MARY FRIEDMAN

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Family Hero

2.25.22

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Alex and I would like to acknowledge a very special person who we feel is well deserving of the spotlight, Mary Friedman! Mary, you are so very special to Alex and I and the rest of our community. It has been so rewarding watching you kill all the workouts and at RX! You should be so very proud of yourself Mary and the phenomenal example you have shown to your family and friends. Thank you for being such a huge part of Chateau, supporting us over the years and being such a sweet friend to all of us.

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Mary Friedman’s Personal Testimony…

I’ve always been physically active in individual sports. I’ve raced mountain bikes in New England and road bikes in Northern California. I was a competitive triathlete and did a whole lot of skiing with the kids. I’m currently an avid runner (some of you have spotted me running around town) and hiker.

I was in my early 40s while living in Northern California that I was brave enough to try CrossFit. 4 weeks of on-ramp later and I was hooked. It was a struggle at first. I’d never climbed a rope or done a pull up, let alone done anything gymnastics related. I had only seen Olympic lifts in the Olympics. And on top of that a new language- AMRAP, RC, TTB, DUs. With time I gained more confidence as I had started to see each movement multiple times and that tracking my strength progress helped me determine what working weight I was comfortable with.

When we moved to Woodinville in 2015 I tried several CrossFit gyms within a short drive from my house. It was CrossFit Nine (now Chateau) that seemed the best fit. There is a real sense of community here. The coaches and members are all welcoming and supportive. Shouts of encouragement and fist pumps after a workout is a clear indication of this. I appreciate that the coaches are focused on form and have a keen eye to give each athlete individual cues.

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I’m into the next decade of my life now and the consistency of CrossFit has given me confidence in my own physical strength and ability. I competed in the Winter Showdown a couple years ago and had a blast challenging myself and encouraging my partner. Many of my lifts are getting stronger but I still scale a lot. I’d love to improve my gymnastics skills and already have with attending the skills workshops. I’ve got my strengths in a WOD as well as my weakness and try to pace early and finish strong as much as I can. I still dread the 10 sec countdown before a WOD but knowing that we’re all in it together helps me get it done!

I love the practicality of the strength I have gained. I hike a lot and doing all those pistol squats has given me the ability to descend 1,000 vertical feet in a mile with relative ease. I can shovel two yards of dirt into my garden and piggy back my teenagers up the stairs.

What is best is my daughter began CrossFit with me when she was in high school and now joins me when she is home visiting from college. I love that we can share this together even though she can now out lift me.

Mary Friedman

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