October Featured Athlete - Michelle Moyal
1. Where are you from? Queens NY
2. What do you do for a living? I am a veterinarian and Assistant Clinical Professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University
3. Do you have a favorite animal? I truly love every animal, however my 17 year old cat Morrison is my favorite!
4. Do you have a favorite animal or case you’ve worked on? I once saw an Emu with a fractured leg as an emergency doctor. I will never forget that!
5. Do you have any pets at home? I have 2 dogs (Carl and Chester) and 2 cats (Morrison and Gregg).
6. What’s your athletic background? I went to college on a basketball scholarship and then started to play water polo as well. I played both sports during my undergrad and went on to play water polo for Cornell during veterinary school. After graduation, I became a Roller Derby Player known as Dr.Turmoyal for many years!
7. What brought you into Pallas? I love functional fitness. The variety keeps me motivated. I love how the people around you drive you to be better. The location and that it was owned by a Games Athlete was definitely a draw!
8. What keeps you around? 100% the coaches. I have been to many boxes both in the US and abroad and when a coach says- we don’t care about weight, we care about technique, I know its a great place!
9. If you could write a workout, what would it look like? It would definitely involve power cleans (my fav), double unders, wall balls and burpees.
10. How did shelter in place go for you in terms of fitness? I worked out with my old CF via zoom. I had some equipment but it was not easy alone. At the same time, thankfully I still had some community and the workouts made it feel more like ’normal times’.
11. What’s one piece of gym equipment you can’t live without and why? Kettle bell. You can carry it, swing it, deadlift, squat it and even just ‘hold it (I am looking at you Turkish get up)!
12. What’s a goal you’ve checked off your CF list? Double unders took me a solid 2 years to get- but now, I love them!
13. What’s a goal you’re working to achieve at CF? Stringing toes to bar together. Darn it I want that to happen!
14. What do you do for self care? I go to the gym! It's honestly one of the most important things I do for my body and my brain.
15. Do you have a favorite book or author? Currently I am obsessed with podcasts. I love Crime Junkies and Invisibilia.
16. What’s your go to meal if you don’t feel like cooking and order out? I am a vegetarian and my go to is- Thai food- Thai spicy noodles (tofu and vegetable)
17. What’s your best dish to cook at home? I started making fresh pasta and now tomato sauce with tomatoes from our garden. Fresh pasta is so delicious!
18. Wine/liquor/cider/beer/all/none?! None- I would rather have cake. Not ideal, but delicious!
19. What’s your favorite season and why? Definitely the fall. Changing leaves, hot drinks, soup, boots and sweaters!
20. What would you say to someone hesitant about starting CrossFit? I know it looks scary. Even as a former athlete I was intimidated. JUST DO IT. I promise it is not what you think. It is for everyone of any fitness level. There is so much community and support from members. It introduces you to some pretty amazing people who are all there to make themselves better too.