Scott Pappas
Hometown: Cochranville, PA
Age: 47
Occupation: Mastercard Account Manager
When did you first start training at CFKSQ? December 2012
Favorite WOD: Probably DT
Least Favorite WOD: Open workout 14.5 which was also 16.5. You’ll likely never see me do this workout again. I have retired from it.
Tell us about your sports & fitness background: I really don’t have one. Played a bunch of “athletic” sports thru about 14 years old then gave them all up and opted for the everlasting game of golf. From about the age of 18 thru my early to mid-30s I didn’t do any type of fitness, just played golf.
How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel? When I finally started to get in better shape (sometime in my 30s) I started running and training at Advanced Fitness. Then CFKSQ opened and I remember Everett leaving AF to go coach and then coming back. I was training with Vickie Dosen at AF at the time. She kept prodding me to try CrossFit and I wasn’t interested until finally they ran a special in December 2012 and I decided to give it a try. Needless to say I never went back to Advanced Fitness. No clue what the first workout was nor do I remember how I felt. It must have not been too bad because I’m still here 6+ years later.
What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)? I am definitely in the best shape of my life but that’s easy to say considering the previous version. Although I do love desserts I try to eat healthy most of the time and I’m way more conscious of what healthy eating really means.
What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected? That I’d become a complete CrossFit junkie. I do my best to help guide friends, family and work mates on the benefits of CrossFit and the importance of healthier eating. I’ve even gone so far as to create a Wellness Challenge for my teammates at work that encompasses all the things I’ve learned from previous challenges like the Lurong Challenge, the Whole Life Challenge as well as what CrossFit has taught me. Also, without question the number of friendships that I have created because of this community. I also love that Julie and I get to do this together.
Please share with us any favorite CrossFit / CFKSQ moments: I love doing competitions with the friends that I have met here at CFKSQ.
What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit? Eating ice cream and I still enjoy playing golf when I’m not eating ice cream.
Any advice for people just getting started? I am a firm believer in CrossFit being infinitely scalable. I preach to people that what you see on TV or whatever perception you might have of CrossFit being too hard isn’t accurate at all. What you see on TV are professional athletes. I can throw a football in the backyard with my kids, doesn’t mean I’m going to play in the NFL. Same concept here. Anyone can do it.
Julie Pappas
Hometown: Cochranville
Age: 46
Occupation: Co-Director, Biostatistics and Data Management Core at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
When did you first start training at CFKSQ? I started in earnest in December, 2016. Prior to that I was sporadic, very sporadic.
Favorite WOD: Anything with running J, unless it has overhead squats paired with it. I also like handstand pushups.
Least Favorite WOD: Anything with overhead squats or squat snatches.
Tell us about your sports & fitness background: I started running when I was about 12 and other than injuries and one pregnancy where I puked every day for 9 months, have been running consistently since. I began running marathons in 2007 and typically try to fit in one per year, much to my husband’s chagrin.
How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel? I worked with a personal trainer at Advanced Fitness and she convinced me and a friend to give CrossFit a try. I don’t specifically remember the WOD, but I do remember that Everett was the coach, there were 3 people in the class including me, there were a lot of ab mat sit-ups and I rubbed my butt completely raw and was bleeding afterward. Great start, huh?
What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)? I have been surprised with the upper body strength that I have gained since training regularly at CFKSQ. I NEVER thought that I was going to be able to do a pull-up unassisted. Slowly but surely, I finally got them. I have also found that I no longer need to run 6-7 days/week to train for a long-distance race. I trained for my last marathon by running 3 days/week and was only 56 seconds off from qualifying for Boston. Another welcomed change is that my knees don’t hurt anymore.
What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected? My husband, Scott, absolutely loves CrossFit and for a few years, I didn’t really try to understand his interest in this sport or take part in it. We suffered a traumatic family experience and it completely changed my outlook. I decided that spending more time with my husband and meeting all of his scary CrossFit friends was important. I soon found that it was really fun to work out with my husband and even more fun when my son joined us. It truly has brought us closer as a family. I also found that his friends weren’t quite so scary and now feel so incredibly blessed to call them my friends too.
Please share with us any favorite CrossFit / CFKSQ moments: My very first competition was Cupid’s Revenge in February 2017 and Scott was my partner. I hadn’t been a regular CrossFitter very long at all and was terrified of looking like an idiot. Everett asked me if I was excited to do the competition and I responded by telling him how stupid I was going to look. Everett told me that what mattered was that Scott and I were doing this competition together. There have been countless times just like that, when Everett, Scott, a coach or another athlete has given me just the encouragement and support that I needed. Those moments are what stick with me and make me so grateful to be part of this community of amazing people.
I also love Sunday partner WODs with Marji, Sharon and Scott even though Scott usually tortures us and apparently, I’m really bad at cleaning up. Another incredible moment for me was participating in the 2018 Barbell Brawl with Paige (our niece), Ben (our son) and Scott.
What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit? Well, not sure that I’m very talented at being a mom, but I do consider it my greatest accomplishment. I have 3 beautiful children that I love watching grow into amazing human beings. I very much enjoy cooking with Scott and as I mentioned, I love to run and try to fit in road races and trail runs when I can. I got a stand-up paddle board for Christmas, so I plan to make that one of my hobbies too!
Any advice for people just getting started?
You DON’T look stupid, even if you think you do. No one else really even cares what you are doing – they are typically too busy trying to breathe to even pay attention to you!!! Take each class as an opportunity to get the guidance that you need and work on yourself. A workout is never “too hard” – there is always a way to make it work for you, so keep going to class and keep pushing yourself.