The Aussies are coming.
CrossFit Athletic has a message for the teams going to the CrossFit Games: The Aussies are coming.
The team dominated at the Australia Regional with three first-place finishes and never finished outside the top four in any of the eight events. The affiliate also set two event records during the weekend in Events 1 and 8.
If you were to combine all the team scores over the four weeks of regional competition, CrossFit Athletic would be placed inside the top 15, ahead of a number of heavyweight affiliates including NorCal CrossFit and CrossFit Fort Vancouver.
On performances alone, CrossFit Athletic has shown they have the ability to mix it with the best affiliates across the globe.
Steered by two athletes and a coach who competed on the CrossFit Athletic team at the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games, Christian D’Astoli—who is now the coach—Paul Walton and Rachael Cleave, Athletic performed well in every aspect tested at the 2014 Australia Regional.
“We had the best run we could have hoped for,” Walton said. “It was everything we’d prepared for and there were no major hiccups.”
Athlete Christie Jenkins agreed.
“We PB’d all the workouts,” she said.
In the weeks since regionals, D’Astoli has had the team doing the most varied programming possible in the aim of preparing for the unknown and unknowable.
“You never know what you’ll get so you train for things that have come up in the past and things you think might come up,” he said.
“I made a ‘worm’ out of rope and kettlebells and they did synchronized movements,” D’Astoli continued. “They’ve done runs and beach swims, sled pushes out on the street and partner carries.”
Walton said the team learned from its 2012 trip to Carson, California, where the affiliate finished 38th overall, failing to break into the top 15 in any event.
“In 2012 we were new to CrossFit and just scratching the surface,” Walton said. “We had no idea how to prepare but being around for awhile and seeing the different workouts, we’re programming more towards what we’re likely to get. We’re well prepared for 2014.”
“2012 was largely the excitement of being there, but this team now wants to be inside the top 10,” he added.
In added preparation, the team has trained with fellow Australian qualifying team CrossFit Active.
“We smashed them on the team events,” team member Sammy Wood said. “We’re pumped.”
The first announced team event for the Games—the 6-mile relay run—has been released and the Athletic athletes are using their time preparing a game plan to tackle the event.
Although D’Astoli is confident there will be some kind of curve ball thrown in.
“They’ve done a fair bit of running, but there’ll be more to it,” he said. "It could be a partner carry, it could be anything.”
With the start of the Games set to take place on the beach, D’Astoli said the location couldn’t be more perfect for the region’s qualifiers.
“All three Aussie teams live on the coast and we’re excited for the beach workout,” he said. “Everyone at the Games will be good, though, you might get first in one and last in the others.”
The team is also ready for the second announced team event: Frantasy Land. Wood said the announcement only made her more excited.
“We don’t mind the movements or the weights and we have a pretty good idea of the order we want to do,” she said. “Looks like a good, fun event. We’re looking forward to this one.”
Like many teams, CrossFit Athletic is confident it has a team roster that covers each other’s weaknesses well.
“Some of us are exceptional in some areas and not so great in others but it’s an area someone else is good in,” Walton said.
While Athletic athletes feel more than ready for what’s been released so far, D’Astoli said training as a team has been a challenge.
“Everyone has a full-time job and works 9 to 5, so they’ve been limited in their training and haven’t had the luxury of triples like some teams,” he said. “They’ve trained alone a lot before or after work.”
Despite this, Walton said it had been the easiest year to date in terms of team harmony.
“No one’s been causing any issues and everyone’s been fun to be around,” he said.
Wood agreed.
“We’ve learnt a lot about each other and we get along pretty well,” she said.
The team officially formed in November last year after Jenkins moved from Melbourne to Sydney. Based on a recommendation of a friend, she started training at CrossFit Athletic.
“The plan was always to go team,” Jenkins said.
At the same time, Douglas Hemingway met some of the Athletic athletes at a local competition and expressed interest in going team for the 2014 season.
Walton said there has never been, nor ever would be any pressure on the athletes to choose team over individual.
“There’s no point making people go team if they want to go as an individual,” he said. “Our gym’s always been about letting people take the path they want to choose.”
For Walton, this will be his last year on the team—at least for now.
“I have a hip injury at the moment,” he said, “so you could say there will be a hole in a quality team and we’re recruiting.”
If the regional competition was anything to go by, CrossFit Athletic is set to make its presence known at the 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games.