Hitting the Fan With Mister Jack Sernett
Written By Bryce Smith
Some of you have seen and met Jack Sernett. He is famous for coming in while wearing a Kansas City Chiefs hat and rocking some pretty fancy sock game. He always makes eye contact and says hello. For most, you have to strain your neck to look up and make eye contact back at his massive 6ft 5in frame hence hitting the fan haha. He is an old soul with the best manners of anyone I have ever met. He wakes up each and every day with a desire to improve in all aspects of his life with goal of being better than yesterday. I had the pleasure of interviewing this tall glass of water and his story is one that you don’t want to miss.
Bryce: What was your life like before you found CrossFit? Tell us a short version of how you got to where you are today.
Jack: My life before I found CrossFit was extremely different than it is now. To shorten this answer I’ll talk about what my life was like right before I found CrossFit. So to began when I was 17 years old (I am now 22). At that time, I was a junior in high school and my health was out of control in a bad way. Mentally I was struggling with severe anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder called orthorexia. Physically I was 6ft 5in and extremely underweight at 130 lbs. To put things in perspective, now I am a healthy 6ft 5in and 240 lbs.
My health got so bad both mentally and physically that I had to drop out of high school 3/4 the way through my junior year and check into a mental health and eating disorder facility in Wisconsin, called Roger’s Memorial Hospital. This is where my life took a 180 degree turn and therefore changed forever.
I was at Roger’s Memorial hospital for nearly three months. While there, my anxiety, depression, and eating disorder got way better and I gained a much needed 30 lbs. Almost as important, I found CrossFit while at the hospital. Throughout my first week of treatment at Roger’s, I was in denial and thought I didn’t need to change my ways, and thought I was “healthy”. On my eighth day in treatment I wandered into the common room on my floor and turned on ESPN. Immediately I was intrigued when I saw something called the CrossFit Games was on TV and the athletes were competing in the “Killer Cage” event during the 2011 Games. The announcers called Matt Chan and Dan Bailey out onto the competition floor and I immediately told myself I wanted to look like them and do what they were doing…CROSSFIT!
I’ll never forget this moment. Within minutes of this, I started to realize I needed to change and actually seek treatment for my health if I wanted to live and one day compete in CrossFit. Suddenly, my mental health started to improve, I gained weight, and I was actually optimistic and excited about my future for the first time in my life.
Once I returned home to Kansas, I continued to improve my health and started CrossFit right away. All in all, CrossFit saved my life. Who knows where I’d be had I not turned on the TV that day and watched the CrossFit Games. That is one of the main reasons why I train hard everyday and continue to see how far I can go in this sport.
Bryce: What motivates you to keep coming back?
Jack: I have a passion for fitness and want to challenge myself both physically and mentally. I keep coming back because I want to see how much I can get out of my body and mind. I don’t want to be 80 years old and regret not using my body to its fullest potential.
Bryce: How has adding in semi-privates to your routine enhanced your CrossFit experience?
Jack: In short, the #builtbybryce program has enhanced my life in so many ways. Basically, it has helped me enjoy training more than ever before and therefore helped my mental game in not only CrossFit, but also school and work.
Bryce: What is your biggest obstacle during your training sessions and how do you get through it?
Jack: I’d say my biggest obstacle during my training sessions is making sure I’m having fun at all times and not allowing a “poor” performance in weightlifting or a failed rep effect the rest of my training session. I now know everyday can’t necessarily be a PR day.
Bryce: What one or two things do you do in your training that are keys to your success? Where did you learn those things?
Jack: In my training, I make sure to smile and have fun even while training my weaknesses. I also try to have a short-term memory. Meaning, I don’t let one missed lift or failed rep effect the next attempt or my entire workout. I learned all of this from you, Bryce, and watching motivational videos throughout the years.
Bryce: What is the best training advice you have ever been given?
Jack: The best advice I’ve been given is probably also the simplest advice I’ve been given. That advice is to simply have fun and enjoy the fact that I am healthy and physically able to train at a high level. This is because at the end of the day it’s just working out…right?
Bryce: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Jack: I draw my inspiration from my “unhealthy” past and how far I’ve come both mentally and physically. I want to inspire and show others that if I can overcome my problems of the past and come from rock bottom to where I am today (happy and healthier than ever), then anyone else can too.
Bryce: Do you have a saying or motto that you live by?
Jack: I’m obsessed with sayings and mottos so I live by many. However, I would say one of the main mottos I live by is by Confucius. The motto/saying is “He who says he can, and he who says he can’t are both always right”.
Bryce: What is your ultimate achievement?
For 2017, one of my main ultimate CrossFit achievements will be finishing in the top 100 in the SoCal Region in the Open. I want to defy the odds and actually do “well” in the Open while being way bigger physically than the majority of the athletes.
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