COACH FEATURE: Heather Priebe

Meet Heather! She joined CrossFit OneFifty (CFCL) only a short time ago (September 2021) and has blossomed into a dedicate member and now Coach!

Her first experience with CrossFit was thanks to her mom, who encouraged her to give some beginner classes at her local box a try. Heather was reluctant at first but after a couple classes she really enjoyed the style of workout and how it pushed her. When she graduated and set off for Briercrest College, things changed.

“My fitness level dropped fairly quickly which I really disliked, so when I got back from my first year I started at a public gym as quickly as I could. I went off and on for about a year and found that the atmosphere had really changed my thinking around fitness and health. I went to workout usually because I felt like I had too. I began to enjoy working out less and less and found the environment really pushed me to start thinking quite negatively about myself and being active.”

She decided she needed a change, as she really missed the enjoyment of just moving her body in a joyful way. Luckily she was invited to a Bring a Friend day at Crossfit CL! After the first class she knew he had found enjoyment in movement again. “I genuinely had fun pushing myself in the workout (which even included running which I liked!). I bought a membership that day and next day became a regular attender at the 7 am class. The community at CFCL was everything and more that I could have asked for. I felt so encouraged and blessed by Jason, the coaches and all the members which is why I have continued faithfully attending almost everyday!”

It didn’t take her long to realize that coaching was calling her. “I thought that maybe at some point in my life I would be able to start coaching! I had voiced this thought to Jason and he got the ball rolling straight away. I was honestly pretty nervous when he told me I would be coaching before summer started.” And here she is! Jason saw Heather embraced the humble, hungry, happy, and healthy attitude; which is what he hopes to instill in every member and what he looks for in a great Coach.

Being a Kinesiology student at the U of S, Heather can transfer her learning into the gym, but she is also so grateful for the guidance and encouragement she gets from Jason and other coaches (specifically Darian). “I may not have all the skills I want to have yet - I want to be able to catch all the small tweaks to help members create optimal movement or barbell technique - but I am always working on improving that knowledge and gaining more experience. I am excited to learn and grow under Jason and the other coaches in such a positive environment in the upcoming years. The knowledge they have and care for the members is incredible and I am so thankful for the opportunity to be mentored by them. It is also a good opportunity for me to just be humble and have people in classes realize that I am just a person on a fitness journey as well, learning and growing just like them.”

The community at CFCL is what inspires Heather so much, and a big reason why she wanted to be apart of the team. “I want to create relationships with people and help them see what they are capable of! My favourite part of coaching is seeing people achieve different goals. Someone might come in wanting to hit a deadlift PR and another person might come in and want to just move for the hour. Both of these are goals and both take work in a mental and physical way. I want to be a part of this journey for people and give them all the advise and encouragement I can as they try to achieve these things. It’s important to me because its exactly what I received the moment I started here. The time I spend at the gym are my favourite parts of the day and I want everyone to have a piece of that enjoyment every single day. I want people to be able to come to a class and feel confident and have fun, regardless of their body type or fitness level. Throughout my development, I have watched just how strong and uplifting the community really is. Yes we do workouts and lift heavy stuff, but people truly care about each others lives and not just their workout times.”

Heather is 21 and lives in Evergreen in Saskatoon. In addition to being a University student, Heather works at Browns Socialhouse as a server (she invites to you to come visit her!) and then spends most of her mornings and evenings at the gym :) She also makes sure to take time off to fully rest and rejuvenate - hanging out with her family, going to church, and spending lots of time outside (hiking, biking and just just hanging in the sun!)