My kid taught me something yesterday. Determination trumps it all. 

Chris Nationals 2008 005From the time he was 8 years old, my son Chris had been pursing a dream to be a professional athlete and play in the NHL and he put everything he had into it.  His dream took him places with leadership roles on teams in the WSHL, the BCHL, and the EJHL.  By the age of 20, he had competed in 5 USA Hockey Junior National Championship Tournaments and was talking to colleges about next steps. Then, at the end of 2009, something was not right.  He lost 50 lbs in three months (not a good thing for someone with hardly any body fat to begin with) and landed in the hospital.   The doctors diagnosed him with Crohn’s Disease and told him to take it easy and give himself a chance to recover.

He recovered alright, but he did not take it easy.  He was determined to succeed.  He hit the gym and the ice.  By spring of 2010 he was back.  In prime condition, he had his first a minor league pro try out.  He blew  the scouts and the coaches away.  But not the front office.  To them a player with Crohn’s was too much of a business risk. “Yes, there are NHL players  who have successfully played the game after getting the disease,” he was told, “but they were not going to sign one on as a rookie.”

Not long after that, he made a decision. As a certified personal trainer, he had helped others for several years.  He would focus on that as a business and find a sport that would allow him to use his skills and talents to succeed and reach his goals while completing his college education in Criminal Justice at the University of Phoenix.    Not willing to to set his pro sport dreams aside, he shifted his focus to a new competitive sport.  Cross Fit.  He began to train and learn everything he needed to learn about this new sport.  On January 15th he entered his first Cross Fit Competition, The Hammer of AZ in the Achilles event. Take a look.

 

Less than one year after being told that his Crohn’s Disease made him too much of a business risk for professional hockey–Chris enters his first Cross Fit Competition and places 12th in the Achilles Competition at The Hammer of AZ. The event involved running 400 meters and then lifting 135 pounds as many times as you can in a total of 4 minutes. Then repeat the process three more times.

Video at YouTube.com – Chris at Cross Fit – The Hammer of AZ

The Next Goal

Now it’s back to business and training to prepare for the regional Cross Fit qualifiers in March of 2011, and then  on to the 2011 Cross Fit National Games in Carson, California in July of 2011.  He’s determined to succeed, compete., and win.

He’ll get there.  He’s determined. 

And his Dad, brother and I will be there to cheer him on to victory again.

Thanks for stopping by for a little life story. Stay Tuned…

Joan Koerber-Walker

 

Note:  The sport of cross fit is catching on with people  of all ages.  Not everyone needs to be an “Achilles”.  You might enjoy learning more in this video. 

 

A short video on the sport of Cross Fit

YouTube.com: What Is Cross Fit? Full video by CrossFit by Overload

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