A huge congratulations to Erik Lidecis! He recently placed 3rd out of 285 boats in the Finn Master World Championships in La Rochelle, France becoming the first American to reach the podium. He competed over several days taking a couple of first place finishes in route to his podium finish. If you see him around the box make sure you tell him congratulations. To see the daily updates and photos from the event check out the Finn event page here
When I started CrossFit I used to have to walk 10 miles in the snow with no shoes just to get there…. Kidding. With the 5 year anniversary party coming up Anthony asked us to take a look back at where and how we started with CrossFit. Some of you know my story, some of you don’t. I’ve been CrossFitting with AC and Mel since late 2008 before we split from CFHB and became Surf City. At the time I had an upcoming fire academy and was looking to gain some strength. I had always been an endurance athlete but never had much strength or a very good understanding of what I should be doing in the gym. I had always done the very traditional back and bi’s day, leg day, chest day blah blah blah. I embaressingly found CrossFit by searching for the 300 workout (A workout based on the movie with the ripped Trojans). In my pursuit of Trojan warrior fitness I found that there was only 2 CrossFit’s in HB. At the time it was just us and Marina in Huntington Beach and ultimately I chose us because it was closer to my house. I remember calling and speaking with Anthony briefly. When I drove up I thought I was in the wrong spot. I was surprised to find myself in a neighborhood and not at a business. I probably circled the block twice before I saw some people working out in a garage. I walked up to the garage still unsure if I was in the right spot. I don’t even remember if I did a baseline or not. There was a bunch of people in good shape who looked like they knew what they were doing so I just went with it. I figured I only had 3 months until academy started and wasn’t going to get any weaker so what did I have to lose. Like most people who start CrossFit I drank the Koolaid and was hooked. On a daily basis I was reading the CrossFit Journal, checking the “main site”, watching videos etc., etc., etc…
In the same way that CrossFit started out as an underground almost Fight Club like atmosphere the same could be said about CFSC. We were working out in a garage with a limited amount of equipment but pushing the limits of our athletic ability. As CrossFit became more mainstream so did our underground strength gym. We eventually outgrew the humble beginnings in the garage and had to upgrade. Once we settled in our current location the gym really went from an unorganized group to a business. To say the gym hasn’t changed dramatically over the years would be an understatement. Obviously the facility has changed locations and things are much more organized now but the core values of CrossFit still hold the same. The shared suffering and pain makes for a community of strong willed people who are doing something the rest of society is too lazy to do. If CrossFit were easy everybody would be doing it. After almost 5 years of CrossFit I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m stronger and more athletic then I was when I started and have done things I would have never thought possible before. Congrats CFSC on 5 years running and cheers to many more…. salude!
Reminder there is a Muscle Up skill clinic on Tuesday 5/21 at 6pm. This is open to all CFSC members and is included in your membership. You can sign up at the gym or through Zen Planner. Remember there is a $20 no call, no show fee.
Remember this week 5/15-5/17 is your chance to show your friends, family and co-workers what CrossFit is all about. You may bring a friend to any regularly scheduled class to give them a chance to try CrossFit. Have them arrive a few minutes early to fill out a waiver the day of class and please sign up at the gym so we can allot extra coaches to the class schedule as needed
I’m not even sure where to begin recapping this event. Over the past few months this project has been my baby. What started out as a desire to get a few HB gyms together for a small competition turned into the biggest event we’ve ever held. I’m not sure where it spiraled into what we created but the trip sure was something else. I was asked a few times on Sat. why did you want to plan a competition? To be honest I don’t have a great answer. I’ve always enjoyed participating in events throughout the CrossFit community and kinda felt like we were overdue to create something of our own for others to participate in. The most enjoyable competition I’ve done was the WOD Gear Team competition and I always wanted to do a team centered competition. I chose partners instead of the standard 4 person team since I thought it would provide more people the opportunity to compete and it’s something that hasn’t been seen much. Once we laid out the parameters we went to work. It was slow going at first. The registrations trickled in along with the sponsors and then suddenly the spots started filling up. Before we knew it we had sold out the event and had more athletes and sponsors knocking at the door to get in. We did what we could to accommodate everybody who wanted in and at this point were only a few short weeks away. Finally competition day had arrived. The first heats went off and I was a nervous wreck pacing around the competition making sure every last detail was accounted for. I don’t know if I even took a second to really soak it all in on Saturday. I probably wouldn’t even have eaten if Tiffany didn’t force me to. As the day went on I began to relax a little bit more knowing that something would have to go devastatingly wrong for the day to be a failure. It’s always incredible to watch people pushing their bodies to the max and leaving nothing behind. There was a team from Red Wolf CrossFit that had probably the gutsiest display of the day when they completed a full round on Bull Run and the deadlifts and were so gassed they were crawling over the bar for the burpees. The male competitor was so spent he had to be dragged off the floor by his friends. After the final heats the last scored were tallied and at the end of the day the winners were crowned. We had Kellie Niles and Mike Werner akaTeam PR or ER representing CFSC with a 2nd place finish in the beginner category. Our other teams did great as well especially with this being their first competition. I really hope everybody enjoyed themselves and had a memorable time. I can’t thank everybody enough who volunteered their time Sat. You guys were on point and willing to step in wherever you were needed. A huge thank you to my sidekicks Tiffany, Mitch and Megan. Thanks to the guys at WODtogether who made the scoring ridiculously easy for us as well as all the sponsors who signed on.
This coming Saturday we’re going to be hosting our first CrossFit competition. For the first time we’ll be bringing in athletes from other gyms to compete. There are 27 different gyms being represented by about 160 athletes. CrossFit Chino Hills is bringing the most teams to the competition with 15 followed closely by us with 11 and CrossFit 714 with 9. Not only do we have several gyms represented but we also have vendors from across the CrossFit community. If you’re looking to get some new swag or need new supplements come ready to shop. If you’ve never seen a CrossFit competition what better time to check one out than when it’s on your home turf with several of the athletes you work out with competing. Don’t forget to wear you CFSC gear and come meet CrossFitters from all over the Southern California area (and a few from beyond).
The scale is one indicator to the progress we make in the gym but not the only indicator nor should it be. We can look, feel and have clothes that fit better at a heavier weight than we originally started at. Vu recently posted a picture to the FB page that shows how an individual who actually gained 10lbs+ looked fitter than when they started. The Whole9Life blog has 5 reasons for you as to why you should break up with your scale.
For many Crossfitters the name Chris Spealler is synonymous with the underdog. He is the only athlete to have competed at every CrossFit Games and is considered an underdog because of his smaller stature. Not only is he an exceptional athlete but a leader and role model for those in the CrossFit community. He has a blog discussing everything CrossFit to help those in the community. This week he’s discussing the ups and downs of the Open but the information can be useful in tackling any WOD or challenge in your day to day lives. Check out his blog
The finals for the Whole Life Challenge are quickly approaching and will be taking place on Saturday April 13th here at the gym. Make sure to register for your heat ahead of time. Please register for a makeup day as well if you’re unable to make the finals. We will be taking measurements, running you through the workout and passing out prizes to the top finishers.
The great thing about CrossFit is it’s scalable and can be applied to any skill level. Everybody from Grandma to a Navy Seal has to perform the same movements it’s just to what degree they’re being performed. Grandma needs to squat just like the Seal the only difference is Grandma’s just getting up out of a chair while the Seal’s doing it with a person on his back. The CrossFit affiliate page recently did an article about a gym that has several members upwards of 50 years old. Check out the article and video here.
