"The community aspect of CrossFit is humbling and never ceases to amaze me."

Vincent Terek discovered CrossFit while working as a civilian on Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. “The passion for a fitness regimen shown by Lt. Nathaniel Deleon, Col. Mona Vollmer and all the athletes there, mixed with the style of workouts had me hooked from day one,” Terek says.
Terek was a high school athlete who continued dabbling in various activities through college. During his academic career, he enjoyed the competition, the atmosphere and the food. “I simply thought I was getting bigger, but I was strong, or what I thought was strong, so it didn’t matter,” he says. “Looking back, the long study sessions during engineering college that were fueled with pizza and sugary drinks might not have been the best idea.”
During college, Terek says he found less and less time for sports and more time for eating. His weight sailed to 270 pounds.
When Terek found CrossFit, he knew immediately the lifestyle changes he desperately needed were within his grasp. “The community aspect of CrossFit is humbling and never ceases to amaze me,” he says. “That is what kept me coming back.”
Not long into CrossFit, Terek was given the option to voluntarily deploy to Kabul, Afghanistan as a civilian. Terek chose to go and continued to focus on CrossFit while there.
Kabul’s high altitude allows for cool evenings and seasons unlike much of the Middle East. The workout facility in Kabul had steel plates, rowers and a pull-up bar. When Terek arrived, he found Air Force Staff Sergeant John Vickery who was already a CrossFitter. “So, we started doing CrossFit-type workouts with the equipment we had. We had abmats fabricated by some locals. We had boxes made and we stuffed deflated soccer balls with rocks and wrapped them in duct tape for wall balls,” Terek says. “It didn’t take long for others to notice and join up.
“About a month into my deployment, Army Major Robert Craig from Iron Major CrossFit, showed up at ISAF HQ. He held introductory on-ramp type classes for anyone who was interested, and since he was certified, he was able to get us affiliated,” Terek says. “Before we knew it, we had a group of about 30 people from all around the world CrossFitting together. We implemented Hero WODs every Sunday as a way to honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
Terek returned home to WPAFB six months later with still more work to do. He is now a Level 1 coach and changed his diet to a paleo regimen. His results were so impressive that others took notice. “I cook paleo meals for my friends and family and the reception for the most part is surprisingly good,” he says. “For me, paleo is something that gives me the ability to maintain a high level of energy to work out, yet still eat delicious meals. Although it takes time and effort to plan, prepare and cook meals, it’s something that I can honestly say is worth every second.
CrossFit, plus a clean diet, have given Terek the grip on health he was missing. “Right now, I am about 192 pounds, I don’t think I have weighed less than 200 pounds since high school … not buying clothes with an ‘X’ in front of the size has been pretty awesome,” he says. “CrossFit and the CrossFit community helped me get through one of the most difficult times of my life.”