Athlete of the MonthJanuary

Chloe Parker

I start every day with a simple achievement: I show up.

January 2022 AOTM: Meet Chloe Parker
We have so much appreciation for our community, and love to highlight one athlete each month that exemplifies hard work and perseverance. Chloe is the model of consistency. Not only does she show up day & day out, but does so with a smile and infectious positivity. Make sure to give her a fist bump the next time you’re at the gym.

Q: How long have you been going to Terminus? What changes have you seen in yourself (physically or mentally) since joining?
I joined Terminus in August 2019, so 2.5 years. But since that’s mostly been the pandemic, it’s felt like ten years and also five minutes. Physically, passing rays of sun occasionally reveal actual, real shoulder muscles and biceps! Mentally, the purposeful variability of the programming has helped me take life’s curveballs in stride and learn that sometimes yelling loudly is cathartic.

Q: How has your journey at Terminus helped you outside the gym?
I start every day with a simple achievement: I show up. No matter what else happens that day, I’ve accomplished something. Beyond that, Terminus has helped me embrace nonlinear progress. Consistency means showing up on the bad days *and* the good. Not every day is a PR, and that’s okay – but when I go even on the days I don’t feel like it, I’m consistently better month over month. Trust the process. Discipline is more durable than motivation, inside and outside the gym.

Q: Who inspires you at the gym, and how do they inspire you?
EVERYONE inspires me! Every single coach is a gem. The 6AM crew deserves a big ol’ heart eyes emoji. It’s also been revolutionary to find a community of women who celebrate strength and see food as fuel. Special shout-outs to Keenan, Claudia, Arielle, Eszti, Sara, Olga, Beth and Andrew, Jen, Jon, Joe, Sonya, and of course my Turducken Games partner, Callie!

Q: How would you describe what it’s like to be a part of Terminus?
Terminus is a support network: we show up for ourselves, for each other, and for the community. I’ve found so many friends here and had the chance to raise money for important causes. Somehow, I stumbled across a group of people who see me every day at my worst, and still seem to like me. And that’s the same group of people I can lift super heavy with on a Friday, then go talk about books and drink beer with on a Sunday. And sometimes we make chili or run 10ks. It’s the best.

Q:  Tell us about your first day of class at Terminus.
I sidled into the intro class feeling semi-confident. I’d gone to a kickboxing gym for a few years, so I thought my cardio was pretty solid. Things escalated from there. Carter wrote “pain cave” on the whiteboard, and explained how to tell the difference between a hard effort and actual pain. Then we did about a million burpees over the barbell. Then I needed my inhaler. Then I came back to the next class.

Q: What is something that we may not know about you?
I tap dance! I am a huge fan of theater and grew up singing, playing instruments, and dancing.

Q: What are your top 3 memories or proudest moments in CrossFit?
*Getting that first kipping pull-up. I told Mark Emery how I’d never done one, and he just shrugged and said “Gun to your head, you probably could.” So I just went for it with that mentality, and it worked! That breakthrough kicked off many others as I gradually built my upper body. The pull up challenge in August cemented my first strict pull up!
*Cracking 200 lbs for my one-rep back squat max
*Placing 1st in the scaled division of the Turducken games with Callie!! Literally the first athletic thing I’ve ever won. We made a great partnership and came out on top!

Q: Moving forward, do you have any short term or long term goals in the gym?
Short term, I’m trying to prioritize form over numbers on lifts. I’m rebuilding the ability to trust myself when I go below parallel after an injury last year. I’m also chasing toes-to-bars – they feel tantalizingly close!

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