How long have you been doing CrossFit?
I’ve been doing CrossFit since Oct of 2017
What is your favorite CrossFit workout and/or movement?
I do have a fondness for the Hero Workouts. I served for 20 years and not all of us made it; I think it’s important to remember that. They also push me to realize how far I’ve come since the rower tried to kill me on the first day I started CrossFit.
What do you love most about CrossFit Virilis and CrossFit, in general?
I love that I’m not just a member. I feel loved there and it makes me want to do even better at every workout.
Name your top five favorite movies.
1.The Matrix
2. Star Trek Into the Darkness
3. Star Trek Beyond
4. Braveheart
5. Gladiator
If you could have lunch with anyone in time, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
My dad, although I was in my mid-20s when he died, I was still very much a boy who needed his father…still am.
What is the James lifestyle like outside of the gym?
I have a wife and six children, so the bulk of my time is spent doing stuff with my family and I’m a youth/associate pastor at our church. Professionally, I’m the Director of Technology for Keller Williams Heritage
What makes you the happiest?
Helping people to see past the negative things they think about themselves and rising to the greatness they truly possess. Well, and making people laugh; it’s a beautiful sound.
What’s your favorite restaurant?
J Prime
What is your favorite quote to inspire, motivate, or make you think?
“There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.” Malcolm X
What’s your favorite sport & team?
Basketball, Chicago Bulls
Can you share about the impact that CFV has had on you both in and out of the gym?
I had a check-up in October and my blood pressure was 190/105 and I was varying between a 38-40 inch waist. I knew I had to do something, but I was so tired of the gym. I remembered Tanya talking to me about CrossFit on Facebook and thought I’d try it. Fast-forward to today – my blood pressure is controlled, and I’m down to a 34 in waist. My doctor said that I can start weening off meds if I’m still doing well at my next visit. I feel so much better physically, but the biggest weigh that came off of me was mentally. I love my family and I want to be with them as long as I can.
This lifted a gigantic weight off of my shoulders and it’s showing my children that it’s never to late to start.
Anything else you’d like to add?
The hardest part of my life has been the years since I retired from the military. I felt like a man with no one. I had my family, but there was nothing outside of that. Here, I feel a sense of camaraderie and family. I don’t know most of the people, but it feels like we’re all connected trying to pull the best out of ourselves and encouraging others to do the same. Every last one of you are amazing! You could have just given up a long time ago, but you’re here, bravely fighting day in and day out, and I’m so proud to walk into box knowing the greatness that is there.