What an awesome turnout from Vitality we had this weekend for the Masters Comp on the streets of downtown Concord. Before I forget, congrats to Jeff and the Unite crew that kept this event on time from start to finish. It was a well run competition with a great environment, it’s easy to overlook the amount of work that goes into putting on these events. Great job guys!
We left as soon as classes ended at the box and when I got there, our crew had set up a tent city that rivaled any tailgate setup I had ever seen. There was enough food to feed about 100 people and even after spending the entire morning baking in the sun, everyone was in good spirits getting ready to tackle the final events.
It was pretty cool to see the planning by the teams that took place leading up to the event. Teams had gameplans that they had practiced and strategized for weeks leading up to the event. They understood that this was just for fun and the end result was only to have fun, but with that said, they showed up to win. Most everyone I talked to was very nervous and anxious before each event but seeing how amazing they felt once they finished and they realized what they were capable of was the best part of my day.
The ability to step outside their comfort zones and do something that very few of their peers would be willing to do is an amazing accomplishment they should all be proud of. There are many more things I was proud of watching you all compete yesterday, but if I had to pick the top 3:
1. The way you moved. The coaches have worked so hard to engrain the right movement patterns for everything we do. It will never be perfect but you guys didn’t fall into the trap of making up you’re own movements when things start to get a little spicy. As soon as we get tired, the easiest thing to do is to switch into survival mode and come up with this amazing new way to move the barbell that looks nothing like what is taught. You guys refrained from doing that and it was awesome to see this in person.
2. The way you communicated. One of the hardest things to do is to remain calm and be able to communicate when we get tired. We used to call this “going internal” in the Marine Corps. This happened when someone would get really tired or exhausted and lose the ability to communicate clearly. With physical exhaustion, like what happens in CrossFit competitions, it’s usually our emotions that tend to take the brunt of things during this time. We start to snap at our teammates and are unable to follow simple instructions. Adding up the amount of weight that needs to go on the bar or onto a prowler mid-workout, can be as daunting as a quantum physics problem. It was incredible to see so many of you with teammates that you have never done this with, work so well together.
3. Your attitudes. I love the fact that my Vitality crew was so amazingly supportive to each other. Sure, you were all nervous before the events, but the way you handled yourselves and supported each other was the best part of the day. I have said for years now, our kids generation needs to learn what sportsmanship truly means. After watching yesterday, I am confident that at least a small fraction of these kids will grow up seeing what that means first-hand from being able to watch the way you conduct yourselves.
Great job to all our athletes and for everyone that came out and supported them yesterday. Enjoy the remainder of the weekend and be proud of your accomplishment! However, come Monday, the hazing will commence back at the box….