Every now and then someone comes into this box who impresses us from day one and Richard Cranford is certainly that guy and that is why he is December’s Extraordinary Athlete. Richard joined the gym in July and he usually attends the 5:30pm class. He is a young, single guy living in the area and he just wants to get in shape. But Richard, like so many others, has a very interesting story.

When Richard, was born he suffered from a stroke during birth – at least that’s what they think happened. He was adopted at two years old so they aren’t a hundred percent sure of what the real story is. However, they are sure that whatever happened affected the nerve connections to his left arm so that he can not fully straighten it and it doesn’t have the same quick reactions as his right arm. But that has not slowed Richard down in CrossFit or in life one bit, and that is part of what made him stand out to us.

Richard lives down the street and he runs to the gym every day and then runs home. He is usually here at least 6 days per week and when he is here he puts in 100% effort. In fact, he usually arrives early to do extra work to get his left arm working to it’s best ability and warm up a little more. He is never afraid to challenge himself and push himself as hard as he can.

To top it all off, Richard is friendly with everyone, takes coaching well, is supportive, enthusiastic and kind to others and never EVER has anything but a HUGE SMILE on his face, which just makes him a pleasure to see day after day.

Richard is making great strides with his fitness learning Olympic lifting and increasing his lifts and we are nothing but proud of all of his incredibly hard work. You see, Richard understands that it’s not the hand that life deals you, but what you do with your hand that counts. He created his very own inspirational journey and his hard work and determination have made him stand out to all of us as someone who is going to do great things! Congratulations, Richard, on your Journey to Extraordinary!