"Coming out of Regionals was a little bittersweet for me."
Lindsey Smith has become synonymous with the Games. She's qualified for the for the past four years and remembers the beginning of the competition on the ranch in Aromas, Calif.
In fact, she holds those early days close to her heart, and today, when Smith is about to start a workout, it's likely she's filled not only with intention, but also appreciation. That appreciation is just one of the many aspects that carried her through the Central East Regional, finishing in second place overall.
Regional lessons
Smith stays busy balancing life as a mother, a wife and a competitive athlete. With less than a month until the Games, she's carrying lessons from Regionals to Carson.
"Coming out of Regionals was a little bittersweet for me," Smith says. "I was thrilled to have another opportunity to compete at the CrossFit Games, but I was also a little disappointed with my performance on a couple of the workouts."
Smith finished 6th in the first event, rebounding immediately for a strong first-place finish in Event 2. The numbers continued steadily Smith finishing fourth on Event 3, third on Event 4 and first on Event 5. She and first-place finisher Julie Foucher strongly held on those top two spots. Qualifying was Smith's primary goal stepping into the Ohio Expo Center in May.
"I am a much more well rounded athlete than I was even last year," she says. "When evaluating my own strengths, I feel I tend to excel at things that require athletic ability paired with work capacity. For example, the skill sets at last year's Games were my highest place finishes in all of my years competing at the Games."
Smith also feels comfortable attempting new things. "Jumping walls, maneuvering sandbags, using a sledge hammer, etc.," Smith says. "As a taller athlete, it will always be very critical for me to continue to improve my ability to move efficiently, especially as it relates to bodyweight and gymnastics-type movements."
Still Having Fun
Smith feels a push for personal accomplishment. "Dealing with the realization that you could have or should have done more is tough to swallow,” she says. "I felt that way last year. I do not want that to happen again."
For that reason, Smith is going to the Games with the goal of bettering her fifth place finish in the 2009 Games and leaving the competition knowing she finished where she did because she performed up to her potential.
So, is CrossFit still fun for Smith? "Heck yeah, it's still fun," Smith says enthusiastically. "There is no way I would commit 20 plus hours a week to training if I wasn't having fun. Don't get me wrong, there are moments that I struggle and times that ‘fun’ is not the right word to describe my current state, but all in all, I am having a blast. When I go a week or so and realize I am not having fun, I change something. I change my environment, change my programming, change where I am training or who I am training with. My family sacrifices too much for me not to be having fun.”
She adds: “Let's not forget winning is fun too.”
When Smith is competing, she says she’s watching no one except herself – her biggest competition.
"Ultimately, I am my biggest obstacle," Smith says. "If I show up and do what I am capable of, the performance of others is really irrelevant. That being said, however, Jenny Labaw, Elisabeth Akinwale and Cheryl Brost came and stayed in my home for a training weekend back in February and it was really awesome to see them all sweep through their respective regions. I have also had a few opportunities to train with Rebecca Voigt in the past year. These are my girls, I wish them nothing but the best."
Positive Mentality
Smith tries to keep a positive mind frame when competing. "I am competitive, don't get me wrong, but I have always been obsessed with the glory attached to winning or finishing on top more so than the defeating of others. It's a difficult thing for me to explain and I even think it frustrates my husband and coach at times, but it’s the way I am,” she says. “Some may say that is the wrong mentality, but for me, it works. You have to know yourself and what pushes you specifically. I am aware of where others are in workouts; it definitely helps me push past the ‘suck’ factor. I love to win, but even more than that I love winning, I hate to lose. I think any of your Games competitors would agree."
Smith says is in it for the long haul. "As for me, I don't think I am going anywhere in the next year," she says. "I had a lot of change take place in my life over the past 12 months that has made training difficult at times. I feel like I am better than I was last year, but I don't think I am the very best I can be … yet. People keep asking my husband and I if we plan on having more kids. We do, but this thing called the CrossFit Games keeps getting in the way.”
