Turning Point

“It’s just sad, it’s just very sad. We’re not this… We’re not like this, we’re not like this. It just makes me hurt inside.” Jessie Brainerd a resident of Portland, Oregon wore this sign around her neck during the ‘Immigrants March’ at the Oregon Capitol in Salem, Oregon to show her opposition to the xenophobic acts that have been occurring throughout the country.

By: Dani Rosales

Determined eyes stared straight ahead as her body dipped into a squat. Taking a deep breath, she straightened herself and pulled the 115-pound barbell with her and caught it in a squat.  With the barbell resting on her shoulders she takes a moment to regain her balance, and slowly pushes her body into a standing positing; she had just obtained a new personal record.

Sara Aljanahi, 22, is a fifth-year senior at the University of Oregon. Born in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Aljanahi came to the Unites States to study math. She is the third member in her family to come to UO. Her brother Abdulla (Jay) Aljanahi and her sister-in-law Dalal (Dee) Aljanahi are UO graduates.

Dee Aljanahi recently began CrossFit and was looking for support. Aljanahi gave CrossFit a chance and ended up loving it. Her commitment to the sport is so strong that her workout partner, Jaylor Satta-Ellis, 21, describes Aljanahi as “a beast.”

For Aljanahi, CrossFit is an escape. As a Muslim, she feels she represents her family and her country. She remembers crying after interrupting an advisor because it might poorly represent Islam. When she’s working out she lets go of all expectations. “When I work out I forget that I’m anything else,” she said. “I forget that I have a scarf on me. It’s just the workout.”

When she was first starting out, Aljanahi, had a difficult time letting herself love the sport. Coming from an Arab country, she struggled to accept a sport that, in the eyes of her country, is for men. “It was basically a guy’s workout… so it was hard to break that mentally,” Aljanahi said.

It wasn’t until winter term of 2016 when Aljanahi knew CrossFit was something she was meant to do. Her sister-in-law was coaching an all-women’s powerlifting class at the Student Rec Center. Once she saw the connection between the group she forgot about her scarf and focused on how CrossFit was bringing amazing people into her life. She realized her scarf wasn’t an impediment to do something she loved.

The people who surrounded her noticed how CrossFit helped her self-esteem. “My first impression of her was that she was super quiet, but after going into lifting she was super funny, outgoing and really extroverted,” said Jaylor.

Aljanahi hopes to empower other women to not let others dictate who they can be and what they can do. Every year she sets a goal for herself. Last year it was mastering a pullup; she achieved three. By the end of the year, despite her wrist injury, she hopes to achieve a handstand walk. While this injury might slow her down, Aljanahi is adjusting her movements and learning to accept the “downfalls of life.”