I'm extremely proud of Ryan Bartel. I've known him since his sophomore year of high school and he's always exemplified solidity, a big heart for people, and an extremely positive attitude. He takes the initiative to talk to others and rally people together with a spirit that refuses to break. I'm excited to see what he does as he graduates and jumps out into the college world!

When Ryan asked me to do his senior photos, he told me that he really wanted to get some shots that broke from the norm and that reflected his personality. For him, those things were "country and CrossFit." So we looked for locations that looked and felt different, broke out the stars and stripes, and brought on the squat cleans and tire lifts!

Ryan ran cross country his first two years of high school. Any person on his team could tell you that he was the one that never gave up and continually pushed and encouraged his teammates. He convinced me to try CrossFit with him, and on his first day (while I was huffing and puffing at the halfway mark) he did the entire workout and then some! Hardworking and unrelenting, this kid will always have 'beast' status in my book!