our day has been like because we know . . . when we walk out, we feel more alive, stronger, and ready to tackle whatever the rest of the day has in store for us.

Naturally, I found myself asking, “How can I bring THIS into my classroom?” I find myself picturing ALL my students cheering each other on, striving for excellence, to improve their scores and be proud of their individual progress. “Does the Crossfit program have ties to the classroom?” I asked myself.

And I found out that yes, it does.