The team members of CrossFit 808 have exceeded their expectations as they are sitting in 1st at the beginning of Day 3.
Team 808 from Oahu, Hawaii has come to the mainland to take the NorCal Regional by storm. In NorCal, few teams must prepare for this Games qualifier as completely and sacrificially as the teams and individuals from Hawaii. In this dense field of affiliates, many teams travel back and forth for the day, returning to the comfort and reassurance of their own beds and hometowns.
Team 808 has no such luxury. When CrossFit 808 decided to compete for the 2012 CrossFit Games, they went all in, in every way. Team members Kyla Evers, Brandy Richardson, Katrina Perry, Rome Stein, Josh Akiona, Jeffery King, Mike Ballenge, and Joe Szymanek come from varied athletic and professional backgrounds, with a former Infantry man, an outrigger paddler, hula dancer, college, student, medical sales rep, several former college basketball players, P.E. teachers and a stay-at-home dad. Each has been saving and planning for this trip all year. CrossFit competition is this team’s summer vacation.
Team CrossFit 808 finished the 2012 Open in a very strong 4th place, with 2nd place finishes in both 12.2 and 12.5. They have earned this spot by putting in the time and work, and every part of this weekend has exceeded the team’s expectations. They came knowing that they have trained as well as anyone could for this event.
The team’s coach, individual competitor Elyse Umeda, gave each member individualized programming in the preceding weeks designed for each person’s strengths and weaknesses. She also ran the team through workouts reflecting the Regional events and movements, pushing them beyond the standards in an effort to prepare them well. These practices were “run just like game day, ” Akiona says.
After Day 2, it is abundantly clear that Team CrossFit 808 is ready for the true game day.
They are eager to face each event, confident that as a team they could place in at least the top five or 10. After two days of competition, CrossFit 808 is sitting in 1st place and having the time of their lives.
As they finish Day 3, one last step before they reach their dream of qualifying for the Games, they plan to represent not just themselves, but everyone supporting them from back home. “The team has a very strong core and this adventure is meaningful for everyone,” Evers says.
The support of those around them, Umeda to the fellow athletes back at home, and the crowd of 30 fans who came from Hawaii, is a huge element of this fabulous weekend. “[There is] tons of support for the team from the box and even the broader community in Hawaii,” Akiona says.
