Laura Dornik

September 17, 2014

Please tell us a little bit about yourself (family, job, sports, military, interests, etc.)

I have been married to my better half, Matt Dornik for 10 years this October. Yes, we got married when we were 17. We have two wildly energetic children, Will, 5, and Emma 2. They are our most prized accomplishment (or at least I’ll say they are mine; I’ll let Matt speak for himself). I work as the HR Manager for St. David’s Center in Minnetonka. I love doing all outdoor activities, specifically water skiing, wakeboarding, running, snowboarding, and swimming.

When did you start doing CrossFit?

Last October.

What were you doing before CrossFit?

Hanging out at Lifetime – running and bicep curls 🙂

Why did you start doing CrossFit?

Matt made me. He says if I don’t take out my energy and stress at CrossFit he pays, BIG TIME!

What apprehensions did you have before starting?

Having two small kids and having recently had a baby I thought there was no way I’d be able to do the movements and keep up. I’d never done much weight lifting and for sure no Olympic weight lifting so I was afraid I may get hurt or not be able to do it at all.

What made you decide to come CrossFit SISU?

I was getting bored and having a hard time pushing myself harder in my workouts. I had reached a plateau.

What were your thoughts after your first CrossFit workout?

Hmmm, before or after the tears started? I was totally hooked but wasn’t sure why because I had failed, miserably!

What’s the greatest benefit you see so far since starting CrossFit and SISU?

I LOVE seeing friends every day when I go to workout! I love the accountability and how hard I push myself each day. I also feel stronger than ever before in my life and feel like I should be able to keep up with my little monsters for a lot longer!

Are there any special memories/ achievements during your time here that you would like to share?

Some people know I struggle a lot at overhead squats. I had a complete meltdown during a WOD a few months ago and Jason made me finish (nearly in tears) long after all others in class were done. I then came back a few weeks after, very apprehensively, to do “Nancy” (I’ll spare the swear words I want to insert here). I finished literally 5 minutes after everyone else but was SO happy to just have finished it, RX, within the time cap. I jumped around like I’d won the lottery and high-fived Jason. I probably looked crazy to everyone else but felt it was a huge accomplishment for me to not have completely self-destructed. I’d finally made some progress on one of the movements I struggle the most with.

What advice would you give to a person just joining CrossFit SISU?

Give it 3 months before making any self-judgments. Don’t compare yourself to others and “run your own race”.
Something you might not know about me is?

I’m not much of a risk taker but Matt made me go bungee jumping at Fat Tuesday’s in Cancun, Mexico when I was 18. I had been “over-served”.

Share this: