“I remember walking in and seeing Troutman, who I haven’t seen in a few years… and then I met all of the coaches and gym goers and never looked back! Some of my closest friendships developed through CFDA…”
– Jeff Hickey
It’s been said that you become the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
Seth Godin says, “One of the most powerful of our survival mechanisms is to be part of a tribe, to contribute to (and take from) a group of like-minded people. We are drawn to leaders and to their ideas, and we can’t resist the rush of belonging and the thrill of the new.”
What you look for in a gym and what you want from it are completely personal. What we want from our members is for them to be open to new movement experiences and share our love of fitness with them.
Today I want to highlight one of our members, Jeff Hickey. Jeff began his journey with us at the beginning of 2021. I remember he walked in and saw an old friend he hadn’t seen in years and instantly new this was the place for him.
Jeff is a very hard worker in and out of the gym. Likes to have a good time both in and out of the gym. He instantly energizes the room when he is in class. We asked him a few questions to shed some light on his experience at Dark Athletics.
How did you start at Dark Athletics?
- I moved back to the Freehold area in December of 2020 and the first thing I needed to do was find a gym. I needed a new home gym going through the divorce. COVID shut down my old gym where I used to live and I didn’t workout for around a year due to COVID. I wanted to get back into fitness. I remember walking in and seeing Troutman, who I hadn’t seen in a few years… and then I met all of the coaches and gym goers and never looked back! Some of my closest friendships developed through Dark Athletics.
What were your first impressions of Dark Athletics?
- My first impressions were an intimate close knit community that felt like home. Eclectic group, welcoming, similar goals, Attitudes and mindsets but everyone brought their own unique careers and life experience.
What was your first bright spot?
- Not entirely sure what my first bright spot was, but since joining I have felt stronger, my lifts and gas tank have improved drastically, and love that everyone wants to spend time together in the gym, as well as outside of the gym.
What you’re working on now?
- Now I am working on not dying lol. Umm my next goal is to get ring muscle ups and a body weight snatch.
What would you tell yourself a year ago?
- 1 year ago I joined… I knew what CrossFit was, but never tried it. I jumped right in with CFDA ever since I first stepped foot in the gym. No regrets no different choices in that regard.
Finding the right people can be tought, but there’s something incredibly special about a group of people that suffer and sweat together.
I want to thank Jeff for being an incredible source of inspiration around the gym! We are glad he found his tribe!
Tribes of all kinds are important because:
-Life will have its difficult times. You will fail. You will make mistakes. You’ll want the support of a tribe.
-There will be things that you don’t want to do (but you need to do). You’re going to need people to believe in you more than you believe in yourself at those moments.
-There are people that care about what you have to say. You need to find them.
Go find yours.
Schedule a No Sweat Intro to speak with a Coach today!
