You guys. I’m super excited that the CrossFit Games are about to begin, and I know you are too! Some of you reading this are CrossFit veterans and know all about the excitement of the Games and the season leading up to it – the CrossFit Open, Quarterfinals, and regional Semifinal competitions. A lot of you reading this might be new to the CrossFit world and maybe haven’t seen the Games at all. Either way, if you’re in the CrossFit ecosystem as you read this, prepare for an exciting week.
Borrowing from the CrossFit Games website: “The CrossFit Games are the ultimate proving grounds for the Fittest Man, Woman, and Team on Earth and are world-renowned as the definitive test of fitness… The Games began in 2007 in Aromas, California, as the first competition to objectively measure fitness. From their inception, they have been unlike traditional sports such as track and field, gymnastics, weightlifting, or even decathlon — all specialist sports in which the events are known long in advance. Instead, athletes from around the world are tested against a variety of unannounced events, each with different movements, equipment, and time domains. Competitors are required to train for the unknown, and the scores of events have included distance swims, obstacle courses, 1-rep-max lifts, handstand walking, sled pushes, rope climbs, and odd-object carries… The combination of highly trained athletes and unknown events makes for an explosive mix.
At this point in the season, the field has been whittled down from the hundreds of thousands of athletes in the Open to the top 40 men, 40 women, and 40 teams from around the world. The CrossFit Games rank the world’s fittest and determine who is the Fittest on Earth™.”
Wow. Even reading this again gives me butterflies – as a former competitor in team sports like baseball and football, I know what it’s like to be on the main stage in front of a crowd, and the anticipation and anxiety that comes with it. Competing for the title of Fittest on Earth? That would actually be outside of my realm of comprehension if I didn’t know a few people who have competed, including our own Coach Alyssa who placed 12th in the world at the CrossFit Games in the 40-44 age group three years ago. It is pretty awesome to be in the presence of someone who has competed at a sport at the highest level internationally, and who is still competing and pushing for higher levels of skill and strength every year!
This year’s CrossFit Games competition will include past winning men Justin Medeiros (2021 and 2022) and reigning champ Jeff Adler, as well as tons of veterans who have podiumed before like Brent Fikowski, Pat Vellner, Ricky Garard (maybe, as he was found to be taking PEDs last time…) and Sam Kwant. On the women’s side, a former perennial champ is back after one year of maternity leave – the great Tia-Clair Toomey (2017-2022, seriously). Challenging her for the crown is last year’s champ, Laura Horvath, and many other favorites like Haley Adams, Danielle Brandon, and Brooke Wells.
You can watch the CrossFit Games online, on TV, or at the gym where we’ll be streaming it Thursday-Sunday.
I don’t know if I need to be neutral on who wins… but I’m not – I’m rooting for Medeiros for a comeback and Brooke Wells – I think she’s due. Can’t wait to watch it all go down!!
Ryan