Moms rock our world. Growing up, when they’re not reading us stories or kissing our boo-boos, they’re driving us to sports practices and making sure our sandwiches have the ideal ratio of peanut butter to jelly.
Moms make so many sacrifices that we only appreciate years later, so this Mother’s Day, we wanted to reflect on how moms made us the badasses we are today by being so amazing from the beginning. To do this, we’ve gathered tributes from some of our top coaches and athletes reflecting on how much their moms mean to them and how grateful they are for their support.
I remember you leaving me to play in the sandpit on my first day of primary school and telling me that you’d return in 10 minutes because you had to do some grocery shopping. You didn’t come back until the end of school, which was around 7 hours later. I screamed and cried for you to come back, and probably told you I hated you for it at the time (ha-ha). Now, I cannot thank you enough for that “tough love” because it, along with many of your attributes, positively helped me become a responsible man who isn’t afraid to go at it alone and shine through in my independence. You have inspired me. If I could change a thing about you, I wouldn’t.
– Kris Gethin, BodyFit coach, CEO of Kaged Muscle
You have a full-throttle work ethic and never complained. You have always been the backbone of our family and played the chords through tough love and support. As I embrace fatherhood, I only hope that your guidance rubbed off on me, as I will push my child to be his or her best (but will also back off, knowing when enough is enough).
– Craig Capurso, BodyFit coach and fitness model
Get your mom the gift that keeps on giving: cozy workout clothes!
I attribute all my success in life to the moral and intellectual education, as well as the unconditional love, I receive from you on a daily basis. I realize how much you have given up to devote yourself to me, my older sister, my father, Granny, and her grandchildren. Motherhood is a 24-hour job with no holidays or sick days. You taught me how to study and to think critically. I excelled in school, and now I excel in life because of my you. Singer Jann Arden sums it up best: “I’ve got a good mother, and her voice is what keeps me here.”
– Dr. Sara Solomon, coach and fitness model
You showed me how being involved in sports, staying active, lifting weights, and eating balanced meals can make life so much more enjoyable! After Scooby Doo in the mornings, you always made us put our shoes on and get outside to play. It would have been so much easier to plop the three of us siblings in front of the TV, but instead you encouraged us to use our imaginations and have fun. Now that I myself am a mom, I have mom-sized shoes to fill because of your influence! I’m so excited to watch Sammie grow up, play outside, and always make it home to sit down for family dinners—just like we did growing up.
– Jessie Hilgenberg, coach and fitness model
You believed in me when everybody else turned their back on me after my accident. When everyone else saw me as a hassle, you were there for me no matter what. Whether I was depressed or stuck in a dark place, you gave me the light I needed to claw my way out. You gave me the strength I needed to overcome. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Mom.
– Nick Scott, IFBB Pro Wheelchair Bodybuilder
You have always been in my corner, my number one support, and my biggest fan. You always put others before yourself and have gone out of your way to give your children a better life. When you decided to compete in your first show, I’d never seen anyone more dedicated to a cause, just like you are as a mother. You have shown me what true dedication is, and you motivate me every day to be the best me—not just in the gym or in fitness, but in life, as a friend, as a sister, and someday as a mother. I hope I can inspire those around me like you do.
– Katie Chung Hua, bikini competitor, health & fitness coach
Over the last 30+ years, you have done a tremendous job supporting, raising, and loving me. Even as a kid, I had a huge appetite and you spent hours in the kitchen “meal prepping” for me and buying all of my favorite foods at the grocery store. You took my brother and me everywhere, exposing us to new people, places, and activities. We were one active family; we played hard and ate hard, too! Mom, I watched you work out on the Soloflex in our living room five days a week for years. Now my daughter watches me work out in my home gym, also located in our living room. It goes to show how the most routine, everyday activities can make the biggest impact on a person’s life. Thank you for showing me that food, family, and fun aren’t an ordinary but an extraordinary way to spend your days. Your enthusiasm for life was contagious and I’d say that is one of my best character traits that I inherited.
– Zane Hadzick, personal trainer and fitness model
Protein bars are the newer, better candy bars. Get a Mother’s Day box for your fit mom—or yourself.