Blog post

Hey CFDers

I have had the honor of being a coach here at CrossFit Dubuque for the past 3 years. During that time I’ve seen a lot of faces come and go. We have a ton of new people coming in right now and I wanted to give a quick note out to everyone from the coaches perspective.

CFD is your sanctuary. It is not only the place you go to get in better shape, but it is the place you go when your day going south! Boss is on your case, neighbor is pissing you off, spouse and/or kids are driving you crazy. CFD is the temple of vented frustrations. And it should be. As a coach over the last 15 + years (full time anyway…) I’ve had to play armchair shrink as much as fixing a squat. Maybe more. 

For those of you that have been around me for a while, you know that sometimes (read days ending in Y) I don’t have truckloads of patience. Especially if you’re late, talking, not paying attention, singing, dancing…You get the idea. This isn’t news. Many of you have been on the receiving end of my ire at one time or another. DON’T take it personally!  Every once in a while, things happen. You’re probably going to get your chops busted by me. I can also guarantee that I will have forgotten it by the time the warm up is done. UNLESS…. this is a regular occurrence. In that case, it’s on you! I’ll keep on you, sometimes nicer than others, until whatever is earning my wrath gets fixed.  My coaching style is abrupt. As coaches, we have an hour with you 3-5 times a week. That’s not a lot of time. It is also our charge to make sure that not only the material gets presented in a professional manner, but everyone stays SAFE and we get through everything on time. This may mean that your coach gets a little short from time to time. It’s not personal. But have a little respect for your fellow athletes as well as your hard working coaches!

That said, if you are having a rough day, your focus isn’t there, your life is crashing down around you. Let us know! A quick “hey coach, I’m off today” goes a long way with us. I’ve done this for a fair amount of my life now and I’m pretty damn good at reading people. I’m not perfect. Neither are the rest of our coaches. We will try and pick up on nuances and moods, but any little bit helps! 

It is my honor to help each and every one of you! Our goal every single day is to have you walk out of the box a little better than when you came in. I love what I do! Period. End of story. At the end of the day, all I want is for you to be a little better. 

Have a great week!

Coach Mike