Farewell to Gilbert Arizaga!

Farewell to Gilbert Arizaga!
Interview by Jaimie Bougie

Jaimie:  Gilbert! I feel like it was just yesterday that you joined the Sea of Green family!  And now you are leaving us? You have some explaining to do…..

Gilbert: Yes I do, LOL! Well, living in Hawaii has been a dream of mine for about 8 years now. I recently transitioned from the military to civilian life and will soon to be a student. My plans are to go to University of Hawaii and work towards my Kinesiology Degree. I also just got my Crossfit level 1 Cert less than a month ago, so hopefully I can intern at a gym over in Hawaii as well. All small steps to one day owning a box and helping people achieve their fitness goals the way Invictus did with me.

Jaimie: How did you first hear about Invictus and when was it that you joined?

Gilbert: Well I heard about Invictus last year at the Crossfit Games and my good friend also recommended it to me. He said that Invictus was the best Crossfit gym in San Diego and he was right! I joined 11 June 2012 and wish I could take Invictus with me to Hawaii.

Jaimie:  You joined Invictus right before the Crossfit Games – and you made sure you were there to cheer with the Sea of Green!  What was your favorite part about this year’s Games?

Gilbert: Oh yes! Like I mentioned before I was there last year and saw you guys; you guys know how to have fun and I wanted to be part of it! It was hard to get tickets but I got really lucky and was able to find a couple of tickets and made it. The best part of the games was when we found out we made it to the top 6 teams and were going to compete on Sunday!

Jaimie: Hawaii – how exciting!  Have you already found a new home there for Crossfit?

Gilbert: Yes, I will be living in Kailua and only two miles from Crossfit Kailua (a branch of Crossfit Oahu). I’ve heard great things about them and I am very excited to workout there! But I will always miss my Invictus family.  I will come back for sure and visit several times through out the year, and of course I’ll be there wearing my green at the Games 2013!

Jaimie: What are you going to miss most about the Sea of Green and Invictus?

Gilbert: EVERYTHING!! But most of all, I will miss the coaches; they are not only the best coaches I’ve ever had for any sport I’ve played but great friends. Getting high fives from Nichole, listening to Dave’s jokes, looking at Shane’s perfect hair style and making fun of Cody for the Chargers and Padres not doing so well and of course Captain CJ yelling louder than everyone else. Also the front desk staff has been great, always making me feel welcomed and very helpful. Hopefully some of you guys can make a trip down to Hawaii and visit soon.

Jaimie: If you could control the music for a full hour of class time at Invictus, which station would we be doing burpees to?

Gilbert: “Beach in Hawaii” is the station I listen to all the time and would love to workout to it.

We wish Gilbert the best of luck on his new adventure to Hawaii.