I participated in Open Workout 12.2 on the same day as Andrea Carey and was fully aware she would blow me out of the water. And she did. She achieved 66 snatches compared to my 45. I felt completely obliterated, whereas she looked like she could have thrown that bar up a few more times, just for fun. She has a 5:38 Fran, 225-pound deadlift, and a 205-pound back squat.
When I asked if I could interview her about being an inspiring athlete she said, “I don’t really know what to say, I’m honored.” Not only does this 5’8” beauty have brains and brawn, but a humble attitude to go with it.
At the age of 26, Carey has a bachelor’s degree in Marine Engineering and works for the U.S. Navy in Hampton Roads, Va. When she’s in town you can find her at CrossFit Rife in Virginia Beach or at events like Garage Games where she won 1st place in 2011 in the scaled division.
Her motivation? “To prove all those people wrong who told my parents and I that I would never be anything but average.”
She started CrossFit in 2009 when Jessica Fernandez, a friend and co-owner of CrossFit Rife, inspired her to start training. It was the benefits CrossFit provides that peaked her interest. “When I saw the positive effects CrossFit was having not only on her physical appearance, but also her mental approach to things, it was difficult to not want that for yourself as well,” she says.
Carey’s least favorite movement is the muscle-up, but she perseveres. She is currently dealing with De Quervain Tenosynovitisas – or tendinitis. It’s a constant pain that will plague her right wrist for her entire life. She says it’s most painful during any movement that puts pressure on the wrist, which covers a broad range of movements in CrossFit. After two years she still deals with the pain and had her first Cortisone shot almost a year ago.
The past couple months the pain has crept back and she plans on seeing a doctor once the Open is finished. “The pain won’t kill me, and I know my limits,” Carey explains. “Some movements are a little more painful than others, but I just have to know when enough is enough.”
It’s this dedication to CrossFit that allows her to power through the pain and regularly set PRs.
As she reflects on her Open scores, she says, “Considering I spent the month before the Open started in a hotel in Singapore, I’m pretty happy with them. I wasn’t able to get to a [CrossFit] gym out there due to their classes being full, so I was working out at the gym in the hotel. I would always love to do better, but with my schedule I will take what I have so far.”
Her dedication to training despite her pain is obvious. When she is in town she makes sure to make the most of it by getting in at least five workouts a week.
After getting to know her, I was shocked to learn that some people hadn’t expected much from her. “My teachers,” she says. “I used to get into trouble a lot in school, like so much trouble that the principal of my school and my parents were on a first name basis. If my teachers weren’t able to keep me busy I would just cause all sorts of havoc in the classroom. I once had to write the definition of ‘No’ 100 times because I wouldn’t stop rolling my pencil on my desk. I was labeled as a slow learner, when in all reality I just needed something a little more challenging.”
Her motivation? “To prove all those people wrong who told my parents and I that I would never be anything but average.”
Carey’s motto is, “Be strong, believe.” She believes in this so much she had it tattooed on her. To her it is a source of strength.“If you believe in yourself enough, you really can accomplish anything you set your mind to.”
Everyday she proves those words to be true; her dedication and perseverance, these are the things that make Andrea Carey anything but average.
