This year we went to the games with two of Todd's brothers and their wives, Kris and Amber, and Adam and Katrina. We stayed in a hotel nearby so we could walk there and not have to deal with the lines leaving the parking lot.
We had a great time. Lots of events, workouts, fitness challenges, shops, clinics- I watched the Olympic weight lifting clinic and chatted a bit with Kelly Staret who did the mobility clinic. The first day was cool enough to worry we had packed the wrong things to wear. But by the second day, and down on that tennis court/stadium, it felt at least 100 degrees. I think they said it was 108 on the floor where the athletes competed.
The food was paleo and there were a lot more options this year, which was nice.
The workout area was a lot bigger than last year. They used the whole track for it and opened up the Stub Hub's soccer field to use for their running events instead of the track. We could go join a timed competitive event with other spectators at the track if we wanted, which we did a few times. Or we could make up our own workout/challenges as a group to do on the football field which we also did a few times. Any newly engineered equipment for games events was left down there the following day for the use of spectators. They had a big metal contraption used to flip like flipping a tire only it had rods on its sides to add weighted plates to it. That was a fun one.
We watched a movie after the second games night- the new X-Men. We had a lot of fun shopping the shops. They doubled their inventory from last year's games and ran out even faster this year! In fact, the very first morning they sold out of several things I was a little bummed about. And I thought I was being smart by going there first and missing out on part of a team event! I found out my feet are small enough to fit their youth-sized shoes which are 20-40 bucks cheaper than adult sizes so I was super excited to buy some fun shoes for less! Youth shoes were the last to sell out so I had a great selection still of those... Trouble!
Overall we had a great time. I was pretty sore going home from it all. Lots of walking and exercise mixed with sitting and watching. I don't know if we'll ever be able to make it to another one. Not at that venue anyway. People would start standing in line to get into the tennis court area as soon as the event in the soccer stadium would start. So you literally had to miss one event to get a descent seat for another event. And it was like a stampede of people dashing from the lines to save seats for their friends once they'd be permitted to enter the courts. CRAZINESS! It has grown so wildly popular SO fast! Makes me feel like a lemming just being there. That alone may keep me from going again :).
This is the first event- a team event. The winners were Hack's Pack Utes. The team I was rooting for! My brother, Devan, used to have a CrossFit class held where he works and the coach was Mike Cazayoux. Mike is on Team Hack's Pack Utes. I attended that class a couple of times when he coached there and I liked having a familiar face to root for. (He's second to the last in the picture below.)
Dave Castro, the man who creates the torturous competitions at the games.
Rich Froning below, getting ready to zig zag sprint. Todd and I read his book this summer and we thought we liked him as an athlete before... He is one incredibly honorable individual. Very religious, trying to be a missionary of sorts of Christianity with the spotlight CrossFit has given him. I like that his very presence in the games helps clean up the crude and vulger that can come from the fact that many young/immature athletes are inevitably drawn to new and fairly crazy sports/activities like CrossFit. He just gives the impression of a man amongst boys. Helping the community grow up a little. He's humble, he's married, he doesn't care if he wins or not, he always celebrates other people's victories, always rushes to cheer on his competitors if he finishes before them. Todd and I are huge fans. Rich Froning is the only man to ever be a repeat champion at the games, coming this year as defending champion again. Which is why most people like him. That was once deemed impossible to do because each year is so different. So to be better than everyone else at so many varieties of tests of fitness is unheard of. But he does it! And he did it again for a third time this year!
Here he is slipping and falling, which cost him some time. Still won it :)
Okay, we're REALLY big fans. This guy makes the games SO stinking intense and fun to watch.
The next morning, while waiting in line, I struck up a conversation with the lady standing behind us. Turns out she was Emily Friedman's mother! (A female competitor-she took 25th place.) And the line was moving so slowly that the 1st event of the day had already started- we could hear it. So Amber walked her to the front of the line and told theose people who she was and asked if they would let her in- which they happily did. This is a photo of Emily Friedman, taken by CrossFit photographers. She turned out to be one of my favorite female athletes in all of CrossFit. Super awesome athlete.
Todd took this pic. with his iphone.
Makes me wonder what fancy cameras are for?????
Emily Friedman on the right!
Samantha Briggs took first for women.
The final stretch where Rich Froning passed up Josh Bridges and won the CrossFit Games!
Cheering on his competitors.
Autographs and high fives.
Jason Khalipa, men's second place.
This is team, CrossFit New England. They took second place behind Mike's team with the Hack's Pack Utes. But the lady on the right, Heather Bergeron, is a huge reason I stuck with CrossFit. When I started 3 years ago, she was one of few women who were in CrossFit videos online to research and she was a very inspiring athlete- a mother. Her last child was born one year ago.
Kristin Clever won the "Spirit of the Games award".
Miranda Oldroyd, my certification trainer.
The fittest woman and man on Earth!
Nobody gave me the feet-to-yourself memo. This was me on my way to where I planned to do a workout called "Grace", but it had been closed down.
Before we flew out, we spent our last day sight seeing.
We attempted to rent bikes to ride, but ran out of time (and bikes).
Some of the good I got at the games!
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