Sunday Story…2023 CrossFit Games Recap IV

Let the Games begin!

3 workouts on day 1. First up is the Olympic total…you have 3 minutes to get your best snatch, followed by 3 minutes for your best clean and jerk. Going into the workout, I know this will not be my best event. But I have the numbers I want to hit…125# on the snatch and 170# on the clean and jerk. The snatch I hit in 4 attempts…115/120 (miss)/120/125. The clean and jerk went well but not as well as I wanted. I cleaned the 170# but as time was running out, I rushed the jerk and missed it out front. A tactical error...which is a phrase you’re going to hear several times over this contest.

We have a one-minute break to transition to the starting line for Farmer’s field. I changed my shoes (less than 30 seconds…I practiced!) and got ready to move! This one looks good to me but again some errors cost me time. The workout has some heavy carries, some burpees over an obstacle (the pig), rowing, wall balls, and then back again. No errors this time! This will be my best finish of these games…a third. I got no repped on some wall balls but got the errors fixed ASAP and got back in the race. Those of you who know me know I love me some burpees! I have to say picking up heavy stuff and falling down and getting up really works for me!!!

More on day one next week!

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

Sunday Story…2023 CrossFit Games Recap III

Day 2 is orientation and briefing day. This is when all the rules of the road are laid out as well as expectations for behavior both on and off the field. There really isn’t anything new about this. The rules have been in place for years with just a few tweaks occasionally. One significant change is the Challenge rule…you only get 2 challenges. The only challenges allowed are to be miscounts or mistimed, things of that nature.  All rulings on the field (no-reps) are not challengeable. In other words, the judge on the field is the last say. If they call a no rep, it is a no rep. Fix it and move on.

The best part of the day is catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Unlike younger days when competing also included psychological gamesmanship there is none of that. When I was younger, I would size up the competition and look for chinks in their armor. This is no longer the case. These guys all know this may be the first, last, or only time they get here. Every one of us carries 65+ years of life with all the aches and pains that came along for the ride. Yet here we are…the last 10 of about 1600 men who started the journey. No matter what…we are all winners.

The first 3 workouts are announced and briefed…more details on these 3 next week. Suffice it to say the first one is nowhere near my wheelhouse! But we knew this last week. The standard for Helen is going to be difficult. The second workout looks fun! But then I do love a good suffer-fest!

Until next week…

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412 

Sunday Story…2023 CrossFit Games Recap II

 

We will start this recap on the Sunday before the games even begin. This is registration day. The day we receive all the gear NOBULL has readied for us. It really is a fantastic experience, after checking in and getting our credentials we are directed to a large dimly lit room and in a semi-circle are 20 or so mini “locker rooms”. Each locker room has a name and number above the curtain. We are assigned a personal assistant who directs us to try on various items and leads us through the different shoe selections.

The amazing thing (and this has been true every time) is that everything fits, names are spelled correctly, and duffel bags and backpacks are all there to assist in the carrying-off. The assistant is solicitous and concerned with the proper fit and if you aren’t sure about the shoes, she will gather a different size if necessary. It is, for a fitness enthusiast, like Christmas morning…5 pairs of shoes, 6 pairs of shorts and shirts, socks, hats, headbands, and sweatbands (2 sizes!).

Upon exiting we join the media team for several headshots that will be used during the competition and for other marketing purposes. Oh, and I forgot to mention that when we check in are instructed to speak the correct pronunciation of our name for the broadcast team.

After the photo shoot it’s on to the tables of various vendor swag. Always fun to see what’s there… Magpul gloves and sunglasses, bear complex grips, and many more.

Next up on Monday is the first athlete orientation and briefing.

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

Sunday Story…2023 CrossFit Games Recap I

As usual, the CrossFit Games is quite an experience. If you ever get a chance to go, you won’t be sorry. Watching athletes perform at the highest level is always inspiring. Probably the most inspiring are the adaptive athletes. Watching someone do double unders with one arm better than I can do them with two is at the same time humbling and inspiring. Or one arm chest to bar pull-ups as I saw one woman doing in the warmup area. If you get a chance to see any of those performances, do it.

As a quick recap, I finished 9^th this year. Honestly, it was a disappointing finish. I always want to finish on top. As usual, the workouts were creative (some anyway) and challenging. This year we knew the workouts on the Monday before we started. We didn’t necessarily have all the details, but we knew the basic layouts and the work expectations. In the past, we had to wait until the night before to get the next day’s workouts. As you may expect, however, the heart of the matter lies in the standards.

There were 2 new standards this year. First, on the kettlebell swings…arms had to be locked out at the elbows and the bell had to break the horizontal plane of your head when your legs and hips were open. The height wasn’t a problem but keeping the arms completely locked was a lot harder than you realize! Second, on the one-leg squats (formerly known as a pistol!) …we were required to do 5 on one leg before switching (we have always done them alternating previously) AND you could not allow your non-working foot to touch the ground or pass behind your standing leg. This was a serious challenge for me!

I will elaborate and elucidate on the whole experience in the coming weeks so stay tuned!

I will finish by saying…Full Effort is Full victory.

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412