Saxon CrossFit 2022 Member Awards
Our winners of our 2022 Member Awards were announced on Saturday night 10th December at our Christmas Party.
The drinks were flowing, the food was plentiful, the venue, The Queens Head, was buzzing and above all, the company was awesome.
The Saxon Family, by the looks of it, had a fantastic time.
This year our member awards were:
Most Committed to Training
Most Improved
Most Committed to the Saxon community
Member Of The Year
Apart from Member of the year the winners are all selected by the coaches. We each nominate someone and then get together and discuss who we feel deserves the award the most out of the nominees.
Most Committed to training:
This award is to recognise the individual who has gone above and beyond to stay committed and consistent with their training. Who prioritises it, makes time for it and gets it in regardless. In 2022 we have seen a significant increase in dedication to training from our members. The top 5 are;
Joint 5th – Helena Scott and Frances Peters
4th – James Hampton, winner in 2021
3rd – John Allison, winner in 2020
2nd – Maddison Brooks
1st, pipping Maddison by 2 extra classes, our winner of Most Committed to Training Award;
Graeme Ashfield
Graeme can be found at the box most days, rain or shine, hot or cold. He embraces every workout with enthusiasm giving his all and backs his hard work up with additional open gym sessions, focussing on movements and skills to improve those he’s yet to master and those he’s mastered and is now taking to another level. Graeme has attended 227 classes so far this year, averaging 4.63 sessions a week, that’s an impressive amount. On top of his training at the box Graeme has competed at every in house competition in 2022 and has represented Saxon at the Suffolk Games Competitions and Battle Cancer Challenge.
Graeme is a fantastic support and inspires members and coaches alike in their fitness quest.
Most Improved :
Who has improved as an athlete the most in 2022. Who has progressed their fitness, their level of skill, their attitude to training, their work rate or their pain tolerance. Who has started lifting heavier, hitting more complex movements or pushing their boundaries a little more. Who ultimately has improved.
This year in our female and male categories two members stood out;
Jasmine Ayton and Graeme Ashfield
Jasmine joined us September 2020. This year Jasmine has consistently attended the 6am sessions and early morning weekend sessions and competes regularly in Saxon competitions, such as “Farmaggedon” . Her fitness levels, technique and skills have improved significantly, she’s now working out at RX weight and regularly achieving PB’s. Jasmine works extremely hard in class and still has time to join in the legendary 6am class banter. Brilliant work, well done Jasmine.
Graeme, who joined us in 2016, wins his second award this year, adding to his winning the Most Committed to Training Award. The Most Improved Award is chosen well before we check the class attendance stats for our Most Committed to Training award. Graeme’s time in the gym has turned in to significant progress and he was unanimously identified by the Saxon coaching team as most improved. Graeme’s focus and consistency has been the key to his all round improvement, ah yes and those shoulders!. Friendly and welcoming to all who train with him. Brilliant work, well done Graeme.
Member most committed to the Saxon community:
Members make our community and what a special community we have at Saxon.
The most committed to the community award is to acknowledge the person who contributes heavily to what we do as a community. To recognise those who are always there, in whatever capacity: competing, supporting, cheering or just being present.
It’s such a pleasure and humbling experience to choose the winner of this category. All our members make significant contributions to our community, we see day in day out their generosity of spirit and support for their fellow members and ourselves, the Saxon Team. This year there has been many many members that have gone above and beyond. The shortlist, is not that short;
Alex Ford, for organising and running his brilliant paddle board and Axe throwing day, taking wonderful photo’s for us to share and even welding a broken part of the rig.
Chris Booker, will support any member of Saxon, has been to every internal and external competition to support the Saxon competitors.
Maddison Brooks, for all her help with Saxon Academy.
Nikki Brooks for organising and helping with Saxon events and always ready to help if she can.
Sam Parker, last years winner, for being our travelling support at nearly every competition a Saxon was competing in.
Sarah Dixon whose spent her time organising and helping at Saxon events this year.
Sharon Johnson for the use of her beautiful home for “Farmageddon” and Big V’s for the Halloween Social.
Steph Johnson taking up some 6am coaching duties, taking wonderful photo’s and roping her husband in to shifting all the gear we needed to and from “Farmaggedon”
Every time I read the list, more members come to mind, the list could go on and on. We have such a generous and supportive community. Thank you all.
So…it’s extremely hard to choose, but there was one person that led the way.
Sarah Dixon
Sarah has been involved in all our events at Saxon this year, be it organising food, decorating the box and being on hand to help during the events. Talking of being on hand, Sarah’s also turned that hand to finding replacement nuts and bolts to repair ski-ergs to arranging for wall balls to have the stitching redone.
Sarah also bakes wonderful cakes, which she generously brings at every opportunity. Thank you Sarah.
Member of the Year:
This is the only award voted for by you, the members. This is where you get to tell us who you think is an epic Saxon. Which of your peers makes you proud to be part of Saxon, makes you want to work a little harder or be a little better. Who makes you feel welcome and at home in a class, who you feel is a good ambassador for what we do.
This year we had the most votes ever. All these Saxon members were voted for.
Andy Ralston, April Wallace, Becky Thorp, Helena Scott, Frances Peters, Graeme Ashfield, Jasmine Ayton, Jon Evans, Lisa Johnson, Maddison Brooks, Sam Parker, Sarah Dixon, Steph Johnson.
A massive well done to everyone who got a vote. You have inspired or supported someone more than you realise.
To the award…
In 3rd place – Frances Peters
In 2nd place – Helena Scott
First and your Saxon CrossFit Member of the Year 2022 Maddison Brooks
I think these few direct quotes are so Maddison;
She exemplifies everything I like about CrossFit. Always smiling, always committed and, oh yeah, she’s quite good 😊
Maddie is incredible, very humble, hard working and a joy to be around. She succeeds through hard work and determination and is a role model to us all. She’s still only 18 and has a great future as an athlete and Coach. She cares deeply about the people around her and looks out for us all. She’s grown up at Saxon and deserves to be recognised as one of our best people
She is always happy, helpful, keen and humble. She is a brilliant human being
She just epitomises the best of Saxon. She is an all round lovely person- friendly, encouraging, supportive. She sets incredibly high standards for herself and she just goes for it. She is an inspiration and shows what can be done by ordinary people – and she’s only just 18- she has a great future ahead.
Brilliant Maddison, very well deserved.