Emma Stringfellow | Check Your Ego at The Door
What and who got you involved in CrossFit?
Well, I had recently moved from Virginia to Pensacola, Florida. In Virginia I had been in training for American Ninja Warrior, an obstacle course TV show. When I moved to Pensacola, I discovered that there was nowhere to train for that, leaving me with nothing athletic to do outside of my recreational soccer season. Being homeschooled, it’s a lot harder to find things to do, so I really struggled with finding a community or even something to put my time into. I’m a very extroverted person, so I honestly found that to be really hard. I wanted to find another year-round sport, so my mom looked up the closest CrossFit gym, Perdido Bay CrossFit, and we went there for a trial class. I recall leaving after that trial class, turning to my mom, and saying, “This is what I want to do.”with the most confidence and certainty that I had possibly ever felt. I fell in love with the sport from day one and haven't looked back.
What is your number one philosophy you live by?
The number one philosophy I live by is that you were given this life because you are strong enough to live it. I believe that your setbacks are there to make you stronger, and that you can always learn from them. Yes, life gets hard, everyone is faced with unique challenges at some point in their life that are meant for them to face. But you can’t crumble under these hardships. Instead, I believe that God gives them to you for a reason. Maybe it's unclear at the time, but one day it’ll pay off and you will realize how pushing through whatever was hard for you made you a better person and helped you grow.
What has been the highlight of your CrossFit career?
I can’t say that I have one specific highlight in my CrossFit career. For me, a large part of this sport is the community. If I didn’t have the community that I have in the gym, I probably wouldn’t be chasing down this dream right now. So, my highlight would have to be the little moments with the people who support and inspire me. The nicknames I’ve been given, the smiles and laughs that have been shared, the jokes that have been said, and definitely the skits that my coach has performed. I am so grateful and blessed to get to experience those moments with such great people, and it is something I look forward to everyday. The people in the gym are family to me, and it is a highlight of my CrossFit career, and life, to get to spend my time with them.
Who is your biggest inspiration in and outside of the gym?
My biggest inspiration is without a doubt my coach, Randy Malikowski. Though I have type-1-diabetes, Randy has never given me any idea that I cannot do whatever I want to do, or be whomever I want to be. Randy has done countless things in his life, from ranking top fifty in the CrossFit Open, to being a highschool principal. I admire that he does what he wants, even if it’s intimidating. He doesn’t let the world tell him what to do, and he is confident in himself and that what he wants to do is right for him. He demonstrates what it’s like to be a strong, compassionate, and caring leader every day in the gym, and I aim to be like that one day. He is always there for me and I know that he has my back, which I truly appreciate. My mom is equally inspirational, also always having my back and being there for me. She has always supported me through anything I’ve wanted to do, and she shows me what it’s like to be a strong woman daily. She gives me love and compassion, always believing in me and in my dreams. I am so thankful and blessed to have these two incredible people in my life.
What is your ultimate goal in CrossFit?
My ultimate goal in CrossFit is to inspire others. Yes, I would absolutely love to make it to the CrossFit Games. That would be a dream come true, the whole experience would be surreal. But if I’m not inspiring others and lifting them up along the way, then it’s not worth it. I want to show people that you can do anything you want to if you set your mind to it and work hard enough. I want to show them that having an auto-immune disease like type-1-diabetes doesn’t stop me from chasing down my wildest dreams. That God gives you these challenges not to bring you down, but so that you can learn from them and use them to make you stronger. I want to be an example so other people can see that they have so much more potential than they would’ve thought. Inspiring others has always been a goal in my life, and CrossFit gives me a platform to do that.
What advice would you give to females starting to get into CrossFit?
I would say first of all, great job for even trying CrossFit! It’s intimidating to walk into a CrossFit gym in the first place, so good job getting through the door! I would also say don’t give up on yourself. In the beginning it’s hard to stay motivated sometimes because you usually don’t start CrossFit, or any sport, being top of the leaderboard, or knowing exactly what to do. CrossFit is one of those sports that just takes a lot of time to build that strength, cardio, conditioning, and those gymnastics skills. It’s hard to put yourself out there and work on those things when you may not be ‘the best’ yet. But honestly, just check your ego at the door and get to work. Don’t give up if things are hard, and use that frustration or hurt to push harder. One day it will all pay off.
What advice do you give to women when they’re afraid to workout because they don’t want to bulk?
I would say be confident in what YOU want - don’t let the world define what you do and don’t do. If you want to go workout, then I say go for it. If you want to lift heavy weights, you should go to lift heavy weights. To be completely honest, I feel that you have to eat a certain way to truly get bulky. For example, I eat for performance. Meaning, my food intake is a lot more than the average person, and is filled with only real protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs. Yes, I’m bulky, but that’s because I’m purposely providing my body with enough nutrients to be that way. Most people are not going to track their macros and measure their food, so if you don’t want to bulk, then simply don’t do that. Getting bulky requires a lot of the right food, particularly protein to grow muscle. I highly doubt anyone would get bulky just from moving weights around and working out. But I come back to my original point, which is that if you want to workout, go for it! Don’t be afraid to workout because you might get bulky, what’s most important is that you’re doing what you want to do and what you enjoy.
What’s an obstacle you had to overcome and how did you overcome it?
The biggest obstacle I’ve had to overcome, and will always have to continue to battle with, is having Type-1-Diabetes. I was thirteen when I was diagnosed, and I’m actually so very blessed with how I was diagnosed. My younger sister, Hope, has had T1D since she was three years old (she’s thirteen now), so I knew the signs and symptoms. After almost blacking out during my gymnastics practice, and adding together the other signs, I decided to check my blood sugar on her monitor. Sure enough, I was in the low five hundreds. My mom and I spent the next day in and out of hospitals and doctors offices, but the greatest thing was that since we already knew how to manage T1D and I had caught it so early, I was able to go home that night without having to stay in the hospital. It was an exhausting day, but it was definitely an experience that changed me. The thing about the diagnosis was my perspective. I had two options: to become sorry for myself, and to accept that this was something bad - that I’d never be “normal” again. Or I could look at this diagnosis as a new chapter in my life, a challenge that God had given me for a reason, and something that would make me mentally stronger than I would’ve been without it, along with a way to show others that nothing is impossible. I chose the latter option, and I want to show people that T1D doesn’t slow me down, and has definitely made me so much stronger as a person. There is always hope for those who wish to find it - nothing is impossible and we will never know our limits until we test them. So keep pushing yourself in whatever you do and setting new goals, finding new paths, and working hard. Sometimes something that’s dragging you down now is just making you stronger for what lies ahead.