When someone recommends a dish or a cocktail around town, I add it to a running list and try to get to it when the perfect situation arises.  For the January make-up interview with Manor Road Summer Athlete of The Season Victoria Harvey, the highly recommended, perfectly balanced, refreshing, sweet, and salty margarita at Workhorse on North Loop was a natural choice.  Victoria is one of many delightful athletes who are now established veterans and pillars of society at The Shop and yet new to me as they arrived after I left DBS in 2017. It was humbling and magnificent to verse myself in the life and times of this extraordinary woman to the soundtrack of 80’s and 90’s country hits after a Sunday Community Workout.

“George Strait is from Texas, so You Should Probably Move to Texas”

My family always makes cinnamon rolls for Christmas.

That sounds wonderful- do you make them from scratch?

Yes.  Yes…  And my little niece helped out.

How long does that take?

Like three hours, but you’re not baking the whole time because you have to let the dough rise.

How did you come to be such a prodigious baker?

I always loved to bake and then when I moved to Austin, I wanted to find ways to meet people, so I used to take classes at Make it Sweet.  And that is where I learned more recipes and got into it even more.

When did you move to Austin?

Five years ago.  I was living in the bay area at the time and I had always lived in Northern California.  I didn’t want to stay in the bay area because it gets kind of packed so I just looked out for something different.  It was actually going to be here or North Carolina and my mom decided that North Carolina was just too far away from her.  My mom loves George Strait and she said, “George Strait is from Texas, so you should probably move to Texas.”

That will probably be the title of this interview.

She is also a big Spurs fan so she is very happy that I live here now.

Does she visit often?

She does.  She asks me a lot of questions about The Shop- she asked me if we have a sauna *laughs*

Did you tell her that sometimes in the summer it feels like a sauna?

I took her by The Hyde Park Shop and then she understood- I used to work out at Lifetime Fitness and so I think she was confused about what The Shop is.

How did you come to be at The Shop rather than Lifetime?

I actually received a Shop membership in a silent auction package from Junior League.  It was actually four months- so thank you- but it was long enough to get me hooked. John (Gates Whiteley our esteemed Director of Operations) always gives me shit about this, but it was the last item in the package that I used.  That was only because it was the furthest from me and it had no expiration date. I used to work downtown so it was easy to go to Manor on my lunch break. Now I say that I saved the best for last.

Nice way of spinning it.  What is work for you?

I am an electrical engineer.  We design test equipment for the military and military contractors.

What do you enjoy about your work.

I’m really into analogue circuits-

Can you break down what an analogue circuit is?

Right, because people won’t know unless they’re an engineer… So a digital circuit is binary- a zero or a one.  Analogue is everything else- basically all of your power circuits, the circuit that controls your battery, your audio is analogue-

Even if it is an MP3?

(Very patiently humoring me) So an MP3 is a digital signal that goes through a decoder and the actual output is analogue.  I mean, you don’t really want to listen to a digital signal.

Interesting- what sort of project would you work on with an analogue circuit?

A lot of what I have worked on is called power management circuits, which really should be called, for non-engineers, battery management.  Basically it is my job to try to make sure a battery lasts as long as possible.  

That’s cool!  As I record this on an iphone…

Everything I have is apple.  When I go home I don’t want to be an engineer anymore.  I do have to fix things for my mom- that is the side effect of being an engineer, everyone is like “Hey, this isn’t working, can you fix it?”  This usually leads to me googling it and then just pretty much turning it off then on again.

What is the weirdest thing you’ve had to fix?

So my mom is a farmer- I grew up on a vineyard in California- she doesn’t even have an email address.  I have to fix the internet a lot for the internet providers back home.

Really?  You have to help the internet providers back home in California?

*mild sigh*  Yeah.

We’ve got a lot of engineers and technologically inclined people at The Shop, do you think there is something about this style of workout that particularly appeals to that kind of person?

I like lifting because there are a lot of numbers involved.  Kelly Foster and I talk about this a lot because Kelly likes numbers- so you can plot your one rep max and like see the trends.  Him and I both like that.

Have you plotted your numbers?

I have a chart.  Yeah!  

That is amazing- what does the chart show?

You really shoot up at first and then you plateau a bit.  *pulls out her phone* I don’t have my chart with me, but I’ve got my numbers- I have my macros and my PRs here.  You can see that my deadlift shot way up but my front squat stayed pretty consistent. I only started tracking in my phone like a year after I started at The Shop, so it doesn’t include the first time I went through Community Gains.  The first time I tried to max my deadlift I think I only went for like 150lbs because I had never really lifted heavy before and it is such a weird feeling.

Can you talk about that weird feeling- is it anxiety?

There is definitely a lot of adrenaline in it, but I think you have to do a lot to know when you can do more (weight) and when you can’t.  In your every day life, you’re not a farmer, you’re not lifting heavy weights all the time- my mom does… My mom is one of the strongest people you could meet- but she has terrible form.

I think you should bring your mom during the Summer and have her sign up for the Strong Person Mini-Meet.

She would probably win it.  She pushes literal tons of grapes around, so yeah she would probably do very well.

Oh!  Daisy is running away.  For those of you reading along, Daisy is Victoria’s tiny dog that looks like a little 8lb wizard and she is currently sliding under a four inch opening at the bottom of the fence on the patio here.

And that is nothing- she could probably get under a two inch opening.

So you talk to Kelly about numbers, who are some other people you interact with often at The Shop?

I started off going to 11:45am classes so I partnered with Rachel Maguire- but now I’m a 6:30am person so I’m sad because I don’t get to see Rachel anymore.  Jake Simpson-

Fabulous mustache.

He’s a great guy and I have a nephew named Jake and a cousin who is a fireman.  And then John (Gates Whiteley) and I are both Pac12 people, but he is a terrible Trojans fan.  Stanford is the best school in the Pac12.

As a University of Arizona man, I might disagree… but I won’t.  Because we suck.

But I’m meeting lots of really cool people in the 6:30am class, so that is great.

I’ve subbed that class a few times and there really seems to be a great energy in that class.  

Yeah!  Surprisingly so, because I feel like we’re all still half asleep.  But we’re all still going for it.

What causes that bonding and energy at that hour?

I feel like with Shop workouts in general, compared to every other place I’ve worked out (and I’ve done pretty much everything out there), The Shop changes it up more.  Like I always get bored at other places. With lifting you always feel like you’re progressing- with other places I felt like I got a workout, but I never felt like I was getting progress.  Part of being an engineer is that you always want to get better at something-

You want the numbers to back it up.  Is there a number or goal you’re particularly proud of?

I think just doing Strong Person and Push & Pull was pretty cool.  And I got 3rd place in the sled push which I was not expecting!

Had you competed in anything like that before?

Um… I used to raise pigs and I would show my pigs.  I was in 4H.

*at this point in the interview a random woman at another table shouts out “Berkshires forever!”.  She and Victoria then proceed to dive into a fascinating side conversation about the different types of markings and colors on pig butts!*

So, showing a pig is a lot like a body-building competition.  But, like, you want more fat on a pig because you want your pig to taste good.  You don’t eat humans…

Typically.

*laughing* Yes, typically!

*The other pig-raising woman on the patio jumped in again to have a spirited conversation with Victoria about 4H and to congratulate her on being athlete of the season.  Never one to miss an advertising opportunity, I invited the woman to our next Community Workout… shameless*

So the 4 H’s stand for head, heart, health and hands:  I pledge my head to clear thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my health to better living, and my hands to larger service.  My mom would be so proud that I remembered that!

I’m very impressed!

So I was in 4H from the time I was 4 years old until I was 18- you can’t start raising pigs until you’re 9.  You can have bunnies and chickens when you’re little, but I just waited and went straight to pigs because my older sister did pigs-

The title of this interview now could also be “my older sister did pigs”.  Just throwing it out there.

*laughing nervously*  so yeah, I know lots of weird things about pigs if you ever want to know anything.  So that is why I am in Junior League now, which is how I ended up at The Shop.

What exactly is Junior League?

Junior League is an all woman’s charity group- we do things all over town.  Last year I volunteered at Thinkery and this year I’m doing something called “Food in Tummies”.  A lot of kids on assisted lunch plans don’t get food on the weekends, so we put together bags of food for them for the weekend.

Here’s a question that comes up often in these interviews- do you have a least favorite exercise or movement?

I have a weird knee, so I hate anything that involves jumping.  Box jumps are my least favorite thing. I also have vertigo.

*The other 4H alum/former pig raiser sitting on the patio chimes in telling us that she completely skinned her shin because a trainer pushed her to jump to a box at a height she wasn’t comfortable with.  I assured he, we do no such thing at Dane’s Body Shop and Victoria went full-on shill for The Shop, touting our reasonably-sized classes, considerate coaching, and accommodating programming. Thanks V!*

Do you have a favorite lift or movement?

I really like power cleans, back squats, and front squats- any leg movement.

You are a pretty regular 3-4 times a week member, have you noticed that regularity with your workouts influencing anything about your life outside of the gym?

I’m definitely a lot stronger- particularly my back.  I always had really bad shoulder problems and it has definitely helped that out a lot.  A stronger core- I live on the third floor and I can carry more groceries up now. My upper body is much stronger- I spend all day at a desk probing circuit boards, so this has really helped my shoulders.  That is one of my goals- to do a pull-up. Just one. Then I’m going to walk out the door and you’re never going to see me again.

You’re running a long-con on us!

*laughing* No… the thing that I like about The Shop is I think you get a personal training experience without having to pay the price of a personal trainer.  And you get to meet lots of cool people. I was talking to a guy recently who was saying he felt like women could be more social when they workout because they go to classes and men just hang out by themselves in weight racks.  I told him, “Not at The Shop”.  

 I always encourage talking at The Shop- even if it is members talking while I am trying to coach; I’ll playfully yell, but I like to see people talking.  Okay, lets get in to a bit of speed round. I know we talked about Vogue’s 70 questions and I don’t have 70 for you, but I think I’ll get some fun answers from you.  So, what is your favorite holiday?

I’ve always liked Easter because I like the colors and it is around my birthday.  I really like decorating Easter cookies.

Do you have a favorite Halloween costume you’ve ever deployed?

I like the cheerleader that Daisy and I did at The Shop.

That was really good.  What are you good at making?  Aside from baked goods…

Anything.  I’m an engineer, so I can make anything.  

So does that mean you would be a handy person to have around in the event of a zombie apocalypse?

See the thing is that I create everything on a computer and then it gets sent off to China to be actually built.

So I need to find the Chinese person that you are sending the designs off to for my survival team then?

Yeah.  My mom calls me an academic airhead.  I was really good in school and stuff, but normal people things, I’m not so good at.  My mom might be who you want.

I’ll have you give me her address off the air.  What was your first pet?

My first pet that was mine was an orange and white cat named Mickey and then I had a big fluffy Chow named Patrick.  My mom claims that we went to the pound looking for a dog and then Patrick was just in the car. I just took him.

You kidnapped the dog?

Yeah.  But then my mom signed the paperwork-

Just trying to un-commit a misdemeanor?  I get it. Did you have a favorite pet?  Aside from Daisy of course.

I loved all of my pigs even though they weren’t “pets”.  I named them all after berries.

Do you eat bacon?

I do.  It is weird when you grow up (on farms) because I always went to slaughterhouses.  So I knew what meat was. I think it is just really different when you grow up around it.

Do you have a favorite book?

Alice in Wonderland.

Favorite Movie?

Good Will Hunting.  I was super in to the math part of it even as a child.

Ya nerd!  Do you have a go to dance move?

I am a terrible dancer so I am this type of person *makes an awkward smile and begins nervously shuffling her shoulders*

Do you have a favorite place to go out in Austin?

The Shop.

The Shop?  You suck up!  My goodness…  Do you have a favorite place to grab a taco or another favorite food?

Oooo… Valentina’s.  It is down south off of Manchaca and it is Tex Mex Barbecue.  My favorite thing there is the tortillas.

If there was a song that played every time you entered The Shop or some other room, what would it be?

Oh, that is really hard.  I’ll have to think about that.

We can come back to it.  If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be?

I’ve thought about this one a lot.  I would want Nicola Tesla and Dolly Parton.  I love country and I’ve actually decided on my entrance song.  It would be George Strait’s “Not Here for a Long Time, but Here for a Good Time.”  I just feel like (Tesla and Dolly) are polar opposites right? But I feel like if I were to write an autobiography it would be called “When Dolly Met Tesla.”

So if someone were to make a movie version of “When Dolly Met Tesla”, who would play you?

I’ve been told that I look like Liv Tyler.  I have a friend who compares me to Cher from Clueless-

You have a very California cadence to the way you speak.  On the note of your appearance, I’ve been dying to ask… the grey streak in your hair-

It’s a birthmark.

I love it so much.  I love your hair. If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be?

I saw a Ricky Gervais sketch once and he said that he’d want to have the power to call bullshit on things.  He would just pop up and say “bullshit” and then leave.

That is great.  And finally, do you have any words of wisdom that you would like to bequeath to the Dane’s Body Shop community?

Just try it.  I would say just do it, but that’s Nike right?  For me, there were so many things that when coaches were demoing it and I was like, “I’m not going to be able to do that.”  You just have to try and see what happens.

Well Victoria, we’re about to go off the air.  Thank you for your time- Daisy, thank you for your time.

Like John Elway or Daniel Day Lewis, Chelsea and Robert left the scene at the apex of their accomplishments.  Before their official term as Athlete of The Season had even expired, these two beloved DBS athletes moved to New York City.  I caught up with them for a make-up interview over video chat many months later in the dead of winter. Though it was bitter cold in their new city, Chelsea and Robert’s warm feelings for The Shop emanated so tangibly that Austin reached a high of 80 degrees only hours later on that day.

“Imposter Syndrome”

Well, lets just jump in here- I’ll record and transcribe this, so if we get into any tawdry personal details, you can just ask for it to be off the record.  The first thing I want to ask is, you both look great, what are you doing for fitness in New York City?

RM:  My workout routines are not what they were when I was in Austin going to Dane’s- sadly.  Graduate school has chipped in to that, but I have a gym a block over from my school building and over the last year and a half I’ve gone there a lot and done a lot more cardio and bodyweight exercises.  When I’ve gotten really pressed for time, I have a workout app on my phone that programs little workouts to do at home- push ups and squats and wall sits.

CB:  Unfortunately, with the added commute time we have in New York, we aren’t able to workout together any more.  In Austin, we really consistently worked out together- went to Dane’s a lot together. I knew that coming to New York, it was going to be really hard to find something like Dane’s.  Ugh… but what I didn’t realize is that it was actually going to be impossible.  So I’ve been doing a mix of strength and conditioning classes through my work and then putting in a lot of cycling classes that have a weight lifting component- I have classpass.  I found a couple “strength” classes, but the most weight we lift is like 15lbs- I pick up the 15lbs and people are like “Oh my god! That girl is lifting 15lbs!”-

Pee check her- she’s on steroids!

CB:  And those were like the lightest weights at Dane’s- so it is different for me.  We miss Dane’s a lot if you can’t tell. *laughs*

Needy ex-boyfriend question: what do you miss the most about The Shop?

RM:  *laughing and then pausing*  You know, you came back just as we left and that was exceptionally cruel.  You were like our first coach that we really bonded with-

CB:  I must have told you this at some point, but when we first started I took a couple classes and I was like “I don’t like this, it is too hard.”  Everyone was being incredibly nice and welcoming, but I just had imposter syndrome. We went to your class and you made a joke about a stretch being really great for when you’re playing Mr. Mistoffelees in your local production of Cats.  We left class and I was like, “Okay, I’ll keep going, but only if we go to that guys class, because he’s making musical theatre jokes and I finally don’t feel like an imposter.” We only went to your classes for a while-

RM:  We went to the Chad Ramsey Wednesday night class.

CB:  Yeah!  Until we finally got comfortable and I felt less imposter syndrome.  But now what’s great is after being at Dane’s so long, I never feel like I don’t belong in a gym setting.

So you’ve carried that confidence with you?

CB:  Definitely in class settings.  Working out just on my own, there are too many dudes trying to tell me which weights I should be using- I’m like “get out!  I know what I’m doing!” The other day I was deciding which kettlebell to use- they weren’t label and all the weights are the same size- so I went for the heavier one and a guy was like, um- I think you want this one and pointed at the lighter one.  I said “no, no- I want the heavier one.”

Bro please!  When did that imposter syndrome go away at Dane’s?

CB:  *Looking at Robert*  I don’t know, did you have imposter syndrome?  That might have just been me.

RM:  I don’t that I felt imposter syndrome exactly.  I do remember the first couple weeks just being in agonizing pain and muscle soreness.  We started with a few introduction classes with John, just learning the movements like kettlebell swings- which I never felt like I got the hang of. (He LIES dear reader!  I can attest that Robert’s kettlebell swing became delightful indeed within a few months of practice!)  After that we had a class where we did this cycle of like forty pull-ups-

CB:  I don’t think we ever had that many pull-ups in a class again.

RM:  So, like just not being able to extend my arms.  The soreness wore off as we became more accustomed to doing the moves.  It is a great community at Dane’s, so once we’d gone to a couple Steak & Wine Nights and gotten to know some of the regulars in our classes- you start to see a lot of the same faces in a given class time- we had our 6:30pm weeknight crew that we got to know and started to feel like part of the community.

CB: Yeah, that’s a good point.  For me, feeling at ease came with feeling more confidence with the movements themselves, but then also just the community.  The people were really nice- seeing the same faces and feeling encouragement.

Do you have any memories of the first people you connected with or times where you had a good interaction with another member?  Or an awkward interaction- those are always fun.

CB:  Ooohh… Awkward interactions.  Off the record? *laughing*

RM:  I remember at one of the first Steak & Wine Nights getting to chat with Matt and Michelle McCartney.  Getting to know them as people with lives outside the gym. At first pass, when you’re first introduced to (the gym) setting, people at the gym can feel a little anonymous.

CB:  Matt and Michelle and Fabiola and Juan and Mark-

Yep, the PM crowd.  I was partying with Juan and Fabiola last night actually-

CB:  Woah!  Jealous!  Juan travels so much, I’m hoping they’ll swing through New York some time soon.

I wanted to take a minute to talk about the two of you as artists- you’re in New York for film school right Robert?  What was the specific degree you’re pursuing?

RM:  Yeah, it is an MFA in film directing.

Can you both just talk for a minute about your artistry and what you do?

CB:  You go!

RM:  So I’m studying at NYU to be a film director; it is a great program with a rich tradition in the film industry.  I get to learn from a lot of great professional filmmakers and it is training us through making films of our own.  Last year, I wrote and directed three films. This year, I write and direct just one which I shot in the fall and now am editing.

Is there a film that you have worked on that you are particularly proud of or intrigued by?

RM:  I really enjoyed the experience of making the film that I’m editing now; it is a psychological thriller set in New York.  I got to work with some very talented actors and a wonderful crew. It was a great experience and I am excited to finish it.

That is really cool.  And you Ms. Bunn, can you talk about what you’re working on?

CB:  In Austin, I was doing quite a bit of improv.  I actually had quite a bit of support from folks at Dane’s!  In New York, I’ve actually shifted gears a bit to focusing on screen-writing.  Working at google is still my day job, but my creative pursuit has been screen-writing.  I’ve also been taking classes at Upright Citizens Brigade to sort of work my way into the community there.  I’m hoping to get more involved in the improv scene. It takes time to earn your way in.

That is very interesting and was a genuine question- I really didn’t know what it was that you were working on creatively in your new city.  I’m always curious how fitness and art interplay. For instance, when I started working out seriously in my mid-twenties, it just opened up a whole other set of characters I was comfortable playing.  I was just more confident in my body and the way that I moved. I was able to play bad guys much easier. On your fitness journey, have you noticed that influencing your art at all?

CB:  One of the last shows I did in Austin before moving was “Funny Ladies of Rassling” which was an improvisational comedy show where we had rassling personas and we actually had a match at the end of each night.  That was the first time I was able to really fully bring fitness into improv and informing a character. That was a fun experience; I briefly thought about throwing comedy away and joining an independent wrestling league- apparently a pretty big one- in New Jersey, but I don’t know if I can hang with that commute.  So I might stick with the soft arts of improv comedy. I would say also that having helped on Robert’s film shoot earlier this year, just having the stamina to get through a long day on set-

RM:  Yeah, filmmaking is a super physically demanding activity, so being in shape is crucial for that.  You are on your feet and moving constantly, so you don’t want physical fatigue taking the edge off of your ability to make creative decisions.  Working out also definitely helps in the more solitary aspects of the process; the writing, the planning- working out on a regular basis just helps just keeps you fresh mentally and helps you to sleep better and just perform better all-around.  I would add to that, that working out- particularly with knowledgeable coaches- provides a great model for developing skills. Working out is just a great metaphor for trying to improve in an enterprise like filmmaking where you are working on improving lots of different skills and repeating them over and over.  Getting feedback and trying to raise your level of performance.

That is a really good point.  I’ve thought about that a lot- as I’ve gotten back to The Shop and been focused on my work there, I have spent less time on my artistic endeavors.  I have had moments of frustration when the juices aren’t flowing, but I’ve had to check myself and remind myself that my lifts would all suck if I weren’t doing them regularly, so of course my writing has not been great because I haven’t been picking up the pen and paper regularly.  You’re right, it is a very good metaphor.

RM:  The idea that any skill is a muscle that can be strengthened is a great life lesson.

That is a very thoughtful observation.  So this is your first time living in a city the size of New York- how has that adjustment been?

RM:  *Looking at Chelsea*  You’re fresh-

CB:  Yeah, you’ve got a year on me.  I would say the thing that has helped me the most has been establishing routine.  One of the first things I did here was to get a gym pass. I didn’t really like the first classes I went to, but I went to keep some semblance of routine and what my life was like before the move.  Honestly, I feel kind of like I’m on some kind of extended work trip or vacation- it doesn’t really feel like home yet.  Routine helps it to feel more like home.  Manhattan is like the world’s best adult playground.  The difference is really just that, outside of daily routine, when you want to go out and have dinner or go to a show, you have some of the world’s best at your fingertips.  There are amazing restaurants and shows- I went with a friend to a broadway show just on a whim. Off the record- or on- I think Robert is giving much better answers here. Just attribute my name to some of them.  *laughing*

RM:  Um… *smiling*… New York is a very exciting place to live.  I definitely miss a lot of things about Austin- the friends, and the food, and soforth-

CB:  The weather…

RM:  Yes, the weather.  Having your own space.  In New York, you can never escape being around other people.  You’re just constantly surrounded in buildings, on the sidewalk, on the train; it is just tough to get a moment to yourself.  But there are so many exciting things happening as Chelsea was saying. You can experience the best of the best.

This is the point in the interview where I just quickly go through some random questions with you- sometimes they have nothing to do with anything and sometimes they have everything to do with everything.  So… if you were on death row and you had a last meal, what would that last meal be?

RM:  Oh wow.

CB:  Oof.

You have to go to that dark place Chelsea.

CB:  Agh… this is such a morbid question.  Really I should say something intelligent about the prison industrial complex and how people don’t actually get last meals.  Theoretically, I get one last meal?  You know what, I’m homesick so all the stuff that comes to mind is from Austin.  I would probably have my last meal at Uchi Ko or Foreign & Domestic, which are two favorites in Austin that I’ve been missing a lot lately.

RM:  Yeah, I would say Uchi and particularly singling out their 72 hour braised short rib.

Do you have a drink of choice?  For me, it is an up Manhattan.

CB: Really?!?!  Bourbon or rye?

Oh, rye.  And yours Robert?

RM:  Oh, we just had Manhattans last night!  Vodka martini with an olive.

Chelsea?  Lukewarm PBR?

CB:  Cowboy cold!  Um… I guess maybe vodka martini with an olive.

You guys are just adorable-

CB:  Actually, bourbon on the rocks is good for me.  I’m amending my answer from cowboy cold PBR to bourbon on the rocks.

Amendment accepted. What is a surprising thing that really annoys you in the world?

CB:  That’s a tough one.  Lots of things annoy me- Robert doing better at interviews than me…

You’re doing fine Chelsea.  He is doing really good though!

CB:  If we’re talking petty annoyances, then people talking on their phone in the bathroom.

Public bathrooms or any bathroom?

CB:  Public bathrooms.

Oh good, because I’m actually sitting on the toilet right now.  It is just out of frame.

CB:  Well you aren’t in public, so it is fine.

RM:  When people smoke cigarettes on subway trains.

I think that is aggressively annoying-

CB:  Like too aggressive.  If my answer is people talking on phones in public toilets and yours is people smoking on trains, then I am going to need to one-up you!

If you had a chance to have dinner with or spend an evening with a historical figure, who would it be?

CB:  *after a surprisingly short pause*  Ann Richards- the former governor of Texas.  I should say someone in entertainment so that I can ask advice, but Ann Richards would probably be a lot more fun to have dinner with.  I actually always thought George W Bush would be fun to have dinner with.

RM:  People say that he is a lot of fun.  Um… Yeah, I would probably say some president.  Like Obama.

That’d be a good hang.  Do either of you guys have a surprising celebrity crush?

CB:  Surprising?  My celebrity crush is Gael García Bernal, but there should be nothing surprising about that.  *slightly nervous laughing*. I have kind of a crush on Phoebe Waller Bridges, but again- not that surprising!

RM:  That is great- I don’t have one on hand, so Chelsea can have mine.

CB:  I’ll have two…

In a similar vein, who would play you in a movie- actually, you should cast one another!

CB:  *zero pause*  It has to be what’s his name from Rushmore-

RM:  Jason Schwartzman?  Sure, I’ll take it.

CB:  Cast me- it better be cute (proceeds to distract Robert by striking various cutesy poses for a delightful uncomfortably long amount of time)

Is this the question that ends your relationship?

CB: Yep, nine and a half years gone!

RM:  *continue to very carefully consider*  Lets just say Tina Fey.

CB:  The last improv show I did, someone told me I reminded them of Owen Wilson.  And I think they meant looks like too.

RM:  I don’t see it…

How many vodka martinis had that person had?

CB:  It was 1pm in the afternoon, so a very sexy time for comedy.

Chelsea, this dovetails with what you talked about earlier regarding professional wrestling- entering in to the ring or just a random room, what would your entrance music be?

CB:  I actually did have an entrance song, but it was for a really weird character.  *thinks for a long moment*

I think I’ve said this in interviews before, but mine would be- and I don’t know why it is this, but it definitely is this- “I Want You to Want Me” by Cheap Trick.  I think I’m just an emotionally very needy person and the song also just rips.

CB: *laughing*  I would maybe say something by The Scissor sisters… or maybe Rico Nasty.  I think maybe “Big Dick Energy” by Rico Nasty. You should look her up.

RM:  Um… Hmm… Maybe the song “I” by Kendrick Lamar.

Good call!  We’ve been talking for about forty minutes here, so I think we’ve covered some excellent ground, but I always like to give the Athletes of The Season- even though it is a couple seasons past in your case-  a chance to impart some words of wisdom to their minions. You are now in the Pantheon of great Athletes of The Season.

CB:  Oh my gosh…  What an honor!

Yeah, your words carry great weight, so any advice, or warnings, or admonishments- this could be the airing of the griefs.

CB:  *long thoughtful pause*  I just don’t think I have a succinct way of saying what I want to say.  Off the top of my head, I like to bring a playful attitude to the gym; whether that is pretending I’m a bear when doing bear crawls or trying to encourage the people around me, I think it is good to not take ourselves too seriously.  I think it is important for adults to play and I think the gym is a very safe place to play like a child on the playground. That has really worked for me and made workouts feel like a space where I belong and can bring my full self. I would also say something to the effect of it is good to be competitive with yourself and not others.  That took me a while. I would get too caught up with something like “that person is ahead of me, but they aren’t doing a full push-up”.  It took me a while to learn to not compare myself with others.  I still do it- I was in the gym today and was looking at other people’s watts and was like “hell yeah, I’m working harder than any of these people!”; I have to fight that urge to compare myself to others.  I feel like I get more competing with myself versus with others. I get more when I bring my full self by being playful.

I think that is an important thing and you definitely brought it to class- that sense of playfulness and not being overly self-important.

CB:  It is so nice to hear that.  Also, the coaches that we were drawn too, like you and Autumn and Keith were all very playful people too, so that creates space for those of us who need the space to be a little silly from time to time.

RM:  I’d say, just appreciate what a great place Dane’s is.  Not having it has really reminded us of how amazing it was.  I would also say, check out Strength class. The last two years I was at Dane’s, I really loved having the balance of Fusion and Strength- I thought it really rounded out my fitness routine in a great way.  And just keep going consistently- as consistently as you can. I broke my ankle the summer before I left for school and even while I couldn’t walk or put weight on it, I still went to Dane’s. I didn’t let the routine slip and that was a huge part of my recovery.  Even though I wasn’t able to do all the exercises, the coaches were really amazing at accommodating me. Keith really went the extra mile creating special workouts and adapting the day’s workout to what I was able to do. I will always be grateful for that. When I got out of the cast and was able to start working out again, I hadn’t let the routine slip.  Just being mentally prepared to set the time aside to go to the gym each day. Even though my muscles had a lot of work to do to rebuild, the consistency was still there.

You guys, those were both killer last answers!

CB:  We can say so many nice things about the community and the coaches and our experience there; the individuals and the collective whole.  It really changed my life. If we had moved to New York before going to Dane’s I would not be like “okay, I’ve been here for a week, I need to go to a fitness class.”  It totally reprogrammed my brain.

That is one of the ways that I can tell you two are staying in shape.  You both look great, but you’re also able to just drop in to class any time you are back home.

CB: I’m going to be there in a couple weeks and I am terrified to come to classes because I just have no sense of how much weight I can lift.  But I know there will be other things I can do to keep up.

RM:  Yeah, every time I go to Austin I email John like six weeks before to make sure stuff is set up so we can take classes.  Shout out to Dane Krager.

Dane Krager… Who dat?