Aimee Lyons is no stranger to CrossFit or its competitions. As owner of CrossFit King of Prussia, she has competed individually at Regionals in 2009 and 2010, and with her affiliate team in 2011.
At the end of Week 4 in the Open, Lyons finds herself in 22nd place and her affiliate team in 17th in the Mid Atlantic Region. She may be faced with the decision once again about whether she wants to compete as an individual or on the CrossFit King of Prussia team. “I’m on the fence, I’m not even sure” Lyons says.
She has been training with the intention to compete on the team if they qualify, but, “there is still a part of me that may want to try individual.”
She has been training with the intention to compete on the team if they qualify, but, “there is still a part of me that may want to try individual.”
Lyons made the decision to go team last year despite qualifying as an individual. Lyons was 10 weeks pregnant while competing individually in 2010, and the CrossFit King of Prussia team had also made it to the Games that year. “Physically and mentally after having the baby, I wasn’t in the right state of mind to compete individually” she says.
For Lyons, coaching and watching the team compete at the 2010 CrossFit Games was rewarding, but also made her envious.
Any CrossFit athlete can attest to the fact that the chance of getting to the big show, whether its team or individual, is appealing. Lyons knew the team would be stronger with her on it and have a better chance of going to the Games again. She decided she was going to give it a try.
Team CrossFit King of Prussia finished in 8th place at the 2011 Mid Atlantic Regional, not qualifying for the next level of competition. Lyons enjoyed the experience with the team, but still wondered would it would be like to compete individually. “In the back of my head I would like to have seen where I would have stacked up individually.”
Lyons is realistic about her chances of going any further than Regionals. She says she knows it’s tough competition. To Lyons, individual competition isn’t about going to the Games, but more about playing her sport and seeing where she stands.
While her decision won’t be easy, we can still expect to see Lyons at the Mid Atlantic Regional.
