April Featured Athlete- Aidan

Where are you from?

Rochester, NY

How long have you been in Ithaca?

Aug 2024

What brought you to Ithaca?

Graduate school

What is your education in?

Biomedical engineering

What do you currently do for work?

My research is studying the relationship between blood flow  and Alzheimer's disease. 

What is your favorite part of your job and least favorite?

Favorite: I get to wear a lot of different hats each day: computer scientist, neurosurgeon on mice, use really cool microscopes

Least: downsides are that I have to limit my scope because I can easily go down too many rabbit holes and that is exhaustive

You were a collegiate athlete, what sport did you participate in?

Track and Field as a thrower and rugby

Favorite Throwing event?

Hammer throw

Favorite Athlete?

Throwing: Sean Donnelly

Football : Josh Allen

What brought you to Pallas?

After I finished track at RIT, I wanted to continue to do something that was strongman, Olympic lifting and CrossFit. I'm not big enough yet for strongman, I think Olympic weightlifting is cool but CrossFit encompasses it all. 

What keeps you motivated to keep coming to the gym? 

Most days it's wanting to get better, learning to do a handstand or put more weight on the bar, a lot of the days it's because the people are fun and cool. The people here are just awesome. 

What’s your favorite and least favorite CrossFit movement(s)?

Fav: anything with a sandbag

Least: American kettlebell swings

What would your ideal WOD consist of?

Echo bike

Handstand pushups

Heavy sandbag carry

Above WOD playlist/5 song max?

The Animal by Disturbed

Here to Stay by Korn

Sky by Raw

What’s your go to comfort food?

Marie Callender's chicken pot pie

What is your go to outside the gym activity for self care?

Play Age of Empires 4

Go to post wod fuel?

Dinner or breakfast–prewod is a rice krispy treat

Favorite place you have lived?

Ithaca

Where is the coolest place you’ve visited?

Adirondacks

What book would you recommend to a stranger?

In the Name of the Wind: Patrick Rothfuss

If you could live anywhere and money wasn't an issue, where would you choose?

Norway

Tell us something about yourself that would surprise most people?

I was extremely into marching band and drum & bugle corps for 7 years

What advice would you give to someone who is hesitant to start at Pallas?

Start you won't regret it. It’s approachable to anyone, my parents came to the Pallas Proving Grounds competition and were surprised at how fun and exciting exercising could be and have since looked up gyms in their area. 

Favorite thing about Pallas? 

There are a few: classes are really well structured, the coaches are great and all the people are super supportive and know a lot about how to do CrossFit well and help give you pointers and advice. There is also a USAW weightlifting club in house! Having the combo of everything in the same place is awesome. The people are also AWESOME!