"The first box jump after the 185-lb. deadlifts, I was like, 'Oh, man.'"
Photos courtesy of Alicia Anthony.
What is it like to experience the CrossFit Games Open for the first time, after less than a year of doing CrossFit? This ongoing series follows 45-year-old Brenton Demko of San Diego, Calif.—who was inactive for almost four years before starting CrossFit this summer—as he completes each workout of the 2014 Open.
14.3
When doing something as unfamiliar and intimidating as the CrossFit Games Open, it’s nice to be surrounded by friendly faces and a familiar environment. There’s something comforting about knowing the warm-up routine and where the bathroom is, about being intimately acquainted with the quirks and routines of your home gym.
For 14.3, Brenton Demko was in Boston, Mass., about as far away from San Diego, Calif., as you can get while remaining in the United States. He’d traveled there to watch his son, who is a star hockey player at Boston College, compete in Hockey East quarterfinals. He’ll be in Boston for the remainder of the Open.
One of the first things Demko had to do upon arriving in Boston was find a gym to call home for the next month. He ended up at Rugged CrossFit, which he picked mainly for its proximity to the Boston College campus. Rugged CrossFit runs the Open workouts on Saturdays, so he stopped in on a Friday for a regular workout to get a feel for the place.
The mid-day class Demko visited only had about four or five people, but they were all welcoming to the visitor from San Diego.
“The coach had everyone introduce themselves and name their favorite beer,” he said. “I don’t drink, so I said, ‘O’Douls.’ Everybody looked at me.”
Then it was on to the workout. As he was working on some power snatches, Demko finished his set and dropped the barbell from overhead.
Once again, everyone turned to look at the San Diegan.
The coach had neglected to tell Demko nobody drops weights at Rugged CrossFit ever since the incident involving the auto body repair shop below. Once, during class, a piece of the repair shop’s ceiling fell onto one of the cars being fixed. The owner of the shop is also the building’s landlord, so at Rugged CrossFit weights are lowered, not dropped.
After his Friday workout, Demko signed up for an 8:30 a.m. slot on Saturday to do 14.3. He was excited to give it a try. When he found out what 14.3 was, a couplet of box jumps and deadlifts, he thought, “Hey, this should be good one!”
Even though deadlifts sometimes cause trouble for Demko—his hamstring tendons are bolted into his knee following reconstructive surgery—he said he went into 14.3 with confidence.
Saturday morning rolled around, and he showed up at Rugged CrossFit in time to warm up before his slot.
Demko met the owner of Rugged CrossFit, Robert Stephenson before his workout.
“He’s a super guy, really outgoing,” Demko said of Stephenson.
Then it was time to go. His goal was to get through at least 10 of the set of 20 225-lb. deadlifts.
“I breezed through the 135-lb deadlifts,” Demko said. “And the box jumps were not a problem. (Demko jumped up to the top of the box and stepped down.) Then I did the 185-lb. deadlifts almost unbroken.”
That effort did take its toll.
“The first box jump after the 185-lb. deadlifts, I was like, ‘Oh man,’” he said.
Next it was time for the 20 225-lb. deadlifts.
“I got into a rhythm,” he said. “(Stephenson) was great. I did them three at a time.”
He blew through 10 of the 225-lb. deadlifts and kept going until he finished all 20. There was enough time on the clock for Demko to do 12 box jumps, for a score of 87.
“I was really, really fired up after,” he said. “This whole thing has been an experience. I’m really looking forward to next year.”
Before next year, though, there are two more 2014 Open workouts: 14.4 and 14.5.
Will they be as enjoyable for Demko as 14.3?
