Ok.. So I'm super tired and a little ticked off..but I'll try to focus on the positive and move this along!
Quick question for you, though.. When is a Tie in a TIMED event NOT a tie?? If you have an answer other than 'when members of one of the tied teams pitches a big enough bitch fit to somehow convince a seemingly usually levelheaded and 'no BS' kind of guy to disregard the actual time results and inexplicably hand the win over to that team', then I'd love to hear it. Oh, wait..that's right.. Keeping it positive.. Got it. Honestly. Look. Hosting a CrossFit competition is tough and there are a lot of pieces and parts and room for error.. I get it. Which is why, despite most peoples' reactions when I have explained this situation, while I'm not super impressed with how this was all handled, I can empathize with the director/owner of the gym and see how a poor (in my opinion) decision could be made. You want the whole story?.. Hold on.. I'll get to it. But first, let's go through the events of the day!
So today was day 1 of the Garage Games, hosted by CrossFit Unbreakable, which I had never been to before, or really met anyone from there, either. Their gym is pretty large and the event is modestly sized (8 scaled teams and 8 rx teams for both males and females, I think? Or close to that.. So just 2 heats of each with 4 teams of 2 per heat), so there is plenty of room for competing, warm up, sitting around, etc.. I've been to some competitions where you felt like you couldn't even bend over for a toe touch to warm up without knocking some one or some thing over, so I definitely appreciate the space. We got there plenty early ('we' being Jaclyn, my teammate, and I), though it took me a minute being lost in warehouse hell looking for the place..but I eventually figured it out! So the first event was a 1 rep max clean and jerk with the caveat of having to pick a team starting weight, and then you must move up 'ladder style' in 5 or 10# increments through the 10 minute time limit. Though you have to pick a starting weight, both teammates don't have to lift at each weight.. That was a little confusing to us at first when reading it, but it's basically just a 1 rm.. We warmed up a bit and were feeling good. Jaclyn was aiming for around 150-160#(starting at 135), and I was hoping for a pr of 180/185#. We had attempted maxes a couple weeks ago, so we had a good idea of where we would be. Jaclyn was looking solid through 160, but she short cut her split a bit in the jerk at 165 and wasn't able to hold on to it. 160 was a good showing for her! I was moving pretty well..hit my 175, which had been my pr, and was feeling good, so kept going. 180 went up well. 185 went up just fine.. We still had just under 3 minutes on the clock, so I figured..let's go for it! We added the weight and I walked around a bit. My boys had shown up during this time, so got to wave to them for a little extra boost. I think around the minute mark, I lined up and went for it..and 15# pr! I got 190#?! Not sure where it came from or why it wasn't there a couple weeks ago, but I'm pretty excited about that.. Maybe all those front squats are working?! So that was the first workout and we took second there..
The next workout was a 10 minute AMRAP of 25 double unders and 10 box jumps. You could split up the work however you wanted, but while 1 person jumps, the other holds a 95# bar in the front rack. I way under estimated the effect of that hold! It wasn't physically hard to hold, but it was getting in the way of breathing, which was not helpful.. But we decided to go for 2 rounds at a time, and then switch..repeat..for 10 minutes.. It actually went pretty well. It got to where the DU/ box jumps felt like the rest time, since you were able to breathe through that, while the holds started sucking worse and worse.. But we kept on..didn't slow down and wound up in first for that one to overtake the overall lead.
The final workout of the day was also a good one..and that was where the drama ensued.. So it was a chipper with 60 burpees, which we did in alternating sets of 10; then 40 shoulder to overhead (85#), which we did in something like 15/20/5; the plan was for me to then take all 20 toes to bar, which was fine.. Then it was 60 kettle bell swings(35#).. Jaclyn took 40 of those, again, because the plan was for me to take those TTB's and then hopefully do well with bar MU at the end..but before that, we had 40 thrusters(85#) to get through! This is where it started getting rough, but we soldiered on.. Started with sets of 10 each, then 5's until we were finally done! Jaclyn started us off on the 20 bar MU and she got through 3. I hoped to get up there and just crank them out, but it was just not meant to be! I got us to 10.. Then Jaclyn added 3 more.. I wanted so badly to finish us up (which would have spared us the tie break issue), but my grip said no and I came down with 2 to go.. Jaclyn hopped right up and finished up.. At first, I thought we had edged out the other team.. That's what it looked like from my perspective.. But when the 2 judges turned in their scores, they had us in a tie! Which..was fine by me.. I couldn't see exactly when the other gal finished compared to us, so wasn't going to argue with what the 2 separate, unbiased judges had written down and seen.. Well.. That must just be me because unbeknownst to me at the time, the other team was carrying on about how there was no way we tied and they thought they won..etc, etc.. But there was the judges time sheet, you say? It should just end in a tie because that's what the results from the unbiased judges said? Well.. I guess not.. We were called over to 'discuss the results of the workout', which I had no idea there was even any dispute or anything to discuss, so I was a little caught off guard when I was told not only did we not win, we tied, based on the judges.. BUT..since 'other people' said they saw that team finish first, they are giving them the win. Wait.. What?? Was basically my reaction.. I said, 'based on what?', to which they responded, 'human error'.. Huh??! I still don't get it. I protested slightly, but didn't want to be 'that guy' that makes a big scene over a point at a competitive exercise event for adults.. Apparently I left that role to the others.. So, again.. Look. I get it that they wanted the win.. They thought they won.. But, guess what..we did, too! We just weren't big babies about it, yelling and swearing until I somehow convinced others that the tie should go in my favor.. It never even would have occurred to me to bitch about the tie or the times written down, but I guess that's what ya get for being the nice guy. So..despite actually finishing in a tie for first, we were given second in that workout, which leaves us tied for first (with you know who..) overall heading in to day 2. We have 3-4 workouts tomorrow ( the 4th being the final, should we qualify to participate), so hopefully all will right itself in the end and the silly point that they cried themselves into won't amount to much.. Fresh slate moving in to day 2! I'm looking forward to the workouts, so wish us some luck!
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