THE WINTER THROWDOWN

The Sea of Green!

After a long day of competition at CrossFit on the Plains’ Winter Throwdown yesterday, ALL IN members gathered for a group photo. Everyone was in good spirits (except maybe for Team ALL IN who still had one last event to do!), having just completed four grueling workouts in less than six hours. After the group shot, Chris pulled me aside and said, “Don’t you feel like a proud parent?” And yes, that is exactly how I felt.

For the majority of our 21 athletes who competed, the Throwdown was their first competition. For those who have never done a CrossFit competition, you may assume that only the fastest and strongest athletes in the gym compete. Wrong. You only have to be willing to put yourself out there to see what you are made of to compete. For most, it is not about where you end up on the leaderboard. It is about doing your personal best.

Kim looking awesome on those sled pulls!

Watching our athletes yesterday was such an awesome experience. Movement standards were adhered to, and form and technique was spot on. New PRs were set on front squats, and our athletes were challenged with something they had never done before- sled pulls. All of the work put in at the gym paid off as the ALL IN athletes successfully made it through every workout. As coaches, you made me and Chris proud!

But what I enjoyed watching the most was the way our gym came together to cheer each other on. There was no escaping our “sea of green” as we shouted encouragement to each other and high-fived each other at the end of the workouts. Our ALL IN community by far had the loudest cheering section.

Todd working for that rep!

I think a gym really comes together when its members begin to compete. Athletes start showing up at the gym ready to work hard in order to get better for the next competition. Working out is no longer about losing weight or trying to look better (though this happens as a great side effect to all the hard work!). Other members of the gym take note of who is competing and begin to think, “If that person can compete, maybe I can too!” The competitors- no matter how fit, no matter what they look like- become role models in the gym, inspiring others, simply because they are willing to compete. It is an awesome thing!

Congrats to Team ALL IN who placed second in the RX division.

To Todd, Sam, Kyle, Cope, Christy, Kim, Robin, Anne, Ashley, Nichole, Chris, Jon, the two Brads, Lauryn, Libba, Bradley, Harrison, Trace, Jack, and all of those who came out to cheer them on- THANK YOU for being a part of ALL IN. We are proud to have each and every one of you as a member of our gym. We hope yesterday was as great an experience for you as it was for us.

Special shout-out to Team ALL IN who finished second in the RX division. After ending the competition tied for first, they were subjected to 1:00 of max burpees as a tie-breaker. They have Chris to thank for coming up with that tie-breaker! You all did an amazing job.

Thank you also to CrossFit on the Plains for putting on a great competition. We had a blast!

Now the question is- who’s ready to sign up for the next one?