Meet Joey Cusic!
HOODIES AND T-SHIRTS ARE IN!!!
THEY ARE BUNDLED BY ORDER, COME IN AND GET THEM!
Remember the Schedule for Thanksgiving:
Wednesday: No 5:30/6:30 pm
Thursday: Only class at 9am (No New People or Friends, please!)
Friday: Only class at 9am
Saturday and Sunday: Normal Weekend
WOD: 11/25/15
Romanian Deadlift 5-5-5-5-5 reps
For time:
225/155 pound Deadlift, 21 reps
400 meter Run
Deadlift, 18 reps
400 meter Run
Deadlift, 15 reps
400 meter Run
Deadlift, 12 reps
400 meter Run
Meet Joey Cusic! He has been wodding at Crossfit Train for almost a year. You will find his good attitude and silly jokes at the earlier classes. We are super glad you are a part of our family!
Nice new Metcons too!
Occupation: Sales
Age: 35
Dream WOD: “DT”
Goat: Double-Unders
Hey Joey, you are always in a good mood - even at 6am - how do you start you day and what keeps you smiling? Ya know, it’s funny, I have always been pretty positive by nature, but about 4-5 years ago I realized that everyone I come in contact with I have a direct impact on their day, so I might as well be a positive impact. When I was told that, it made total sense to me. I know I appreciate positive people in my life so I better damn well be a positive impact in someone else’s life. Bottom line is everyone has the ability to make the people's day around them better or worse by the attitude they keep and I made the decision to do whatever I can to make people’s day better, every day.
Not long ago you told me that you lost 175 pounds? Am I correct? That is quite an achievement. Can you tell me a bit about Joey then and a bit about Joey now?
Oh boy, I’ve always been a bigger guy. I hung around 295lb from 2005-2009 but then through a series of life changes my weight went from 295 in '09 to 400lbs. in 2011. Joy (my better half) and I were living in Seattle and she was working for FDA so we had good insurance, it was just a matter of making the decision to go through with the weight loss surgery. Today I am at 240 and working to get to 225 which is my goal weight. There's a back story to how/why I was that heavy; the me back then was a stay at home step-dad and I had a pretty low self-image due to not having a job and not really having any friends/family up there. Joy and I were/are super solid and have a great relationship but everything around me was new and different, which at that time in my life I didn’t really know how to deal with it all in a positive manner. My outlet was eating. Still is if I’m honest. Shift to me today, there has been a ton of life changes since then. Joy and I have moved 5 times in 7 years, changed jobs a whole bunch of times and had a child 3 years ago. But through all that with her support and working together I have figured out more positive ways to deal with life challenges. I’ve always been an athlete and competitor at heart but since high school, I haven’t had an outlet to do that. When I found Crossfit Train, I knew I was home. Other than Joy and my family, CrossFit has been one of the best things that has happened to me in I don’t know how long.
When and why did you start CrossFit? What made you chose CrossFit Train? I started almost exactly a year ago. I met Brooke, the founder of Crossfit Train, when she needed help with her laptop and through the conversation I had with her, I learned that she owned CrossFit Train so I knew that this was the place was going to go to. So when I decided to come it was just the decision of “if not now then when” type of thing.
What do you like best about CrossFit and what keep you coming back for more? For me CrossFit is therapy in a lot of ways. It’s an hour a day that I get to really just remove all the bullshit of life and just sweat. The other thing that keeps me coming is that the community at CrossFit Train 97333 is amazing. The group of people that come to the box are incredible. I love it.
Describe your most memorable CrossFit moment? There is a few of them. Doing “Murph” on Memorial Day with Kate Swenson was huge. PRing my deadlift a few weeks back was also big (#315)
Any advice for anyone thinking about starting CrossFit? Do it goddamnit! If you wait till you’re ready then you’ll never start. Just do it.
What is the first thing you think about when you wake up? “I’m going to kick this day’s ass” …maybe not exactly but something along those lines.
Tell us about your family: I married my middle school sweet heart Joy who is the best thing that has ever happened to me by a long shot. She amazes me every day. We have a 16 year old (Allan) who is just the most awesome kid. He is a computer whiz, it’s truly impressive what he knows and what he can do with anything computer related. More than anything with him though is how awesome he is with his little brother. He is super patient with Jackson and always makes time to spend with his little brother. We make it a point not to make him the default babysitter and pay him to watch him when we need him to but he has always offered to watch him and enjoys taking care of him which has been huge for us as a family because of how busy things are. Jackson, our other child, will be 3 next month and has been just an amazing blessing to us. He makes us laugh every day and is a just a nice little boy.
Tell us about your occupation: I started a new job last month; I work for Sunwize Power and Battery in Philomath. We sell off grid power solutions relating to Solar Power primarily.
Tell us about your goals – short term/long term: My short term goals are to continue working hard in the box and to work on the things that I need to get better at (pretty much anything gymnastics). Long term, I would like to compete in the Open this year, I want to get hand stand kick ups, and double-unders down. I want to get a 220 power clean, 250 back squat, 200 front squat, 135 over head squat, and a 135 snatch.
What do you like to do for fun? I know this sounds cheesy but I just really love spending time with my wife and boys. We have a ton of fun together.
Interview by : Rebecka Weinsteiger