Where do you even start with Tom!? Always has a quick witted quip to dish out, never misses a Hawkeye or Cubs game, is employed by our favorite industry (w/ New Belgium), has a huge heart for his family and friends, and is a cornerstone of our gym. He is a serious and dedicated athlete that never takes the easy way out. We love Tom and all that he brings to the community...including the beer! ;)

Tell us about yourself!
I was born in Iowa City, IA in June of 1976 and finished high school in the metropolis city of Iowa Falls (6,000 people). I am married (Melissa) and have a 2 year old daughter (Alayna) whom I love more than anything on this planet. I have one younger sister who is my biological sibling and an older sister who became part of the family when my Dad remarried. After high school, I attended a junior college on a football scholarship in hopes of transferring to the University of Iowa to continue playing football. Unfortunately, I was not totally into the student part of the whole “student-athlete” equation, so I dropped out of school and moved to Cedar Rapids. I never imagined leaving Iowa and somehow ended up in Denver, CO in 1998. Lived there for a year, Boulder for a year and moved to Fort Collins in 2000. I re-enrolled in school and started all over. First it was Front Range Community College and then I transferred over to CSU. I FINALLY graduated in 2006 at the age of 29 with a degree in Health & Exercise Science and I wanted to get involved again with football either coaching or becoming a strength & conditioning coordinator. After I graduated, a friend approached me with a job opportunity here in town at New Belgium Brewing Company. I decided instead of going to grad school (I never liked school anyway) I’d go for that job opening and got it. I started at NBB in July of ’06 as a warehouse/forklift operator and now currently work as one of our logistic coordinators. In my free time, I love to fly fish and go camping. I also go see live music as much as I can.

Why do you "CrossFit"?
Ever since my competing days ended, I’ve been looking for something that pushes me and also satisfies my competitive side. I have always had a gym membership to somewhere since I moved out here and was doing the lifting weights and running thing. Even after college I was trying to implement what I learned during my internship and tried periodization with my workouts, but I just couldn’t do the things I wanted to do in a “globo-gym”. The facilities just aren’t set up for it. I had heard of CrossFit, but was admittedly quite skeptical. It wasn’t until I saw the CrossFit Games one summer weekend on ESPN and I was fascinated by the workouts. They were obviously tough and would push me to a place I hadn’t been physically in a long time. Couple that with other movements that allow you to use your athleticism (if I had any left) and I knew I had to try it. I’d known Coach Mike from his days at NBB and I knew he had a gym, so I contacted him and started in the fall of 2012. It didn’t take very long at all and I was hooked! I loved the complexity, the intensity and the overall toughness of the workouts. It also didn’t take long to realize that I wasn’t very good at a lot of things in CrossFit, so that helps my competitive side. I’ll keep doing it until I get it right or I’ll die trying.

What makes "Choice City" so special?
Well first of all, I love Coach Mike. He’s a good man. I admire him more than he will ever know and I’m proud to be a part of his community. Couple that with the people that are a part of this gym and it’s easy to see why everyone loves being a part of this community. You can participate in any class time and feel the acceptance from the folks around you. From the competitive push I get with Steve and Eric in the 6 am group to the lovely ladies that laugh at all my jokes at the 4:30 group, there really is no other place I’d rather be. The addition of Lauren and Bri to the coaching staff has also been a strong positive for our community.

Strength - Bench Press
10 @ EB
5 @ 75%
3 @ 85%
1+ @ 95%

Death by 10m (4-14)
Death by Burpees (1-10)

170419 - Faces of Choice City - Tom