Athlete of the Month: January 2018

Jordan Bazemore

From the moment that Jordan stepped into Windy City, she had a fierce gleam of determination and curiosity in her eye. Starting off in the 7:30am crew, she was a constant attendee from day 1. One great aspect about Jordan is that she has no idea of her potential in Crossfit. Still to this day, we cannot get Jordan to add enough weight onto her barbell!  She always prioritizes the technique in her lifts and stays after class to get every minute of extra work in at the gym. Jordan has become a great leader by example for her fellow classmates. We’re excited to see her potential continue to bloom throughout her time at Windy City.

Nickname: Jordy

Member since: January 20, 2017

Favorite Quote: “Surrender your fears to live your life at its highest frequency.”

“It wasn’t until my sophomore year when I was going through some pictures and realized I had definitely gained a bit more than the freshman 15. For me, it wasn’t about the number on the scale, I just felt super sluggish, noticed my eating and sleeping habits were ridiculous and had no energy to get me through the school day.”

Jordy: Growing up, I never really played any sports. I did some cheerleading when I was younger but honestly it was just to hang out with my friends after school, haha.

Fast forward a few years and I made the move from Philly to Chicago for college. I stayed away from early morning classes so I could sleep in. I didn’t step foot in the gym and when I wasn’t doing homework, you could find me watching tv and snacking on chips and sipping a soda.

It wasn’t until my sophomore year when I was going through some pictures and realized I had definitely gained a bit more than the freshman 15. For me, it wasn’t about the number on the scale, I just felt super sluggish, noticed my eating and sleeping habits were ridiculous and had no energy to get me through the school day. I also started dating my current girlfriend and felt embarrassed when I was out of breath or tired on simple walks.

I told her I wanted to start going to the gym and improving my overall health. She helped me get started by being my gym buddy. Slowly but surely, I started feeling better and fell in love with challenging myself in the gym and going by myself! I also fell in love with meal prepping and eating REAL food (seriously, hot pockets just weren’t going to cut it). I even made an Instagram page to hold myself accountable and made it a goal to post one health-related thing a day.

This was also how I found CrossFit and eventually Windy City! A few female CrossFitters came up on my Instagram explore page and after I watched their videos in awe, I scheduled my free week at Windy City. This January will be my one year here and I have never felt stronger, healthier and more confident. The coaches make me want to get better and keep progressing and the community is so special. I think we all push each other to be the best version of ourselves and for that, I’m forever grateful. In a just a year, I can say joining Windy City was one of the best decisions I’ve made.

What adventures, events, trips, races do you have planned?

I’m looking forward to traveling to Mexico in February to visit my girlfriend, Alex. We’ve been together for three and a half years, but have been long distance since July because she’s on a pro soccer team there. I’m excited to cheer her on at a game, explore different towns and try out a new box! 

What would you do and where would you go if time / money were not object?  

If time and money were not an object, I would travel to Machu Picchu and hike the Inca trail. It’s definitely on my bucket list. I want to be more adventurous and do more hiking and outdoorsy things!

Goals

• Fitness: I would love to get a strict pull-up and improve my upper body strength! Also not doubt myself so much during my workout, especially when it comes to the weight on the barbell. Do some more workouts RX.

• Professionally: I would love to be an assistant manager at the company I’m with now.

• Personal: Keep getting outside of my comfort zone. Oh and get another tattoo!

Something that most people don’t know about me:

I can wiggle my ears really well. I saw someone do it when I was in 6th grade and was determined to learn, so I did! I also love traveling and I’ve been to Paris, Switzerland, Beijing, Shanghai, Portugal, Madrid, London, Dubai and South Africa. 

Words to Live By

If you’re interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it.