"That’s the No. 1 factor … I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t feel like I could compete."
Tommy Hackenbruck surprised everyone this year by returning to CrossFit competition as an individual.
Winning the Affiliate Cup two years in a row with his team, Hack’s Pack Ute, made most believe he was going team for the long haul. But after the close of the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games, the team announced it would not be returning in 2014, with members pursuing goals outside of competition or going individual.
“Ultimately, the way my training was going in the fall and winter, I felt like I had a shot at the podium,” Hackenbruck said of returning as an individual athlete. “That’s the No. 1 factor … I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t feel like I could compete. The last couple of years I just felt like I didn’t have the desire or the time to put in the work that I would have needed to do. This year I found myself doing more and just performing better.”
Hackenbruck proved going team has not softened him. In fact, he has returned an even better rounded athlete. He finished the South West Regional in first place, 10 points ahead of second-place finisher Chris Spealler.
At 6-foot-1 and 210 lb., Hackenbruck said he knew he would struggle on some of the movements like strict handstand push-ups and pistols. He also knew where his strengths were.
“(Events 3 and 4) were key workouts for me and I didn’t do as well as I had hoped to on those, but I didn’t do poorly enough for it to cost me anything either,” he said. “After the second day, I felt pretty confident. … I loved the workouts on Day 3, so I felt pretty confident at that point.”
In order to focus on his training to return as an individual in 2014, Hackenbruck had to re-prioritize, and do so on his own—sort of.
“I do the best I can but in the end the athletes I coach have all stepped up, and all of their success is attributed to them,” he said of the other members of Hack’s Pack. “They’ve all done a great job and helped me be better. I’m lucky that the people in my gym and my family have been really patient and supportive. They’ve helped me more than I’ve helped them.”
Hackenbruck is unsure if he will stay individual or go back to team after this year. However, he is sure of one thing: he’s not done.
“I’ll evaluate next year to see if I feel like team or individual is a better fit,” he explained. “I’ll only do individual if I feel like I have a chance to win it. If that’s not the case, I absolutely love the team competition. I’ve had a blast doing it so I’ll for sure be back doing that again at some point.”
His Games experience spans back to 2009, where he placed second overall. This year, his plan is to finish on the podium again.
“The goal is to win,” he said. “For me it takes all year of training and a little bit of fortune, the way the workouts shake out. The goal is to prepare myself, and if I get to Carson and the workouts are things that I’m OK at or that fit my skillset, I want to make sure that I am prepared enough that I can take advantage of that.”
