"I was in shock. I couldn’t believe what position I was."
It’s not every day a first-time regional competitor takes the top spot.
Rookie Jordan Cook of the South Central Region did just that.
“I knew it was possible, but not likely,” Cook said.
With two years of CrossFit experience under his belt, and only eight months of focused competitor’s training, Cook achieved the unlikely.
Throughout the regional weekend, the 19th-place South Central Open finisher quickly worked his way into the top heat on Day 2 after two second-place finishes on Events 3 and 4. He managed to stay there, well within sight of the podium.
The tipping point came during Event 6 when leader Roy Gamboa was knocked from first to second place.
“After Event 6 I knew I had done well but I wasn’t sure until I got in the back and saw my coach who informed me that I was 17 points ahead of second place,” Cook said. “I was in shock. I couldn’t believe what position I was. I kept thinking, ‘How am I beating guys like Gamboa?’”
The 22-year-old’s background in Olympic weightlifting came in handy on Event 7 as he hoisted the 205-lb. barbell overhead to complete the 8 overhead squats that would complete his weekend. His performance solidified first place overall and a ticket to the Games.
“My initial goal entering regionals was just to be in the final heat on Day 3,” Cook said.
With three-time Games competitor Aja Barto sitting out this year to pursue weightlifting competition, Cook and Barto may as well have traded sports.
“I was an Oly lifter for about four years before I started CrossFit,” he said. “I originally got into it to increase my bench press.”
It’s no wonder Cook’s numbers can hold their own amongst some of the top Games contenders. He has a 325-lb. clean and jerk, 268-lb. snatch, 475-lb. deadlift and 440-lb. back squat.
In fact, it was actually through his old weightlifting gym that Cook discovered CrossFit in fall of 2012.
“Earlier that spring, I took a break from weightlifting to mix it up,” he recalled. “I started doing more circuit training exercises and also began training for a triathlon. Then, that fall I was offered a job to coach CrossFit as long as I got my Level 1 … . Even though I hadn’t really done it that much, once I got my cert I was hooked on CrossFit.”
At the time, he didn’t know exactly what he was getting himself into, but now he couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
“I’ll never forget my first Fran at the Level I,” he remembered. “It was one of my first official WODs, and I remember thinking, ‘Why am I doing this?’ If you were to look up my class (seminar) picture you would see me with a weird look on my face because I think I was blacking out. Now, two years later, I absolutely love my job and the fact that I get to train and train others for a living is awesome.”
As humble as they come, Cook said coaching is a key component in what has made him a better athlete.
“Coaching forces me to constantly learn new things so I can better help others and, in turn, help myself,” Cook said.
When he’s not training, he is busy coaching 10 to 15 classes a week, as well as personal training clients 5 to10 hours per week.
The lessons he teaches his clients are the same lessons he takes to heart on the competition floor: Consistency is what pays off.
Drew Crandall of MisFit Athletics in Maine confirmed Cook actually practices what he preaches. When Crandall first heard of Cook in 2013—an email correspondence led Cook to sending Crandall scores and videos of workouts—he found a talented but raw athlete. To his delight, he also discovered that the Texan was coachable.
“We finally got to meet him when we ran a training camp down at his home gym in Webster, (Texas), and to our excitement he was extremely eager to be coached,” Crandall said. “That weekend was a big turning point in our efforts to be able to help him reach his potential. With Jordan having a strong background in weightlifting and triathlons and that in turn transferring over very well to his gymnastics, he really just needed to stick with a solid program for a long enough period of time to get himself to a regionals-level athlete.”
To ensure their athlete is ready for the unknowable in July, Crandell and Seth Spencer, also of MisFit Athletics, have upped the intensity, volume and environments of Cook’s workouts.
“I began following the MisFits programming back in October when a good friend of mine told me I should check out their programming,” Cook said. “Once I met the coaches face to face about a month before my regional, I was all about MisFit. They are great guys. Drew programs my strength and Oly lifting, and Seth programs the conditioning pieces. As the Games approaches now, I’ve added in some bicycle, pool and scheduled training partners for that extra push.”
Looking ahead to the big show in Carson, California, Cook is doing his best to manage his nerves and excitement. After all, he’ll soon be competing alongside some of the CrossFit greats.
“I am most looking forward to and most nervous about competing with people I look up to,” he said.
In fact, Cook admitted he still is a little awestruck.
“If I had an entire day to do whatever I wanted, no money attached, I’d learn from the best,” he said. “I would travel to Cookeville, Tennessee, and do a training session with the champ, then fly to California and do another training session with NorCal’s best, and finally go to SoCal and do my last session with Josh (Bridges) and Dan (Bailey),” Cook said.
He’s just now beginning to see he is capable of being on the same level.
“Regionals opened my mind to the possibility that, if I put my mind to it, I can accomplish it.”
