July’s Extraordinary Athlete is Lisa Prather. Lisa is an Associate Attorney at Haynes and Boone, LLP and she works out early in the mornings. She is probably the strongest girl in the box – including me. Lisa has a bench press of 185lbs., a clean around 145lbs., a snatch around 100lbs. and she is the only girl in the gym who can do ring and bar muscle ups. Her pull-ups put most of the men to shame and her burpees can be blurry due to their speed. She also completed the CrossFit Open again this year and finished 7th place in our box and 2nd place for girls in our box. But what makes Lisa such an incredible athlete is not her sheer strength or gymnastics abilities, but her attitude and her drive.

Lisa used to be a big time soccer player and she damaged both of her knees playing for many years. She has already had surgery on one knee, she basically has no cartilage left in both knees and she is currently awaiting surgery to “clean up” her other knee, which has been bothering her immensely for months. However, Lisa has never quit working out. She would come in here at 5:30am limping and she would find something that she could do (and some days that was hard to find, depending on the pain). She did a lot of bench presses, push presses, handstands, barbell rows, situps, pushups, pull-ups and a number of other things to keep herself moving. For Lisa, quitting is not an option. The workout makes her feel accomplished and like she is doing something to make herself and her life better. She also knows that pain gets worse when you are still. The blood flow and the endorphins and the ability to focus on something other than the pain often makes the situation much, much better.

Something else interesting about Lisa – she is a survivor of childhood cancer and a proud supporter of The Children’s Cancer Fund. If you are interested in supporting this great cause, she can point you in the right direction. I didn’t know her as a child, but my guess after getting to know her this year is that she is just the kind of person who has a fighting and winning spirit.

Congratulations Lisa on your Journey to Extraordinary!

Lisa’s knee surgery is scheduled for next Friday, August 5th. Join us on Thursday, August 4th for “Lisa’s Ladder” – a last WOD before her knee surgery- if you dare!

Lisa’s Ladder:

• 1 Rope Climb (sub with
• 2 Muscle-Ups
• 3 Slam Balls (30 lbs)
• 4 pullups
• 5 HSPUs
• 6 burpees
• 7 KB Swings (70/55lbs)
• 8 Push Presses (135/95lbs)
• 9 Power Cleans (135/95lbs)
• 10 Deadlifts (135/95)
• Complete as you would the 12 Days of Christmas – 1, then 2,1, then 3,2,1…