Humble

May 27, 2012

To wrap up a glorious weekend we again arrived to set up for the snatch ladder. This was a CRAZY event both to set up for and to watch! I personally got a great seat for the ladder, as I was asked to be on the field to be sure that the weights stayed tight on the bars between each of the competitors. I had about a 10 second window during the team WOD and maybe a little more than that for the individuals where I had to dart out into the field and reset and tighten the collar on two sets of weights. Insanity! Also very inspirational!

The women went first, teams than individuals (for ease of resetting the weights for the men) followed by the men. The teams each had 50 seconds to complete the weight that they were stationed at and could make as many attempts as need, than those who could clear the weight had a 10 second transition time to the next weight where they would go again, the team was still in the competition until all 3 team members were eliminated by not clearing the weight. The individuals had a slight difference, they had to complete each weight to move on to the next, however they had to complete 50 double unders before attempting each weight. If they failed at a weight they could choose to either attempt again to finish up the 50 seconds, or they could complete as many double unders as they could to get more points. Each double under was an additional 10th of a pound on their total.

This event was amazing to watch. The amount of talent and the skill that these athletes possess is breathtaking.  The crowd was on the feet through  most of the event for all 4 groups… I just couldn’t believe that I was right in the middle of the whole thing! So exciting. This was also the event that determined who was going to move on to the 4^th and final workout. If you want to see a whole crap load of people on their feet… the final events were crazy!! The hairs on my arms were standing on end as the energy rose… we watched the top athletes and teams of the North East kill the final workouts! Man… was it a sight to see!! Totally inspirational.

I think what I got most out of this entire weekend is how happy I am to be a part of just an amazing community of people. There are no “big shots,” there are no attitudes, there is not one person that is “above” the rest… even the ones on the top of the leader board. I was humbled by the talent and honored that I was there. I could totally relate to the athletes that disappointed themselves as well as those who smashed their personal records. Each and every one of those athletes started somewhere. They all put in the work and dedication that qualified them and gave them the privilege of competing against the fittest people on the planet!  We saw athletes come off the field with smiles and high fives, we saw athletes come off with tears and frowns… but fortunately every CrossFitter knows what it is like to be on both sides of that coin. There was never an athlete left behind and when there was disappointment there was always a friend, coach, team member to boost that person back up and tell them how absolutely amazing it is that they are here competing in the freaking Regionals!

The top athletes are all the most humble of them all. They collected their medals and stood on the podiums knowing that each and every one of the athletes that competed put up a fantastic fight… that there was nothing easy about the medal that they won and there is certainly not an “easy” road ahead training for the Games. They stood in front of an audience of probably over 70% CrossFit athletes, of all ages, some who complete their workouts scaled… some who have just done their first kipping pullup… some who cleared a PR that morning at their own box… some who just barely missed qualifying for the regional. They understand that no matter how you do you workouts, as long as you are giving it your 100% than you are working just as hard as they are. Nothing can stand in your way… who knows what next year will bring.

 

As I have said 100 times, I am thrilled Hubs and I had this opportunity. The Reebok Facility was fantastic, the friends we made, the events we saw… just a perfect weekend. We were even able to catch up with my cousin (who crossfits with CrossFit Wicked and #2 Alicia Gomes) after we helped disassemble the rig with Rogue for a few beers… on the house!

What a weekend!!