Greetings Relentless Family!

Our first coaching spotlight of 2018 is Coach Doug Meagher! He coaches our Tuesday evening classes and is our resident computer genius. While he’s too proud to admit it in this article, he was the creator of “Where’s the Throwdown?”, which is one of the first software platforms for the scoring of CrossFit Rx competitions. If you competed in the early 2010’s, he was likely responsible for keeping track of your scores. How cool is that?

1. What was your athletic background prior to CrossFit?

I grew up playing soccer in recreational leagues, travel leagues, premier leagues, and all through high school. I also wrestled for a couple years in middle school and on the club team in college.

2. How were you introduced to CrossFit, and how long have you been doing it?

I had heard it mentioned by a friend of mine who was in the military at the time. A few weeks later a couple friends and I found ourselves walking into a CrossFit that was in the early stages of opening up in our town. We were among the first four members of this affiliate. It was September of 2007 and I’ve only stepped foot in a big-box “globo” gym a couple times since then.

3. What made you want to be a coach?

At first, honestly, I was enticed by the idea of making extra side money doing something I enjoyed. Since the affiliate that I started coaching at was relatively small compared to Relentless, it took a while to really get into the “technical” side of coaching. Now, learning the “in’s and out’s” of the “whats and whys” is really what I’m all about.

4. What are your favorite/least favorite movements?

I’m a big fan of the olympic lifts and generally anything heavy. Least favorites movements would include the ski erg and running.

5. What are your hobbies outside of CrossFit?

Full time for work, I’m a Senior Windows Server Admin at a financial services company in Southington. There, I’m responsible for anything that runs Windows Server in our infrastructure. When I’m not messing with computers I enjoy building things, working on my lawn, and spending time with my kids.

6. What is something that very few people know about you?

I’ve got a weakness for Skittles. I’ve been to New Zealand twice: once for study abroad and once on a vacation with my wife. I love podcasts. For the CrossFit audience, I highly recommend Power Athlete Radio and, of course, the CrossFit Podcast.

7. What is the greatest advice you can give members?

Don’t get hung up on one bad workout or one day when you didn’t hit a PR. Fitness is a lifelong endeavor. You’ve got to look at the long road behind you and the long road ahead of you.

8. What do you see as the “next step” in the CrossFit world?

CrossFit Inc has taken on “Big Soda” in an effort to put the spotlight on the ethics issues of the beverage industry funding health studies on sugar consumption and the effects of sugar on the body. (See: www.crushbigsoda.com and www.crossfithealth.com) I really see CrossFit succeeding in this effort and bringing big changes to what people consider a “healthy diet.”

9. What inspires you, as a coach and/or athlete?

Both as an athlete and as a coach, I find great inspiration in the more senior athletes in the sport. Either because they’ve taken the right steps to extend their lives or because they’ve gotten way out of their comfort zone and tried something that may seem intimidating to people way younger than themselves.

10. What is your proudest coaching moment?

Getting athletes to put aside their egos or mental blocks and get after things they’ve never done is what makes me proud to be a coach. Getting the technical movements like muscle ups is fun but getting someone to jump on a plate or box either because they’ve never been able to or were just too afraid to is really what it’s all about.