“My goals are to continue competing at the regional level and to make it to the Games by 2016. I know this will take a lot of dedication, but it’s something I have my heart set on.”
Photos courtesy of Michael Salemo
Twenty-three-year-old Jamie Chrispen, of CrossFit 717 in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania, describes herself as an athlete who struggles with Olympic lifts, loves to win and hates to lose.
She’s also the mother of 8-month-old, Drake, and a woman determined to have it all.
Chrispen started CrossFit in 2011 on a friend’s recommendation and with a desire to lose weight. She dropped 40 lb., adjusted to the paleo diet and became addicted to the fun.
“I did well my first year,” Chrispen said. “I went to a couple of competitions, but mainly focused on fun. It was at about one-and-a-half years when I did a decent-sized competition. I placed first and was shocked, and realized that I might have potential to really look at CrossFit as a sport.”
A month later, Chrispen discovered she and her fiancé, Dan Dutcavich, were expecting.
“Drake was a surprise. The most amazing surprise, but he also came at the time when I realized I might have a potential in this sport,” she said. “It was a very emotional adjustment. Although I was overwhelmed with excitement, there was something inside of me that kept saying, ‘You will never be able to compete again. CrossFit will just be a way to get back in shape and stay active when you have the baby.’”
Chrispen re-evaluated her situation and her attitude and went forth with her goals.
“When I discovered I was pregnant, I realized that nine months was a short time. I could take time off and it wouldn’t be a depressing thing,” Chrispen said.
CrossFit and Motherhood
Chrispen delivered Drake in July 2013 and underwent surgery for a double hernia the following month. She was cleared to work out in October, but said she struggled to find the competitive drive again until December.
“The first few months (postpartum) were hard, but I slowly began to regain my strength,” she said. “I worked out, but I wasn’t trying to prove anything.”
Chrispen faced the same challenges as most new mothers: childcare, time management, sleep and “mom guilt.”
“Going through the month of December with no childcare made it difficult to squeeze in workouts,” Chrispen said. “It was stressful. It was easy to get the feeling that I should be at home with the baby instead of spending two hours at the gym.”
In January, Chrispen received help with childcare and said that was the turning point. She was able to focus on the Open and train without guilt. Chrispen and Dutcavich also established a structured nighttime schedule with Drake that allowed her adequate rest.
Training for the Open
Chrispen admitted she was intimidated at the start of the season.
“The Open was something I was not looking forward to. I had no clue where I was competitively,” she said. “My plan was to do at least three to five workouts a week, just to get motivated and to focus on body-weight movements because I was about 15 lb. heavier than pre-baby,”
Her training consisted of burpees to six-inch targets, strict pull-ups and Tabata hollow-body holds almost every day. Two weeks before the start of the Open, Chrispen was hitting muscle-ups.
Dutcavich is proud of her efforts.
“She’s been working her ass off over these past eight months, painstakingly going through denial about ever being fit again, let alone being a competitor again,” he said. “She snuck in workouts where she could and really focused on her weaknesses. She never gave herself excuses.”
Chrispen said she worked out several times a week, and her efforts were rewarded at the end of the Open with the top female spot at CrossFit 717, and 54thplace in the Mid Atlantic Region. After the Leaderboard shifted, Chrispen moved up in the rankings and was invited to the regional competition.
“The invitation to regionals was a total shock,” she said. “I had no clue that it was even a possibility. You don’t think you can take time off and come back like that.”
Preparing for the Mid Atlantic Regional
Chrispen didn’t have a plan beyond the Open, but realized she needed one.
“I talked to Dan about the possibility of (competing at regionals) being a realistic opportunity,” she said. “All he had to say was, ‘You’re doing this, get your shit together and I can watch Drake during your extra sessions.’”
Chrispen reached out to Colin Geraghty of CrossFit Milford for programming. She knew she needed to pick up the intensity and volume to adequately prepare.
Since then, Chrispen has done two to three daily workouts, three to four times a week. On other days she’ll work out once, focus on mobility or have an active rest day.
“Because I mostly work out alone, having a coach to send numbers and videos to has been a lifesaver,” Chrispen said. “He sends me cues, adjustments and relieves the stress of having to plan each day of training for myself. We have been very cautious with the volume increase, which may have been risky on my own.”
Geraghty recently arranged for Chrispen to do a mock regional weekend with several female competitors from different regions. Chrispen said it was “fun to work next to these girls that beat me by 50 reps.”
Chrispen feels prepared for the regional weekend and her future in CrossFit.
“I’m going to regionals confident and feeling that this will be an amazing learning experience for the following years when I am no longer on the road to regionals, but on the road to the Games.”
Lessons
Chrispen has learned many things in her introduction to motherhood, including depending on the support from Dutcavich and her 717 community.
“I’ve done two local competitions since I’ve had Drake. I placed second and first, and Drake attended both,” she said. “Planning is key. No longer am I concerned with packing my sweet potatoes and paleo muffins. It’s all about ‘Can I use your hotel room to feed the baby? Who wants to hold Drake since I’m in the next heat?’ I spent more time in the car breastfeeding than I did warming up. I even have a photo of Dan on the podium for me at one of the competitions because I was feeding the baby.”
Chrispen has also made strides in finding balance as a mother and competitive athlete.
“The feeling of ‘I should be at home with Drake’ is no longer a factor. There are 168 hours in a week and if 10 to 20 of those hours aren’t being dedicated to reaching a personal goal or dream, I’m going to let my whole family down,” Chrispen said.
Her success has encouraged Chrispen to keep her competitive dreams alive and set higher expectations.
“My goals are to continue competing at the regional level and to make it to the Games by 2016,” she said. “I know this will take a lot of dedication, but it’s something I have my heart set on.”
