Grumpy? Well, not in my experience.

I would say he is, unimpressed.

However accurate this may be, it’s not.

We all come from different walks of life; cliché, however, it influences the looking glass in which we’re viewed. I can remember beginning my training here; I spent every waking moment on the floor of this school. At the time I was collecting EI, devouring every article, text, experiment, and theory on strength and conditioning. After realizing this Coach thing was going to take a minute, to see some financial return, I opted to pick up a part-time job delivering flowers. This gave me a little breathing room and didn’t pull me far from my original vigor; I rocked out a 7:30 Helen in nothing but jeans, and some sour flower water logged shoes, in the rain, no chalk. I was accepted by most, questioned by others, but the key few saw the “juice.” I eventually arose as the long-winded, wit worthy, mobile man you know as Chesty.

A year and bit went by before Tom, soon to be suffixed “Fuckin’ Beers”, rolled in to the Lab. As welcoming as this community is, there is always this endearing sprinkle of “Who’s this clown?” Our crew can be a little much to swallow at times; I’m sure Tom had rarely entertained much in his mouth at this point in his life. He managed to woo our local female CrossFit Elite, earn a grumpy hashtag, and ruffle a few feathers, before heading back east. No matter the reason he returned, I figured it was best. 

Before his return, we shared the occasional humorous anecdote. We’d often banter about how Emily really felt about him. He would attempt to patronize me with “hey kid”; I would remind him of “when I was his age” with an emotional stab. We didn’t exactly butt heads, but we were kind of butt-heads. It wasn’t until he returned that we became what you could call “bros”. We’ve grown to agree upon training philosophies, share sarcastic conversations, and definitely understand where one comes from.

You have probably met the many sides of Tom. This is best understood watching him take on a large project, such as the the lifting platforms and floor mats; he’ll transform from, let’s get at this, to rage-aholic, to needs a straight jacket, to grumble mumbler, and finishes with a fuck this. I’ve been able to uncover the crusty grumpled surface that many see, to find the traditional, home cooked, love driven, Hungarian tool man Tom. He has showed us passion for strength and conditioning, changing lives for the better (as long as they’re willing), and cleaning up the gym layout for efficiency.

Cheers to, my friend, Tom “Fuckin’ Beers” Sarosi

Happy Birthday,

Chesty

Tuesdays Lesson Plan

W/U: Coaches Choice

TECH: Turkish Get Up 3×3/3

Dumbbell Snatch Technique

WOD: “Dirty Sevens”

7 Rounds of:
7 DB Power Snatch 55/35
7 Box Jump Step Downs 24/20

-CFP