Winter Challenge Volunteers

Sat, 4 Sep 2010 11:42:17 -0700

While for some of you November 6th and 7th may still seem quite far away, for us here in the front office it is bearing down on us like a freight train. We are very excited with the response we’ve had since registration opened, it has been great. The Team division sold out in just over 24 hours and both the Men’s and Women’s divisions are filling up fast.

Now we all know that any event really cannot take place without the help of a countless number of volunteers. Undeniably these are the unsung heroes of any successful competition.

On that note I will be putting up a sign up sheet in the box for those interested in volunteering at the Winter Challenge. Here is an excerpt from an email I sent out to other affiliates outlining what we are looking for and what a volunteer can expect.

We are looking for individuals that are interested in volunteering at our event, particularly as judges. I am hoping to get as many seasoned CrossFiters or Level 1 Certified Judges as possible. We want this event to be great and fair for everyone involved. While we understand that regardless of the event, there will be minor discrepancies in the judging, this is simply the nature of the beast. But it is our goal to make these instances as few as possible allowing everyone to have the best experience possible. So, the more experienced and familiar with CrossFit movements and standards the judges are the better. That being said, probably the single most important trait of a good judge is one that is not intimidated by the athlete or one that doesn’t have a hard time telling them that a rep didn’t count. We want all of our judges to be comfortable making a call and then sticking to it. Just because an athlete is trying really hard doesn’t mean that an insufficient rep should count. As harsh as that may sound, it is the only way to make the event as fair and fun as possible for everyone involved. So, if you know someone that’s interested in helping, please forward this information on to them so they can respond. There are several volunteer vacancies that will need to be filled so we hope to hear back from as many people as possible.

While it cannot be provided right now, a detailed itinerary will follow for all judges. In the meantime, here is a “rough” idea of what someone volunteering could expect.

Judges will need to be available the night before the competition (individual/team/or both) to check in and begin reviewing movements and standards. There will be a meeting for all judges the night before each of the two days of competition to prep for the following day. This will be the time to ask as many questions as possible and make sure everyone is on the same page with regards to what is expected of them as a judge. Due to the sensitivity surrounding the “release of information” for the wods however, we will not be going over wod specifics until the workouts have been released. Rather, I will be reviewing several movements that will be used over the course of the weekend. Again, this is your chance to ask any and all questions you feel may arise during the competition. Hopefully, this will allow us to troubleshoot and problem solve before the 3…2…1…Go! actually takes place.

Judges may request to be involved in just team, just individual, or both. Whatever event(s) the judge is to be involved with, (s)he should be available for the entirety of the event they commit to. I would like to avoid partial days if at all possible.

Now for the swag. All judges will receive a t-shirt, lunch, coffee vouchers, a gift, and one kick ass experience.

That’s pretty much it in a nutshell Team. Please note that we are not solely looking for judges though. There will be several places where volunteers will be needed and as such all people that want to be involved should sign up on the sheet provided.

We are really looking forward to this and are super excited to put on a truly memorable event. With your help I know we can make it happen.

Quote:

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.”
~Elizabeth Andrew

Props to Focker and registration is filling up fast!!!

Wed, 1 Sep 2010 17:36:51 -0700

First off, I want to throw a shout out to Andrew “Focker” Roodbol for his incredible performance over at CrossFit BC Evolution on August 21st. James and Troy put on a truly awesome event. The atmosphere was great, the competition solid, and the people friendly as always. It was great to get over and see their box, get caught up with some old friends, and make a couple new ones. There were some inspirational performances in both the Men’s and Women’s division. I am so glad I had an opportunity to make it over for their event. One of the things I love about CrossFit is the community and I always come away from these competitions feeling both energized and inspired. My dad always told me, “for positive results, surround yourself with positive people ”. The CrossFit Community is the very essence of this. Positive people seeing some profoundly positive results.

OK, back on track. For those of you that don’t know “Focker” took first place in the open Men’s division. The three WOD’s for the day were as follows.

WOD #1

21-15-9 of :
Deadlift (225lbs.)
Burpees (over the bar)
20” Box Jumps (full foot)
“Focker” 1st place after first WOD.

WOD #2

AMRAP in 10 mins. of
5 Clean + Jerk (135lbs.)
10 Pull Ups
15 Kb Swings (1.5p)
“Focker” 2nd in the WOD, still first overall.

WOD #3

3 Rounds for Time of:
50 Double Unders
40 Overhead Stationary Lunge (45lb. Plate)
30 SitUps (AbMat)
20 PushUps (CF Games standard)
10 Overhead Squats (95lbs.)
“Focker” 1st in the WOD clinching First overall with 4 total points.

The WOD’s were tough enough on their own, and with the tight time restrictions between events sustained work capacity was truly tested. The event was all wrapped up by 1:30 pm. This only allowed for an hour or two max between events for each competitor. So I would like to say good job “Focker”. I was super proud of how you represented Taranis with your poise, work ethic, and standards. Well done.

So now for the “question” or “chatter” portion of this blog.

Down at the CrossFit Games a number of us were “star struck” (for lack of a better term) when we would encounter a CrossFit “web celebrity”. It was interesting to see how different people would react to different athletes when they bumped into them in a real life situation. For example I had a great conversation with John Wellbourn in tent city, had a short chat with Jason Khalipa in line at the Rogue tent, saw Tanya Wagner in the hotel lobby, and Heather Bergeron at a restaurant. It was kinda neat really. These were just regular people like you and me, but thanks to the internet and the fact that many of us have been following these people on line for several years, they took on almost a celebrity type status.

So, in a round about way this got me to thinking. Do you have a particular someone that you follow closely on the internet or someone you look to for motivation or inspiration in the fitness community? Maybe it’s a CrossFiter, maybe a professional athlete in some other sport, or maybe it’s just someone you know. What I would like to know is not only who inspires you, but more importantly why. What is it about this person that draws your attention or inspires you to continue on your path of continued fitness? Again, maybe it’s a CrossFiter, maybe not. Either is OK, but I am curious to hear who and why.

Lastly I would like to close with this, the winter challenge registration is now open and filling up FAST. In fact way faster than we originally anticipated so if you are thinking of competing I recommend going on line and registering ASAP in order to secure your spot.

Quote:

“I believe celebrity spoils people-some more than others”
-Phil Donahue

Just a few things....

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:55:43 -0700

Sunday Aug 29 WODs run at 8:00 and 10:00 am. The afternoon is dedicated to the gymnastics seminar.

2010 Taranis Winter Challenge Update: Please see new page via the top address bar and note the link for the Winter Challenge Blog. Follow the link for standards and seeding wods and pls keep a watch on the Winter Challenge Blog for updates, athlete and team profiles. We are asking for a bit of back ground and pics so we can highlight athletes leading up to the event.

Big congrats shout out to Taz and his lovely Lady Michelle on their engagement! I’m sure he will try to have a wedding ceremony that involves a WOD and vows for time..... Good luck Michelle!!

Most of you know our fabulous girl JenBot is off doing her training for her position with the Air Force. She doesn’t have access to a computer or cell phone for 5 weeks, I can’t imagine!! Anyway, big wishes of success going out to her!

Okee dokee, thats it for now!

Schedule Change & Gymnastics Seminar

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:21:43 -0700

Wow Team, some great response and awesome feedback from everyone on that last blog. While I can’t say that I necessarily agree with all of the comments posted, I absolutely 100% appreciate all of the comments. They have offered an alternate perspective for me on some topics and as such I am thankful. You guys always continually show up and blow my mind. Just like in the Team Sessions, you guys attacked that blog like a hero wod and took it down....Rx’d I might add!

But all kidding aside, I think you guys have actually inadvertently provided me with a few more ideas for future blogs. So thank you!

But, it is time to move on to another blog my friends. As several of you know, Globo has taken the “bull by the horns” if you will and organized a half day (4 hour) Gymnastics Seminar here at CFT. Almost as fast as the sign up sheet went up it was full and a wait list is now being compiled. The price point was awesome and I know the instruction will be as well. So this blog isn’t really about the Seminar so much, because it basically sold itself! But due to the seminar we will need to adjust the regular Team Session time slot accordingly.

Sunday August 29th Team Sessions
8 am. & 10 am.

We will be returning to the regular weekend schedule the following week. Sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause and hopefully all of you either read the blog or check the white board in the gym.

I think that’s it for this one. Little shorter time modality on this one than the last one. For those of you that signed up in time, enjoy the Gymnastics instruction. For those that missed it, hopefully we’ll have an opportunity to host another in the near future.

Quote:

“I believe in Gymnastics for the body, and music for the mind”
-Plato

Double Edge Sword?

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:27:19 -0700

I have actually been contemplating doing this blog for some time now, but based on recent events I feel that now is the appropriate time. What’s ironic is, my perspective has totally been changed. Had this blog been written when I first thought of it....well let’s just say it would read very different I am sure.

Over the past 2+ years I have heard it several times. That classic “reason” for why someone hasn’t either a) started CrossFit or b) why someone hasn’t returned yet after taking some time off. Maybe you’re guilty of it too, I never thought I would be...until now that is.

In CrossFit, one of those huge motivating factors that we like to emphasize is the atmosphere and friendly competitive nature of the Team Sessions. But make no mistake about it, while the motivating effects of the Team environment are profound, it is a double edged sword. I can put the word friendly in front of it if I like, or fun, or casual, etc. etc. etc. but at the end of the day, regardless of what word precedes it, the word “competition” carries a powerful implication.

So what the hell am I getting at? Well, that phrase that I so often hear (and use to scoff at) is “I’m waiting to get back in until I get in better shape” If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it a thousand times. After an injury someone will inevitably say, “I’m waiting till I get stronger first before returning” or after a membership has been on hold for a while “I want to be in better shape before I come back” or before starting up “I want to get in a little bit better shape before I commit to this” In the past this always boggled my mind. What better way to prepare for CrossFit than by doing CrossFit??? The rationale seemed ridiculous to me, after all the program is infinitely scalable. And really, your reason for doing CrossFit is in order to become more fit right? So why would anyone feel the need to “get better” before coming in? Well, the answer is Ego. Plain and simple. Some might say they are nervous or intimidated, but at the root of it all is Ego. Remove performance expectations and the nerves and intimidation disappear.

At the end of the day our workouts are in essence competitions, and because of that we see astonishing gains. It is one of the reasons for the huge success of our program. The motivational ability of a competition can not be denied. But herein lies the catch 22. No one likes to feel inadequate during a competition. Me included. As some of you may know I took some time off recently from working out after we returned from California and the CrossFit Games. When I was finally ready to jump back in, I found for some reason I was hesitant to actually do a Team Session. I found myself wanting to work out solo and get back to where I was before my break before actually committing to a Team Session. I was guilty of the exact same thing as countless others before me. I finally talked myself into it and jumped in on a Team Session and it smoked me! I should have listened to the other thing I would tell a client returning to the group sessions after a hiatus. SCALE IT! But I didn’t. I finished barely under the time cap and well back of the top of the board. Should I care? Well, yes and no I guess. Yes I should care in the sense it provides me with motivation and direction of where I desire to be. No in the sense that it was my first workout back and I should check my ego and focus on the bigger picture. And that picture is getting back to where I was before the break. One thing I know to be true through the coaching of countless others is that a progressive re-introduction to CrossFit workouts really is the single best way of getting to a level you desire to be at in a CrossFit workout.

So, how do we get this point across to others? This is my question to you team. Well, a few of them I guess.

First of all have you ever been guilty of wanting to improve on your own before returning to or joining CrossFit?
Do you see the nature of our WODs simply as a double edge sword and therefore you must accept the good with the bad? Or is there a way that we could shift the culture and or nature of CrossFit so that we preserved the motivation provided by it’s competitive nature, but removed the intimidation some people feel towards that environment?
How did you feel before starting the program? Any intimidation or performance anxiety issues? And if so where do you feel the root of those lie?

I think that’s it team. In closing don’t forget about the Kids BBQ this weekend at CFT. Follow the link for details. Also due to the BBQ, the Team Sessions on Sunday will run at 8am and 10am.

Quote:

“Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to is”
-Vince Lombardi