Marion Ingrassia is a 32-year-old full-time French teacher at the University of Guayaquil in Ecuador. Known in her box as “Ratitoo,” this French woman fell in love with CrossFit when she and Cindy met for the first time.
“I had found a solution to my hyperactivity,” she says. “I was addicted immediately despite the muscle soreness of the first few days.”
“I feel stronger and more secure now,” she says. “I can carry my own gas tank without any problems.”
She stumbled upon CrossFit in July 2010 after her boyfriend Jose Ochoa and his cousins brought her in. She had an urging desire to start any sport in order to replace the void from back home where she used to swim and play tennis regularly. It’s filled now. Ingrassia spends hours at the box each day training, encouraging others at her box. “I have become a huge fan and admirer of Annie [Thorisdottir], Camille [Leblanc-Bazinet], Julie [Foucher, and Kristan [Clever],” she says. “Those are my favorites, they are great role models. I am always amazed to see such strong women. That is real beauty for me, much more than miniskirts, blower, and nail polish.”
For Ingrassia, CrossFit is not only fun, but also life changing. She quit smoking tobacco the day after she began CrossFit, she says. “The best thing I could have done. I found a way to unwind everyday in a city that is very hard to live in. I found a community of incredible people, I made tons of friends and we get to live our love for the sport every single day. More than anything it is extremely fun.”
She admits she had no real muscle mass before starting CrossFit. “I feel stronger and more secure now,” she says. “I can carry my own gas tank without any problems.”
Among Ingrassia’s CrossFit highlights is her participation with the CrossFit Guayaquil Team at the 2011 Latin America Regional. “In one month I learned how to do overhead squats, handstand push-ups, and almost-almost the muscle-up.”
Ingrassia is also doing well in this year’s Open competition. In 12.1, she got 114 burpees; finished 60 reps in Workout 12.2 – even though she never snatched 75 pounds before the workout – and logged 277 reps in 12.3. After a 12.4 performance of 146 wall balls, Ingrassia is ranked 21st in Latin America.
Marion is very motivated to reach the Latin America Regionals in Cali, Colombia this year, even though her full time job does not allow her to prepare the way she would like. To resolve this, “my boyfriend and I are already in the affiliation process to own and operate our own CrossFit box: CrossFit Machete.”
