September - 2025 - Dale Porter

Dale Porter—September 2025 Athlete of The Month

1.Tell us about yourself, your family, your occupation, hobbies/interests.
I’m married to Natalie and we’re blessed with 16 kids ( expecting one). I like to spend time with my family, read, sing in choir, play guitar, run and of course CrossFit WODs.

2. When do you start CrossFitting? Why did you start? Why do you continue now?
I started CrossFit in March of 2023 to improve my fitness, which was very much needed and is one of several reasons I continue (see below).

3. Do you remember your first WOD? What were your thoughts after your first WOD?
I don’t remember my first WOD, but I looked it up, it was max burpees, which explains why I don’t remember my first WOD.

4. What do you enjoy most about CrossFit?
The comradery is great, we help each other. As we say, we can do so much more as a team than we can by ourselves, so I’m very grateful for my teammates.

5. What is your proudest CrossFit moment?
Doing the Murph is at the top, a small sacrifice for those who have died protecting our country and the families they’ve left behind.

6. What is your favorite movement or lift? What is your least favorite?
Any kind of running would be my natural favorite, but inside the gym it would be the rower. When I first started I didn’t like the rower much and it has since grown on me. My least favorite is the REB. I know some who love it, which baffles me. :grinning: This tells me I need to work on the REB more.

7. Have you had one or two challenging CrossFit goals that you've achieved recently? What are your current goals and how close are you to reaching them?
One of my goals is to get to where I can do Rx in the WOD, which I’m able to do more often now. When I first started I had to drastically scale everything, especially anything overhead.

8. What makes CrossFit different from other fitness programs that you might have tried in the past?
I have been on different teams in various domains, some with an emphasis on competition and others emphasizing team ship or sportsmanship. We have all of those good things in CrossFit, for sure. But I have never been in a program such as CrossFit Benedictus where all we do starts with prayer and is rooted in the Faith. We offer up our WODs which gives them redemptive value. Where in the world of athletics do you ever see that? And the coaches are great, knowledgeable, personable, real.

9. What impact has CrossFit Benedictus had on your life, in and out of the gym?
The common benefits that people look for in athletics are there: increased energy, strength, flexibility, weight loss, improved sleep. But of greater value to me is that it is an ascetics practice, providing ample opportunity to grow in virtue by denying self, getting out of our comfort zones, physically and mentally.

10. Tell us about your nutrition and how it has changed, if any, since starting CrossFit?
My nutrition hasn’t changed much since starting CrossFit. I tend to go after more protein and am a bit more mindful about the treats.

11. If you could write a WOD for the classes to do, what would it look like?
If I could write a WOD, it would be like the Twelve Days of Christmas, but between movements would be a 400m run.

12. What advice do you have for others about the importance of the dedication of taking care of yourself, of investing in yourself?
I went many years without significant exercise, which is especially a problem for someone with a desk job. It didn’t take long being in CrossFit to realize so many benefits, only some of which I describe above. In the end, I’m better able to serve my family, near term and long term, which makes it worth it.

13. What advice would you give to someone new to CrossFit or who is thinking about giving it a try?
Be patient with yourself. Scale where needed. Focus on mastering the movements and realize that this takes time, repeated practice. Stick with it: the short term benefits are great, but the long term benefits are ever better.