The world of female athletes: Kevina Mullock

Hard work pays off.

Once upon a time there was a girl named Kevina Mullock who used to participate in every sport; from track to field hockey and all the way to ultimate frisbee, she did it all. As she grew older, she entered the wonderful world of CrossFit and Olympic weightlifting and has never looked back. For the last four-and-a-half years she has been competing in CrossFit and has continued to improve significantly over the year.

After high school, Kevina was on the hunt for a new athletic challenge. Still looking for a team environment while being able to work on her own abilities led her to the crazy world of CrossFit. This sport has allowed her to truly become a well-rounded athlete as you need to not just be strong but fast and agile as well. Participating with such intensity has also translated into other aspects of her life as well. As Kevina is currently in the process of completing her master’s in microbiology, having something that forces her to step away from the school work is not only helpful in ensuring that she can continue to be successful in her studies but allows for a feeling of accomplishment outside of the classroom as well.

It takes a lot of effort to be this great, which is proven by the training schedule that Kevina undergoes to be able to compete at the level that she does. Currently she is training five days a week which is a reduction from the previous six or seven days a week that she used to be doing. Reducing down to a still-impressive five days a week is the perfect amount as it ensures days off to rest which helps with injury prevention It also helps ensure a break in the day between school and work while ensuring time for friends and family. These workouts consist of a bit of everything: weightlifting, powerlifting, gymnastics, strongman, biking, rowing, running – and that is just the beginning. To ensure a balanced workout schedule these are done in a circuit-like fashion. Each training session is done for an hour to two hours to ensure enough time for not only the physical training but also for proper stretching and mobility work as well.

Although the world of CrossFit is trying to move in a direction that is away from bias, there is still obvious bias present within the parameters of the sport. As there is a difference biologically between males and females this is something that needs to be remembered when looking at the amount of weight that one can lift. Many males maintain an attitude that for female athletes to be recognized as equals means they need to lift equal amounts and do equal reps to their male counterparts. This mentality is also found in competitions as more often than not when new records are set, men’s are seen as more impressive than women’s. Even though this bias exists and is difficult to get away from, it does not get in the way of Kevina putting her all into the sport that she loves. It motivates her to push forward and disprove the biases that are surrounding the women in this sport.

The hard work that she has continuously put into training has proven to payoff with her accomplishments. From the beginning of her competition career four years ago, at all the events that Kevina has been able to attend, she has continued to improve immensely. Last summer may have been the highlight in British Columbia as herself along with two other teammates were able to place first in the intermediate category. Outside of competitions the other huge benefit from participating in this sport have been the people that she’s been able to meet and grow with throughout her training. They have been a huge part of her training process and have allowed her to form remarkable friendships.

Throughout her time as an athlete Kevina has developed two main takeaways that she believes every female athlete should keep in mind. The first is that it is more important to focus on the effort you put in and not on your outcome. As female athletes there’s always a significant amount of pressure put onto us to perform at our highest potential consistently in order to limit the biases we face. This constant pressure and burden is what causes many athletes to burn out and become overwhelmed. Every day brings forth new challenges and it is important to take them in stride as best as you can and put forth the amount of effort that will make you satisfied with your performance. The second piece of advice she has to offer is remember to take your sport seriously but do not take yourself too seriously. Keep in mind why you are doing it and never forget how much you enjoy it!