Muscles and Munchkins

Lifting more than just my kids

Meet Sydney: The Crossfit Teen

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Most high school athletes you read about are your typical basketball player who is getting ready to sign with a division one school or the soccer player who scored several goals to win her team a state title.  There are many strong, talented athletes right in your very own backyard that you may not even know who show commitment and a strong desire to succeed… and their success just might blow you away!

Sydney is a 15 year old freshman at local high school.   She is the typical freshman (well kinda): she likes to hang out with her friends and watch movies. Sydney also really likes to workout .  I am not talking about going to the gym and running on the treadmill or lifting weights.  I am also not talking about hitting up practice with her teammates in the high school gym.  Sydney is a different kind of high school athlete: she is a Crossfit athlete.  And might I add that she is taking the Indiana Crossfit world my storm and making a name for herself across the nation.

Sydney does Crossfit at Three Kings and is the daughter of fellow Muscles & Munchkins Fit Mom, Jenny.  This fall, Sydney placed 4nd in the nation Wodapooloza and 22nd in the 2015 Crossfit Open. Yes, you read that right, this local teen is ranked in the nation! She has an amazing support system and an incredible coaches, Kyle & Bryn, at her gym.

Crossfit Teen, Sydney

Is your tween or teen interested in Crossfit Kids? Let Sydney, the crossfit teen, inspire you or your child to go after your dreams and make it happen. Sydney is a Crossfit Teen in a northside suburb of Indianapolis.

I am inspired by Sydney.  At almost 18 years younger than me Sydney inspires me with her work ethic, her drive and her confidence.  I am sure it is not always easy being that muscular girl at school and she is rocking it with confidence.  She puts in the hours at her Crossfit box and her passion for the sport is contagious. Sydney makes me want to give Crossfit another try.

Sydney can tell her story much better than I can.  Keep reading to find out how she got into the sport, what her goals are and what a day in the life of this awesome teenager looks like.

Q: Tell us your Crossfit story.  How did you get into it?

Sydney: I got into crossfit almost 2 years ago. I used to do gymnastics, but ended up with two concussions, so I had to quit. I needed something to do to keep me active and strong. My mom did Crossfit at Three Kings in Noblesville, and one of her friends had recently started a kid class just two days a week. I tried in the summer of 2014 and fell in love with it. I loved being in that class and feeling so strong and beating all the boys. A few months after that I wanted to get more involved and train harder so I started going to some of the adult classes with my mom. I got into one of the gymnastics skill class with Jayme Lauri, one of the coaches, and got a muscle up, handstand push ups, and butterfly pull-ups. It felt so amazing to be doing cool things that none of the other kids were doing. I later decided that I wanted to learn how to lift a lot. There was a coach from another gym coming in to teach olympic lifting and I wanted to take that class. I set goals and my mom said if I made those goals I could take that class. I made those goals in order to take the class. the coach was Kyle Moran, who is now my permanent coach. He is one of the best coaches I have ever had. He pushes me to be my best everyday not just in training, but just as a person. He has taught he so many things. I also have, about 6 or 7 months ago, started getting personal programming from our gym owner Bryn Jafri. He has really helped me so much. It is great to always have a coach there to watch and be really supportive. I am really grateful to have all of the amazing coaches that I do and all of the amazing mentors at my gym. That is probably my favorite part of Crossfit: the community.  The community at Three Kings is awesome. There are so many supportive people. It has been a great experience getting to meet and have these awesome role models part of my life.
Is your tween or teen interested in Crossfit Kids? Let Sydney, the crossfit teen, inspire you or your child to go after your dreams and make it happen. Sydney is a Crossfit Teen in a northside suburb of Indianapolis.
Q:When and why did you decide to take it to the next level?
Sydney: I decided to start to take my training to the next level after the 2015 open. One week the crossfit people announced that there would be teens at the Crossfit Games. They were only taking the top ten and I ended up 22nd. I decided that making to the Crossfit Games this year would be my main priority
Q:What are your goals right now?
Sydney: My goals right now are to make it to the Crossfit Games. That is my biggest goal right now. My long term goal is to become a better athlete not necessarily physically, but mentally. I have always been really really competitive and I let to much get to me during competition. I want to learn how to get out of my head, while still having a competitive edge. I have definitely gotten a lot better at that, but still have to work on it.
Q:A lot of us are not familiar with the whole “Crossfit Open” stuff that is blowing up our newsfeed.  Can you tell us about this?
Sydney: The Crossfit Open is a 5 week series of 5 workout where one is released each week on Thursday at 5 pm pacific. Each athlete that signs up for the Open has until Monday to do the workout that is released as many times as they please. They have to have the workout counted by a judge or video and validated by a certified judge or gym owner. BTW the Open is all online so anyone around the world can compete.
Q:  Tell us what a day in the life of Sydney is like.
Sydney: I wake up at 5:30 on week days. I sometimes do a ROMWOD (Range of Motion WOD), stretching routine, to start the day. I eat breakfast and get dressed, then head to school. When I get home from school I change for the gym an grab a snack as soon as I get home. I get to the gym around 4:00every day. I workout for about two to three hours depending on the day. Then on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays I work the childcare at the gym for about two hours. If I have anymore training I will do it at 7:30 when childcare is over. Then I go home eat, do homework, shower, watch Netflix, and go to bed.
Q: What is your weekly training schedule?
Sydney: My training schedule is kind of crazy depending on I have to work and how much homework I have.
Monday: I train from 4:30– around 7.  I usually have a lifting session and then 1 to 2 workouts.
Tuesday: I train from 4:00- 6:30 and then again from 7:30- 8:30. I usually start with kids class then have a lifting session and 1-2 workouts.
Wednesday: I train from 4:00 until 5:30 then again from 7:30 to 8:30. I usually just do 1 to 2 workout and skill building
Thursday: This is usually my fun/ rest day and I do kids class and then work on skills and recover.
Friday: I train from 4:30 to 7. I usually do 2 workouts and work on skills.
Saturday: I train from 8:30 am to 11:30 am.  During this time,  I usually do 3 workouts and some other things to work on different skills.
Sunday: Total rest day!

Q: What do your friends and peers think of your sport?

Sydney: I can sum up what my peers think about my sport in about 3 sentences:“How much do you bench?”  “You are really intimidating and scare me.”  “Noah your arms are huge”
My friends think it is cool. My best friend,Olivia, and I do kids class together. I don’t know if my friends and peers know what to think about Crossfit.
What an awesome person Sydney is!  Let’s all rally together and share Sydney’s story and the incredible non traditional athlete she is.  After this past weekend’s Open WOD (Workout of the Day) Sydney has risen to 19th place.  She has just two more workouts to complete as she is working to that goal of getting the the Crossfit games.  Join me in cheering Sydney on and encouraging her all the way to the games.  You go this, Sydney!
To check Sydney’s progress as she works towards her goal, you can find her on the Leaderboard here.  Once you get there, click on Leaderboard, then Open and she is in the 14-15 Female Division.  You can also follow Sydney and her Crossfit journey on Instagram: syd_shopp
Your turn- tell me!
Is there a young teen in your community who is doing great things?
Have you ever considered Crossfit?

Comments

  1. It’s great when someone so young discovers their passion and capitalizes on it.

    I’ve done cross fit a few times, but it’s a pretty substantial time and financial investment, so I don’t really participate.

    Reply

  2. Wow, Syndney is a rock star! It’s awesome to see her passion and following her own path at such a young age. She’s gained a new fan!

    Reply

  3. Wow. She has her schedule down pat. I don’t think I was that dedicated to anything at 15.

    Reply

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