Samreen began at FirePower ahead of her time. She was the lone teenager in a sea of thirty to forty-something year old athletes. She had no one to relate to. She had never participated in any physical challenge; CrossFit was her introduction. Despite being out of place and over challenged Samreen had a determination and kindness that was unparalleled.
According to her dad Jamal, Samreen was a really confident and happy kid in her early years at school. As she progressed through school Jamal & Shamita realized she was really struggling. It became apparent she was well behind her peers academically and it started to take a toll on her. Her teachers warned that the first thing she would lose was her confidence, and it was painful to see that prophecy come true. For the next several years, Samreen turned into a shy kid who loved double Big Macs and TV.
“We introduced Samreen to FirePower in early 2013, and that was a struggle for a kid that had never worked out and had my genetics,” explained Jamal. “She had zero hand-eye coordination or any athletic ability of any kind! The first time she ran and experienced an increased heart rate, she broke into tears as she thought she was dying or having an asthma attack. She could not do a single skip, and sprained her ankle trying to jump onto a 25 lb plate.”
With the determined commitment of her parents to keep coming, the patience and support of the coaches, fellow athletes and members in the community, Samreen kept showing up to class regularly, always with a smile on her face. She was the catalyst to the creation of the FirePower Varsity program – an environment where teens could share in the magic of CrossFit workouts and community amongst like-aged peers. The program was a huge success.
“It’s amazing how a supportive community of people can change a kid’s life,” recalls her dad. “FirePower gave her that community and above all amazingly strong women as role models that she could look up to.” One such woman was the amazing Coach Annie Gordon who put a lot of time working with Samreen. Annie’s commitment and efforts propelled her to where she is today.
“Samreen said 'thank you' every time the coaches critiqued her movements, every time we've encouraged her, and every time we've made a workout miserable for her,” recalls Annie. “She is constantly grateful. She has always taken it upon herself to make other members more comfortable. As a teenager, when being inclusive is decidedly uncool, she played mother goose to the rest of the Varsity class. I could always depend on Samreen to take new teenagers under her wing an make them feel included.”
Today, Samreen is one of the most powerful, and accurate lifters at the box. Her gymnastics movements are among the strongest of all the women in the gym and her endurance is above par. She can handle every workout that is thrown at her and regularly chooses to participate in more than one a day!
While her physical traits have changed tremendously and she has aged into what can only be described as a bombshell. Her best assets; her incredible attitude and gratitude have always endured. She is eternally kind.
“Today Samreen is a confident young athlete constantly working to get better at her passion of CrossFit; diligently working on nutrition. She is about to graduate from college in December with amazing grades all due to this amazing community at FirePower that helped build her up brick by brick constantly cheering her on every step of her journey.”
