For those of you that participated in the 2018 open, you may have had a “nice” reminder when you walked into the gym to realize you were about to re-do 18.2 a few weeks back! Even if you hadn’t done the workout previously, you soon found out that like most open workouts, it was an absolute burner!
As I pulled up SugarWOD that day and began reading the workout description, my mind started filling with so many memories. What was interesting to me, though, was I didn’t remember my time or the weight I hit on my clean, what I remembered most were the people, the support and the atmosphere.
It was a Monday night, and there was a few of us that needed to make up the WOD so we could submit our scores for our open teams. Maria Alvarez, Meghan (Who was pregnant with Dieter at the time) and Connor Horstman, Anthony Menichino, Ryan Barr, I think Kayleigh and Kyle Kellis, Brian Dunn, I also believe Suzanne Ballenger Blaylock were there as well. Basically what I am saying is we were ready to throw down! I remember judging Maria and she absolutely killed it. I remember the energy, the encouragement, and the complete badassery that was going on around me. What was even better though was the fact that it didn’t matter how “good” (whatever one would define that as being) you were doing, it was the strength, grit, passion and perseverance that these athletes were putting fourth that was unbelievably impressive and inspiring. It was SO awesome to watch, and talk about motivation for when it was time to complete the workout!
3…2…1 GO! Part A of the workout was an absolute gasser, there is no getting around that, all you can do it keep moving. Those moments that I wanted to stop, I would hear encouragement ALL around me, which enabled me to push a little bit harder and move a little bit faster, even though I did not think I could. I remember finishing part A and Maria making me feel like I was superwoman, while also telling me to sit down and give myself a second to recover and prepare for part B. (You can hear this in the video) I knew I was going for a clean PR after a bit over 7 minutes of pain (I had to look this up, because like I said I did not remember any of my numbers from that day). One of the things that really stuck with me from that day was Rickie Mui walking into the gym for the 5pm class, right as I’m walking up to my first attempt of the clean. Not only did Rickie cheer and support me and the others who were completing 18.2, but he even jumped in to help with changing weights! See, I had seen Rickie a handful of times in the gym at this point, so I was overwhelmed, humbled, and appreciative… soo many emotions all in one! Connor Horstman also stepped in to help, and Tyler along with a few others stood at the door helping all of us get through the last few minutes while cheering loudly, giving us the mental strength to step back up for one more attempt at our clean. In all reality, the support and the atmosphere was one of the only reasons that I had a successful lift. It was almost as if the fact that so many people around me believed in me, that I started believing in myself.
See to me, that’s what makes Crossfit such a great sport and what makes this gym such a great place. I know it’s a strange, bizarre, frustrating, indecisive time right now. In a world that seems so negative lets bring back what makes Crossfit St. Charles the gym it is. We can still be supportive, we can still cheer, we can still help our fellow althletes finish out their last few reps , even from a distance! This gym is special if you let it be, and you are ALL apart of what makes it so great!
