We are so excited to introduce our October Athlete of the Month… Kelly Madden!
Kelly has actually been an athlete with us for 6 years, a huge accomplishment in itself. Throughout the last several years, Kelly has shown an immense amount of dedication and loyalty to his fitness journey. He has truly demonstrated that consistency and repetition can form a habit that lasts. Kelly always shows up to work. He puts in 100% of himself into every workout and is always up for the challenge. He is an integral part of the community and we not only admire but appreciate his love for TW.
Congrats Kelly, we are all so proud to have you as an athlete and a friend!
TW: Where are you from?
Kelly: I don’t know. I was born in South Dakota, grew up in Iowa, Montana, New Mexico, and Arkansas. (My dad was a restless educator.) Lived as an adult in Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Mali. Then moved to the North Shore in 1994 for grad school and stayed. Heather and I have lived in Revere since she started working in Winthrop seven years ago.
Tw: What do you do for work?
Kelly: I run a program called the Boston Fellows that I founded 12 years ago. Mission: “To equip emerging leaders to serve God and neighbor in the working world.” Most participants in the year-long program are late-20’s/early 30’s professionals. It’s the funnest, most gratifying work I’ve ever done.
TW: How long have you been at Tradewinds?
Kelly: Six years. (?!)
TW: What motivated you to try Tradewinds?
Kelly: My ex-Army-ranger son once told his sister to look into Crossfit for herself. So when we moved to Revere, I happened to see Tradewinds on the street one day, decided to check it out.
TW: What group class do you usually attend?
Kelly: 5p, MWF
TW: Did you have a fitness background prior to starting at Tradewinds?
Kelly: I’ve always tried to do something for exercise, depending on the options easily available where I lived.
TW: If you could program your dream WOD, what would it be?
Kelly: AMRAP3 x 5
7 squat snatch
25′ handstand walk
3 muscle-ups
(rest)
And in this DREAM, I would be able to do these movements. (Which I can’t. Yet.)
TW: What is your proudest accomplishment since joining Tradewinds?
Kelly: Showing up for 6 years. (Then: double-unders, snatching (sorta), kipping pull-ups, HSPU’s—these movements were almost beyond imagination when I first began.)
TW: How has Tradewinds helped you in your everyday life?
Kelly: Better overall health (“the magic bullet,” says my physician), posture, functional strength, coordination, spatial awareness, self-knowledge, and physical confidence. Also: a model for training in other spheres of life. Also: the friendship of all you really likeable people at the gym!
TW: What do you like to do outside the gym?
Kelly: Flyfishing, listening to jazz, studying narrative symbolism
TW: What is your favorite song to workout to?
Kelly: Let’s say: Grimes’ “We appreciate power” https://youtu.be/DeH0mAWbQNo
TW: What’s one thing you’d tell someone who is curious about trying Tradewinds but not sure if they could do it?
Kelly: You can do every workout at Tradewinds: the coaches will meet you where you are, and customize as necessary. The other athletes will encourage you (when they aren’t too focused on their own adventure).
AOM Closing thoughts…
I often marvel at how big a part of my life Tradewinds has become. So much so, I sometimes wonder if my priorities are straight. But then I realize how little time it takes, how much it’s done for me, how satisfying it is when I get it right, and the connections I’ve made. We live in a time when technology does almost all the physical work that people and animals used to do. Tradewinds meets a huge biological need in our lives, and makes it into a game with friends.
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