New Region, New School, New Team: Lauren Fisher

February 15, 2013

Jaimie Bougie

“I'm just looking to put my name up there in the Open ... I’m excited to see what the workouts will be this year and where I will place.”


 

SoCal’s CrossFit Invictus recently welcomed 19-year-old Lauren Fisher to their affiliate team. As a high school senior, Fisher competed as an individual and finished 12th at the 2012 NorCal Regional. Now a freshman at San Diego State University, Fisher has chosen to forgo individual competition.

Recently armed with a 2:39 Diane, 221 consecutive double-unders and a 233-lb. front squat, she’s spent the last six months getting cozy and confident in a new region.

Fisher enjoyed her Regional experience.

“It was my first big competition,” she says. “It was so much fun competing against some of the big-name Games athletes in my region. CrossFit is my outlet for competition. I’ve always been really competitive in every sport that I’ve played, and I love that feeling after finishing a hard workout and training with the people that I do.”

Following the Regional, Fisher headed south to pursue her degree. Not only was she away from her home and family, she was now competing in a new region. She knew she wanted to continue in CrossFit, so she contacted C.J. Martin and immediately joined CrossFit Invictus.  

Martin was more than happy to work with Fisher’s talent.

"Lauren is a truly unique young athlete. She is not only blessed with incredible speed and power, but more importantly, she has demonstrated all of the intangibles that make for world-class athletes,” he says. “The combination of her talent and mindset makes me certain that she will be competing at the highest level of this sport for many years."

Although it was difficult for Fisher to adjust to studying and keeping up with her training, she has since found a routine that works for her. Her class schedule gives her a two- to three-hour break in the middle of the day, allowing her to train with the team.

“One thing that motivates me to stay in at night and focus, is that I have goals that I want to achieve, especially since I’m so young,” Fisher says.

“I do find it hard to balance my college life and training because I know if I want to go out and party, I will be sacrificing precious hours of sleep, and my training goes downhill the next day.”

Martin has been especially pleased with the discipline and progress Fisher has shown since joining his affiliate.

"Lauren understands her priorities and what it will take to accomplish her goals. She has stayed 100 percent committed to achieving them,” Martin says. “It shows in simple things like showing up to train every Saturday at 7 a.m. — despite being a college freshman — and more subtly in understanding when to push the intensity and when to step back.”

Since joining CrossFit Invictus, Fisher has seen tremendous gains in her strength. At only 130 pounds, Fisher has a 154-lb. snatch and a 209-lb. clean and jerk.

“Last year at Regionals, I wasn’t strong enough for some of the workouts, like the heavy hang cleans in Event 2, and the Snatch Ladder. I only snatched 115 lb. My barbell cycling and technique have improved so much over the last six months,” she says.

Another element making the adjustment easier is Martin's parents, Karen and Jim “Pops” Martin. The couple has adopted Fisher as their own while she is at SDSU.

“Karen has been so amazing about cooking meals for me every Sunday,” Fisher says. “If it wasn't for her, I would either be losing weight or eating really badly. There's not much in terms of healthy, paleo-friendly options on campus, and her meals always make me PR.”

Fisher is excited to see what the Open workouts will bring.

“I’m just looking to put my name up there in the Open,” she says. “It’s my first time competing in the SoCal region, so I’m excited to see what the workouts will be this year and where I will place.”

The Open also presents a chance for Fisher to make it a step further than last year now that she’s elected to go team.

“My goal is to one day win the CrossFit Games,” she says. “My training has improved so much over the past six months with C.J. Martin's programming and the coaching here at Invictus that I'm hoping to make the Games in 2014 … we'll see.”

Note: Extra reporting by Kenni Palmer.