Wildheart of the Month
It’s time for a brand new Wildheart of the Month (WOM)! Every month we interview one of our Wildhearts. We ask them about their Crossfit journey, their day job, their favorite movements and about some other goofy stuff. This month our WOM is Chantale Evertsz (37), program manager at Fokker Elmo, and a Wildheart since 9 months!
Planets & stars
‘From a very young age, I was fascinated by the planets and the stars. I grew up in Curaçao, where the night sky is very bright. I always wanted to be able to calculate the trajectory of spacecrafts to other parts in our solar system. That’s why I chose to study Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft. My graduation project actually involved calculating such a trajectory. That box was checked of! Now I work at Fokker as a program manager, I lead a team and am responsible for our programs with Airbus, among others.’
Brainiac or athlete?
‘Back in Curaçao I did some competitive swimming, that is a very common practice over there. During my studies I joined the softball team. However, sports where never a big part of my life, I wasn’t very driven. That’s why my college friends and sisters are ‘mind-blown’ about the fact that I work out 4 teams a week now. I used to be more of a brainiac than the athletic type.’
Time to turn the tide
‘A year ago, around this time of year, I was sitting on the couch and decided I had to change some things. I realized I am getting older and my health should be a higher priority. My coach at work also recommended to find something next to work to put my time and energy in. I learned about Crossfit via the documentaries on Netflix and I was drawn to it, but also a little bit intimidated by it, I always thought you had to be fit to start. After some Googling I found Wildhearts, and I never left!’
Work life balance
‘Crossfit helped me to handle stress better, but it is also very humbling. I am a passionate person and I was always ‘good’ in learning, but in Crossfit there are no shortcuts. Becoming better takes a lot of time and effort. This helps me be more patient in other aspects of my life as well. I see participating as a battle with myself, not with others. When I manage to perform a certain movement, or see progression, it feels like such a victory!’
‘Crossfit is very humbling, it helps me to manage my impatience’
Food is frenemy
‘When I started Crossfit, my goal was to show up 4 times a week. This was my first step in becoming healthier. The next step is going to be improving my nutritional habits. Food is my frenemy, and my stress relieve. Crossfit helps me to control my eating, but now is the time to put in the work on this aspect of my health as well. Babysteps!’
Spin that rope
‘The people are the reason that I love this place so much. Everyone is very relaxed, the vibe is always good. Of course you have to put in some effort to get to know people, but when you do, everyone is your friend, every wildheart helps each other out, gives each other advice. I do the same for new Wildhearts. Everyone here set their first step in the box at some point in time. We all know how it feels.
My favorite Wildheart memory is the moment when my double-under finally started to work. Best tip of coach Sven: spin the rope faster. Worked for me!’
Stay tuned for our next Wildhearts of the Month!