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Those who attend the 6:15am class will all know the Athlete of the Month for March 2022. He always enters the gym with a giant smile on his face that he keeps the entire hour. He knows no stranger and is never hesitant to strike up a conversation. The coaches picked him as our Athlete of the Month partly because he is a perfect example of, ”It’s never too late to start.” He is a true inspiration as a true believer that nothing is too hard when you put your mind to it. Our Athlete of the Month for March 2022 is:

Ron Pontrelli

  1. Where are you from originally? I grew up in Orange County, California which is about 50ish miles south of  Los Angeles.
  2. If not from Pittsburgh, what brought you to Pittsburgh? First love and then the unexpectedly finding that my natural origins are in Western Pennsylvania
  3. Where do you work? I work for American Express GBT as a Sr. Manager of Strategic Planning
  4. What is your favorite hobby? Traveling
  5. How did you discover CrossFit? My discovery of CrossFit was actually not attractive. A friend of mine had a neighbor who was using it as a pseudo weapon of exclusion because of her fitness level. Thus, my first impression of cross fitters was not positive. I learned that woman wasn’t an accurate reflection of CrossFit in any way.
  6. When did you start CrossFit? I think it was May 2021. I’m just coming up on a year.
  7. Why did you start CrossFit? Your Stronger Revolution Podcast was the game changer that gave me what I needed to know to pull the trigger.
  8. What is your favorite thing to do in CrossFit? Rowing is probably my favorite. Push presses for strength are next
  9. What is your least favorite thing to do in CrossFit? Without hesitation burpees and up/downs. They let a tall man who’s big on top know that he’s not all that.
  10. What is the number 1 thing you want to get better at? Pushing through the mental game of “I can’t or won’t be able to do that.” Scaling and focusing on technique have been an effective solution for me. If I can learn and focus the proper mechanics of the movement, I will get there over time. 
  11. What is your favorite part about coming to CrossFit at Industrial Athletics? The spirit and energy of our community. I know they are part of the community, but the coaching staff at IA is seconded to none. IA is also the one place that I can celebrate whole heartedly coming in last place. It may sound self-deprecating  but it’s not. What I mean is that no matter where I land, I know that I’ve worked hard to get there. Plus celebrating last place means that I’m truly only in competition with improving my personal fitness level. 
  12. What is your favorite CrossFit WOD? Any one that has a long list or variety of activities in the WOD. I’ve learned when there are only 3 items and it’s about speed, I’m going to pay a high cost. In the moment, my body doesn’t care about the future rewards.