Why you should #belikesue

I’m sure every CrossFit box has a person that every member looks to for inspiration. For us it’s Sue.

Sue joined us approximately 18 months ago. She came almost apologetically, constantly saying sorry that she couldn’t lift much, ran slowly, couldn’t remember the moves and assumed that she was holding everybody up.
She shyly told me that her goal was to be some kind of role model for the patients in the hospital ward that she works in as a nurse. She seemed to think that she was being a bit silly as she isn’t what society would generally hold up as a regular health and fitness idol as she is on the other side of 50 and looking to lose some weight. ( By the way she has to date lost 15kg!!)
Not long into her fitness journey she was featured on our CrossFit Southern Highlands Facebook page doing her new deadlift PR (personal record) of 70 kg. It has been one of our most viewed posts of all time. Any thoughts of not being someone’s inspiration were long dead!

To give you a little insight about who Sue is we need to go back to her diagnoses of breast cancer 10 years ago. Not only has she fought and continues to fight the battle for good health, although not before losing a breast and dealing with the related effects of lymphedema as well.  She also continues to battle this insidious disease alongside other close family members.

Having said all this, not many of our gym members are even aware of what Sue has been enduring. She inspires despite all of this, by simply walking in and doing the work. She never says “that’s too hard”, or complains that she doesn’t want to do something. I’ve actually seen her laugh at the toughest workouts and say things like “I guess I’ll just keep putting one foot in front of the other and see how I go!”. She has even asked for homework tips on different movements so she can practice them at home to get better and faster at them.
Sue has put her hand up to participate in the most gruelling of activities including our recent 24 hour boot camp to raise money for injured soldiers and their families. This was a boot camp that many of our younger and fitter members shied away from, but not Sue. On many occasions over the 24 hours she was a group leader and always stepped forward first to try the next activity.
Sue embodies everything that fitness and community means to us here at CrossFit Southern Highlands. It’s not just about young, muscular bodies training shirtless in gyms and lifting huge amounts of weights. It’s everyone of every age and ability showing up and putting the work in to improve yourself on every level. Physical, mental, spiritual and on the most basic of human compassion level.
As a result of this a catch cry was developed at CrossFit Southern Highlands, every single time someone wanted to quit, “Be like Sue” would be heard! That became the hashtag used on gym photos that after a recent team competition that Sue was part of, and was picked up by the wider community on their photos also.
With all this in mind, we have developed a logo on a shirt that we are selling and ALL of the profits will go to Sue’s chosen charity. She has chosen the Quest for Life foundation. A place that offers countless resources and courses for people and their families dealing with the fallout of a cancer diagnosis.

If you would like to support this charity please place your order for your very own #belikesue shirt here. Now go and give your own local “Sue” a hug!

For more information on the wonderful Quest for Life foundation please go to http://www.questforlife.com.au/