"Central's goals are simple. Get as strong, fit and skilled as we possibly can."
As the last day of the 2012 South Central Regional came to a close, CrossFit Central sat in an all too familiar fourth place going into Event 6.
After missing a trip to Carson, Calif., with a fourth-place finish at the 2011 Regional, they were bound and determined to not have history repeat itself.
Jessica Estrada, Carey Kepler, Michael Winchester, and Travis Holley took the floor with one goal – win Event 6 and go to the Games.
With a truly spectacular performance, CrossFit Central not only took first, but also set the bar on the workout for the first week with a time that remained in the top 10 throughout the Regional season.
Their heart, drive, and determination to prove themselves was highly apparent with a time of 15:02, almost two minutes ahead of Dallas Central who took second in the event. The first-place finish notched them up to third, securing a spot for the Games and redeeming last year’s disappointment.
Now back in Austin, Texas, the team is following the same training strategy that led them to a successful finish at Regionals – as a team all the time. “Central's goals for the next nine weeks are simple”, Winchester says, “Get as strong, fit and skilled as we possibly can.”
And for the first time, CrossFit Central has hired a coach, Rudy Nielsen, to lead their programming. “The Outlaw Way Doctrine aligns with pretty much everything we believe as a gym, and the programming is legit,” Winchester says. “We flew him in [the week after the Regional] to get eyes on us and assess our strengths and weaknesses as a gym. He put us through some brutal training sessions and is now in charge of taking us to the next level.”
Winchester says the team has been training with Nielsen or following his programming daily since returning from the Regional, and they have a clearly defined purpose. “Over the coming months, we expect to gain the strength, conditioning and skills needed to make a run for the podium at the 2012 CrossFit Games.”
