March Female Athlete Spotlight - Roberta Hughes

When did you start CrossFitting? Who/what got you started?It all started when both of my kids joined Jessie’s special gymnastics CrossFit (CF) class she taught on Saturdays mornings. Every time I’d drop them off, Jessie would ask me to join them, try to convince me that I’d like it, but, I kindly declined. (In my head I was thinking “she’s nuts, this is NOT FOR ME!”). After that class ended my kids continued with the regular CF classes and loved it. All the while, Jessie continued nudging me, and one day, I gave it a try, signed up to do the on-ramp class and have been hooked ever since!What is your favorite/least favorite WOD? Least favorite; high/fast cardio isn’t easy for me. I have gotten better, but, some are just horrid. One in particular that stands out was when we did sets for time of thrusters sandwiched between rowing and the assault bike.Favorite WOD; I’m enjoying the EMOM’s. I push hard where I can, and rest when needed. I’ve learned to pace myself. I’m also enjoying WOD’s that have gymnastics movements in them.What is your favorite/least favorite movement? Least favorite thing to do are thrusters. I can’t do many of them fast with any substantial weight on the bar.I want to get better at cleans and snatches, I love doing those lifts. I also enjoy all the gymnastics movement, they make me feel like a kid again!

Tell us a little bit about yourself (family, job, sports, interests, etc.)My family moved to the US when I was 14 from Mexico City. I studied Architecture and eventually came to Overland Park for a job where I met my wonderful husband Brenny. We have 2 kiddos, Gabe 16 and Sofia 14. I was a tomboy growing up, loved all things with wheels; bikes, skates, and skateboards, and have continued to enjoy them as an adult. We now like to go mountain biking as a family when the weather is nice. Some of the other things I love doing are reading, cooking, and photography.What was your workout routine before CrossFit?“Routine” would be a hard-pressed word to use in my workouts pre CF. I have always been active, but I’ve never been consistent for long periods of time. I had a membership to a gym where I did Aerobics, then tried Jazzercize and my last thing was Hot-Yoga. In between there was a period where I tried to enjoy running (total failure). I’ve consistently liked riding my bike, particularly off-road biking, but that’s dependent on weather and having to drive places to do it.What did you think after your first CrossFit workout?Ha! Well, I did the on-ramp with Coach Will. It was challenging, but with a lot of instruction between movements, I managed….it was jumping in with the big kids that was a bit of a shocker! For the first three months I might have miscounted some reps or ducked into the bathroom to catch my breath.What were your goals when joining CrossFit? Have you achieved any of those goals?When I first started CF, my goal was not to leave the class mid-way through the WOD, but, since leaving was not an option, it became to complete of all the reps. That goal was quickly accomplished. My most recent goals have been to be able to string more than a couple toes-to-bars and learn to do double-unders. I’ve recently accomplished both.Has CrossFit affected your life outside the gym?I plan my day around my workout, and all things come second to me getting to the gym. My wardrove has become more “athletic” and I’ve had to get smaller size clothes – yay!!

Do you have any other special memories/ achievements during your time here?My greatest achievement is signing up for CF and getting to work out with both my kids. The days we are all there together are the best.One of my favorite memories is completing the New Year’s Throwdown with Ashley. That was so fun! Outside of doing the ’17 Open, this was my first competition. I’m ready for more!My other super cool achievements have been; learning to climb a rope, stringing 5 T2B in a row, learning to do DU’s and the craziest of all is the 265# Back Squat! (Thank you TJ for putting that little seed in my brain that I could get there!). When I started CF, I don’t know that I had the ability to see all this in my future. I thought I was too old to learn to do it, but, I was so wrong!Hands down, the best part are all the athletes at CF913! I love being part of this community that is so fun, positive, encouraging and most of all accepting of all that come to play!What advice would you give to a newbie just joining CrossFit 913?I’d tell them to keep showing up, no matter what. Scale it & don’t let ego get the best of you. I’d also discourage them from looking at the WOD prior to arriving because, being new, you have no idea what it really means. I also learned to stay positive. It’s not a failure if you don’t do something, but, an opportunity to do better next time. So much of how well we do is all in our head. Something you might not know about me is?I have an identical twin sister that comes and works out when I can’t. She’s the one that asks all those stupid questions! I’ve told her many times to keep quiet…but, she has no filter and well…there you have it!kidding…After college and through my twenties, I spent a lot of time on my in-line-skates skating all around the Houston downtown area with a group called the “Urban Animals”. We skated mostly at night after work, going from bar to bar from one side of town to the other. There wasn’t a night we didn’t sneak into parking garages, take the elevator to the top and skate down as fast and as often as we could before being kicked out. Back then I could go down a flight of stairs backwards on my skates & we probably skated an average of fifty miles a week. Fun times!