Newsletter #16 June-August 2021

AS ALWAYS, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT ANYTHING IN THIS NEWSLETTER, OR WANT MORE INFO,

PLEASE TALK TO ANY COACH, OR EMAIL ADMIN@FEAST-FITNESS.COM.

COMMUNITY UPDATE

Ch, Ch, Ch, Ch, Changes…NEW ROLES, NEW COACHES

PJ Mora: Head Coach

PJ has been coaching at Feast since 2019, and has been a Crossfit coach for more than seven years. He looks forward to using his passion and experience to continue to make Feast both an inclusive and competitive place. He strives to program and coach classes that can be adapted to athletes of all experience and abilities who want to get and stay fit for life, while also providing competitive programming and opportunities for athletes interested in the sport of Crossfit. PJ leads by example, and will continue to coach multiple classes throughout the week. PJ says, “I also want to make sure everyone has a good time, and gets a laugh at every class. We want this to be the best hour of your day, and for me laughter is a big part of that.”

PJ has constantly added to his learning in order to help all athletes hit their progress goals. He has CrossFit Level 2 and CrossFit Weightlifting Level 1 certifications, and is a graduate of The Gymnastics Course. He is also a member of Strong Group Coach 10. PJ has a special passion for helping adaptive athletes, and has a certification from the Adaptive Training Academy. As a nutrition coach, PJ has his Level 1 certification from Precision Nutrition.

Terri Hartman: Head Nutrition COACH

You’ve seen her around the gym, taking and teaching classes. Now, she will be leading us through healthy habit adoption for a sustained approach to nutrition. See below for more information about Terri’s experience in and philosophy about nutrition, and Feast’s revamped group nutrition program.

JOE TRUNGALE: FITNESS COACH

Prior to joining Feast, Joe was a member of the United States Coast Guard as a Maritime Enforcement Specialist, a role where fitness was a priority. Joe has been hooked on Crossfit since seeing the 2012 Games. It has set the foundation for his fitness, an experience he is eager to share. Joe has his Crossfit Level 1 certification and has worked one-on-one with clients, in group fitness classes, and with members of the military. He enjoys incorporating weightlifting, powerlifting, and functional bodybuilding into his own training and looks forward to sharing that knowledge with everyone at Feast. 

CONNOR SCHERER: FITNESS COACH

Connor is back from Iowa and looking forward to taking on the new challenge of coaching at Feast. He has lived in many parts of the US and Europe, and CrossFit has provided him the opportunity to meet, engage with, and workout with other likeminded individuals all over. Connor loves what CrossFit can do for everyone physically, but his favorite part of CrossFit is the mental resilience it builds inside and outside of the gym. He is currently getting his L1 Crossfit certification and his nutrition coaching certification through Working Against Gravity, and is excited to continue growing both physically and mentally alongside the amazing Feast community.

Ryan HEYWOOD: heading for the mountains

We hope you got to say goodbye to Coach Ryan at one of his final classes or his going away WOD. Ryan, who has built an innovative and strong endurance program at Feast, is moving to Idaho so he can easily reach the trails he loves to run and race on. In just a short time, Ryan has become an integral team member at Feast, leading by example with his grit and humility, and building a loyal following for his Wednesday night Endurance WODs. He plans to continue growing his endurance coaching business, working with Feast and other Crossfit affiliates and ultra runners. We are certainly sad to see him go, and will miss his calm demeanor, thoughtful nature, and cultural leadership. We wish him all the best out West. Ryan says, he “will miss everyone whose fitness journey I got to be a part of.”

Aiden Kreml: Intern Extraordinaire HEADING BACK TO GERMANY

Aiden, back in Chicago after spending the year playing soccer and attending school in Germany, has been Feast’s summer intern. He has been helping to maintain the gym facilities and equipment, working at the front desk, and completing special projects while learning what goes on behind the gym scenes. Aiden is wrapping up his time at Feast and will be heading back to Germany. Wish him farewell if you see him around the gym.

Welcome to our Newest Members!

There are many new faces around the gym, so please make sure to introduce yourself to and welcome our newest members:

Melissa Gasca * Jon Nadel * Jason Dompeling * Clark Farley * Mitch Worden * Herman Lopez * Joe Lewis * Shawn Zheng * John Tongelidis

Emma Rosenthal * Sam Bork * Aaron Schaler * Enrique Rojas * Nate Dick * Lauren Bobowski * Callie Baird * Allison Lale

Feast bike OUting

Feast member and bike whisperer Dave Bonilla will be leading a lake front bike ride Sunday, Aug 22, at 7:45am. Bikers will meet in the parking lot at Foster Avenue Beach at the lake shore. The ride will go from Foster to Shedd Aquarium and back. Bring water bottles and wear a helmet. Plan on 1.5 hours at a steady but not intense pace. For more information or to sign up e-mail Dave at davebonilla080@gmail.com.

Feast GOlf OUting

Do you love to golf? Do you love to hang out with other Feast members? If either of those sound like you, then you should join us on the links the afternoon of August 28 at White Pines Golf Club in Bensenville. Cost is expected to be $60. That’s super-cheap for 4-5 hours of fun! Contact Mo Ventura (cell: 916.690.7342; email: ventura.maureen@gmail.com) for more information or to sign up.

RUCK FOR GUILLAN-BARRE RESEARCH

Feast Member Jon Jarog was PR’ing life inside and outside the gym when he was struck with Guillain-Barre (gee-YAH-buh-RAY) syndrome. GB is a rare disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the nerves. Weakness and tingling in the extremities progresses to paralysis. Jon was lucky enough to get great treatment and make it through his initial battle with GB, and he has been rehabbing for more than a year to regain normal sensation in, and use of, his body. Mark your calendars for Sunday, September 12, from 2-4pm, when we’ll raise money for GB research with a ruck from Jon’s house, 3837 N. Paulina, to Winnemac Park, and back. Jon will be providing snack and beverages. Donation link here.

FITNESS UPDATE

Val Cohen IS THE FITTEST!

Feast member Val Cohen competed Tuesday-Thursday, July 27-29 in the Women’s Lower Extremity Adaptive Division of the 2021 Crossfit Games in Madison, WI. She won five out of six events, being crowned the Fittest on the Earth in her division! We are so proud of Val, and her incredibly hard work to overcome multiple physical challenges, and we’re so excited that she was able to compete at such a high level again. We welcomed Val back and congratulated her at a special edition of Friday Night Lights on Friday, July 30 where Members completed a WOD based on one that Val did at the Games (including double under on one leg!). A huge thank you to everyone who has already so generously donated to defray Val’s and PJ’s expenses.

Mélon Davis wins the Rockwell barbell midwest challenge!

Feast’s very own Mélon Davis slayed at the 2021 Rockwell Barbell Midwest Challenge Sunday, July 25. He won first place in the men’s 90 kilo weight class, masters 45-49 division, and broke state records with his bench press and his deadlift! We love when our members test their fitness and competitive mindset.

Brian Ptak Places 11th in the World in Rogue Suitcase Challenge!

Ptak held a 202 pound barbell in each had for 32 seconds in the Rogue Suitcase Challenge. His 404 pound hold earned him 11th place in the world.

*Credit for Val’s Photo: @crossfitgames

More MEMBERS, MORE Equipment, New Layout

As our membership grows, we need to be more efficient with our space to fit more people using more equipment (barbells, dumbbells, bands, etc., already arrived—stay tuned for more!). In order to make space for our athletes and equipment, we’ve been busy reorganizing. Thanks for your patience as we re-set the space.

NUTRITION UPDATE

Head Nutrition Coach:

Terri Hartman

Terri has been a coach with Feast since 2019, with Beyond the Box Nutrition since 2018, and a Crossfit coach since 2016. Terri has coached athletes, moms, career-driven professionals, teens, and others with their nutrition during her time with Beyond the Box Nutrition. Through this experience, she believes that everyone can lead their own unique life and still have a balanced, healthy relationship with food. With her supportive and honest approach, Terri wants everyone to feel at their very best through fitness and nutrition, so they can lead their best lives.

Terri has her L-1 Nutrition Certification from The Nutritional Coaching Institute and her Crossfit L-1 Certification.

Photo Credit: Kimberly Rensberg

REVAMPED GROUP Nutrition Program

We’ve revamped our group nutrition program to try to make it more accessible to more members. We’ll kick off a gym-wide healthy habit just after Labor Day. In the meantime, if you haven’t done it yet, we want you to have an intake meeting with your nutrition coach and, if you’re up for it, get an InBody baseline and create an InBody ID for tracking your progress over time. Stay tuned for more!

COMMUNITY GARDEN

Thanks so much to Mitzi Baum and her daughter, who have done an amazing job growing tomatoes, peppers, mint, marigolds, and more in our community garden. Hopefully we will have some produce to share next month!

Produce of the Month

Thanks to Coach Terri for buying, prepping, and coming up with recipes for the cherries that we gave away Saturday. Those treats nailed at least four of the Feast Healthy Habits: (1) + fruits; (2) + colors; (3) + whole foods; (4) + macronutrients. We hope you tried some, and that you’re ready to try out those Habits.

Meet the Feaster: Margarita Camacho

Nickname: Mago

Hometown: Guadalajara, Mexico

Favorite snack: Walnuts

How do you like your eggs: Scrambled

Favorite/least favorite Crossfit movements: I love to deadlift, box jump, and do double unders, but I do not enjoy the assault bike.

Something people don’t know about me: I am a really good cook.

Place I would like to travel: Greece

Summer or Winter: Summer

Best advice I have been given: “Enjoy life, do not complain about the little things, and do not use the word ‘hate.’”

July

Matt Wilbur * James Nguyen * Jose Salinas * Nate Abraham * Brad Pape * Mark Bruckner * Bethany Relyea * Lauren Buoscio *

Mike Wagner * Jorge Cabrera * Jackie Cabral * John Owens * JR Green

August

Andy Reuter * John Tongelidis * Servia Rindfleish * Josh Braun * Michelle Hughes * Derek Jew * Vonda Paul * Alex Chudler *

Mitch Pearsall * Greer Thurston * Greg Robbins * Jon Nadel

September

Sam Erwin * Ahren Hartman * Brandon House * Tomas Vazquez * Abe Kreml * Katie Schmits * Joe Negussie * Matt Trauner * Vince Nardi *

Lindsey Herndon * Christian Lara * Nate Dick * Melissa Gasca * Mitch Worden * Burke Montgomery * Joe Sudan