September Athlete of the Month
Alice Ryskamp
Meet September’s Athlete of the Month, Alice Ryskamp
Alice has been attending Fit Crew’s group classes since 2015 and recently began personal training with Andrew. She always has a smile on her face, has a great attitude, and is compassionate for others – especially dogs. When trainers add more weight to her bar she just laughs and gives it a try. Cardio isn’t her favorite, but still, she never quits. Rarely will you hear Alice push back or say that she can’t do something. She’s also an active member of the Fit Crew community, attending many of our events and participating in in-house competitions. Alice won the 1000m row at our rowing competition and recently PR’ed with a 300lb deadlift at our latest event, a supertotal meet. She is unafraid to give it 110% and is always setting the bar higher. We’re glad to have her with us and are so excited to see all that she will accomplish in the future.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m 31 years old and train guide dogs at Southeastern Guide Dogs, which I have now been doing for over 7 years. I have a 4-year-old yellow lab, McCoy, (who didn’t make the cut to be a guide dog) who I love very much! He’s silly, smart and the best.
I’m originally from Michigan and graduated from Hope College with a degree in Biology. After college I did an internship in Australia at a zoo, then interned at the Dolphin Research Center in the Keys, and finally at Mote Aquarium in Sarasota. After the internship ended I decided I wanted to stay near the beach and away from the cold.
I use to play tennis and volleyball in high school and a little in college. After college, I got into running (mostly because it was free). After running for a while I started working out at different gyms and worked out with personal trainers from time to time.
How did you get started at Fit Crew?
One of my coworkers used to come to Fit Crew and told me about it after he heard I was training for a marathon. I started coming once a week and was hooked. Slowly I started coming more and more often.
What has been your proudest athletic moment?
My proudest athletic moment has been doing a rope climb at Fit Crew. I’ve never felt that I had a lot of upper body strength, so getting to that point was a huge accomplishment. The fact that I can do more than one in a workout now still shocks me!
What is your favorite and least favorite movement/lift/drill?
My favorite lift is deadlifts. It’s one of the lifts I can go heaviest in, which is part of Fit Crew I really enjoy! But if it’s a workout where we lift heavy, I’m in! My least favorite is burpees, but that’s probably not uncommon.
What do you think makes Fit Crew different from other gyms that you’ve tried in the past?
I think what makes Fit Crew different from other gyms is the intensity of the workouts but also the support. When I walk in and see the workout, sometimes I think there’s no way… but then I complete it, and the feeling of accomplishment is unlike I’ve felt at any other gym. The coaches are always there pushing us and motivating us, along with the other athletes. There is a great sense of community throughout the gym, which makes it fun to workout.
What do you like to do when you’re not training at Fit Crew?
In my free time, I like to spend time with my boyfriend, friends and of course McCoy. I like going to the beach, concerts, paddle boarding and playing tennis ball with McCoy (that may be his favorite past time). I also love to travel when I can and make the trip home to see my parents and sister in Michigan.
Tell us a fun fact that we might not already know about you.
My birthday is July 4th. And I like to teach McCoy lots of tricks, one being to turn on the light.