Face of Change

July 20, 2014

Chris Cooper

“I never use the phrase, ‘I do CrossFit.’ I tell people I train for the CrossFit Games.”

“I never use the phrase, ‘I do CrossFit.’ I tell people I train for the CrossFit Games.”

For many, Lucas Parker is the face of Canada West. His bearded countenance, reminiscent of the West Coast’s lumberjack era, has made Parker one of the most recognizable CrossFit athletes since 2011.

Parker is headed to Carson, California, again this year. He’ll face a few veterans, many rookies, and the ever-present unknown and unknowable. Though he’s never earned a dollar at the Games, he considers himself a professional athlete.

“I never use the phrase, ‘I do CrossFit,’” he said. “I tell people I train for the CrossFit Games.”

Parker has witnessed the explosion of the CrossFit Games from the inside. He gets messages from fans that have never done a CrossFit workout. And he said this is the best year to beat Rich Froning.

The Road Through Regionals

Parker has been atop the regional Leaderboard since 2011, but said 2014 was the toughest in Canada West to date.

First, the field was a lot deeper.

“There were a couple of guys returning to the region—(Steve) Howell and (John) Gillis,” he said. “Some guys were coming in—Mitch Barnard held his own in Central East last year, Brent (Fikowski) was from the Australia Regional.”

With two spots available and three Games veterans competing along with the newcomers, Parker knew the fight would last the full weekend.

“After finishing first in Jackie last year, I had it in my mind I’d be going back (to the Games),” he said. “This year, I didn’t feel like that until after the close of the final event.”

Second, Parker believes regional competition is tighter than the Games in some ways.

“There’s a larger chance someone could get taken down because of one or two events,” Parker said. “At the Games, you can have a bad event and still come back and win it all.”

He said the events at regionals were a great test to find the fittest men in the world.

“It’s what CrossFit is all about: not having any glaring weaknesses,” he said. “That gateway to entry to the Games is important. You have to find the best.”

A New Year

In 2014, the “best” athletes changed in many regions. Though it wasn’t the case in Canada West—Tyson Takasaki will be joining Parker in Carson again—many first-timers from other regions will make an appearance this year. This adds an element of surprise, Parker said.

“So many big names won’t be there this year. It might take some of the pressure off,” he said. “But there are so many rookies who could be amazing; will they be overwhelmed by the spectacle, or turn the tables and win?”

No matter how unknown the field, Parker believes 2014 will be the tightest race of any so far. He considers himself near the top of the field, which will be a big improvement over 2013 when he finished 19th.

Last year, Parker had a poor start: 42nd in the first event, followed by a 36th, a 46th and another 42nd. Conversation among the fans seemed to alternate between, “Can anyone beat Rich?” and “What’s wrong with Lucas?”

At the time, the bearded champion of Canada West was quoted as saying, “I don’t know what’s wrong. The fans are keeping me in it right now.” But he had an inkling of trouble when a blood test before the Games found an iron deficiency and more.

“My immune system numbers were below the normal range,” he said. “I’m not sure if that was dumb luck and I just had some sort of bug, or something chronic that had built up over the year.”

Whatever the reason, Parker is back and ready to shoot for the very top of the podium.

On Taking Down Rich

“Most people have come to the understanding this is Rich’s last year,” Parker said. “This is our last chance to take him down.”

It’s important to Parker to beat the three-time champ in competition rather than waiting for his absence.

“Let’s say he doesn’t come back, and there’s a new champ. Regardless of how amazingly the 2015 winner performs, there will always be the thought of, ‘How well would he have done against Rich?’”

He continued: “People are going to be questioning the next winner until he wins three or four titles and surpasses Rich.”

Parker also has an opinion on Rich’s choice to retire after the 2014 Games.

“In (Rich’s) words, he’s ready for another challenge,” Parker recalled. “If you’re at the top for more than five or six years, you’re getting pretty close to some sort of burnout. That’s my opinion.”

“The sport is still young, and you see some competitors in their late 30s and early 40s perform really well,” he continued. “But if you look 10 years down the road, there probably won’t be any repeat champs.”

The training required to win the Games is increasing every year, and the demand will limit top performers to shorter intervals at their peak.

“If you put in the work to win it, you probably won’t be able to rebound and repeat,” he said.

An Unpaid Pro

At age 24, Parker still lives with his parents. He works a single part-time job.

And he trains.

“What I’m doing—it’s a bit of a gamble,” he said. “I’m doing whatever I can to live like a pro athlete, get into the top level, and hopefully the work will pay off.”

He said he thinks many CrossFit athletes are doing the same: leaning “pretty heavily” on friends and family for support, both tangible and intangible.

“Being a pro athlete is not the most glamorous life,” he said with a laugh. “I’m putting the cart before the horse, but I have a great support system at home. I have a great place to train outside. I have good equipment and some odd stuff. I have a loving family.”

Many other competitors pay their way by owning or coaching at a CrossFit affiliate. Parker, who graduated last year with a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree, knows he could do the same. But not yet.

“If I really wanted to excel as a pro in the field, I’d go back to school and get a master’s or Ph.D.,” he said. “But for right now, the plan is to push it. We’ll see how that turns out.”

Turning pro means working on things he likes less than weightlifting and gymnastics—like long-distance running.

“I’m more physically and genetically suited to the faster, power-based events,” Parker said. “But if I want to be Games champ, I have to be fit across all areas of fitness. It’s a constant battle to work on the longer stuff.”

The Future

Watching the evolution from inside the beast, Parker has a unique perspective on the professionalization of the sport and its athletes.

“In the old days of CrossFit, we used to say that training for elite fitness and training for health and wellness are the same thing,” he said.

“In my opinion, those are now two different paths.”

He elaborated: “If you’re training for the Games, you’re not in an ideal state of health and happiness year-round. And if you’re always healthy and happy, you’re probably not pushing yourself hard enough.”

He said the progression required to excel in all areas of fitness would mean a longer development period for top athletes. It will also mean more time to recover between competitive seasons.

“I think you’ll see people fall into this self-selected four-year cycle, like the Olympics,” he said. “I’d love to see (the Games) not happen every year. I think you might see athletes place well and then opt out for two to three years to recover, and then come back.”

As more athletes devote their life to training for the Games, Parker said he thinks they’ll begin to mimic the habits of athletes in other competitive sports.

“One of the questions that came up last year was, ‘Put up your hand if you eat strict paleo.’ Nobody did,” Parker remembered.

Before the Games, videos showing Parker eating donuts after a tough training session were shared among his fans. He said his nutrition now changes depending on the time of competition season. He added top athletes are now learning tough lessons about eating for abs versus eating for performance, and training at the same level every day.

“Training and competing aren’t the same thing. Every day isn’t competition day,” he said. “I need to be at my peak fitness at the end of July. In November, I might not be anywhere near that peak.”

As the competitors grow into professional athletes, Parker sees CrossFit becoming a sport with fans, armchair quarterbacking, personalities and even haters.

“In 2011 and 2012, anyone who said they were a Lucas Parker fan had probably met me in real life,” he said. “We probably had some sort of connection. They were probably very excited CrossFit participants.”

With growth has come a different type of fan.  

“CrossFit has reached a point where there are lots of people talking about CrossFit who don’t know anything about CrossFit,” he said. “I’ve been lucky enough to avoid the haters so far, but a lot of these other top athletes are reading pretty callous comments about themselves on Facebook.”

“At first it’s nice to have popularity and attention, but I put myself in a fan’s shoes: If you’re watching football and following one player or another, you don’t really care about that person. You just see them as a spectacle; something entertaining to watch on Sunday.”

The Games

Parker will likely be that spectacle. Always entertaining, his legend precedes his arrival in Carson.

He won’t be arriving early to acclimate, preferring to stay in his own bed—and his own head—for as long as possible.

“Getting used to the heat is less important than staying in Victoria with the food, training environment, and support system that will keep me comfortable before the Games,” Parker said.

“If I went a week early, I’d have a week of heat acclimatization, but also a week living out of a hotel, running around to find a place to train, less-than-ideal cooking and sleep.”

The life of a “pro” certainly worked at regionals, where Parker’s performance was dominant. In a week, he’ll ride that wave right down the coast to Carson, California, just as his fitness reaches its crest.

“I think I’m the healthiest and fittest I’ve ever been. I’m excited to see that reflected in my placing at the Games.”