CrossFit Oakland

Tamara -

You earned it, congratulations on being the baddest of the baddest!

Thanks for being a good sport!

Brad.

Dear CFO,

This is Jason "J-Dogg" Highbarger from CrossFit North Santa Cruz. I just wanted to say thanks to Mike Minium and the crew from CrossFit Oakland that came down last Sunday to workout. It was a pleasure meeting all of you and working with you and I was so stoked to have the opportunity to do so. I just wanted to let you all know.

I know the workout was pretty savage, but you all did GREAT!!! You all embraced it and went for it! ...Mike was absolutely right, ...by foregoing timing and allowing "rest" before each sprint, we're able to elicit much higher power output during the sprints. ...You'd almost think I planned it that way. ;) ...& the sprints certainly add up quickly. ...For those who were left sore from that workout, if it makes you feel any better, I put myself through the same workout the following Wednesday using 155 lbs, so I got a solid dose of my own medicine. :)

CFO, for those who don't know, Mike Minium was one of the first people to ever get their CrossFit certification. He did one of the first CrossFit seminars CrossFit ever had, back when they were still three-day events with TWO workouts a day. (What was it Mike, the Third CrossFit seminar? ...The First? I know it was back when we had just the one side of the Research Park Drive location, before we tore down the wall and expanded next door.) ...I've seen a lot of great "Trainers" over the last 11 years, ...but few great *Coaches*. ...Mike is both, and I would be stoked to have him as my coach.

Mike, you have a great crew up there, man! What a great crew to have the opportunity to work with every week. :) They have so much heart and all have great attitudes! ...Just like their coach. :)

You are all welcome down here any time. I know its a long drive, but I will do my best to ensure that you all have a great experience.

CFO, ...you rock!!! :)

J-Dogg

Jason,

Thanks for the excellent workout, man. You, too, are a gifted coach. I look forward to visiting CFNSC again soon for some serious punishement.

We're very lucky to have Mike here in Oakland. He's been an enormous help to me since I started at CFO. I also look to him for advice on fashion.

The dinner was much fun this tonight. Unfortunately, too many people left early in the evening. I rode my bike up a bunch of big f*cking hills and then everyone departed shortly thereafter. Hmmm... Perhaps we have a cause and effect.

For the record, I love heavy metal and I'm not afraid to say it.

Jason,

The workout was great, a perfect combination! Your enthusiasm was up to par with what we get from Mikey everyday and made the trip exciting...I can't wait to see what's next :)

Lance & CFO crew,

Thanks for a memorable dinner. I don't know if I have another "throwdown" in me but it was nice to see that it was a success for everyone. Robyn you looked great! The whole 6am crew is amazing.

Lance:

That was an awesome dinner. The food was very tasty and well presented. Props to your team for putting it together. The pork was well-seasoned and cooked to perfection. Can't wait to have you and Sierra over after the remodel!

BTW, you and Sierra are looking great! Keep up the good work!

To Lance, Sierra, Brad and anyone else who helped make dinner happen:

Thank you so much for the amazing food, it was way beyond my high expectations of tastiness.

Also, it was fun to see people in all their non sweat-stained finery. Looks like CFO is doing us all pretty damn well.

To Lance, Sierra, Brad and anyone else who helped make dinner happen:

Thank you so much for the amazing food, it was way beyond my high expectations of tastiness.

Also, it was fun to see people in all their non sweat-stained finery. Looks like CFO is doing us all pretty damn well.

thanks! the food was amazing and it was great seeing everyone. we should have more parties! next time plan them after midterms so i can stay and drink with you all :)

Aww shucks, thanks for the kind words, J-Dogg. That means a lot coming from you.

(And really, I didn't pay Jason to say those things.)

As I mentioned down at CFNSC, Jason has been training people in CrossFit for a long time, way before crossfit.com came into being. He's the man, and one heck of a coach, as those of you fortunate enough to make the trip down there the first time can attest to.

But we'll be back again, and can hardly wait.

Great party last night. Major thanks to Lance and his crew, along with Brad "The Silent One" G!

Jason "J-Dogg":
The workout last Sunday was a blast!! It was a great addition to the tough workouts that Mikey puts us through :) I really enjoyed your genuine enthusiasm, encouragement and "fired-up" attitude - it makes a huge difference. A trip to CrossFit NSC will be happening again VERY soon! Hope to see you visit CrossFit Oakland as well! :)

Lance, Sierra and the rest of the CFO posse:
Thanks so much for the great food, friendship and laughs...it is so nice to be a part of such a good group of people. Everyone looked fabulous!!:)CCan't wait for the next gathering...

What an outstanding evening! The Hotties were looking hotter, the Studs were looking studlier, the food was perfection on a plate, and the location was sublime. Thank you to all who crafted such a wonderful event.

It's always fun to see people out of their "normal" context. Given the high quality of the evening, I came away wondering what secret talents the rest of the CFO crew has hidden away.

Wow, that was an amazing meal and a great party! Many thanks to Lance and Sierra and Brad and everyone else who made it happen.

It is fun to see what everyone looks like dressed up nice and not laying on the floor in pools of sweat.

I was a little disapointed Nabil didn't bring his crossfit coctail of gasoline, battery acid and crystal meth to share with us all, but maybe next time.

Thanks Lance for the AMAZING food, it was out of this world! I think I actually came two and a half times while eating yesterday (probably would have gotten a third but the alcohol affects my performance). And I can't decide what made me more moist, the piquillo pepper artichoke vinaigrette or how sweet Audra was smelling. I think on the next rest day Mike should come up with a WOD in honor of Lance (seriously). Something with back extensions b/c Lance was killing those during Michael.

Brad-
Thanks for hosting at your clubhouse. The delicious food deserved a great setting like that.. and the evening as a whole would not have had the same feel had it taken place on a rubber floor with one garage door and a view of some run down buildings and a couple of guys trying to steal rims off a car. (no offense Mike and Nicole, its a perfect location for training, especially urban survival skills, just maybe not for fine events like we had last night)

Oh and whomever made the apple "pizza" that stuff was great! I loved getting all my fruit servings for the day by eating 5 pieces of that stuff! Also sorry I just reffered to it twice as "stuff" I've never experienced quite a dish and I'm unsure of its proper name.

Major props to Lance for great food and great attitude. He is such a contributor to the fun and great energy of any CFO workout he attends, as well as being an outstanding cook.

Thanks to Brad for the excellent location. Did you organize the perfect weather, too? Nice job!

Thanks also to all the CFO throwdown participants who worked so hard during the throwdown and kept the rest of us both amazed (workout performances) and amused (blog postings).

Mike and Nicole - Can we do a Community Day workout sometime soon?

and what's up with this?

Women: Loren 90
Men: Tamara 45 (135# thrusters)

I didn't see evidence of sex change operations at dinner...

Well, Sherrill, you obviously weren't paying close enough attention. And don't you know, they're known as procedures nowadays.

Just kidding...thanks for bringing the mistake to our attention. I've fixed it.

does this mean i get to start using the women's weight now?

Nabil - If you think I "smell" sweet... ;)

RE: the apple pizza. i cannot recall its proper name, but you too can make this tasty treat by picking it up in the frozen foods section of trader joes and baking it for ten minutes. always a crowd pleaser.

Lance:

I know I'm not saying anything new, but the food was amazing. I think I had 2 poods worth of the pork dish. I also had approximately 12 of the little squares that appeared to have tortilla parts in them. I have no idea what they are called, but they were delicious.

Brad:

The set-up was sweet. I think it's time that I get serious and find a job the pays me more than minimum wage so I chill at places like that more often. Your story about the drunken neighbor abandoning his Bentley on the side of the road - classic.

Michelle, Tyler, and I had a great time. Thank You!

I hate to be redundant, but it was a great event and gift to all of us. And the best kind of gift is the kind you don't ask for. Thanks for your thoughtfulness and for spoiling us in every way, Lance, Sierra, Journey, and Brad!

Thanks Lance, Brad, Sierra, and everyone who made the event happen! Henry and I had a great time!

I do think it is time to have these events much more regularly...people still have not hit the comfort level sufficent to engage in incredibly embarassing drunken behavior...except for Brandon, of course

Thanks to Lance for cooking and bringing the cute cabana boys and for your touching speech...

Thanks to Sierra for letting us have Lance and looking so freakin' HOT!

Speaking of HOT - Where do I begin? You were all stunning - I especially liked all of the body art...

Tom, you were so kind to offer to drive me home - was I really that sloppy?

Beautiful evening - hope we can do it again soon.

HAPPY EARLY BDAY TO MIKE AND LAU!!!

Hey Everyone -

Needless to say, Reinette and I had a blast.

Although, I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed I didn't receive an "incident report" from club management this morning. No one passed out in the bushes, nothing broken, no small fires....

Well, maybe next time!

This is why I love CFO. I can't remember when I was last around such a gracious group of people. I'll cook for you guys any day. Thanks also to Brad for the awesome spot and beverages.

thanks again, lance.

Gallette. That's what the pizza is called.