“I am no longer listening to the inner voice of what my body can’t do. Instead, I have developed the confidence to be attuned to what it can do.”
Photos courtesy of Laura Temple
Sara Setzer never considered herself an athlete.
After being diagnosed with congenital hip dysplasia at age 15, she spent much of high school on the sidelines while her classmates participated in athletics.
She endured several surgeries and years of physical therapy, and is still left with a noticeable limp. After college, she got a job working in an office.
“This is where (physically) things really started to go downhill for me,” Setzer said. “Sitting all day was the worst, and caused me to have extreme back pain, limping and excessive weight gain. But at that point in my life, I was convinced that was just how it was going to be.”
In an attempt to improve her physical condition and mental state, she signed up at a local gym. However, she quickly became bored and the membership was short-lived. Feeling discouraged, she decided to try CrossFit after overhearing a conversation at work.
“One day, I overheard people at my office talking about this CrossFit thing. They were all super strong, lean and fit; the exact opposite of me,” she said. “But I began to do some research and uncovered some amazing testimonials of people who were able to turn their lives around through CrossFit. It definitely piqued my interest.”
Soon after, Setzer became a member at CrossFit A-Game, in New Jersey.
“Walking (limping) into the box for the first time was terrifying, but I did it. It was way out of my comfort zone,” she said. “The owners, Damian and Viktoria, were so welcoming and offered me a trial week. I’m pretty sure they thought they would never see me again. I was a complete mess the first few (workouts). I couldn’t do anything, really. But I did, and I tried through their support and the support of the other A-Game athletes. Here I am over three years later, still trying.”
Now 31, she will be taking on the CrossFit Games Open for the first time.
“Before CrossFit, I was in constant fear of breaking myself. Now, I don’t let that fear overcome me. … I am no longer listening to the inner voice of what my body can’t do,” Setzer said. “Instead, I have developed the confidence to be attuned to what it can do.”
She’s not setting expectations for the Open.
“As this is my first Open, I am just setting my sights on completing the first workout and then going from there,” Setzer said.
She said she wouldn’t have considered signing up without the support of her A-Game coaches and the community.
“My coaches have been truly amazing, they have given me the room to push myself,” Setzer said. “They have always supported me. … I would not have been able to achieve what I have on my own without their constant encouragement.”
Eighteen months ago, Setzer gave birth to her son. Four days prior to finding out she was pregnant, she PR’d her deadlift at 200 lb.
“My pregnancy was a triumph … I was previously told when I was younger that when I got pregnant, that my hip might not be able to support it,” Setzer said. “The experience of completing the (workouts) really helped me during my labor. Those times during (workouts) when I just wanted to give up and yet still managed to push through until the end helped me. You need to have that same mindset during childbirth.”
Once hesitant to take on CrossFit, Setzer has become an ambassador for it.
“Find a box and go,” she said. “The CrossFit community is a wonderful group of people and everyone wants you to succeed.”
Updated Feb. 4, 2013--Clarified that Sara Setzer PR'd her deadlift four days prior to finding out she was pregnant.
