“In Australia, the saying is that kids swim before they can walk. That was true for me.”
There’s no such thing as an easy road to the CrossFit Games.
But the path for Amanda Schwartz has been downright cruel at times. It’s also been equally inspiring for all who know her. With the nickname “Aussie” and more than a hint of an Australian accent, it’s easy to figure out she was born and raised Down Under.
How she reached Carson, California, this year is a lot tougher to imagine.
The journey began when Schwartz was a child. When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she always said, “I want to play sports.” She played them all—at least the ones available in Port Macquarie, Australia.
“In Australia, the saying is that kids swim before they can walk. That was true for me,” Schwartz said.
Swim she did, along with playing soccer, volleyball, tennis, softball and gymnastics. She even tried field hockey because it looked fun. Whatever she competed in, she excelled in. Her athletic prowess led her to the U.S. to play college soccer at Bethel University in Tennessee.
After college, Schwartz decided to stay in the state side and ended up in Tyler, Texas, working as a personal trainer. Shortly after having her son in 2009, one of her co-trainers invited her to try a new kind of workout: CrossFit.
“We didn’t really know what we were doing,” Schwartz said with a laugh. But it was challenging and fun, so in May 2010 she got her Level 1 certificate.
“Without knowing what on Earth CrossFit was about, I walked in wearing my running shoes and wondered what was up with the flat-soled shoes everyone else was wearing,” she remembered.
She completed her Level 1 but didn’t do much with it until she was talked into signing up for the 2011 Open. Not only did she complete the workouts, she qualified for the South Central Regional.
“I trained for six weeks leading up to the event,” she said. “Got my first muscle-up a couple of weeks before. For the first time since college I felt like a competitive athlete again and realized I have to do this.”
She finished 12th—impressive for someone new to the sport.
With a year of training under her belt, Schwartz improved on that finish in 2012. She was fourth, only 2 points away from punching her ticket to the Games. It seemed inevitable Schwartz would make the podium in 2013. She stepped into Freeman Coliseum that year with confidence, qualifying after a second-place finish in the Open.
Everything was going according to plan, and then Event 2 happened.
Schwartz dislocated her elbow during the overhead squat complex, forcing her to withdraw. Trying to stay positive, she went to the CrossFit Games as a spectator.
“The whole time I was watching I couldn’t shake the feeling that I should be competing here. There was a whiteboard that people could write messages on. I simply wrote, ‘NEXT YEAR.’”
“Next year” didn’t arrive the way she’d hoped. The following months turned into one of the toughest times of her life—personally and physically. Things got so bad she considered quitting the sport.
“After how 2013 went down for her, she was super close to not competing in 2014,” her husband Peter Villa recalled. “I’m talking, she waited until the final hours to accept her invitation to regionals.”
Her coach, CJ Martin, was there when Schwartz questioned herself.
“We discussed her core values … and how the most important people in her life would respond if she gave her best effort and fell short of her goals,” Martin said. “She’s a much stronger athlete with the understanding that the comparisons don’t matter. Her goal is to maximize her potential and compete to the best of her ability. If she does that, she’ll walk out of the arena with her head held high.”
After receiving these words of support, Schwartz said the scoreboard stopped mattering so much.
Throughout the 2014 South Central Regional, her new mentality kept her on top of the Leaderboard. Her smile and relaxed attitude was easy to see, even during the most intense parts of the workouts. It’s in those darkest times Schwartz draws on her most powerful source of strength—her son.
The emotions boiled over when she talked about him.
“Kids put everything in perspective,” Schwartz said. “Being a mom is the most important thing in the world, but you also don’t have to lose who you are. He’s always in my thoughts. I want to be the ultimate role model for him and make sure he has a strong mum to look up to.”
Part of what makes her such a strong role model is her faith. Villa gets to see it on a daily basis.
“Her humility is inspiring,” he said. “Through all the hardships and injuries, she’s always put her faith first. It’s amazing to watch. No matter what troubles she’s had, she’s always fallen back on God. If that isn’t inspiring, I don’t know what is.”
Speaking of “mums,” Schwartz’s mother will be arriving from Australia to watch her daughter compete at the Games.
“I’m a little nervous. My mentality is survival,” Schwartz said. “I plan to have an incredible experience and enjoy every moment.”
Schwartz is quick to point out that her topsy-turvy road to the Games was made easier by the support of the East Texas—and Australia—CrossFit community.
“Five boxes came together and had a huge ‘East Texas Aussie’ fundraiser,” she said. “My hometown box in Port Macquarie, Australia, also joined. I was completely blown away by the support.”
It should come as no surprise the community’s support has been so strong. Schwartz is a huge source of inspiration. For this 34-year-old mother, obstacles are simply a challenge to overcome.
