We began this half hour with a young women named 'Christmas' which is a story in itself at this time of year but there is a lot more to Christmas Abbott than her name.
She is a tattooed weight lifter, a former Iraq work contractor and now the first women to land a full time spot on the NASCAR Pit Crew. A heavy weight resume for someone who isn't anything but a heavy weight.
Interviewer: Christmas thank you so much for being here.
A: Thank you for having me.
Q: So let’s just start off with your name.. Where did that come from?
A: Yesterday was my birthday - December 20th, so I was my mom's Christmas joy and that is what she named me.
Q: Now from what I understand, you can change two 90 pound tires in 14 seconds! Is that correct?
A: Well the tires are 70 pounds and 75 sometimes but Yes, that is correct.
Q: How do you get that kind of a skill?
A: A lot of training! A lot of training! and what's beautiful is that CrossFit - my primary training introduced me into NASCAR pit crewing and because of my base with CrossFit I was able to learn the skills needed in NASCAR and our pit-crewing really foot quickly.
Q: What's it like to be among so many men?
A: They kind of treat me like as their little brother,so, especially after we started going to the GYM together, we all started training together, they really looked at me in a different way.
Q: I got to say one of my favorite’s part in NASCAR is watching the pit-crews do the work they are doing in this is pretty amazing amount of time and one thing that is interesting is that you point out that everybody who does this has to be an athlete.
A: Yeah, they used to recruit the fans to do the pit-crews and then suddenly they realized that you can start shaving down time and winning races and that is when everybody started to become a lot more athletic.
Q: This footage of you is really incredible; I mean you are really incredibly in shape. What did you tell me your body fat is?
A: It varies between 8-10 percent and I am actually trying to up it to about 12 percent because it allows me to move heavier weight easier.
Q: But what do you lift and how do you get into this condition? I know its CrossFit but what is that really mean?
A: CrossFit is a training style where we take heavy weights and we move them quickly, its anaerobic training most of the time and it is just a lot of fun. I call it a kind of Recess in which you basically recruit your friends to workout with you and afterwards you celebrate together.
Q: You spent a fair bit of time in Iraq and I think you went there because your mother was actually a contractor there but you went there when you were twenty-two ! How long did you spent in Iraq ? Was this during the war?
A: Four years! We were in the operation "Iraq Rebuild" and I just went with the intention of staying a year and just really fell in love with the work and the purpose and so I stayed for four years and then came home and started the CrossFit Gym.
Q: Somebody mentioned your Mom - you come from a long line of women who have accomplished great things. How has that affected who you are today?
A: My mom is such an inspiration to me and she is such an incredible women you know. In her late thirties she decided to go back to school while having three kids and a full house because we were always inviting people over. She went back to school working full time and got her degree and 'My Grandmother' - she is smaller than me but a little spitfire and she will put you on line real fast and you know I had a lot of incredible women in my family.
Q: How to they feel about the tattoos and particular the Gun on your hip by the way?
A: Well 'Tattoos' is a family tradition with my family. We went and get tattooed together a couple of years ago and my dad has these awesome biker tattoos as he drives a lot of Harley Davidson's and you know its just a kind of fun thing for a family, but they are well planned out, they are all original. I think about me tattoo for about a year before I get it and its nothing on a whim.
Well your figure is really a work of art Christmas Abbott, thank you for joining us. Merry Christmas Christmas.
I hope you guys enjoyed it.. Do check out her other interviews and more info about her on this blog.
