Skills Session

Absolute energy and adrenaline: that is what fueled my performance for the first event of the Fit as Fu*k CrossFit Challenge in Denmark, on September 25. JB and I were upstairs, warming up; we wanted to be prepared for the 70kg snatch. That is a very manageable weight for both of us; however, we wanted to ensure, at the very least, that we got a couple of rounds of the Burgener Warm-Up in as well as some skill transfer exercises. The athletes' warm-up room upstairs was full of CrossFitters. There was barely enough room to breathe...finding an area to warm-up was difficult. However, JB and I found a couple of dowels, strung our laces tight on our weight lifting shoes, and proceeded to get busy with the Burgener Warm-Up.

All of a sudden, from across the room, we saw Lauren. She was screaming at us, "HEY, YOUR HEAT IS UP NEXT!" Um...what?! All thoughts of preparation left us--we vaulted barbells, side-stepped bumper plates, and spun past whirling jump ropes! We flew down the stairs as fast as we could to the sports hall, where the first event was taking place. Whew--we had a few seconds to spare! The first skills challenge: the six meter rope climb.

All of the athletes in our heat, including myself, were so amped full of adrenaline that we started climbing the rope too early! At the time, however, my judge told me it was time to go--that is why (when you watch the video) you will see me "all of a sudden" grab the rope! Fortunately enough, we were not required to climb the rope again.

Check out the video below to get a feel how the first event went down...

The Spirit of the Gym

It was a rest day for me yesterday but I still went to the gym; not to workout however. I went to work on some mobility issues of mine. I recently started following Kelly Starrett's MobilityWOD...magnificent stuff! I was propped up against a wall, taking a break between stretches, when a buddy of mine approached me. He asked me, "What are you doing, taking a trip down memory lane?" I must have had a long-lost look on my face--I realized that I had slowly been scanning "our box"...of course, I am talking about the fitness center where all of us had shared so much blood, sweat, and tears. 

As most of you know, unfortunately, CrossFit Ramstein has reached its end...effective today. To be honest with all of you, I really don't feel up to explaining all of the "whys"...I have done that countless times and it upsets me every time I talk about it. Long story short: it is a matter of misunderstanding, the unwillingness to support us, bad information, and negative perceptions. But, that is not the theme of this blog post. The theme is about the Spirit of the Gym.

As I gazed out upon the floor of the gym, where countless WODs had taken place, I felt a sense of pride. We have accomplished so much in the last two and a half years. We have trained hundreds of people; we have touched the lives of many. I would like to believe that CrossFit Ramstein was a significant catalyst with regard to the growth of CrossFit affiliates in Europe. Although our affiliate is no longer, the spirit of what we accomplished radiates throughout the gym. I have confidence that that spirit will remain...be it in one person attempting a one-rep max snatch on one of the weight lifting platforms or in a group of CrossFitters banging out the "Filthy Fifty" together.

For all of those who still hit the WOD regularly at the North Side Fitness Center: keep the spirit alive, okay? If you see someone new, attempting a CrossFit workout, introduce yourself. Just because we are not allowed to train CrossFit anymore, does not mean that we cannot share our passion for it!