Coach Carolyn Joins the 12L Staff
February 4, 2025
Coach Carolyn

Certifications: CrossFit Level 1 Trainer, Dynamic Stretch Specialist, NCSF-CPT (in progress)
Member Since: December/2024
Coaching Since: April/2023
Favorite Movement: Strict handstand pushups
Favorite WOD: Annie, fast and fun! (when doubles are doubling)
Favorite Workout Gear (i.e tape, belt, grips, wrist wraps, etc).
Knee sleeves! Game-changer for squatting, walking lunges suck less, and good protection for rope climbs.
Born and Raised: Born - Holland, the Netherlands. Raised - Columbia, Maryland
Favorite Food: Japanese hibachi or sushi
Favorite TV Show/Movie: The Vampire Diaries or Schitts Creek/The Hunger Games series
Hobbies: reading/journaling, exploring new coffee shops, brunch and brewery outings on a nice day out
Hidden Talent: I have been told that I am really good at writing/expressing thoughts with words.
Athletic Background: I tried almost every sport in high school. Field hockey was the only one that clicked, but I didn’t pursue it post high school. I participated in pick-up sports here and there, but nothing consistent before CrossFit.
Long Answer (2-3 sentences)
Favorite 12 Labours Memory: This past Resolution Games, Elena and I were dancing around 4th place leading up to the final event: Tortoise vs. Hair. (let’s just say I am a Tortoise) The pressure to “send it” for the podium spot had me shaking in my boots, but we had ironically landed 3rd in that event and 3rd overall. When the results came in, I screamed, jumped for joy, and immediately located Elena to share the great news with an extra-enthusiastic jumping hug.
Occupation: Marketing Specialist. I worked for a digital marketing agency for almost three years and have been freelancing and contracting since.
Interesting Fact: I told myself I would never move back to Maryland when I left the state to attend Virginia Tech for college. Returning home was the best decision I have ever made and greatest joyful surprise, in-part largely for the ever-evolving close relationships that I keep developing here.
Why do I coach? I coach CrossFit for greater access to the members and an ability to build close connections with athletes. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a movement “click” for someone. Supporting their growth with front row seats to all the action is a big privilege for me.
Miscellaneous - Add a custom question “What is one language you would choose to have automatically downloaded into your brain”
I am half-Turkish, and would love the opportunity to communicate with some family who live there. However, I have always dreamed of spending a few months in the Netherlands, where I was born. I would have to pick Dutch.
MORE RECENT POSTS

We have gone over this in a newsletter before, but the topic of gymnastics grips is always a hot topic, especially around Murph time. So let us dive into this and explain the different types, the goals, and some tips on how to get better usage out of the gymnastics grip. Let us start by understanding that there are two different types of grips, hand protection, and grip enhancement. They both have their uses, but in my opinion the grip enhancement is far superior, especially for the type of stuff we are doing. Hand Protection grips are really more like gloves than anything else. They protect the palm of the hand, but offer nothing in terms of grip enhancement, and in most cases actually make it more difficult to hold onto the bar. The main goal of this post is to understand the difference, and make sure we are sizing/utilizing our grips to offer hand protection AND grip enhancement. There are a million different styles of grips out there, and we can't go over them all, but these principles will apply to any style of grip you choose. We will break this down into 3 parts, sizing/placement, utilizing the fold and/or friction, and hand position on the bar. Let's go. Sizing A proper gymnastics grip should be large, and at least extend to the last knuckle of the fingers.

As many of our Annapolis members know, in Fall 2024, 12 Labours started an official Barbell Club class on Monday and Wednesday at 5:30 pm in Annapolis. During our first 12 week cycle, the focus was on building awareness and stability in the proper positions necessary for the snatch and clean and jerk (olympic weightlifting), as well as the back squat, bench and deadlift (powerlifting). Our members who have attended have experienced immense success in their lifts, both in improving form, as well as improving strength. The second cycle which started in January 2025 has been focused on first continuing to build technical proficiency, followed by improving strength with technical proficiency, and finally working towards some of our olympic lifting member’s first competition at the Cap City Open on April 27. As we look to the future with Barbell Club, we are hoping to not only invite more members into our lifting sessions to continue building technical proficiency in the lifts but also enhance the process of working towards competition for members who would like this opportunity. Barbell club programming for the Olympic Weightlifting side will involve two tracks, a locally competitive track, and a nationally competitive track. For anyone new to the sport of Olympic weightlifting (snatch, clean and jerk), local competitions can be entered by any athlete who fulfills the requirements of that specific meet (USAW sanctioned meets require a USAW membership). Athletes are designated to the weight class of their choosing (we typically guide towards competing at a weight class that your body is naturally comfortable at) and can be Junior (under 18 years old), Senior (over 18 years old), and Masters (35 years old and over) age groups. National and International meets can only be entered by athletes who have posted a qualifying total at a local meet, or more competitive meet depending on what the athlete is hoping to register for. A qualifying total is the total kilograms that the athlete must lift, at a minimum, to be able to register for that meet. For a 12 Labours member who would like to compete locally, the Barbell programming will include: 2x/week Barbell Programming (M/W 5:30 pm class) + Squat/Accessory Day (to be performed independently) We strongly suggest attending as many in - person barbell classes as possible if you plan on competing to maximize success and comfort when stepping onto the platforms in competition. There will be 2-3 opportunities for local competition each competitive year. For a 12 Labours member who would like to compete nationally, there are a few other requirements to be fulfilled: Athletes must have competed at a local level and have a qualifying total to register for this next level of competition. 3-4x/week Barbell Programming - This will be an expanded version of the Barbell class programming to work towards the level of commitment necessary to compete at this level. There will be 2-3 opportunities for national/international competition each year. We are excited to open up more opportunities for our 12 Labours members to get stronger and perform better both within and outside of the gym. Please do not forget that Barbell classes are open for all 12 Labours members, and you DO NOT have to compete to attend. We are happy to coach anyone who wants to learn more about the lifts, improve technique and get stronger! We will be starting a new cycle on April 28, which will also help us work towards our next local meet, Tough Temple, held in Rockville, MD on July 12-13, 2025.
you can ACHIEVE your goals with us
CrossFit is meant for all levels of fitness, and our universally scalable model is built for you.