If you are looking for a good laugh, you need to follow John Wooley, aka @makewoodsgreatagain. He is a CrossFit enthusiast and satirist. His humor hits home to those of us who are long past our competitive prime but still hold onto our high-school athletic dreams. He swipes fun at everything from CrossFitter’s unnatural desire for shoes to the equally strange need to punish our souls in workouts and the diabolic results that occur after. He does not hold much back and isn’t afraid to take a jab at the most well-known figures in the community. His material relishes in Gen Xer’s apathetic attitude towards anything held sacred, but his intent is far from such. He uses his channel to support and raise funds for special causes and to promote general awareness of fitness for all ages.
But enough about John. I am not here to praise him. I am here to talk about his father, Ole Roy, a CrossFitting septuagenarian who provides regular progress reports through John’s channel. For whatever reason, I feel Ole Roy and I are kindred spirits even though I am closer to his son’s age. Perhaps it is his self-deprecating humor, shared disdain for burpees, or knee pain. Whatever it is, I find Ole Roy’s journey motivational. Who wouldn’t? This guy has only been at it for 8-months, has the perfect reason to quit (COVID-19 and the closing of his gym), but hasn’t. Instead of throwing in the towel, he is doing the exact opposite. His latest progress report describes how he is finding ways to get after it while we go through this mess.
I think I will take a page out of Ole Roy’s book, and keep finding ways to keep moving while we wait for this pandemic to clear and the gyms to reopen. In the meantime, if I am feeling lazy, I will ask myself what Ole Roy would do?