Juiced Up Cindy

AUGUST 20 WOD

A. Clean + 5 Push Press

Crossfit Girl Christmas Abbott 

I did 43k and failed 45k at the 5th rep! Sooo irritating!!! I have to be more patient and focus on doing quality reps rather than rushing them and making them look sloppy. A solid 5 reps with 43k is better than 5 mediocre ones with 45k. Gotta get stronger! 

B. "Cindy's Mean Older Sister"

     20 Minute AMRAP

     5 C2B Pull-Ups

     10 Plyo Push-Ups

     15 Jump Squat

I did 12 rounds and 5 pull ups rx. I am so happy with my improvement because according to my log, I was doing pull-ups with a red band in March! I never thought I would be able to do even a single pull up without a band because I felt so weak and scrawny. "Practice makes perfect." "Slow and steady wins the race" "One step at a time". Those statements are used so often that they've lost meaning. All I'm thinking is, "It's too hard! I'll NEVER be able to do it!" After practicing everyday and working on it, I finally used a thinner band and then eventually, no band. I still need to work on kipping and getting a lot of reps but I know I can do it in time. 

This WOD was really tough especially because of the plyo push ups. Chest to bars weren't as tough for me because I learned how to do pull ups that way. I used under hand grip for this wod which was easier for me because I am a lot stronger that way.

SNATCH

AUGUST 21 WOD

A. Snatch + 4 OHS

Christmas Abbott Snatchin'

- I practiced with 35k and did 4 reps. I tried 38k but it was too heavy and I couldn't even snatch it from the ground. Grrr! Patience and practice.

B. For Time:
     As many du's in 3 min..stick to that number and do it again.
     21-15-9
     Box Jump
     T2B
     D-U 

    FOR TIME

Crossfit Girl Stacie Tovar

- It took me 11:44. In 3 minutes I only got to 11 double unders. lol My rope was terrible, THAT'S my excuse!!! I'm usually a lot better than that!!! Ugh...ruined my wod. Anyhow, I did great in the box jumps/T2B/ I never took breaks in the box jumps and I felt confident in T2B. Fun wod but next time I'll come more prepared and have my own rope...

Foucher Fridays

AUGUST 24 WOD

Crossfitter Julie Foucher 

A. Clean + 6 Front Squats

- I managed to do 52k! Cleaning 52k was the toughest part because I still have to work on my technique a lot! Front squatting was easy peasy for me :)

Crossfitter Christmas Abbott!!! (My new fav)

B. 6 Rounds for Time:
     10 Pull-Ups
     100m Run
     10 Burpees
     30s Rest

- My time was 12:46 rx. My pull ups are getting a lot "cleaner" looking since I don't raise my legs up way in the air and flop all over the place. 

ANGIE Crossfit Wod

SEPTEMBER 10 WOD

Christmas Abbott (Before she mastered muscle ups!)     

 "Angie" FOR TIME

     100 Pull -Ups
     100 Push -Ups
     100 Sit -Ups
     100 Squats

- I did this wod in 25:49rx. I am really glad I completed the wod. This was really tough and it was my first time doing 100 pull ups in a row without a band. So exhausting! My goal is to shave of 3 minutes in this wod in 3 weeks. It's not very much time at all but with a better strategy, I know I can do it. I will have to be more efficient in the pull ups and take less breaks!!! Oooo GEEZ....I am getting exhausted just thinking about it...lol

DEADLY DEADLIFTS

SEPTEMBER 19 WOD

A. Squat Clean Thruster 3-3-3

- 45k! Rough but did it! I practiced with 40k and did 3 reps of 3.

Christmass Abbott Motivation Crossfit Video

B. "Diane" 

      21-15-9

      Deadlift 

      HSPU

Strong Crossfit Chick

This wod took me 11:20min. I used a purple block for the HSPU'S and I really dragged on in the end with the HSPU'S. I was thinking too much at one point and could barley lift myself off the ground! I used 70k for the deadliest which felt pretty easy. My downfall this wod was obviously the HSPU's. My goal is to start using a blue block for this wod in the next month even it takes me over 10 min (which it probably will). I have to focus more on building upper body strength if I want to do muscle-ups!!!

After the wod, I did 50-40-30-20-10 of KBS (16k) and sit-ups! I didn't train for a good 5 days before that so I had to get another workout in there before I went back to class. Starting to feel sore again :)

Cleanin and Pushin

OCTOBER 1ST WOD

Christmas Abbott Crossfit Chick

A. Clean + 1 Push Press

- 45x5...Practiced a lot with this weight. Tiring! 


B. For 16 Minutes Preform The
     Following:
     Even Min - 6 Clean 70/50
     Odd Min - 12 Wall Ball

Crossfit Girl 275lb Deadlift @ 123 BW

I used a 40k bar and 16lb ball for this wod and managed to have at least a 30 sec rest each minute. Next time I will try 45k and challenge myself more.  

Christmas comes to NASCAR -- and she's a front tire changer

Christmas Joye Abbott got that name from her mother, who was delighted with the daughter who was born on Dec. 20th after the mother had to go through a number of weeks of bedrest to sustain the pregnancy. (Photo by Corey Lowenstein/News & Observer)

I have written a number of stories about NASCAR hopefuls over the years -- Charlotte attracts them, as it is the epicenter for most of the best teams in the sport.

The one I've been working on the last couple of weeks with photographer Corey Lowenstein and is being published here is pretty different, though -- it is about a tough, driven, 30-year-old woman named Christmas Joye Abbott who is in incredible shape, has absolutely no NASCAR background and is now trying to become an over-the-wall member of a NASCAR pit crew.

Christmas Joye Abbott is no publicity stunt. She's an elite athlete who specializes in fitness workouts and co-owns her own CrossFit gym in Raleigh. Turner Motorsports convinced her after seeing her at a pit crew challenge in January to come to Charlotte and try to make it as a pit crew member (women have been in the pits before, mostly at NASCAR's lower levels, but it usually hasn't lasted long. Christmas's goal is to latch onto a Cup team by 2014).

This story came about first through Lowenstein, who shoots great pictures for The (Raleigh) News & Observer. Once bitter competitors, The Charlotte Observer and the News & Observer are now brothers in arms, as we are owned by the same company (McClatchy) and frequently share content. We provide Raleigh's sports section with most of its Panthers coverage, for instance, and Raleigh generally provides our sports section with ACC coverage of the Triangle-area teams. When I covered the Olympics this summer, it was with an eye toward stories that would benefit both newspapers.

Lowenstein had happened upon Christmas because the gym Christmas co-owns was near the N&O. Once she visited the gym with an eye toward a possible story, Lowenstein was told that Christmas was actually moving to Charlotte in hopes of joining a pit crew. Lowenstein believed this would be a great story to tell journalistically, and I volunteered to be writer assigned to the story after seeing some of the first photos.

We'll continue to check in periodically with Christmas as she progresses (or doesn't progress) through NASCAR's ranks. She's only at the beginning stages of this journey now, but she's a very interesting and charismatic young woman, and how this all turns out will be something to see.