By: Maranatha Chapman and Chris Jones.
We have many couples, families, roommates, lifelong friends, and coworkers daily come through the doors of Premier to workout together… Who enjoy sharing the challenge, the reward, and the hard work that CrossFit entails, side by side. But one of our very favorite things is seeing parents and their kids working-out together. Many of our older members naturally look after the younger ones and play a mentorship role in their life and getting to witness these relationships helps us all grow. There is something so incredible about watching these special, unique, and sometimes hilairous parent-child duos workout alongside one another. So over the next few weeks, we will feature just a few of our parents and adult kids who work out together!
Meet some of our favorite people… The Dickersons!!!
Alton (the dad) is a police officer and one of the kindest, most devoted, dependable, and dedicated men you’ll ever meet! You can tell by observing him that his family is one of the most important things to him. Though the quieter one of the bunch, he is the “glue” in this family. He’s consistent, easy to coach, and works hard in and out of the gym. He comes in and gets the work done! His most impressive movements are strict pull-ups and back squats.
Austin (the son) is driven and pushes for what he wants just like his parents do. He is strong and loyal like his daddy but the similarities stop there. He is hilarious and loves to laugh like his mama and brings a smile to your face just being around him. Coach Thacher says that Austin is one of his favorite people to coach because he enjoys life so much and always brings the fun with him. Lifting and getting stronger is hands down his favorite and what he loves the most.
Leah (the mom) is a successful, and highly sought after hairstylist and leaves an impression on everyone she meets. Her laugh is indescribable, her big heart is unlike anyone else’s, and it’s never quite the same if she’s not in class. Her coach, Joseph Dappen, says, “Her delightful way of interacting with everyone combined with her contagious laugh puts everyone in a good mood and ready to tackle the WOD. She is very consistent with showing up every day to the early class and jumping in no matter what’s on the board. I’ve seen her go from having to walk during her runs, to kind of a run/walk/die, to having a consistent pace that she can maintain through a 400m without stopping to walk. She tackles every workout as if she is trying to win something. And then she comes back in everyday and continues to crush it.” Her cardio is awesome but Joseph says her best movement is thrusters.
What do you like about working out with your parent/ child? Austin – “Seeing my parents take interest in something I really love, is cool. I think they might like it more than me now!”
Leah – “Any chance I get to spend with him is fantastic but getting to spend it with him in his element doing what he loves makes my heart happy.”
What is something your parent is better at than you?
Austin – “My parents are way better at pushing themselves during those long WODs, or any WOD with burpees. You’ll catch me sandbagging.”
Do you y’all have different goals?
Austin – “We have pretty different goals. I’m all about trying to move the most weight in the gym and my parents are there for overall fitness.”
Leah – “We have very different goals. He is all about the gainz and I’m all about survival.”
Who pushes who?
Austin – “It’s a little of both. Depends on the WOD, really. Whoever finishes the workout first always pushes the other to finish.”
Leah – “I push myself but mainly because I want to make him proud.”
Who inspires who?
Austin – “I’ve been told that I’m an inspiration, but I really do get inspired seeing my parents dive head first into something they’ve never done before and giving it their all.”
Leah – “Austin inspires me to be consistent. I’m at the gym 5 days a week.”
Do y’all talk about CrossFit or workouts outside of class?
Austin – “Lmao, all the time.”
Leah – Before he left for college, we talked and talked about class every day. We talked about the WOD, how much we lifted, who we saw… Just everything.
Whose more competitive?
Austin – “I would say I’m the most competitive.”
Leah – “I’m very content to just do the workouts and don’t usually want to compete. I’ll just watch Austin!”
Premier Parent/Child Trios We Love: Leah, Alton, and Austin Dickerson