As most of you know from seeing me in the gym the last several months, word of mouth around the
gym, or blog posts... I just competed in the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games. I wanted to give you my perspective of the whole process and to take time to thank everyone of you for your
help along the way!
The Open
This year CrossFit approached the open a bit differently. They held The Open.. where anyone who had $10.00 could participate. Every week for 6 weeks CrossFit posted the WOD
on Tuesday and by Sunday it had to be completed and “okayed” by a certified trainer. I think the
total number of athletes registered for the open was somewhere around 25,000 people worldwide!
The Open totally consumed my every thought for 6 weeks... I literally married this thing!! I was like a
school girl waiting on her first date to show up the night they were to post the first WOD. Then low
and behold it was DOUBLE UNDERS!! Did they know that I couldn’t do DOUBLE UNDERS? So
Wednesday afternoon, I practiced nothing but double under... still, no double unders. Thursday, I took a ½ day vacation from work and got to the box at 1: 00 pm. Somewhere around 3:00 pm, I got my first double under!! I was ecstatic... I jumped around with my fist in the air like I had just scored a touch down! I guess I really did. I could mark another one of those 'I can’t do’s' off my list. On Saturday morning I did my first Open WOD. It wasn’t a lot of reps, but I was on the scoreboard. Yes, I became obsessed with the scoreboard. I would literally check it 50 times a day to see where I
was placed and who scored what. This was my first time dealing with the stress of competition since I have never played any kind of competitive sports. Then came the 75lb overhead squat... "say what"!!! you have got to be kidding me! Masters doing 75lb overhead squats?? I spent morning and afternoon working my overhead squat. Friday morning at 7:05 (yes, I remember the time) I got my
first 75lb overhead squat, marking another one of those 'I can’t dos', off my list. I needed to be in the top 20 to go to the games and I finished 18th!! “WE’RE GOING TO CALIFORNIA”!!! I would like to thank Steph, Shuba, Todd, Eddie & Ryan for coming in on Sunday’s to count my
reps and to be my cheering squad for those 6 weeks and to my family for putting up with me!
The Games
There are no words to effectively describe what that weekend was like. We were asked to show up Wednesday to check in. Most athletes had a crew with them, but for a day, I
was on my own. I’m not going to lie, it was incredibly intimidating! I walked into the Marriott and
immediately saw the big names of CrossFit. I was feeling like a small fish in a big sea... more like
a minnow. I was directed to a table to check in the girl ask my name so she could check me off her list. In my mind I could hear her say, "sorry you’re not on the list", but sure enough there my name was
among all the big names! I was then directed to a huge room... where the fairy tale begins. There was
an assembly line set up where we first received our Reebok bag with our name on it. The next stop
we were given our numbered “uniforms” (10 pair of shorts, 10 sports bras, 4 t-shirts, 3 tank tops).
At this point I was feeling like a queen!! We were then directed to another room where we received a
bit more clothing, headbands, socks, hats, jackets and running shorts. I just kept thinking... "Are they
kidding? Do we really get to keep all of this ?” It felt like Christmas!
That night we had a dinner for all participants and coaches. I can tell you without a doubt.. that was
the fittest room I had ever been in!
The Home Depot Center is like... WOW!! I mean, WOW!!! This place is HUGE! it goes on and on
and on. I wont list all the details of each event, but you can check them out and watch the archives at
2011 Reebok CrossFit Games website.
This has been a stepping stone to a sea of new experiences for me. My body has done more than I ever thought it could do. It was an emotional roller coaster with every feeling you could imagine... excitement, disappointment, anxiety, loneliness, thankfulness, discouragement, and exhilaration. The list goes on and on, but mostly I am so grateful to have had the opportunity and the ability to have done what I’ve done.
This has been quite the journey and most of you were a part of it some way or another. It may have
been a “high-five” after a WOD, a “congrats” after the open, a Facebook post wishing me good
luck, or just the thoughtfulness of asking how training was going. For that I thank you all!! We pride
ourselves on our sense of community here at Blue Ridge CrossFit and in the last few months I have
directly felt the love and support that we strive for.
A huge thanks to lululemon Asheville, Well Adjusted Chiropractic, Foot Rx, Myers Chiropractic,
Tamara Cohen of Asheville Strength and Conditioning. Also, I wouldn’t have been able to have
made it without everyone at Blue Ridge CrossFit and the support from my biggest fan, my daughter
Amanda. Special thanks to Todd for traveling with me on this journey. I love you all very much
-Mama T
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