I found my people … with egos

When you’re traveling, hitting a new CrossFit is a special treat: you get to do movements you know but with entirely different warm-ups and cool-downs and atmospheres and progressions and people. It’s awesome.

I arrived at Roaring Fork CrossFit (in Basalt, about 25 mins from my home base in Aspen) 10 minutes late–Texans don’t drive on snow. But Vince welcomed me anyway and I jumped right in to their warmup and a wicked workout:

Pre-WOD: Reverse Tabata L-Hold (10 on, 20 off)

WOD:
10 Minutes AMRAP
7 thursters (45#)
7 pushups
score: 9.5 rounds

Rest 3 minutes (set up your next station)

6 Minutes AMRAP
4 ring dips (blue band)
6 burpee box jumps (hell)
score: 5 rounds

Rest 2 minutes

3 Minutes Max Pullups
score: a sad 28

Shoulders. Are. On. Fire.

I really liked the setup of the WOD–it was entirely new to me to do a bunch of different AMRAPs with rest, and it was challenging. I felt strong through the first round, started to falter on burpee box jumps (damn I hate you) but felt really strong on the ring dips (cannot wait for that muscle-up!!), and then D-I-E-D on the max pullups. Blame it on the bar, the hands, the grip, the shoulders, the potential shoulder injury, the altitude, whatever, I should have done more pullups.

But I can’t be too upset, because I have found my people.

Part of the warmup is those pullups. So I jump up to their bar (it’s very high) and whip out some kipping pullups. A dude walks up to me and says in 100% seriousness, “Sweet kip!” I smile, uncertain if he’s being serious, but he nods and says, “no really, it’s nice.”

Yeah, buddy! [Disclaimer: my lips (typing fingers?) are about to be stained with the kool-aid] Various members come over to introduce themselves as they finish their warmups, and they all come talk to me afterward to find out why I’m here, how long I’ve been CrossFitting, what my story is. The CrossFit community has somehow gathered the nicest, friendliest, most competitive people into one national entity, where I can drop in to a random gym and find my people. [KOOL AID SPILL!*]

I also love how there are no egos. There are absolutely giant egos in CrossFit. Everyone wants to be the best. But the thing is that they know it, and recognize it. Yeah, I’ve got an ego involved, because I HAVE to in order to be the best. That kind of ego is cool, because it helps motivate people while allowing them to admire and respect others. It’s sort of like the whole CrossFit Games mentality–it doesn’t matter if you win (ok, yeah it does), you get mad props just for being there, for competing and completing the workouts. Same with the gym.

It’s pretty sweet to be a part of a community where you can walk in and feel at home.

*One of the girls said something to me about how she had only been CrossFitting about a month but had totally drank the kool-aid. It’s universal!