Hello World

It's been a year and a half since I last blogged here.  In that time, I've kept a few of you up to speed via Instagram @sarahhopping, and most of you I speak with on a daily basis at Arena Ready or you're my mom or my aunts.  Sorry for my lack of posting, but let me quickly bring you up to speed before I launch into today's post.

Most notably, I've returned to the world of competitive CrossFit with more love for the sport and training methodology than ever before.  I made it to the California Super Regional by the skin of my teeth in 2015 and managed to finish in the top half despite fighting a pesky subluxed rib and my continued uselessness in handstand walking and handstand push-ups (earning me last and second-to-last place finishes, respectively).  The joy of being back out on the floor even despite my shortcomings, and the associated experience of spending a joyous weekend in San Diego with my parents and Arena Ready family, was motivation to keep trying to relive that experience each year that I am able through circumstances and/or physical ability.  It is a joy to pursue the best that I can be among like-minded people of every level.

I participated in the second season of the GRID League last fall, playing for the San Francisco Fire, and was honored to earn Honorable Mention on the All-Grid team thanks to the votes of fans.  Our team battled some adversity through the latter part of the season, but we managed to earn a spot in the Semi-Final match, and were thankful to enjoy spending time trying to move heavy weights faster together.

To state the also obvious, I've quit competitive weightlifting as a sport.  This was primarily because I became unwilling to compete at 75kg after a very tough cut and subsequent lackluster performance at the 2014 American Open.  I am too realistic to think I could compete with the likes of Sarah Robles or Holley Mangold at my natural body weight of 80kg, so I've given up on the dream of competing in weightlifting on the international stage as a specific focus.  I still love lifting heavy weights, as you've seen on Instagram, but now I lift them only when I feel like it, seldom in weightlifting shoes, and never in a singlet

I continue to help Rob run Arena Ready, but professionally I've also spent the last year re-investing in my career in financial services.  This new endeavor means an hour-long commute in each direction (worse sometimes with traffic), and a tremendous amount of mental commitment throughout the day, but it's also been a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with the other side of my brain, and try to build something that could revolutionize private markets.

I think that brings me to today - listening to a podcast about women and eating disorders on my commute from the office to the gym.  I was aghast at how little depth or substance the speakers shared in terms of their own experience and their expertise in helping people with these issues come to terms with body image, their relationships with food, and most importantly in my view, healing their hearts.  I found myself craving the opportunity to share my own experience with anyone who could benefit, because as always I hope that the struggles and triumphs I have experienced can help to enrich the lives of those around me - I want anyone interested to benefit from my experience without having to live through some of the pain first hand.