Eric has been with us for a long time. He took about a year off due to his job and life stuff but he is back with a vengeance!! His dedication to making his big return to CrossFit is nothing short of inspiring! Although he admits that getting up early is tough sometimes, he is a goofy happy go-getter in the 6am class and brings lots of smiley motivation to the morning WODs! He keenly uses social media, our current nutrition challenge, and communication with his coaches to keep himself accountable to his BIG goals! Both Eric and Kate (who is his wife AND also a bad-ass CrossFitter with us), are excellent role-models for their two kiddos!

Tell us about yourself:
Hey I'm Eric Cooper, 34, and I'm a CrossFitter! I'm a husband to my exceptional wife, Kate (also a CrossFitter!), and a father to my two extraordinary children, Addison (6, CrossFitter!) and Bronson (2, soon to be CrossFitter!). Fort Collins has been my home for the last 22 years, Kate and I will celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary this July. For the past 2+ years I've worked for Vestas Blades in Windsor, CO and am currently a Process Instructor/Production Lead. Both of my wonderful parents, Tom and Chris, live in Fort Collins, in the same house I grew up in! Additionally, I have two younger brothers: Mike who lives in Fort Collins and Jon who is currently in Columbia, MO and welcomed his first child, Cage, in December! Family is extremely important to me and I am blessed to have so much of my family so close to me to support Kate and I as well as have incredible relationships with my kids. My faith in Christ has been a major foundation in my life since Easter of 2014 and I'm proud to say I was baptized at Timberline Church on Easter of 2015! Football has always been a major part of my family's life and I still keep the competitive drive going in a competitive 8v8 flag football league both in Northern Colorado and occasionally in Denver.

Why do you "CrossFit"?
For the majority of my life I was a very good athlete, which led me to accepting a partial scholarship to the University of Nebraska-Kearney to play football. After I left Kearney (only one year), I stayed in pretty good shape for the next three to four years by lifting weights pretty regularly and having physical jobs. When my mid-20s came around, I fell out of the physically active lifestyle and began to gain weight and lose much of what I identified myself as. Fast forward to the fall of 2013 when a childhood friend told me about the CrossFit gym he had been going to for quite a while and why he felt it would be a great fit for me. He was right. I immediately fell in love with CrossFit for the community aspect (I've never been amazing at self-motivation during exercise) and the competitive environment. All of the people around you are doing the exact same thing you are to the best of their ability and it's inspiring! How can I take a long break during the middle of a workout when I see the person next to me grinding through the pain and exhaustion? Competing is something I love and CrossFit gives me both the ability to try and beat the times/lifts of someone better than me (looking at you Stephen) as well as beat myself from a week, month or year ago. The consistent self-improvement in all areas of fitness is unmatched by anything else I've done.

Now the bad news, I stopped going to CrossFit in the winter of 2015 and took over a year off. Every improvement I had made over two years disappeared: I was tight and stiff, never felt like I had enough energy and I gained back a ton of weight (40+lbs). I had switched shifts at work to an evening shift and found every reason in the book why I couldn't start again. I get home too late to work out in the morning. I have a toddler at home and can't find a babysitter during the day. Adjusting to the new schedule is too hard, I need to rest. When 2017 started, after mulling around so many different options, I made the decision to start CrossFit again and attend the 6am class every Monday through Friday. This was difficult for me because I don't get home from work until after 11pm and have to get up for CrossFit by 5:30. I really love my sleep. Luckily my wife fully supported my decision and was excited for me to get back into CrossFit. Since Jan 2, I've been back in the gym and feel so much better about who I am and how I'm interacting with everyone in my life. Heck, I even worked out at a CrossFit affiliate in Arizona for three days while we were on vacation! I missed this lifestyle and I don't ever want to make the choice to leave again.

What makes "Choice City" so special?
CCCF has been my home since I started CrossFit in the fall of 2013. The thing that makes CCCF the most special to me is the focus on being better as a person. While we all love to get PRs and look great in the mirror, what CCCF focuses on is functional movement; making sure we're all taught to do the movements properly so our bodies improve with strength, mobility and durability. We love sharing quality recipes with each other and are always introducing the new athletes to high end nutrition with challenges and our Facebook group! All of the coaches at CCCF bring a unique personality to the classes they teach but they are always on the same page with what the focus should be for the day and prioritizing quality of movement over speed, reps or weight. The people are amazing, I've found inspiration in everyone I've ever worked out with.

Skill - 3 Sets (Not for Time)
2 Box Hand Walk-Arounds
8 Alt. Pistols
10 Pull-Ups

WOD - 3 Rounds (For Time)
10 Ground to Overheads 135/95
50 Double Unders OR 75 Singles

170201 - Faces of Choice City - Eric