Saturday, January 30, 2016

And She's Off!

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My buddies Treesh and Neek came all the way out from Buffalo to work out with us at VooDoo Fitness on Saturday morning before I left. Love you guys!!

Here's Mark being Mark, making fun of the serious core and shoulder stability training by mimicking me with baby kettlebells

My VooDoo buddies! Normally I coach on Tuesday mornings at 5:30am, but this week I wanted to do one last workout with the crew. We did 9-7-5 of ring muscle ups and snatches at 135#/95# ("Amanda" in CrossFit speak)



The "before" picture of my car. Ready for boats to be loaded on top!

If you know anything about me you know that my cat Mikko is my life.  I am not, nor have I ever been, ashamed to be a cat lady. Here's Mikko helping me pack.
Of course we can't forget Ollie! The day before I left there were a few hours of bright sunshine, and Ollie helped me do some blogging on the porch by digging right in front of me and getting REALLY dirty. Love ya, pup.

Mark, aka Wolfman, aka my fiancé and biggest supporter, was determined to keep the mood light on my last night in town.  Venison burgers (from the deer we got in December) topped with egg, and champagne cocktails. We have a big year coming up-- I'll be gone for an unknown period of time this spring/summer, he finishes grad school in March, and we are getting married in October. It will be tough to be apart but we both think it would be worse not to pursue this [kayaking].

The "after" picture of my car all loaded up and ready to go! I'm bringing 2 boats: 1 to paddle, and 1 to (hopefully) sell.
Here we go!

My dad drove with me. We've done lots of cross-country road trips together, so  we are pretty good at it. The trip is almost 1,000 miles. We did 10 hours on Thursday and 5 hours on Friday, stopping for the night in Wyethville, Virginia. Due to the recent snowstorm, there was snow cover all the way to Asheville, NC (but thankfully the roads were dry).

You know you're in the South when...

Stay tuned for more as I get settled into my new routine in Georgia!

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Taking the Shot

Why am I quitting my job and moving away from my fiancé and family for 4+ months to pursue a dream I've already failed at? I answer that question in this video, shot and produced by my talented coworkers at Clark CSM Marketing Communications





Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Drink Beers Like an Olympian



Clark CSM is hosting a sendoff party for me! Stop by the Pittsford Pub on Thursday night to have a beer and say goodbye. We'll be airing a never-before-seen video we've been working very hard on. Light appetizers provided. Hope to see you there! More information can be found here.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Evan Dawson Show with GRAAF

I had SO MUCH fun yesterday on the Evan Dawson show on WXXI with Anja and the Greater Rochester Amateur Athletic Foundation. Here's the link to the show if you missed it.
Top right photo: me and Anja in the studio. Bottom left: Mike Ingham and Faye Casey, both board members of GRAAF. Bottom right photo: Evan Dawnson, Anja Pierce, Olympic sailer Mike Ingham, Emily Wright, Olympic fencer Iris Zimmerman, and Faye Casey.

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Listen to Us Live On the Radio!

Anja and I will be live on WXXI Public Broadcasting at 1pm today with the Greater Rochester Amateur Athletic Federation! Tune in and listen live at AM 1370 or FM WRUR 88.5!


Monday, January 4, 2016

Photos from the Fight Gone Bad Fundraiser

THANK YOU so much to everyone who came out to support me and suffer through a workout on a Sunday morning. I'm so grateful to be part of the CrossFit community. There's no other community like it!
My fiancé Mark wore his America pants, and I couldn't take him seriously.

You guys don't even look tired!

Gorgeous ladies of CFR!

The entire Pulire family is pretty strong

My bestie, Emily Mickle, is of course my former k2 partner and my current partner in crime. She took a day off from studying  to come out and crush this workout.... wearing fairy wings. Because why not?
Mark giving my mom a quick rowing tutorial before she hopped into a scaled version of the workout (her first-ever CrossFit experience. She did awesome!)
My little sister (in the back) is a runner who's just started CrossFit recently. She completed the workout Rx!

As a kid, I liked kayaking because it was a hobby of my dad's. My parents have always encouraged me to go after whatever dreams made me happy. Many failed. Few achieved. But love and support, always.

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Donation Match!

BIG NEWS!!! An anonymous donor is matching donations up to $1000 now through the end of the day tomorrow, January 3rd! If you were considering making a donation towards my journey to Olympic trials, this is the perfect opportunity to DOUBLE your contribution! There are 3 ways to contribute: 1. Show up to CrossFit Rochester tomorrow between 7:30-11:30 and do Fight Gone Bad (more info at www.kayakwod.eventbrite.com- you can guarantee a heat time by signing up online, or you can just walk in) ------------ 2. Mail a check (you can PM me for an address, or it's listed at emilywright.org/donate) ----------- 3. Donate on my RallyMe page: rallyme.com/rallies/2601/kayakemily Thanks everyone for your support!


Come Hang Out with Me!



COME HANG OUT WITH ME TOMORROW! Get signed up for a heat time (every half hour from 7:30-11:30) at 
kayakwod.eventbrite.com, or just show up with a donation tomorrow morning. Prizes provided by RockTape, Tango Charlie Apparel, G&G Fitness, and beer I purchased at Wegmans. 

Tango Charlie is donating 10% of clothing sales, AND we just got word that an anonymous donor will match any donation made right NOW through midnight on January 3rd (you can donate either in person tomorrow morning at CrossFit Rochester, by mailing a check, or on my Rallyme page (https://www.rallyme.com/rallies/2601/kayakemily) up to $1000!!