Kylie Triolo - January - AOM
What does it mean to be chosen as the Athlete of the Month?
It means a lot. It is such a great honor because each and every coach that nominated me, I look up to. To hear such positive words come from them, really lifted me up. I haven’t had the best year- several injuries, so this really turned all of that around. There are so many people here that deserve this honor, and to be picked makes me feel super awesome.
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Kylie, you’re a well recognized face in CrossFit Pallas, a coach and part of the competitor squad, and about to strap your weight lifting belt a team competitor at Wodapalooza.
Can you tell us a little bit about what it is like to get injured and the feelings you have about that process of healing your body?
I’m not going to sugar coat it, it stinks. The beautiful thing about CF is that everything is scalable. You can get a great workout while being injured. The show must go on, so it does.
The process of healing my body is a long one. I don’t exactly know how to “rest,” so it’s taken quite some time. I do a lot of self care; chiro appointments, stretching, massages, etc. Sarah (Dr. Gardner) has been so amazing in helping my ailments, and I am very thankful for her.
What was your fitness life like growing up?
I grew up playing outside. “King of the Mountain” was one of the games my brother and I would play with the neighborhood kids. It’s basically running to the top of this hill and trying to not get pushed off. Hahaha. This is probably where my competitive nature started. We skated and played hockey on the pond next to our house and in the warmer months, we went to street hockey. I played soccer, softball and basketball until I graduated from High School. I continued with soccer in college. My family is super athletic- mom and dad played softball and bowled when I grew up and dad also played broomball. My brother, Adam was a 3 sport athlete as well. Adam and my dad ref pro and college hockey, so the fire has always been there to compete and play sports.
Adam sounds amazing, does he do Crossfit as well?
Funny you ask. Adam and his reffing buddies recently started doing CrossFit style workouts in one of their garages. Brent and I write programming for them. Brent does the strength portion and I do the metcons and skill work. They call me Devil Woman.
What position did you play in soccer and do you still play?
I played forward, usually right wing. I play here and there. When I was living in Austin, I played all the time- both in an indoor and outdoor league. I wasn’t doing CF there, so I had more free time. When I moved back to this area, I played indoor in Cortland for a few sessions. This past summer, I played filled in on my friend’s team in 1 outdoor game, which was really, really fun. I certainly miss playing.
What motivates you to put in the effort that you do?
I want to be the best version of myself. I want to be better than yesterday. Some people aren’t able to get up every day and do this, so I am grateful every day for the opportunity to move my body. Whenever I’m having a crap day or workout, I think about people like Derek Weida who, despite having some setbacks, puts the work in. I’ve always been driven, but sometimes I’m driven to a fault. I could literally be in the gym all day, but Tim and Darrin put a cap on it ;) Oh yeah, food motivates the shit out of me!
Ahh, food! What’s your favorite cheat meal?
Since I basically eat whatever fits my macros, nothing is considered a cheat meal. When Iconsume alcoholic beverages, my macros migrate for the day. With that being said, vodka and Jameson are my cheat meals. I LOVE cheese tortellinis in my homemade vodka sauce with prosciutto and asiago cheese. I make that fit my macros all the time, like tonight!
Do you follow a specific diet?
I have a set of macros: protein/fat/carbs that I follow each day. I tend to eat fairly healthy. I follow the Eat to Perform mindset (who I also work for).
What’s with the oreos, come on?
It’s actually Brent that has the Oreo thing...I’m more of a chocolate and peanut butter kind of girl. I do eat 3 Oreos pre workout everyday. It equals around 50g of carbs, which is what I take in pre, so I’m cool with it ;)
If you could write a wod, what would it look like?
1 gazillion kHSPU for time.
Just kidding…
3rep max OHS
Rest 4 minutes
6rft:
400m run
12 hspu
So if you have to decide between Phish and Disco Biscuits and they both were equidistant and both had the same amount of friends at both shows, which would you go to?
100% tDB. I like Phish, but the Disco Biscuits are my #1. I’ve seen Phish 19 times and tDB 105 times. I walked down the aisle to tDB and when Brent and I got announced husband and wife, we had a Biscuits song playing ;) We also took our honeymoon in the Dominican Republic, where they co headlined a music festival, soooooo, tDB.
Okay, let’s change gears. The Bhagavad Gita is an ancient Hindu text which tells the story of a warriors obligation to fulfill their destiny and fight in a holy war. It is a sacred text for yogis to understand its principles and how to conduct ourselves in the world. In the second chapter the following passage I think has a lot to do with Crossfit and I was wondering what you thought:
Know what your duty is And do it without hesitation. For a warrior, there is nothing better Than a battle that duty enjoins Blessed are warriors who are given The chance of a battle like this, Which calls them to do what is right And opens the gates of heaven. But if you refuse the call To a righteous war, and shrink from What duty and honor dictate, You will bring down ruin on your head.
Any thoughts?
I think that this texts can relate to many aspects of life: family, work, CrossFit, etc. I most certainly think that it applies to myself. When (and since) I declared sociology my major in college, I’ve known that I’ve wanted to help people. In what way, I wasn’t sure. At first, it was the elder population. I minored in gerontology, but when my papa (gpa) died, I had no interest in that population any longer because of the heartache. I know it isn’t fair, but it was a difficult loss. I think I’ve really started to find my duty or calling as I like to put it. I help people with their nutritional needs by working for Eat to Perform, and I help people with their fitness needs by having the humbling opportunity to work at CFP, and also by programming for my brother and his buddies. When the time comes, I/we will be warriors for our child and fight to make his/her life the best it can possibly be.
What is your proudest CrossFit moment?
It’s gotta be my second ring muscle up. I got a semi strict, with a leg kick in February. The kipping rmu eluded me for 3.5 years. I got into the rings several times during the Team Series with Jana, Andy and Darrin but couldn’t lock out (Brent wasn’t there). I got one the following week when Brent and I were doing a rmu workout together. It was incredible. Plus, all my girls from 6am were there, so that made it even better (minus Cait).
If someone was on the fence about starting CrossFit, what would you tell them?
I would introduce them to Janessa and tell them this is like the best person in the world, be friends with her and your life will be better. Also, introduce them to basically anyone at CFP and show them how tight our community is. I would tell them that I am in better shape now than when I played Division 1 soccer. I would explain that putting in the hard work alongside other athletes makes you grow as a person, wife, friend, etc. CrossFit makes you learn more about yourself, it makes you find a passion you probably haven’t felt before, it gives you many highs, but some lows. The good thing about the lows is that you are able to use them as a positive and be better. Every day I do CrossFit, I become a better version of myself.
Namaste, friend.