April Featured Athlete - Diana Sinton

1. Where are you from?

Bethesda, Maryland, just outside of Washington D.C.

2. What brought you to Ithaca?

My husband started teaching at Ithaca College in 2011 and we up and moved the whole family across the country (again).

3. What do you do for a living?

I’m a geographer and I work with digital maps (geographic information systems, or GIS). I’m a senior research fellow for a non-profit organization that conducts research using the geospatial sciences, and I teach an introductory GIS class at Cornell each fall.

4. What did you learn most about yourself during lockdown?

That I’m more social than I had realized and that I need a gym with classes to keep myself accountable for strength training workouts.

5. What’s your athletic background?

I never did team sports in school but I’ve always been active. Mostly running, with other outdoor things when I can (hiking, kayaking, x-country skiing, scuba). When we moved here I switched almost entirely to trail running; there are so many great networks to explore! Right now I’m part of a team preparing for the Seneca 7 race in a few weeks; it’s a long day of running and biking counter-clockwise the 77.7 miles around Seneca Lake, starting and ending in Geneva. This year our team’s name is “Why Are We Doing This Again?”

6. What are some CF goals you crossed off your lists?

Pretty much everything I’ve ever crossed off was new to me just a few years ago, like the coordination to do a thruster or snatch without whacking my chin or nose with the bar. I’m always excited when I manage consecutive rope climbs or kipping handstand pushups (thank you, Lauree!).

7. What are some future goals you have?

Toes-to-bars, strict pull-ups, handstand walking, double-unders. Things that are reminiscent of childhood.

8. Favorite CF movement?

Lifts with barbells, and kipping. It feels great when you do it right!

9. Least favorite movement?

Burpees. Ugh.

10. If you could write a partner workout, what would it look like?

Not sure. A mix that would allow us to encourage each other but not feel stressed out.

11. What do you do for self care?

Meditate, quilt, be in the woods, read.

12. What’s your favorite restaurant in the area?

Ithaca Ale House or Hazelnut Kitchen.

13. What’s your favorite meal to cook at home?

Any curry dish.

14. Favorite season?

Spring.

15. Liquor/beer/cider/wine/all/some/none?

All, especially wine, but trying to drink less at this point in my life.

16. What’s one piece of CF equipment you couldn’t live without?

Grips for using the rig. And now that we’re back to a gym, I realize how much I missed using a barbell during home workouts during Covid.

17. What keeps you motivated?

Feeling stronger and healthier, even if it’s just little by little. I want to be able to keep active for decades to come, to keep doing outdoor things with our (now adult) kids, and keep taking adventurous trips.

18. What would you tell someone hesitant about starting CF?

Just give it a try. Workouts are all different but even the sucky ones don’t seem as bad once they’re over. I never leave the gym regretting having come. And you’ll be with an accepting, encouraging, and friendly group. I don’t really enjoy competition against other people but I do like making my own progress, and that’s possible with CF.