Julianna Hasselbach | Getting Involved in Crossfit
What got you involved in the sport, and who were the people who helped you get into the sport?
I started Crossfit when I was twelve, and I got involved through my mom. She started Crossfit to help get better with marathons. She thought I would like it, and I did. I ended up quitting other sports just so I could be in the gym more often. Eventually my whole family started doing it, so it was really fun to go it all together.
What has been your biggest achievement to date, and what is your ultimate goal in Crossfit?
my biggest achievement today was probably qualifying for the Games in 2015. That was a huge dream of mine, and it was the best experience ever. I had so much fun. Even though I didn't place the best, it was a great experience to get to compete on the same stage as all the other amazing athletes. My ultimate goal in Crossfit is maybe to compete as an individual, maybe to just compete as a team in the games. I just want to keep bettering myself every single day and getting better every single day and improving my overall fitness.
Who has been your biggest role model?
My biggest role model is my mom. She's super strong and she is just really motivating and fun to be around. I look up to her, and want to be just like her.
Crossfit tends to have a negative view in the media due to its long-term effects, what is something you’d tell parents of kids interested in the sport?
One thing I would tell parents of kids interested in Crossfit is it doesn't have to start out as a super dangerous or scary thing. The great thing about Crossfit is you can scale every single workout so you don't necessarily have to have kids being under super heavy loads. I started when I was twelve and I was using almost no weight, assisted push-ups, pull-ups, everything you can imagine. I was still gaining muscle and getting better. Honestly it helped me a lot through middle school and high school getting confident in my body. It helped me a lot with other sports, and made more healthy overall. So I definitely think it's good to start young, for sure.
What is your favorite cheat meal, and what does your diet consist of?
My favorite cheat meal is ice cream. I love ice cream. I'm a big ice cream person, if I could eat ice cream every day I probably would. For my diet, for a while I was measuring my food. I was basically only eating meat, vegetables, fruits, nut and a little bit of dairy. I've strayed a little from that since I've started college. It's been harder to eat healthy and prepare my own food. I still try to stay eating clean, limited sugar, limited unhealthy fats and stuff like that.
For people starting out in the sport, what are some tips you would give?
For people starting out in the sport, I would really just encourage you to show up. Just getting there is half the battle, and you never know you actually might like coming. One other tip I would say is set small goals, and just try to achieve those so whether your goal is to just get a pull-up or to get a push-up unassisted or something small like that. Set that goal and once you attack that goal make a bigger goal. That has honestly kept me going forever. I keep setting goals and keep getting better every day.
What was an obstacle you faced and how did you overcome it?
One big obstacle I faced in the sport is I fractured my back. It was terrible, it was a really traumatic experience for me because it was just after the Games. I competed in the Games and I was all hyped up and ready to go to the Games the next year and just start training again. I was told I couldn't do anything, I could just walk and that was it for at least six months. I had to be in a brace, so that was really tough. I tried to stay positive throughout the whole thing. That was about a year and a half ago, and I'm almost completely back to where I was. So I'm thankful for that. Having the community of my gym around me during that time was really important to me, and it helped me a lot to see them. I still went to the gym even though I couldn't do anything but just seeing them put a smile on my face and made everything so much better.