Coming into the 2012 Open, Chad Furey's goal was simply to qualify for a Regional berth and help his team, CrossFit Kinetics, make the top 30. After a spectacular Open, Furey finished 7th in Canada East, and is moving on to the Regional competition as an Individual. While his rank is a bit of a surprise for him, his focus hasn't changed: he’s just having fun.
Furey started CrossFit four years ago. He trained on his own, moving between facilities to meet the equipment requirements for his workouts. His love for training pushed him to learn more. In 2009, he obtained his CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certificate, and in 2010, he attended an Olympic Lifting Seminar with Mike Burgener. That same year, while still a student at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Furey started to volunteer as a trainer with CrossFit Kinetics.
Even while training alone, Furey experienced some remarkable successes. He competed in the New Brunswick Sectionals in 2009, and qualified for the Games in Aromas, where he placed 54th. He's been unable to compete since. This year he's been working several jobs to fund any travel that might come out of his Open performance. He’s ready to travel.
“Strengths don’t win a competition, but your weaknesses will sure lose one.”
His inability to compete at the Games level hasn’t affected Furey’s ability to learn from competition. “Strengths don’t win a competition, but your weaknesses will sure lose one,” he says.
He humbly jokes about his own weakness – double-unders. “When I try to do any decent amount, my rope starts swinging sideways, grazing my hair and left ear, then it whips my ear and head,” he says. “Just all round an unflattering exercise for me.”
Still, he manages. Furey, strong in his Olympic lifts and gymnastic movements, points to his mental strength as his greatest attribute. He devises game plans for each workout and assesses his execution. “I treat it like a game and when the workout is over, I decide if I made the right decision and what I would do differently,” he explains.
This approach is Furey’s strategy for his daily training with CrossFit Kinetics. He thrives in the competitive atmosphere, and tries to get as much as possible from winning, as well as losing. “Yes, there is competition among members, and it's nice to whine once in awhile,” he says. “But its very humbling knowing that no matter how good you are, at some point, you will lose.”
The knowledge that he won’t always win has taught him to enjoy the journey. “The little victories keep us coming back for more 'suck,'” says Chad.
He appreciates the group makes everyone stronger, and his own mental game a little sharper.
Furey confesses his preparation for the Open season was not as thorough has he would have preferred. By February, he felt he had fallen behind and his training was too little and too late. He only began to focus his programming and recovery in January, and in February started to be strict with his diet. He reduced his strength training to compensate for the increased conditioning time.
His minimalist approach, combined with his game strategy, seems to have worked. For 12.1, Furey managed 131 burpees. He had 77 snatches for 12.2. Workout 12.3 was his best showing, placing him 5th in the Region with 441 reps of box jumps, push presses and toes-to-bar. Furey had an uncharacteristic 31st placing for 12.4, but achieved to 137 reps in the Fran ladder in 12.5.
Between now and Regionals, Furey hopes to regain some of the strength he’s lost throughout the Open. He seems content with his plan so far, even if he initially felt underprepared; he continues to work out and enjoy the journey.
