We are overjoyed to announce Mary Pat as our November 2017 Member of the Month. Mary Pat’s CrossFit story spans all the way back to the Summer of 2009 when she first joined the gym. Right away she made great progress coming in consistently, scaling intelligently, and pushing herself out of her personal comfort zone during intense WODs. Unfortunately, as many of us no doubt have experienced at some point, life became a little more difficult which made it harder for Mary Pat to commit time to working on her fitness. Being a recently single mom, the combined weight of working a full-time job and her kid’s busy schedules eventually led Mary Pat to leave the gym. Over the next few years Mary Pat contemplated a return, but was afraid she would not be fit enough to do CrossFit again. After trying multiple alternative workout programs, she realized that CrossFit was the only thing that motivated her to workout which prompted her to start again with On Ramp in April 2016. The rest as they say is history. Mary Pat came back in full force and with a renewed level of importance placed on her health and fitness. She has gained the ability to perform gymnastics skills such as rope climbs, raced in several Spartan Obstacle Course events, and in a few days, will take on the New York City Marathon for the first time. Mary Pat, the coaching staff couldn’t be prouder of your dedication and look forward to coaching you in many more classes over the years to come. Good luck on Sunday!!!!

For the New York City Marathon, Mary Pat is a part of Team Best Buddies. Follow the link to help her raise funds for the charity and support her efforts. https://teambestbuddies.org/nycmarathon/supporting/#mpvanetten

Here’s what the coaching staff had to say about Mary Pat!

Coach James commented: “It’s always a party when Mary Pat is in class! She’s so much fun to coach and is always ready to learn a new skill or try something new. I love her positive attitude and how when new athletes come to class for the first time she is one of the first to greet them with a warm smile, a handshake, and a “nice to meet you.” Mary Pat, keep your eyes on the horizon because there’s still plenty of road left to travel and obstacles to overcome – the beautiful thing though is you never have to do it alone. Congrats again on this accomplishment and thank you for being such a great role model to other members.”

Coach Shye said: “Mary Pat has been a lifetime member of Albany CrossFit for several years. She took a hiatus for a while, and has returned with a vengeance! Mary Pat is a great example of someone getting out of their comfort zone. From doing Spartan Races to rope climbing 20 feet, she understands that in order to improve your fitness, you must push yourself past what you think may be your limits. She has been training for several months to run in her first marathon this month and I look forward to her crossing that finish line! Congrats Mary Pat!!”

Coach Louis added: “Mary Pat is one of my favs. Infectious energy, and everyday she comes hopping in on one leg, tying the other foots laces. Dedicated to all she does and has accomplished so much in the past few years since I’ve known her. Sincere and full of great laughs. I’m proud to call her a friend and thrilled to hear about her crossing that NYC marathon finish line. Great person to be around! Our community is blessed to have people like Mary Pat. A wonderful MOM/ mom, trifecta Spartan, and 26.2 runner! I’m sure she would highlight CrossFits benefits to all her great race success. Congrats MP.”

Coach Pat chimed in: “Mary Pat is one-of-a-kind. She is hard working, energetic, enthusiastic, a great cheer-leader, generous and supportive. She pushes herself and helps other along at the same time. She is a pleasure to have in class and a great member of the ACF community.”

Coach Kat said: “I’m so excited to call Mary Pat our new member of the month. She has been working so hard and has committed so much to bettering herself, while doing so much for others. Her fundraising efforts and support of Best Buddies is admirable. Congratulations MP. So well deserved.”

Coach Murph added: “Mary Pat is a long time member of our community and I can’t think of anyone better then her for our November Member of the month. Mary pat pushes herself outside of her comfort zone every class at Albany CrossFit. Her desire to take on challenges and master them are why she is one of my favorite athletes to have in class. She is an example to all of our athletes on how dedication and training pay off. She has completed numerous obstacle and regular races. She is currently getting ready to run the NYC marathon!”

Coach Chris commented: “I think Mary Pat is one of the most deserving MOMs we have had. MP is a great member of the ACF community. She is always very supportive of others and always encouraging . She is always challenging herself weather it’s a Spartan race, a marathon, or a WOD, and on top of everything she’s just a really nice person. Mary Pat and I have been told that she is like the gym mom and I am the gym dad, and I couldn’t think of a better person I want to share that role with. We are very lucky to have Mary Pat at ACF and I can’t wait to see what she next challenge she has in store for herself. Congrats MP!!”

Coach Stacey said: “Mary Pat is both a BEAUTY & a BEAST!! As I was looking through photos for her MOM picture, I realized what a beast she truly is!! She is absolutely deserving on this title!! When I see MP at the gym, she is always super friendly and ready to crush it. She pushes herself, even on days when she doesn’t want to do the work!! I admire so many things about her! I love taking class with her, as well as coaching her!! Good Luck this month at the marathon, MP!! Congrats, girl!!”