“I’m nervous for all of them. I’m particularly looking forward to the wall balls in Event 4 on Saturday, but I am going to apologize to my hands before I start the 100 chest-to-bar pull-ups.”
Photos by: Alex Wintulich
Many of us cringe when we hear the name Fran. But for South Australian CrossFitter Lauren Reynolds, the workout is a reminder to keep pushing the boundaries to become a better athlete.
It was during her first attempt of the benchmark workout that Reynolds’ mental toughness clicked.
“I kept telling myself, ‘Just don’t drop the bar, you’ll lose time,’” Reynolds says. “And I didn’t put the bar down.”
Her Fran mentality helped her in the Open this year. On Open Workout 13.5, Reynolds reached the 90 reps required to continue with 15 seconds to spare.
“I had mixed emotions,” Reynolds says. “I was relieved to make the cut off. I wanted to collapse in a heap, but I knew I just had to keep going.”
By the end of the workout, Reynolds had completed an impressive 144 reps, posting the eighth-best score in the Australia Region.
Her performance also saw her finish the Open tied for 17th place in Australia, securing a spot at the 2013 Australia Regional, which will be her first national competition in any sport.
“I’m excited. It still feels surreal and my heart was pounding as I was reading the workouts,” Reynolds says.
“I’m nervous for all of them. I’m particularly looking forward to the wall balls in Event 4 on Saturday, but I am going to apologize to my hands before I start the 100 chest-to-bar pull-ups.”
With the assistance of coach and boyfriend, Matt Skrypek, Reynolds has been preparing for the Australia Regional by continuing to work on her weaknesses and testing out a few of the workouts set for the three-day competition.
Along with her CrossFit commitments, Reynolds also works full time and plays netball for the Phoenix in the Subway Cup, the tier below the National competition in South Australia.
“There weren’t any expectations on Lauren going into 2013,” Skrypek says. “The main focus was for her to enjoy the Open and manage the workouts and training around her netball commitments.”
And Skrypek couldn’t be more proud of Reynolds’ effort so far, putting her success down to her hard work and persistence.
“Lauren never whinges or complains, she just gets on with the job and there’s nothing she won’t have a crack at, which makes it super easy to program for her,” he says.
In just one year, Reynolds has seen huge improvements.
In 2012, she finished the Open in 160th place. Today, she is preparing for her first-ever Regional with a real chance to finish the weekend in the top 10.
Her improvement is also a testament to the support she has at her box, CrossFit Tenacity, where Skrypek is head coach.
“We love a laugh and muck around, but we put a big emphasis on quality movement,” he says.
As expected, a large group will be heading down to Wollongong to cheer on Reynolds at the Regional.
More than 20 members from CrossFit Tenacity, as well her family, will be making the trip over from Adelaide to watch the 22-year-old compete.
Reynolds is described by her Tenacity family as humble, dedicated and inspirational.
