Mitch is a Coach- Mitch is a Cat
In a wide ranging conversation with Meredith and Michael, I wasn’t even able to gracefully weave all the interesting subjects we covered into the transcript! Some highlights from the cutting room floor include a suggestion right off the bat for free t-shirts for Athletes of the Season (a damn fine idea I must say) and Michael’s adorable fascination with mysterious nocturnal desert creatures which Meredith was able to identify as kangaroo rats!
I think to start off, and particularly because the two of you don’t really know one another, could I get a brief summary of who you are, where you come from, and how you got here? Michael, let’s start with you.
Crider: I’m a 7th generation Texan. I graduated high school from Victoria Texas- a shithole little town near Corpus. UT Grad-
What was your major?
Crider: Economics. How did I get to be here? I was living in DC working for congress as a banking economist and I met my wife who is a native Austinite so we’ve moved back and forth a couple times.
So love and tech brought you to Austin? Pretty logical transition-
Crider: You’ve met my son right?
Daniel?
Crider: Yeah. We were in DC and he is an only child, but at the time he had nine cousins in Texas. My parents were getting older and my wife’s dad was getting older so we moved to Hyde Park. You’ve probably been by my house a dozen times without knowing it.
And you Meredith? Where did Meredith come from?
Lovelace: I lived in Oklahoma until I was 15 and then my parents separated and my grandparents lived in Missouri, so we moved up there. I went to the University of Missouri as an anthropology major, so that meant that I worked at Whole Foods for a while after I graduated from college. I didn’t know that I was supposed to get a “marketable skill” in college. My parents were a little too sweet and supportive.
I had the same problem- theatre major.
Lovelace: So the (2008) recession hit and I lost my job but I had some savings and I had been down here as a kid and my best friend moved her so I was like “if you guys are in Austin, why am I in Chicago which is freezing and I hate it?”. I actually really like Chicago now that I’m a little older, but when I was like 22 through 24 I just wasn’t mature enough to take on a city of that caliber.
With both of you being local to Hyde Park, what was your first encounter with The Shop? How did you end up at this weird gym?
Crider: Driving by it a thousand times a month.
Did it take you a thousand passes before you decided to check it out?
Crider: I didn’t grow up with a strong exercise culture. My wife is an athlete- played on the basketball team, lettered in volleyball in college, taught kids soccer. She is very athletic, but that wasn’t my culture. As I got older, I decided I had to do something right? I’d drive by Dane’s all the time- I don’t know if you remember, but you were in my (fundamentals) class.
Yes! You and I and Dane’s dad were all in that class together.
Lovelace: They made you take fundamentals? I took like one or two of the fundamentals classes and almost wish that I’d taken more.
Crider: And with you (pointing to your humble interviewer), I was like who is this guy who seems like he knows what he is doing and is in better shape than me. I mean, I guess it helps that you’re like half my age.
Oldest trick in the book!
Crider: That’s what I tell the people I’m working out with; my advice to all of them- don’t grow old.
Sage words. What were those early days like?
Crider: It wasn’t that different from fundamentals, other than being tired and sore all the time. It took three months for me to get to a decent baseline and not to not be brutally exhausted every time I left.
Oh I had been working in fitness for a couple years before I started taking classes at The Shop and it still took me months to get adjusted. Meredith, what was your entree to classes at The Shop?
Lovelace: No fitness background either. I dabbled in various things- did some yoga. When I moved to Chicago, I at least got really into biking, which I still do, and that at least kept the Dunkin Donuts weight down. Other than that nothing. A couple years ago I got the job that I have now for Txdot- I’m a GIS analyst which is map making but other stuff as well-
You’re a CARTOGRAPHER!
Lovelace: I hate saying that (laughing)- it is so artistic sounding. Anyway, I had a bump in pay and saw a photo of myself from a pool party and was like “No! Your metabolism is slowing down, you can’t do nothing- so just go to that place you are always biking by”. I also had some friends who worked out (at The Shop) Meg and Rob-
Meg Neely? Rob was an Athlete of the Month!
Lovelace: Yeah! They’re great. They seemed like they were the kind of people who would go to a fitness place that isn’t a cult-
Crider: *Mocking laughter*
Lovelace: Well, it is a friendly and sane cult.
I call us a cult where the Kool-Aid is optional.
Lovelace: Yeah, that sounds right. I remember Dane corrected me on a push-up like my first minute being here. I was like okay, I’m starting from nothing- you just have to put your pride aside for a long time. It was about a year where I just didn’t feel like I knew what I was doing.
Crider: So do you mainly go to Manor?
Lovelace: I live right in between so I split my time pretty evenly.
The funny thing about all four athletes this time around is that all four go to both- they are all bi-shoptual. They go both ways.
Lovelace: I was going to make that terrible joke, but I decided against it.
That is why I’m here. It is why Dane is always on the knife’s edge of firing me. So, I think a really interesting question and one that is unique to this moment in time is what is life like for you right now? What does a day in the life of this grand disruption look like for you?
Crider: I’m spoiled! I mentioned that we moved back to Austin because we had aging parents; my mother passed away and my wife’s father passed away and he was living in this house on Lake Travis. On the lake. He was living in this opposite-of-fancy lakehouse, but it has air conditioning, a little kitchen, furniture, and wifi. There is the pool and the lake and I’m not interfering with my wife and son who have their own routines. I’m totally spoiled.
Lovelace: Oh I’ve got nothing on that! I’m just in my hot 600 square foot apartment all the time- no patio and no pool. Is it kind of stifling day in and day out? Yeah. So just working from home. The Zoom classes were a real lifesaver because I’m single so no one lives with me except my two cats.
What are your cats’ names?
Lovelace: Duff and Mitch.
Named after Coach Mitch?
Lovelace: No!!! I’ve had the cat much longer. But Mitch knows about the cat.
Were you scratching Mitch behind the ears when you told him about the cat?
Lovelace: No, but sometimes I yell at him across the room in the exact same tone I use for the cat.
Crider: Duff named after Duff beer?
Lovelace: *laughing* no, Duff McKagan from Guns n’ Roses- Duff McKitten. He’s currently learning not to be afraid of a mirror.
On the subject of Mitch, both of you mentioned him in the primer email I sent you and how you appreciate his vibe in class. Can you talk about that?
Crider: I love his music. Um… I’m going to be offensive here-
Please do!
Crider: One day there were three particular songs in a row and I asked, “Mitch, do you have a cat?”. He said “No, why?” and I told him that “all of these songs talk about how much they’d love some more p*ssy!”
Lovelace: *roaring with laughter* Oh man… The music is easy to zone out to. I like how we will be taking Bean’s (Saturday morning) restorative Yoga class and he will be blasting hip hop in the next room. It shouldn’t work, but it just does. He’s just such a calm person.
Crider: Uh-huh. I was in a class at Manor within the last six months and the sun was going down and he just had this chill vibe on and there were lots of Vinyasa and flow stuff and it was just a perfect workout.
Lovelace: This might be off the record because it is too embarrassing for Mitch, but one class he ended with Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do (is have some fun)”, and I’m from Missouri so I just whispered “nice Mitch!”. He said, “Spotify told me I’m in her top 5% of fans”!
The next time you’re on MindBody, look up his profile- you’ll see that he’s a fan of another female musician who rose to prominence in the mid-nineties. So if Mitch is the chill vibe guy, who is the anti-Mitch?
Lovelace: (no hesitation) John. With John, I feel like I have to go. I think people go to his classes because that is what they want. There is something about him that makes you feel like you need to work until you throw up.
Crider: Someone described Dane’s to me as “like Crossfit but run by yoga instructors”. Everyone kind of has that vibe.
That is actually a great description.
Lovelace: Yeah, intensity isn’t a bad thing. I’ve been to places where they push you to a point where you might injure yourself or make you feel bad. Everyone has always been encouraging here.
Crider: This might be off the record, but even Beth (Reyburn)- in real life she is real straightforward and tough love. When my mom died, I was just a zombie and she was like “Yep, you’re a member of the dead mom’s club; it is a sucky club, but you are in it for life, so get used to it!”. I was like, wow thanks Beth. But as a coach she is just totally different- she’s always like “Good job Michael!”.
That actually probably won’t be off the record because it sort of epitomizes what I love about Beth- she’s no nonsense, but she is also extremely caring.
Lovelace: Yeah, the moment where I got the vibe here was a couple months in. I was wearing some Outdoor Voices leggings and she asked if I liked them. I told her that the sizes don’t go up very much and they are kind of tight, but Hey, that’s why I’m here. She was just like, “I don’t want you here to lose weight, I want you here to feel good.” I was mind blown- the fact that (at The Shop) it isn’t about the body, it is about how you feel and getting stronger.
Speaking of things you enjoy, are there particular workouts here you are fond of? I’m going to start with Michael because I know you’ve been caught flipping tires while we were shut down. It is kind of your sneaky little secret and I love it.
Crider: Well, you don’t leave battle ropes lying around. Yeah, I’d rather lift weights than run.
Lovelace: Deadlifts are the truth teller of your strength and form. I actually really enjoyed the last Community Gains. It was push press day and I had Beth Felker as my coach. That is probably my best lift and I PRed it by quite a bit and she was just super excited for me and encouraging but then she said, “You’re done, that is enough. You can stop there.” If it was me by myself I might have kept going and maybe got hurt. I really liked that she said that.
I think that is where the yoga teachers running Crossfit analogy fits nicely- I really like that Michael.
Lovelace: And taking two yoga classes a week really helps. I take the Saturday classes and then Christina’s independently run Sunday night class.
Great plug for our Yoga folks Meredith! So we’ve got Bean coaching on Saturdays at 11:30am at the Shop and then doing her independent thing virtually on Sunday nights. We’ve also got Jess Chester doing Shop yoga at 6pm on Thursdays and then she and Jenn Williams both have youtube channels. So I asked you both a couple primer questions via email and in one of your answers Meredith, you mentioned liking to go to the afternoon/evening classes to blow off steam at the end of the day. Where does the steam come from?
Lovelace: Oh, well I bike so there is probably some anger directed at cars by the end of the day. And this is probably TMI, but it is an interview-
No I is TMI!
Lovelace: Okay, so last year I went through a breakup and I had all of this anger and a gym membership. I had been going two or three times and now I’m going like six times a week. It was just a positive (release)- the more I went the better I felt.
Michael, do you have any thoughts on blowing off steam?
Crider: I just always leave in a better mood than when I showed up.
That is a very Athlete of the Season thing to say. And something I tracked in your response to my primer email was you wanting to know when we were going to invest in barbell warmers for the winter months. *brief pause for all of us to laugh* I was wondering if either of you had thoughts on posh amenities we could invest in?
Lovelace: Well it is like we have a sauna here naturally- my skin has never been so dewy.
Crider: I wonder if we could get together a member pool to place bets on when the AC gets turned on.
Lovelace: You can always get that AC in the Strength Room at Manor.
That is a veteran move. Come summer, takin’ those Strength classes at Manor! I think this is a good moment to move into random questions. I want you both to imagine yourself as either a professional wrestler entering the ring or it is a film and you walk into the room- what is your entrance music?
Lovelace: “Here You Come Again” by Dolly Parton- just fist pumpin!
Crider: Um, I don’t have a personal theme song- If I’m working out to the recorded on-demand workout videos I have go to selections, but I honestly wish I could get Mitch’s playlist. I listen to 80’s punk- London Calling by the Clash, stuff like that.
I could see Michael storming into the ring to The Clash. That makes sense. If you were a superhero, what would be a superpower that represents who you are?
Lovelace: It’d be teleportation.
The ultimate Irish goodbye?
Lovelace: Exactly!
Crider: So I started in economics and now I do marketing. Both are about influencing people- one is fiscal tools and the other is psychological tools, so it would really be like Professor X mind reading tools.
That is a fantastic answer!
Crider: It is just the smart choice- if you want to make money.
Lovelace: Well, I was an anthropology major, so I clearly didn’t want to make money.
*Laughing* Okay here is another one. I was here doing these interviews in 2016- an election year- and here we are in another election year. If you were to nominate someone from the Dane’s Body Shop world- a coach, member, or someone else from the larger DBS diaspora- to run for president of the United States, who would it be and why?
Crider: Other than you right?
Ha! I’m not running for the nomination.
Lovelace: I’d have a Beth/Beth ticket.
That’s good- who would be at the top of the ticket?
Lovelace: I’d put Reyburn there. She’s got the mom skills and the ability to just casually have seven foster dogs at her house- serious organizational skills.
Any slick thoughts Michael?
Crider: I don’t know. Dane does a great job of building community here, but I’m not like deeply integrated- I have a wife and kids. I just don’t know anyone well enough to be comfortable making that call. I think we’re seeing the repercussions of having someone totally unvetted and untested in the office right now.
Lovelace: Fair!
That may actually be the smartest answer I’ve yet heard to that question. I’ve finally been called out on my solicitation of demagogues! Okay, puppies or kitties?
Lovelace: I say both- I have cats now, but I love them both
Crider: Yeah, I’ve owned both. We had a hamster that sadly died just as the coronavirus lockdown was happening. We’re working on getting a dog right now, so I will say puppies.
As we wrap things up, here’s a little two in one question: why do you think you are here as Athlete of the Season and do you have any words of wisdom?
Lovelace: Oh I have no idea why I was chosen.
Crider: I can’t speak for Meredith, but for me I thought you guys just ran out of people to give it to.
No! We’ve lost a little bit of business because of the virus but we remain vital! There were a number of strong choices but you two did make it to the top. You were chosen very much for a reason. As a prompt I would say that you are both very regular in attendance-
Lovelace: Well, I have nothing else going on in my life right now- during the past few months. (taking classes) Is one thing where I have to get dressed for and actually see people.
I think that neither of you are “Ra-Ra” cheerleader types, but consistency and being present can be of more value than being the peppy person-
Crider: Like water on a rock- we just wore you down.
Exactly- eons and eons of Michael Crider coming to class and eroding our Athlete of the Month selection process. No, it is a real thing- when you come regularly and put that effort in!
Lovelace: I came from a pretty big place of insecurity when I started here. But the longer I was here the more comfortable I became- particularly when I started kicking up the number of times I came per week. I started to be more of myself and to make friends. The first year though, I just hung back and was like “what’s a toes to bar? I can’t do that!”. But now I feel like I’m more comfortable.
But you are still yourself. I think the value in that is that someone comes in and they see you just being you- not trying to be Carly Crossfit. I don’t have to be a “gym person”. Meredith is being Meredith and Michael is being Michael- I think that is very valuable, since you’re forcing me to answer the question for you. I think that is one of the things that makes us unique as a community, just being ourselves. You two exemplify that and we really appreciate it. If a brand new person were to walk into Dane’s today, how would you advise them?
Lovelace: Accept that you are going to feel dumb for a while and just let it go because no one is looking at you- the coaches are, but lovingly. No one is judging you, so just keep it up and you’ll get there.
Crider: Yeah, it is a very judgement free zone. I’ve had coaches encourage me, but never had someone yell at me to do more. What I tell my son is that the race is long and it is only against yourself. It is the same thing here- do it for yourself. As I get older I give less fucks about what everyone else thinks. Maybe that is the lesson- give less fucks.
