Connect with Nathan: 
All growing up, from about 4 years old to 15, I played competitive lacrosse and soccer. I played on the best travel teams that my area provided. My very first soccer game as a 4 year old, I scored 16 goals and from then on my parents realized, and later on I did as well, that the Lord blessed me athletically and I’ve been fortunate enough to have been given the work ethic to match that raw gifting.
At 16 years old I was sick of soccer and lacrosse and decided I wanted to play ice hockey. I could barely skate and didn’t know much about the sport but after 3 months of practice, I tried out for the top level ice hockey program in my area (Arlington, VA), called the Washington Little Capitals and was selected for the team. The following years I played for the Washington Junior Capitals (Junior B Tier III), the Washington Junior Nationals (Junior A Tier III), and then finally the Bradford Rattlers (Junior A Teir II Canadian hockey). I was being scouted to play for multiple Div. 1 schools when I tore my groin in a pre-season game. It took 7 months to fully heal and at that point the dream was gone.
Within a few months I was enrolled in Christopher Newport University, in Newport News, Virginia. At the beginning of my Junior year I found CrossFit and never looked back. I have never had a coach and just recently joined a local affiliate. Everything I learned about CrossFit was either through YouTube or trial and error. Within a few months of competing and training in the CrossFit methodology, I competed in the 2014 CrossFit Open and placed 4th in the MA region and 76th worldwide, then went on to place 5th at the MA regional (I was a few points away from a qualifying spot going into the last workout but tore my hand wide open at the beginning of event 7 and was doing pull-ups in doubles, dropping me from 4th to 5th). I have competed against the best multiple times over this past year (ECC in Boston, Granite Games in Minnesota, and quite a few others) and have trained exceedingly hard as well as smart with my eyes on going to Carson.