Athlete of the Month: September 2017

Teri Grisco

Member since: August 2016

Windy City: Teri has made an incredible transformation this past year and we are thrilled to celebrate it with her. She competed in the 2017 CrossFit Open, tackled Murph Training 2017 (after many gentle nudges), completed Murph while gaining confidence in her ability to run faster mile(s) and committed to a nutrition plan that helped her lose over 30lbs! Teri loves the barbell but doesn't shy away from the conditioning sessions, she's no stranger to hard work and consistency. Congrats on everything you've accomplished this year, Teri!

“I like my music so loud I can’t hear my thoughts.”

Teri: I had a bit of a rough start at Windy City, I was coming off a break from CrossFit and I was out of shape and really overweight. I felt immediately frustrated that I wasn’t at the level I used to be. I tried to quit a few times but Austin and Sheena were really supportive and encouraged me to keep with it “just a little longer.” Soon I was making it to work outs 4 to 5 days a week and getting back into the swing of things. Joining the Murph training was a huge breakthrough for me, it got me way out of my comfort zone and pushed me in ways I didn’t expect. I feel it's where I really started to make friends and see the progress I’d been needing to see.

All the coaches at Windy City are fantastic but one thing I love about Windy City is the community of strong, supportive women. There is no cattiness, no judgment here.

While everything is still a work in progress, in just about a year at Windy City, I feel stronger, healthier, and happier than I have been in a long time. All the coaches at Windy City are fantastic but one thing I love about Windy City is the community of strong, supportive women. There is no cattiness, no judgment here. Seeing the confidence and strength in coaches like Sheena, Terri, and Eloise makes me want to keep going and keep getting better.

Recent Adventures

I’ve done quite a bit of traveling in the last two years. I’ve been to Honduras, Belize, Mexico, Dominican Republic, France, Morocco, Spain, and Portugal. I also went to Montana and New Orleans for the first time last year as well.

Future Adventures

This August/September we’ll be going to Sweden, The Canary Islands, Southern Coast of Spain, and Morocco. I’m really looking forward to getting out of the city and getting into some new adventures. I’m hoping to drop into a few boxes in Spain and Morocco.

My dream trip is New Zealand and Australia, I hope to get there some day. 

Goals

• Fitness: This year, with the help of the Nova3Labs (yeah macros!) and Windy City I’ve lost about 40 pounds. I’ve been gaining and losing the same 30 pounds my whole adult life so I’d really like to keep this progress going and not gain it back. My lifts feel better, but I’d also like to improve on my gymnastic skills (more consistent pull ups, actual ring dips, etc.).

• Professionally: I’m a social worker working with foster kids and foster families coming to Illinois from out of state. I’ve been with my company for about 3 years and I love it. It is as challenging as it is rewarding. I have a Master’s degree in psychology and another one in education so if the right opportunity came up, I’d love to teach high school social science.

• Personal: I’d really like to buy house or a condo, maybe pay off my student loans one day…

Something that most people don’t know about me:

I played rugby in college and for a few years after college on a women’s team.

Words to Live By

Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you thought you couldn’t.