Mastering the Games

July 22, 2015

Hilary Achauer

Masters athletes in 10 divisions dedicate themselves to three days of intense competition.

Masters athletes in 10 divisions dedicate themselves to three days of intense competition.

 

 

 

 

 


 

“This is harder than climbing Mount Everest.” 

Sandy Hill, a competitor in the Masters 60+ Division, said that about the event that kicked off the second day of competition at the 2015 Reebok CrossFit Games. 

The Long Chipper began with a 1,000-m run over the hill at the west end of the soccer stadium, and the event got worse from there with D-ball ground-to-shoulders, box jump-overs, pull-ups and wall-ball shots.

Hill is an accomplished mountaineer who has climbed the highest mountain on every continent—the Seven Summits. She said making it to the CrossFit Games as a masters competitor took two years of specialized training.

“This is a field full of sharp competitors,” said Hill, 60. She typically trains with people half her age and said she’s loved competing against women her own age. 

“That’s why I wanted to be here: to be among my peers,” she said. 

For many masters competitors—a group that includes ER doctors, software engineers and architects—CrossFit is a hobby, not their primary focus or occupation. This fact was emphasized when Diane Urban withdrew from the 50-54 division Wednesday morning. Urban is chief of the Hayward Police Department in California, and she dropped out after learning one of her officers, Sgt. Scott Lunger, was shot and killed in a routine traffic stop early this morning. 

Cindy Kelley, who won the Long Chipper in the 50-54 age group, said the tragedy put the competition in perspective.

“This is a hobby,” Kelley said. “I feel honored to be here with these women. This is my third year competing (at the Games). I’m just trying to stay calm and relaxed.”

“Especially on the run, I was just trying to breathe,” she added. “I was trying not to worry about the other women and stay consistent. 

Freddy Camacho, a Union City Police Department officer who’s competing in the 50-54 division, led masters athletes in a moment of silence before the day’s events.

“(Urban) is a friend of mine,” Camacho said. “This is a tragic loss. I just told everyone that life is short and always have fun.”

When asked about his thoughts on the Long Chipper, Camacho smiled. 

“That was not fun,” he said. 

Janet Black took seventh overall in the 40-44 division at the 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games. After the Long Chipper—the fourth event—Black is in first place as of press time, ahead of two-time masters champion Amanda Allen, who sits fourth.

Black said the biggest difference this year is her mindset. 

“I just want to have fun,” Black said. 

Like Camacho, she admitted the chipper was not fun, but her strategy in this event was simple: “Just keep working.” 

This year Bill Grundler—famous for holding his own among much younger athletes at Southern California Regional competitions—has entered the masters fray for the first time in the 44-49 Division. 

In an interview before the Games began, Bill said he finally decided to compete as a masters athlete because his brother, James, qualified in the 40-44 division. 

“I thought it would be fun to do like we did when were 8 and 10 years old wrestling,” Bill said. 

After winning the Long Chipper, Bill said the switch to masters competition doesn’t mean he can take it easy. 

“There have always been really good masters competitors,” Bill said. “The difference with these guys is they have families and careers.” 

He said that makes fitting in training even more difficult. 

“I was surprised by the intensity of the events. It’s awesome. For masters athletes to start with 96 GHD sit-ups … wow,” he said, referencing Triplet, an opening-day combination of sit-ups, bar muscle-ups and sandbag runs.

Bill just barely edged out Craig Eisman to win the Long Chipper but sits in second overall, 6 points behind Eisman. 

“I was hoping he would die off,” Bill said of his rival. “He just wouldn’t do it. (He) is a stud.”

As Bill walked off the field following the event, a line of men in the 40-44 age group jogged past. James looked over at Bill as he passed. 

Bill smiled and pointed at his younger brother.

Perhaps that moment alone made all the training worth it.

For complete details, visit the Games events page.

All individual events will be streamed to ESPN3 for U.S. viewers and onto YouTube for everyone else. A General Admission wristband will give fans access to the Sandbag 2015 event Wednesday afternoon in the Tennis Stadium. GA wristbands are on sale online and at the StubHub Center box office.