The only way you can win is to do the most work the quickest. The content of the games is unknown until just before the Event. It. Is. Crazy.
And, of course, our very own April Garner made it all look amazingly simple. Just pick up that weight. Move your feet. Focus. Breathe. Do it all again. It is like she puts herself in a zone and simply works. You don’t see her get frustrated, although you do see her try even harder as the workout progresses. You do not see her give up, instead you see her find a way to give even more.
I did not get to see April do the first workout on Saturday morning. It was a lifting Complex. (I was still doing that Mini Marathon in Indy.) She was not pleased with the components of this doozy. But, I heard that she did a very good job and probably should have gotten more credit for all of the work that she did. Bummer on the judging...
I also missed the 5k run. Ok, 5k run does not describe it nearly well enough. April (SuperFastWoman) came in 4th in Women’s Division and her time beat 26 men. Yeah, that pretty much Rocks!
Deadlift was in the late afternoon, and I did get to see April finish this one. She worked hard and did really well. I cannot imagine how exhausted she must have been walking up to that bar. But, of course, she picked it, loaded more weight and picked up, and just kept going until the end. She got a Personal Record, of course giving every bit of effort she could find.
Finally, her day was over and it was time to shake it off, eat something (and a lot of it!) and get some rest. Sunday was going to be at least one workout. The top 20 finishers after the first Sunday workout would get to progress to the Final Workout of the Regional competion.
April got to consult with her Judge prior to the workout starting. I was surprised – she was working with strict form and there were some of her efforts he would not count. I could not see why that was, but he is the Judge…
And, of course, our very own April Garner made it all look amazingly simple. Just pick up that weight. Move your feet. Focus. Breathe. Do it all again. It is like she puts herself in a zone and simply works. You don’t see her get frustrated, although you do see her try even harder as the workout progresses. You do not see her give up, instead you see her find a way to give even more.
I did not get to see April do the first workout on Saturday morning. It was a lifting Complex. (I was still doing that Mini Marathon in Indy.) She was not pleased with the components of this doozy. But, I heard that she did a very good job and probably should have gotten more credit for all of the work that she did. Bummer on the judging...
I also missed the 5k run. Ok, 5k run does not describe it nearly well enough. April (SuperFastWoman) came in 4th in Women’s Division and her time beat 26 men. Yeah, that pretty much Rocks!
Deadlift was in the late afternoon, and I did get to see April finish this one. She worked hard and did really well. I cannot imagine how exhausted she must have been walking up to that bar. But, of course, she picked it, loaded more weight and picked up, and just kept going until the end. She got a Personal Record, of course giving every bit of effort she could find.
Finally, her day was over and it was time to shake it off, eat something (and a lot of it!) and get some rest. Sunday was going to be at least one workout. The top 20 finishers after the first Sunday workout would get to progress to the Final Workout of the Regional competion.
April got to consult with her Judge prior to the workout starting. I was surprised – she was working with strict form and there were some of her efforts he would not count. I could not see why that was, but he is the Judge…
And so, after talking to the Judge the crowd held their breath for a moment after we heard 3 - 2- 1- Go. And then the crowd went into a CrossFit Frenzy!!
50 Box Jumps (20”)
40 Kettlebell Swings (16kg)
30 Burpees with lateral jump over sandbag
20 Sandbag Cleans to Front Squat
10 Overhead Dumbell Press (65/40lb)
(Sorry everyone... I was too excited to snap pictures during this part.)
April was starting to show what she really had. She was starting to pull ahead of the pack. It was awesome!
Now that was done. Sort of. Go back and do those previous movements, again!
Off she went for more of those sandbag squat cleans.
Then more of the burpees with a jump.
Then more of those KB Swings.
Finally, time to end with the Box Jump. She was ahead! The crowd was rallying! It was too much - how on earth could she do more!?!
If you look close, you can see many of the other CF180 addicts cheering her on, right in front of her. Dig Deeper April!
Ok. She is so far ahead now, we are all convinced that no one in this Heat could possibly catch her. Is it possible to hold your breath and scream at the same time? I think we found a way!
And then it was over. Done! First in her Heat.
Her accomplishments just can't be explained with words. The pictures might help. But, to be there. And to witness her pour her heart out into not just one workout but an entire weekend. It became clear, she had done far more. She had put her heart into this for many months to prepare. She had a dream, she had a plan, she had dedication. I hope that you all take the opportunity to congratulate April on such an amazing performance. If you ask her about she is going to grumble about a muscle up and something about the Deadlift. Tell her to zip it up and that she did great! Once you are done congratulating her, you need to sit down and make some plans to go to one of these competitions. It will light fire under your behind that you never knew you had. And, then, how about you set up a challenge for yourself? Wanna join April at the next competion? She would love the company!
Ok April - Job well Done! I hope your Mother's Day was a special evening at home with the girls!
April is what the Games are all about. Digging deeper until the end… Way to go April!! I cannot wait to see you and many other CrossFit 180 peeps tear up CrossFit Sectionals 2011.
I have uploaded the video and pictures of CrossFit Sectionals 2010 to my FaceBook account. CrossFit 180 FB account admins are welcome to link it on over to the CF180 FB page. Later I will publish many more photos of Regionals on my FB page too.
Posts coming up: Food Labels, another visit to the important idea of Rest and Rest Days, being in The Zone, and why Peanuts should only be consumed as a Comic Strip and not your mouth. What else do ya want to hear about?
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