"I believe I can win, and I put in the work to end up on top."
Last year, Dan Bailey was in a tight race at the Central East Regional. He had been consistent all weekend, never finishing lower than ninth place in an event, and managed to hold off a surging Graham Holmberg to capture third place along with his third consecutive ticket to the CrossFit Games.
This year, the players and location were different, but the goal was the same: qualify.
Since graduating from Tennessee Tech University with his master’s degree in exercise science, Bailey had been living a relatively nomadic lifestyle. There was a period of time in 2013 that Bailey was living on three-time Games champ Rich Froning’s property in Cookeville, Tennessee. After a stint at CrossFit HQ in Santa Cruz, California, Bailey moved to Southern California in December of 2013 to work under former Games competitor Josh Everett at the Naval Special Warfare Group 1 providing CrossFit training to Navy SEALs. So far, Bailey loves his job and the locale of Coronado Bay in San Diego.
“It’s much easier to get in swim work, as well as running, mostly because of the ocean and the nice weather,” he said. “I don't miss having to battle the cold winters for training.”
The sunny Southern California weather may make some things easier but work is still work.
“Everything else is nearly the same—head to the gym and work hard,” he said.
In addition to the sunny weather and ocean breezes, Bailey gained another thing from moving west: a new training partner in Josh Bridges.
“There’s a lot of good competitors in SoCal but you know, having a guy like Dan to train with is that extra push that you always need in the gym, like times when you’re just not feeling it,” Bridges said.
Bailey watched old friends compete at the Central East Regional from a distance this year.
“There are a lot of friends I have that compete and watch, and I missed seeing them this year,” Bailey said. “In terms of competition, no region is easy to qualify out of but there is for sure less room for error in the Central East.”
He’s happy in his new region.
“Overall, I enjoyed competing in the SoCal Regional. The venue, athletes and fans made for a fun weekend,” he said.
Though a newcomer to SoCal, Bailey was still a crowd favorite. Nothing kept fans on their feet more than when he fell behind on the final event. Event 7—a sprint of pull-ups and overhead squats—held Bailey up at the barbell. He actually showed remnants of being beatable.
Despite his second-place standing going into this last event, Bailey was the final athlete working on the floor in his heat.
“I was having tremendous difficulty with the overhead squats. All I kept thinking was, ‘finish,’” he recounted. “It was terrible having to do the overhead squats while watching everyone running by, knowing you are losing points with each person.”
Bailey finished in 3:06, taking 21st, dropping him to third overall at the end of the weekend. Nevertheless, he finished—and qualified.
“The takeaway is sometimes bad things are going to happen, stay calm, do the best that you know how to do and finish the race,” he said.
This ability to stay calm when things deviate from the plan is something that comes with being a veteran, and Bailey knows this well.
“Experience makes a difference, but it also brings a little more pressure; my perspective hasn't changed much,” he said. “What is incredible to see is the growth each year, and how much better all of the athletes get. Anything can happen. A rookie could win the Games, but at this point I feel it is highly unlikely. You have to put in a lot of hours to get onto that podium, let alone win.”
Although he did not compete against him at regionals, Froning will always be on Bailey’s mind. Friends and former training partners, the two athletes kept a tight field during prior regionals.
During the 2012 and 2013 Central East Regional, Froning and Bailey took turns beating each other on events. In 2012, Froning and Bailey finished first and second, respectively, at the end of the weekend. That year, Bailey took home two first-place finishes and Froning four.
In 2013, Froning and Bailey took first and third, with Scott Panchik just barely squeaking by Bailey by 2 points for second. Though difficult to compare region to region, this season saw a wider gap between Froning and Bailey. In all seven events, Froning beat out Bailey.
When asked about the possibility of anyone beating Froning in Carson, Bailey said: “It will be incredibly hard to beat Rich. He has won the last three years because he is without a doubt the most consistent athlete in the field, he has an incredible talent and work ethic.”
However, nothing is guaranteed.
“Anyone can be beaten,” Bailey said.
And in anticipation of the fierce competition at the Games, Bailey is preparing his own mental attitude with his own goals.
“Look, I never enter a competition thinking that I will lose,” he said. “If you do that you might as well not compete. I always have the attitude that I can win. I believe I can win, and I put in the work to end up on top.”
