Ole Glory CrossFit’s August Athlete of the Month is Mr. John Soileau. John initially started CrossFit back in 2015 in Lake Charles, but only lasted roughly four months. He unfortunately had to relocate for work, which meant putting CrossFit on the back burner. He moved to Lafayette in 2017 and decided it was time to start back again. After seeing a Facebook ad for Ole Glory CrossFit’s New You Challenge, he figured it was time again and jumped on the opportunity. He remembers how miserable his first workout was. It consisted of sit-ups, push-ups and rowing. He thought he “legit died”! However, he knew he was hooked and returned the very next day for round two. Over the past year John has focused on making his health and fitness a priority, which meant making a few lifestyle changes. One of these major changes included his diet. Making adjustments to his diet has helped him lose 40 lbs during this short amount of time. He focuses on eating clean foods daily and says “I was never a vegetable person and now that’s all I eat.”

In his regular life, John is a 32 year old Chemist at the salt mine in Avery Island. When he’s not working he enjoys drinking a few beers and playing a round of golf with his buddies. He’s a sports fanatic and loves football and baseball (“probably more than any human should”). He also takes joy in spending quality time with his friends and family. As a young boy, John dabbled in baseball and basketball, but he was usually pretty shy when it came to sports. He’s still a bit shy, but CrossFit has given him the confidence he needed to get out of his shell. We wouldn’t consider John very shy at OG because he walks in with a smile every day, talks to everyone around and just simply brightens up the gym. Every day he comes to the gym ready to put in the work. He enjoys the ride and experience and aims to give his all on each WOD. His favorite movements include deadlifts, box jumps and lunges.

Just this past year John got out of his comfort zone and competed in the 2018 CrossFit Open. He finished all of the workouts and didn’t quit, although he states “it was really hard not to give up”. He is super excited to compete in next year’s Open to see how much he has improved. Eventually his goal is to finish every Open WOD as an RX athlete. This year also brings new and exciting things for John. As you know, each year Ole Glory CrossFit partakes in the Pensacola Beach Brawl in Florida. This will be the first CrossFit competition outside of Ole Glory that John participates in, so come out and cheer him on!

When asked what he enjoys about OGCF, John states that he “enjoys the camaraderie and how accepting and positive everyone has been at Ole Glory. I’ve always been very timid and self conscious about my athletic skills, but I’ve never heard a discouraging word which has made my time at Ole Glory very pleasant”.

For anyone that is curious about giving CrossFit a shot, this is what John had to say. “Give it time. You will not become an expert right out of On Ramp. Try to give your best each day and be that positive light for others. That will give you the confidence to get better.”

Congrats again, John! And good luck in Pensacola!