Congratulations to Monika Harper for receiving May Athlete Of The Month! We are so proud of you and love having such a fun, supportive, and passionate person like you be a part of our gym! Monika has been CrossFitting since 2016 when her and her friend Libby were looking for a sport to get into and stumbled upon OwnIt.

On Monika’s first day, she didn’t know what to expect. She felt the coaches at COI and members were super welcoming. She felt like CrossFit was a good and different type of challenge. There were both physical and mental barriers to overcome.

She is still recovering from two shoulder surgeries, so the journey looks a little bit different for her today. Today, she still has a drive to get better. Monika feels that there is more mental challenges to face as you get better. She feels like every time she completes a workout and has pushed herself hard, it’s rewarding for her.
On her first day of CrossFit she walked in with the intention to just hit a workout. Today, she walks into CrossFit with specific goals, drive, and passion.

Her current training goals are, long story short: lift heavier and move faster. Her focus is to learn more skills that are long overdue: T2B, pull-ups, etc. Monika has recently started PT with Matias, which she really feels helps attack weaknesses that you can turn into strengths.

Monika’s favorite part about CrossFit OwnIt is the encouraging coaches and members! She said: “When you don’t believe in yourself, there’s like 20 people around you who do. The atmosphere is fun and inviting. The athletes at OwnIt make you want to be better. The coaches want you to become a better version of yourself and always work to improve. Everyone at COI is willing to help you reach your goals.”

Monika’s favorite cheat meal is SWEETENED iced coffee. She doesn’t understand how others can drink it if it’s just regular black iced coffee 😂

Not many know this, but Monika has Erb’s Palsy in her right arm from a traumatic birth accident. Her injury is considered a partial paralysis. She named her right arm Veronika because she is a little bit shorter, a lot slower, and has a mind of her own BUT gets the work done.

Monika’s advice to something just starting CrossFit is to,
“Unlearn your Limitations”
Ask questions, ask for help, and you can scale any WOD.
Be ready to learn more about yourself each time you do a WOD. – Be patient, be positive, and be humble.
Don’t forget to have FUN and do it for YOU. #youvsyou.

Congratulations Monika! Keep putting in that hard work. We will always be here to cheer you on. We are so proud of you!! 🎉🤗