“I’m on the mend and getting progressively better ... . An injury is a teaching tool, and if you listen it will teach you something. I’m turning this weakness into a strength and coming back faster and stronger than ever.”
A back injury has caused North West athlete Rory Zambard to bow out of the 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games. She announced her decision via Facebook on Wednesday.
“Though it breaks my heart to say it, I am withdrawing from the 2014 CrossFit Games,” she wrote. “Two weeks prior to regionals I injured my back. With lots of prayer and a lot of help I still managed to qualify, but it’s been an uphill battle ever since. It’s an injury I’ve dealt with in the past, however this time it’s not something I can overlook. I’ve spent the last two months trying to get back on my feet but the harder I’ve pushed to recover the worse it has become.”
Zambard said she has been dealing with two lumbar disc issues that have literally brought her to the ground. Just prior to regionals, she injured herself and was taking anti-inflammatory steroids to manage the pain. A week-and-a-half after regionals, she injured her back again.
“I’ve been dealing with muscle spasms, nerve pain and impingement issues,” she said. “It’s illuminating: When you can’t tie your shoes, brush your teeth or stand up to make breakfast, you have to listen to your body. You push so hard, but your body shuts down and makes you take notice.”
The 23-year-old CrossFit Games veteran thrilled fans during the final event at the North West Regional. Sitting in fourth place with only 2 points separating her and Carleen Lessard, Zambard flew through the 64 pull-ups and raced to the barbell to complete her 8 135-lb. overhead squats. Lessard followed closely behind, and the athletes went rep-for-rep until the final one. Lessard couldn’t hold on, but Zambard did, taking third in the event and a third-place spot on the podium.
Zambard fought hard to earn her ticket to the Games, and there’s no doubt she’ll fight hard to rebound from this setback.
“I’m on the mend and getting progressively better,” she said. “In a couple of months, I’ll be back on my feet again. An injury is a teaching tool, and if you listen it will teach you something. I’m turning this weakness into a strength and coming back faster and stronger than ever.”
Comments on Zambard’s Facebook post show that her fans overwhelmingly support her decision.
“It takes a strong person to do what you’re doing,” Joshua Jacobs wrote. “I'll pray for you and a speedy recovery. I also believe God has something for you in this difficult season. He never wastes pain. Seek Him in the time and I have no doubt you will look back and be thankful for this one day. God Bless!”
“Rock on for making a tough but right decision,” Alishia Schaafsma said. “You'll come back better than ever!”
And Erga Stolo wrote it succinctly: “Unbelievable example of power … awesome.”
The CrossFit Bellevue athlete will still be at the StubHub Center in July. She’ll be rooting for her mother, Lisa Long, as she competes in the Masters Women 55–59 Division, and Cole Sager, her training partner, as he competes in his first trip to the Games.
“I’m so incredibly thankful for the constant support I have, it’s made this challenging time more manageable,” Zambard wrote in her Facebook post. “I will continue to focus on what I can do, not what I can’t. I’m already looking forward to next year, I will be back better than ever. ‘I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.’ Romans 8:18.”
