ANYONE, NOT EVERYONE: Raising the bar on what it means to be a happy athlete, Clare Kelly shares her story on moving to Charleston from Ireland and finding home among her CrossFit community.
Clare Kelly at Rhapsody CrossFit in Charleston, SC.
What is your story?
A little about me: I am very aware of the importance of having a healthy mind and body. I have always played team sports, especially when I was younger, as a way to make friends and to stay healthy. After leaving home to go to university, I wasn’t able to commit to making as many team training sessions, so I started going to the local Uni gym. I’d run on the treadmill and use some free weights, but never really felt like I was getting fitter.
After years of watching my brother train and compete in CrossFit, and then go on to open his own CrossFit gym (CrossFit Berserk), it was time that I bit the bullet and give it a go. I did my first CrossFit class and I’ve been hooked ever sense.
Although, for someone who thought that they were ‘fit’, I was exhausted and gasping for air after the warm up in my first class. That was a shock to the body. When I started CrossFit, I never thought I’d be able to do even half of the movements, never mind keep up with everyone else in the class.
Within a couple months, I could see physical changes in my body and I was doing movements that I never thought possible. During my time at CrossFit Berserk, I had to get surgery on my hip (note: not a CrossFit injury). After the surgery, I was not allowed to hinge at the hip, which limited many movements. The coaches at the gym were great at keeping me motivated, and helped by scaling and modifying workouts for me, so that I was able to continue training. I truly believe this helped me recover much quicker (mentally and physically).
So CrossFit was not only essential in making it possible to train with my family and find new friends (some of whom are now my closest, best friends), but it also helped me begin getting truly strong and fit.
What brought you to Rhapsody CrossFit?
I was in the final year of my postgraduate research degree in medicine, back in Ireland, when I was given the opportunity to move to Charleston to complete my studies. A friend and I came to the Rhapsody opening day to check it out and see what they had to offer.
There was such a good vibe, and needless to say, we liked what we saw. Yes, the gym is very well set up and got top of the range equipment, but the coaches and the people you meet are what make it easy to want to come back day after day. With the huge variety of challenging movements, you don’t get bored or lose interest.
What have you gotten out of your experience with Rhapsody CrossFit?
For me it is very important to live a happy and healthy life overall. Rhapsody gives me a safe and supportive environment to do this.
The day-to-day programming at Rhapsody is excellent and Alan, Stan and Trinity’s experience and overall attention to detail when it comes to learning, practicing movements and weight lifting is vital. They are all fantastic at offering excellent tips and tricks to improve technique and overall fitness, whilst encouraging you to push yourself.
Since joining Rhapsody, I have seen physical differences in my body composition; I sleep better; I have more energy; and have also seen my strength, gymnastics and endurance all improve.
When I turn up to Rhapsody at 6AM class (and yes, I’m one of those crazy morning people), I read the board and see what new challenge I will face that day. That’s another thing about Rhapsody, we are all encouraged to train incredibly hard; harder than you probably thought you were capable of and set new standards for ourselves each day. Together we make what seems impossible, possible.
As someone who moved from Ireland to Charleston all by myself, joining Rhapsody was one of my best decisions so far. Straight away, I was meeting friendly, kind people, who made you feel so welcome. Together we sweat, we get stronger, we are competitive…and then we go and grab breakfast together. No matter who you are, at Rhapsody everyone will cheer you on.
“Together we sweat, we get stronger, we are competitive…and then we go and grab breakfast together.”
To the Rhapsody community, you are a prime example of what it means to be happy – tell me about that drive to be better and what motivates you?
I work out because I want to stay healthy and fit, and, to be honest, I thoroughly enjoy my time in the gym. As said before, after a hard day/week of work, often coming to Rhapsody will be the best hour (okay, maybe hours…) of the day.
I get to have a laugh, meet new people, and have fun, all whilst getting fitter. I believe being a self-motivated person is an important skill (this helps when you are getting up at 5AM to workout when everyone else is lying in bed). I have always been a hard-working, determined person, eager to test my limits, both inside and outside of the gym.
I always strive to reach my goals and improve my personal bests. I enjoy a challenge, and often the best way for me to achieve my targets and get motivated, is to say I can’t do something. At Rhapsody, I am given the chance to put all my effort into that challenge and be proud of what I can achieve.
There are many skills I learn and develop in the gym that I can transfer to other day-to-day activities to make me a better person. Before I start a WOD, along with my coach, I like to figure out where my strengths and weakness are, and how best I should approach the WOD to get the right intensity. The same applies when e.g. I get a big project in work. I try to be logical as to how I break it down to be most efficient and finish to the best of my ability.
Maybe more importantly, during my time at Rhapsody, I have also been able to improve on how I react when things do not go the way I expect e.g. missing a lift, hitting the time cap. Yeah, I’ll still get annoyed, but now I can have a laugh about it, step back and decide what can I do to improve next time. Focusing on weakness, gives me a chance to grow.
One of the reasons I love CrossFit is that the program is designed to be universally scalable. At Rhapsody, regardless of experience, everyone in the class will do the same program. Yes it’s important to be self-motivated and have that drive to keep going, but sometimes you need that extra push, and the Rhapsody community are always there to help you along. As a part of this environment, I enjoy getting to cheer others on, and get encouragement and support in return.
This also means that, not only do I get to see my own personal growth, but I also get to watch other member’s progress and push their limits. It makes me genuinely happy and excited to see someone get their first pull up, fight to get up after getting stuck at the bottom of that heavy squat, or finish that WOD that 3 months ago they got time capped on. You committed, you worked hard, you deserve that cheer and high five!
On a side note, in my day job, I carry out research in identifying markers, and understanding the mechanisms behind diabetic complications. I am very aware of the effects of chronic disease and the importance of preventing, or in fact reversing it. Along with many other factors, fitness provides a margin of protection against natural aging and disease. For me, after being a member of a few different CrossFit gyms, and getting to witness many people overcome, or in fact, prevent many chronic conditions, it further encourages my want to help others maximize their physical, mental, and emotional health.
Clare, you are a shining example of what it means to be a happy and are helping to raise the bar for all of us at Rhapsody CrossFit in Charleston! To get your sweat on with Clare and our awesome Rhapsody community, sign up for a first class today!
“You committed, you worked hard, you deserve that cheer and high five!”
