Arguably one of the fittest families in CrossFit, siblings Bobby, Jaime and Lindsay (Vaught), and their parents Shelley and Jim hold down regular spots each year on the Open Leaderboard.
If you’ve kept up with the CrossFit Games the last few years, the name Noyce should ring a bell.
Arguably one of the fittest families in CrossFit, siblings Bobby, Jaime and Lindsay (Vaught), and their parents Shelley and Jim hold down regular spots each year on the Open Leaderboard.
Starting in their garage in West Des Moines, Iowa, Bobby and Jaime got into CrossFit in 2010 and convinced everyone else in their family they would love it, as well.
Good thing mom listened.
Shelley sits in eighth worldwide of the Masters Women 55-59 Division after four workouts in the 2013 Open.
“I love the gains that I have personally made and enjoy seeing the increased participation of Masters athletes in CrossFit,” Shelley says. “I wholeheartedly believe that CrossFit is for everyone.”
After winning the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games in her age group and 11th in the world in 2012, she enjoys the challenge of competition and knows the importance of being prepared for anything.
“During the 2011-2012 season, I was plagued with injuries — broken foot, broken hand, stitches,” Shelley explains. “Since the 2012 Games, I have been relatively healthy and feel that I have improved in many ways. But as can be expected, so have many of the other athletes. Just another indicator that CrossFit works.”
Husband and father, Jim, is active in CrossFit, as well, and is one of the biggest supporters of his wife and children. The younger Noyces round up a strong CrossFit 515 team that currently sits one point out of first in North Central.
Jaime, currently fourth in the region, finds this family journey a natural progression from early physical activity.
“Our family always grew up playing sports and we all enjoy competition,” she explains. “I think we were immediately drawn to that aspect of CrossFit. Our parents always believed, and instilled in all of us, that being in great physical condition allows an athlete to perform at their peak, regardless of the sport.”
Bobby, a lead trainer at CrossFit 515 and currently fourth in the region, agrees.
“My parents always taught me to lead by example,” he says. “I want to push my physical abilities as far as I possibly can, and in doing so, hope others find similar motivation to push themselves just a bit further than they thought they could.”
After finishing 11th at the North Central Regional in 2012, Bobby has toyed around with his programming this past year to find what works best.
“After doing CrossFit for two-and-a-half years, I decided to start fully trusting my own programming and could not be happier with the progress I have made. I have convinced some of the others to take on my programming and no one has died … yet,” he jokes.
With a lot of trust in Bobby’s experiences, his sisters have followed suit.
“With Bobby's programming, we've all made huge gains in the last few months. He's an evil genius,” Lindsay says.
“I'd say the best thing about my training in the past year, and especially the past several months, has been my training partners,” Jaime says.
She specifically cites her sister, Lindsay, and Kady Onken as motivation. Lindsay currently sits 31st in the region. Their teammate Onken, is ninth.
Lindsay was pregnant during the 2012 Open. She and her husband, Justin Vaught, had a baby last year, strengthening the tight-knit family ties of CrossFit 515.
“I spent the 2012 season pregnant,” Lindsay explains. “Training for 2013 began about 10 days after having my son, Landon, on June 6, 2012. I worked out throughout my pregnancy and did the 2012 Open Workouts while pregnant, but I still had a lot of ground to make up.”
Her focus on strength and efficiency at moving the barbell has proven worthwhile.
“Getting 189 reps on 13.1 was a huge accomplishment for me,” she says.
Jaime carries on the family theme.
“My boyfriend, Lance, is a chiropractor and now takes care of my entire family. I think we are all happier and healthier, physically and mentally, than ever before, and CrossFit has played such a huge role in that. The best part is we also get to share that with the wonderful community at CrossFit 515 every day,” she says.
“The Open is always such a fun time at 515, as I'm sure it is a lot of places, but this year especially, we've had a ton of participation from everyone.”
The Noyces will decide their next move at the end of the Open.
“We haven't decided what each of us will do (regarding individual or team),” Jaime explains. “We are taking it one step at a time and will see what happens. My personal approach has been just like I tackled it last year. I try to treat it like a one workout competition each week. I set a goal, think over any strategy for a day, and give myself one go at it on Friday morning. I then get back to normal training for the week as much as possible.”
Earlier this Open, Jaime set a personal record on her deadlift, lifting 375 lb. the same day she completed 13.3.
“CrossFit has played a huge role in all our lives and has definitely brought our family closer,” Lindsay says. “And deep down, I think Bobby was always searching for an excuse to wear tank tops and post shirtless videos of himself on the Internet. It's his calling,” she laughs.
“Competing in CrossFit is just the next step to feed that competitive drive we all have,” Bobby says. “In my mind, there is no better sport — this is as close to a modern day gladiator as I am going to get without having to get punched in the face.”
Each Wednesday, the family gets together, watches the Live Open Workout Announcement and learns what's in store that week.
Lindsay adds: “515 is ready for anything. Bring it on, Castro.”
