"Last year, we were all new to each other and new to the team. This year, we're all much better athletes and know each other so much better, as well."
Tommy Hackenbruck, who was named the second Fittest Man on Earth in 2009, says he wanted to compete on his affiliate’s team for a long time.
In 2012, Hackenbruck led Hack’s Pack UTE to the podium as Affiliate Cup champions.
“Last year, we were all new to each other and new to the team,” Erin Bennion says. “This year, we’re all much better athletes and know each other so much better, as well.”
Like last year, Hackenbruck wrote men and women minimum standards this year, as well as loose training templates for his competitors. It’s then up to the competitors to apply the standards to their workouts each day to help them improve in any areas where they have weaknesses.
In addition, Ute CrossFit sponsored each of Hack’s Pack athletes to participate in and travel to different competitions.
“My primary goal as the coach of the team, was to give the athletes special opportunities to make them better competitors and better people,” Hackenbruck says.
Those opportunities included traveling to Atlanta to train with TitinTech and compete in The O-Run Obstacle Race; to San Diego for SealFit’s Kokoro camp; to the Ranch in Aromas, Calif., for the Big Bob Challenge; and to Orange County for the OC Throwdown. He also says he gave them opportunities to train with gymnastics expert Dusty Hyland, Dave Chu for Olympic lifting and to practice open-water rowing with Concept2 representatives.
“Everyone on our team continually trains very hard, no matter how ‘good’ any of us get at any particular thing, we are constantly looking to achieve more,” Adrian Conway says.
Most Hack’s Pack members feel confident saying they will go team again this year.
Taylor Richards-Lindsay says the time demand of being an individual competitor is more than she’s willing to commit to at this point.
“Competing as an individual now has to be almost a full-time job,” Richards-Lindsay says. “Training as part of a team takes some of that stress off.”
While they all agree with that point, there’s definitely added pressure when competing as part of a team, as well.
That pressure helps Hackenbruck get the most out of his workouts.
“My priorities are: one, my family; two, the gym; and then three, my own training,” he says. “If something is up with my family or the gym, my own training will take a back seat. Competing as part of the team motivates me to give it my all during my training sessions.”
Team member, Mary Lampas, has a similar focus when she comes in to train. She fits in one workout a day and keeps CrossFit short and sweet.
“My standard is to do my best every day. I get in, get focused and do well,” she says.
Michael Cazayoux says he wants to dominate the competition again this year and is looking forward to winning every single workout at the South West Regional.
“I like winning,” he says. “Doing it with a team makes it more fulfilling because you get to share that feeling.”
