Ashley Schroeder

I have had the luxury of knowing about CrossFit and specifically Crossfit TNT for almost my whole life. I first learned of CrossFit way back in 2008 when my mom was Rochelle Thayer’s first client. My mom had no idea what CrossFit was, she just wanted Personal Training. Nevertheless she stuck with it and eventually introduced my whole family to CrossFit. I did my first class with Rochelle in 2008 at the New Town Fitness Center. The first workout I ever did was death by burpees and as a 6 year old who was just under 4ft tall I loved it! At the time, I was a competitive gymnast and therefore did not have the time to stick with the Crossfit kids classes. After 7 years as a competitive gymnast mentally and physically I was ready for something new. This is when I decided to go back to Crossfit TNT in 2015.

I did the kids class for about a year before switching into the adult classes. As a mere 13 year old the adult class was rather scary and I don’t think I said more than 10 words for the first two and a half years. In 2016 I did my first CrossFit Open but I could not officially compete as I was a year too young. I still compared my scores to the 14 and 15 year olds competing that year and was thrilled to see I could keep up just fine with the other girls. Additionally in 2016 I started working for Crossfit TNT. I started out babysitting and eventually transitioned into helping out with posting the workouts, retail, cleaning the gym, etc. In 2017 I did the Open officially for the first time and ended up in 31st qualifying for the Age Group Online Qualifier (AGOQ). The AGOQ is the second qualifier that makes you eligible for the CrossFit Games. In the 2017 AGOQ I placed 37th which inspired me to train super hard for 2018 and get my nutrition in check. In the 2018 Open I placed 12th and qualified for the AGOQ which I got 17th in, thus punching my ticket for the 2018 CrossFit Games. The Games were one of the best experiences in my entire life. I ended up in 12th and all of my training and months spent without eating wheat or dairy paid off! I tried qualifying in 2019 and 2020 but after years of beating my body into the ground I needed a break. Luckily I was just about to turn 17, aka the age where you are able to get your CF-L1.

I got my L1 a week after turning 17 and Oscar immediately allowed me to start shadowing at TNT. I dialed back on training and began to focus on coaching and right off the bat I loved it and I still do. I completed all of my shadowing hours in December of 2019 and started coaching classes right away! I love getting to see the improvement, dedication, and passion in the athletes at TNT. I spend almost every day at TNT coaching and working out and it is EPIC. TNT has been a part of my life for almost as long as I remember. I am so grateful to be a part of this gym and thrilled for the opportunity of impacting other people’s lives through fitness.