"If you look at my numbers on paper, I shouldn't have made it (to the Games). But you can't count the heart, the drive and the dedication that someone has when they're willing to do whatever it takes to get there--even if the odds are against them."
There are few people more determined to make the most of life than Margaux Alvarez.
She found this laser-like determination and overall sense of purpose after tragedy struck her family many years ago. Alvarez lost a sister to a car accident. She said this loss motivates her to take full advantage of any opportunity that comes her way.
“My sister’s passing has been a huge motivator to follow my dreams and focus on my passions,” Alvarez said. “There were so many things I didn’t do or didn’t achieve, or didn’t put on the front burner for myself, but after that happened I realized that things can change at the drop of a hat.”
Alvarez started CrossFit in 2011, and the 2014 NorCal Regional marked her third regional competition and second third-place finish. Now, she’s going to the CrossFit Games for the second time.
“I’ve always been vocal about my goals,” she said. “I’ve always put them out there. It may be a lot of hard work, but anything is possible.”
And one thing Alvarez wants most, she said, is a win at the CrossFit Games.
Her journey has been one of hard work and determination. At the 2012 regional, Alvarez was unable to complete an event that required muscle-ups. She finished far from the podium that year in 17th place. The former and endurance athlete returned home resolved to focus on gymnastics.
The following year her hard work paid off and she earned a ticket to the Games. But high-volume gymnastics movements were still a nagging weakness.
“If you look at my numbers last year on paper, I shouldn’t have made it (to the Games),”she said. “But you can’t count the heart, the drive and the dedication that someone has when they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get there—even if the odds are against them.”
Alvarez struggled in the final event of the Games that year—3 rounds of 5 muscle-ups, 5 deficit handstand push-ups into weighted walking lunges. She was stuck on the handstand push-ups, leaving her a score of just 5 muscle-ups at the time cap. She finished 26th overall.
After the 2013 Games, Alvarez and her coach, Alex Cardenas, focused training on the gymnastics movements that seemed to plague her most.
“We can’t just be complacent,” Alvarez said. “We have to be ready. We have to drill those movements—the handstand push-ups, handstand walks or muscle-ups—and yet continue to build upon my strengths.”
During the 2014 Open, Alvarez proved she is tenacious. Although she never took first place in any of the five workouts, Alvarez finished in first place in the NorCal Region.
Going into regionals seeded in first place Alvarez did not think about winning, but staying consistent through every event.
“My goal is to be consistent across all the domains,” she said. “If that means all seven first places, awesome. But there are no guarantees. I just want to be consistent as much as possible.”
Of the seven events at regionals, Alvarez boasted four second-place finishes, which placed her third overall behind Alessandra Pichelli and Chyna Cho.
Alvarez executed a 170-lb. hang squat snatch and tied for second. Her next second-place finish was in Event 3, Nasty Girls V2, a triplet that included the gymnastic movement she trained so hard to master: the muscle-up.
Alvarez again tied for second in Events 5 and 6, both of which highlighted her athletic endurance—one of her strengths.
“Running, endurance and longer workouts are definitely my strengths,” Alvarez said. “Plus the mental game. It’s a combination of both endurance and not psyching myself out.”
Training for the Games, Alvarez is increasing the volume of all CrossFit movements to stretch her work capacity while fine-tuning skills like Olympic lifting. But Alvarez believes her mental game is key.
For the past few years, Alvarez has worked with a sports psychologist and a life coach, who both have helped her in many areas of her life, including her feelings over the loss of her sister
“A lot of people get stuck in life. I don’t want to be a victim, to think I can’t do something because of X-Y-Z just because something has happened to me,” she explained. “It can be very limiting. I have to tell myself, ‘I am able to do this,’ and then work my hardest to get there. I just want to become a better person and CrossFit is a big part of that.”
Ultimately, Alvarez wants to use her experiences with CrossFit to help others.
“If I could’ve done something more to help my sister,” Alvarez began, “if I could do something to help someone else, I feel that’s why I’m here. If I can inspire or motivate someone to have the confidence to go after their goals, to decide to be better today than yesterday, that’s way better than anything else.”
In the mean time, she remains positive. With only a short time until the Games begin, she’s just looking forward.
“I continue to train and focus on what I need to do to make progress each day,” she said.
July 13, 2014—Corrects Alvarez's athletic background information as she did not play Division 1 soccer.
