Pride Athlete Feature - Jen Marion

“Pride is the freedom to be who I am. It is also a time to remember the history of our community and the fact that it wasn’t always this way and that there are still many places that it is not.”- Jen Marion

Pride Athlete Series Continues. Jen has been a member since October 2017. Coach Nani would describe her as a humble and hard-working athlete with a warm presence. Here is her story in her words: “I am very proud to be a member of this community. Pride in Toronto, or anywhere that I have been for that matter, is always such an awesome time to get together with others that have had a somewhat shared experience. I know for most people in the LGBTQI community, life, at some point, has presented big or small challenges due to how they self-identify. Pride events help people, including myself, realize we are part of a community and are not facing these challenges alone.”

She continues, “When I first came out, now 17 years ago, I was definitely afraid to tell anyone. It now isn’t even something that I think about having to tell someone most of the time. The laws in Canada have also changed a lot since I first came out. We can now marry whoever we want, which is a huge challenge our whole community has overcome.”

When asked how fitness has impacted her life, she states: “Sports and fitness have always been constants in my life and definitely kept me from going down some dark holes at times. Playing a sport is still definitely one of my favorite things to do, preferably soccer, basketball or tennis. Growing up, I played tennis for the provincial team as well as competitive soccer. I still play on two soccer teams, though I keep getting injured which is what originally brought me to CrossFit. I love being on a team and have always been close with my teammates. I feel like sports created a support network for me, as well as kept me physically fit. Even more importantly, I would say sports and fitness helped maintain my mental health. It can definitely be hard to do, but the best medicine when I am feeling a little down is to go do something that gets my heart rate up.”

What is Pride to Jen? “Pride is the freedom to be who I am. It is also a time to remember the history of our community and the fact that it wasn’t always this way and that there are still many places that it is not.” 🌈