Nicole has been a BeachSide CrossFit member for the last 18 months. In that time she has made tremendous progress inside the gym, including advancing through the CrossFit Open and competing in the Quarter Finals. Along with her great athletic ability, she’s kind, positive and outgoing. If you see Nicole in the gym, tell her “What’s up” and you are sure to get a smile from her.
Tell us about yourself:
Hi everyone for those who don’t know me, my name is Nicole Molen. I was born and raised in Thousand Oaks, which is where I currently live. I lived in Ventura for about a year and a half, which is how I found BeachSide. I have to say that joining CrossFit and BeachSide specifically has been one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life. I am truly so thankful, not only for the way that CrossFit has transformed my fitness, but more importantly for the amazing people I get to surround myself with on a daily basis.
In terms of my athletic background, I’ve played sports my entire life, the most impactful one being soccer. I was fortunate to be able to play collegiate soccer at the University of Southern California (Fight On!) as well as professionally overseas. Other than playing soccer or doing CrossFit, I love going to the beach, hiking, camping, or anything active.
What do you do for a job?
I am currently a firefighter for the Ventura County Fire Department. I’ve been doing that for about 2 years now. I’m currently in school to become a paramedic, which hopefully I will complete by the end of this year. Wish me luck.
Tell us something people might not know about you:
Fun fact, I can solve a rubik’s cube in about 2 minutes or less.
What brought you to CrossFit in the first place?
Honestly I was kind of skeptical about trying CrossFit in the first place, just because a lot people in the “fitness industry” like to talk badly about it. However, a coworker actually put me through a couple CrossFit style workouts and I loved it. Also, Skye happened to want to try CrossFit as well and she’s the one that actually found Beachside so shoutout to Skye. Like I mentioned before, it was the best decision I have made and I could not be happier here.
What was your first impression? How has that changed?
For me, my first impression of CrossFit was basically love at first sight. I remember being in foundations with Kai and Cindy and being super excited to do a workout, which I hadn’t felt outside of playing soccer. It was challenging, I was forced to push myself, and it gave me a new set of goals and benchmarks to achieve. Not much has changed, I am still in love with it and it is still very challenging, the only difference is the bar is set a little higher as my fitness continues to improve.
What was your first “bright spot”?
I remember I was super stoked when I got my first bar muscle up. Those are still a challenge for me, hopefully this year I’ll be able to string a couple together in a workout.
What are you working on now?
I am working on my Olympic lifts as well as my gymnastic movements. Technique is definitely key and because I am still fairly new to CrossFit, those movements have been the hardest for me to master.
What’s your favorite BeachSide CrossFit memory?
My favorite memory was probably participating in the CrossFit Open this year. The Friday night lights workouts are always a ton of fun. I love the competition, but I also love supporting the other athletes and cheering them on. The community and the support that the coaches and gym members have for each other is for sure the thing I love most about BeachSide.
The USC Trojans Women Soccer team takes on the Georgetown Hoyas in the semi final game of the NACC College Cup art Avaya Stadium in San Jose, CA on Friday December 2, 2016.
