Athletes and spectators at the Europe Regional are fom Italy, England, Hungary, Sweden, Iceland ... and many more.
The special thing about the Europe Regional is not only the uncompromising athletes, but also the many different nationalities represented. CrossFit was clearly becoming an international sport in 2009, when Mikko Salo won the CrossFit Games, and last year’s female champion “Iceland” Annie Thorisdottir, is further proof the European community has some great representatives.
At the Europe Regional, athletes from a host of countries and their supporters hang national flags all around Ballerup Super Arena, and the competitors are there in hopes of becoming the fittest on earth and earning a spot in California. A quick scan through the competitors reveals a clear international flavor – perhaps more than any other Regional. Italy, England, Hungary, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Finland, Norway, Greece, Slovenia, Slovakia, Ireland, Spain, France, Switzerland, Belgium and Malta – the list of countries represented is incredible. But in the end, everyone knows what a burpee is.
And, of course, beer is sold about 25 feet from the competition floor where the athletes are sweating and screaming encouragement in dozens of languages.
Paula Gravatt is one of several people working for the CrossFit Tour, which has already made stops in Australia and Texas earlier this year. Her crew is in Copenhagen to connect with the European community that’s come together to watch the region’s best athletes compete. Gravatt has been at many different Regionals , but she says they all feel more or less the same even though they’re all held in different places.
“Southern California felt a bit more like a festival, whereas this (European Regional), because it is held indoors, feel more like a ‘normal’ competition,” she said.
She says that the language in the place might be different, but CrossFit everywhere is the same.
One of the teams that has traveled the furthest to get to Denmark is the Spanish team CrossFit Roth. Their coach, Logan, says the major difference in the nationalities is that “Danes are fucking huge. But besides that, Crossfitters are Crossfitters, no matter where you go.”
Looking at the Icelanders, one might disagree that the Danes are the largest.
One of the more experienced athletes, Catrine Mannerup from Team Butcher’s Lab – a well known box located in Copenhagen’s meat-packing district – has been competing for many years. In the last year, she has traveled to both Stockholm and London, with considerable success in the competitions. Mannerup has met many athletes in her travels.
“Even though it is different countries, everyone speaks the same language – CrossFit. And everyone supports each other. There are no sharp elbows, it is a community that supports each other,” she says in describing the spirit of competition that seems to know no borders.
That community aspect of the Sport of Fitness was clearly on display for the Europe Regional, as the CrossFit community in Denmark is hosting many of the athletes and volunteers through a Facebook couchsurfing page designed especially for this event, something that clearly emphasizes supportive community.
Ingunn Ludviksdottir enjoys the international flavor of the competition compared to a national competition. Competing internationally is simply more fun.
The three women Pia, Julie and Sveina, representing Denmark and Iceland through the Spartan CrossFit team explain the main difference in the athletes.
“Iceland [is] dominating this Regionals, but besides that, the Scandinavian countries are strong. They are very similar, and the competition is quite strong,” the women said while sitting in the sun after a long day of competing.
They later giggle while explaining how Danes are better at pastries and beer, but Pia’s arms are clearly not made of beer. There are simply not enough days of the week to fit in beer in the schedule of this ambitious athlete.
With more CrossFit Tour events scheduled, including a huge Q&A session with Coach Greg Glassman and an after-party set for Sunday night, the European CrossFit community will have a host of great opportunities to mix and mingle. And when things wrap up and everyone heads home, they’ll be taking the seeds of the fitness revolution with them as CrossFit continues to grow and spread throughout Europe.