October Featured Athlete - Hillary Dole

1. What brought you into Pallas? I was looking for a fun, competitive way to stay fit after I stopped playing organized sports. I watched a video about CrossFit on Instagram that sparked my interest and found Pallas during a google search of CrossFit in my area.

2. What have you gained from joining PF? Pallas has become a cornerstone in life. I originally joined just to stay in shape, and now it's something I look forward to every day. As expected when joining a gym, I became stronger, fitter, and learned a lot of new skills. On top of that, I gained friends, confidence, and a new understanding of what it means to be holistically healthy.

3. How has your fitness changed in the past 6 months? Like many others, the quarantine had a significant impact on my fitness. I struggled to stay motivated without other athletes and coaches by my side. I kept up with the home programming for about a month before the quarantine blues got to me and I pretty much gave up. I kept up with my cardio (my dad has a peloton) but it wasn’t the same. I came back to Ithaca in August and immediately came back to Pallas. Obviously, I had lost a lot of my strength, which was a little scary/sad at first. However, the constant motivation and encouragement that the Pallas coaches and community provided inspired me to keep coming back. These past 6 weeks, I have been working hard, and am finally getting back to where I was pre-covid.

4. What’s your favorite movement? Power cleans and snatches!

5. What’s your least favorite movement? Thrusters :(

6. If you could write a WOD, what would it look like? I really like the 10-9-8…2-1 structure. For the movements, I would choose power cleans, burpees, and Toes-to-bar (knees to chest for me).

7. What are some goals you’ve crossed off your list? Pre-covid, I was able to get my first kipping pull-ups and could do a couple of kipping handstand push-ups.

8. What are some future goals you have? My primary goal for right now is to get back to kipping pull-ups and handstand push-ups. After that, I want to start working on toes to bar and dubs.

9. What do you do for self-care? Usually, for self-care, I either watch Netflix/similar platforms in my bed, or I find something to do outside (nature walk, slacklining, etc).

10. Where’s your favorite place to eat out in the area? Shortstop Deli. Sometimes you just need a meatball sub at midnight.

11. Winter, spring, summer or fall? I love the winter and spring because I am really into skiing.

12. Liquor, wine, beer or cider? Wine is my go-to, but over quarantine, my sister and I became amateur bartenders. So, I have a new appreciation for spicy margaritas.

13. What do you do for a living? I am a student at Cornell, and I work for Cornell Dining and Purity Ice Cream.

14. Where are you from? I’m from the South Shore of Massachusetts, about 20 miles from Boston.

15. What’s a random fact you hold share with the Pallas community? A random fact about me is that I played the bagpipes in high school.

16. If someone was hesitant about joining us, what would you tell then? It can be intimidating to start something new, especially when that “something” presents physical challenges. When I mention joining Pallas to people, there seems to be this general idea that you need to be in good cardio or strength shape before you join, so you don’t “embarrass” yourself upon arrival. I want to let everyone know that there is no “embarrassing” yourself here. Pallas creates an environment around group fitness that is unlike any other, especially compared to other CrossFit/general fitness gyms. No matter what shape you are in, whether you are finishing first or last, everyone is truly proud of you for just showing up. I still remember my very first class at Pallas, when I finished last in a class full of about 30 people. Despite the world's most mediocre performance, I received a round of applause, as well as a number of high fives from fellow athletes. Once you join and get a glimpse of the same support I experienced my first day (and every day after that), you'll wonder why you were ever hesitant in the first place.