Inspiration
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Where do you find yours?
If you haven't came by the box yet to check out one of the 2011 CrossFit Games Open WOD's, you need to. The heart that people pour into these workouts is amazing - truly inspirational. So much so, that I usually opt for a later heat just to watch those before me and draw from their excitement.
This past week we did WOD #3. A 5 minute AMRAP of Squat Clean & Jerks. The weight for the ladies - 110 lbs. The weight for the fellas - 165 lbs. That's substantial weight!
I must have watched 25-30 people pour themselves into the WOD from Wednesday night to Saturday morning. Watching Vic bust out 35 rounds, seeing Katie churn through 29 rounds or judging Jane through 23 1/2 rounds was definitely inspirational.
But this post today isn't about the folks on the upper end of the leader board. This workout was damn near impossible for some. I spoke several of our members who had never even attempted a clean and jerk at the prescribed weight! On Wednesday, the first heat of WOD #3 was set to roll. I was the judge for Ryan Wheeler. Ryan is in my 5:00 class and comes in daily and busts his ass through every single workout. I've never seen Ryan quit, never heard him complain, and certainly never seen him give up. He had never done a squat clean and jerk at 165 lbs.. Ryan didn't bust out 35 rounds. He didn't make 20 rounds in those 5 minutes. Nor did he break the top 10 on the leader board. But, I can promise you this: Ryan was by far the most inspirational performance I've seen in the 2011 CrossFit Games Open. Ryan completed a personal record (PR) that day by completing 1 1/2 rounds of WOD #3. He squat cleaned and jerked the prescribed weight and stayed in the competition. To watch him complete what some deemed near impossible was truly inspirational. Keep up the good work Ryan - You inspire all of us to keep working hard.
cg
4 comments:
Awesome story, Charlie!! Great job, Ryan!
That's what this competition (and CrossFit, in general) is all about, getting something out of yourself that you didn't know you had in you. To everyone out there, keep up the great work and strive to become Better Than Yesterday !!!!
great post, great achievement
Sweet! I counted for someone who did the same with every ounce of determination he had and all the way until the last possible second. He was frustrated at the end but knew that he had done what he could and what he needed to. After the frustration wore off (it only took a minute or two), he was happy to have put up the three points - WORLDS better than a DNF.
Nice job Ryan - way to rock it!
This is one reason folks love crossfit - it's amazing the level of drive & determination that comes from the entire spectrum of athletes in our crossfit community! I can totally appreciate the effort Ryan put into that wod. Way to go Ryan! -- and thanks for the great story, Charlie.
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