“Walking back onto that floor, hearing the support of my family and gym ... that's really when it hit me: I'm going to the CrossFit Games.”
When Event 7 ended at the North Central Regional, Kelley Jackson was sure her chance of making it to the 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games did, too. Three names were called to stick around on the competition floor while final scoring was being calculated and Jackson, of CrossFit Gambit in St. Louis, Missouri, wasn’t one of them.
But while Jackson was crying in her mom’s arms presumably missing out on the podium again, everything changed. Andrew Essig, Jackson’s boyfriend and coach, came over to console Jackson when one of the North Central staff members grabbed Jackson and delivered the news she always wanted to hear.
“Andrew came shortly after but looked confused and was staring into his phone quietly,” Jackson said. “Shortly after, I realized why. A volunteer came over and told me, ‘Kelley, you've done it. You need to get back out there. You've qualified for the Games.’”
Not only did Jackson earn a rookie trip to Carson, California, she edged out fourth place by 1 point.
That moment was surreal for Jackson as her best friend and roommate Alexandra LaChance also qualified, finishing first overall.
“To be honest, I'm not sure what I felt at that moment. Shock. Disbelief. I've never gone through so many emotions in such a short amount of time,” Jackson said.
“Walking back onto that floor, hearing the support of my family and gym and seeing (LaChance) with the world’s biggest grin, that's really when it hit me: I'm going to the CrossFit Games and I get to do this with my training partner. This is fucking awesome!”
After the medals were handed out and pictures were taken, Jackson took some time to celebrate with family and friends, and finally relaxed for a while before getting back to work.
“I definitely gave myself a few days to recover, more mentally than physically,” Jackson said.
The 30-year-old Michigan native is no stranger to the pressures of athletic competition. Jackson grew up playing varsity basketball and soccer in high school and was an all-state athlete in both sports before earning a soccer scholarship at Northwood University in Michigan. During her time there, she had to come back from two reconstructive surgeries on her left ankle in order to finish out her soccer career.
After graduating from college, Jackson took a job in St. Louis and eventually left that position to become a manager and full-time coach at CrossFit Gambit.
Jackson is back to work and focused on the upcoming Games. Essig said they are doing everything they can to get Jackson as ready as possible.
Aside from her regular training, Essig said they are adding “volume, odd-object training and longer workouts—as much outside-the-box training as possible. We're just focusing on stepping outside the box a bit to prepare for the inevitable surprise event at the Games.”
Jackson is not leaving any aspect of her training to chance. Recently she spent several weeks in Canton, Massachusetts, prepping at a camp for Games qualifiers at Reebok CrossFit One.
“All Games qualifiers were invited to Reebok One to train for the month of June,” she said. “There was no doubt in my mind that this was something I needed to take advantage of if I wanted to best prepare myself for the Games in July. I initially booked my trip for a week, and a few days in I extended it another five days. It's just the perfect opportunity to get outside of my comfort zone.”
During her visit, Jackson trained on a 5-mile obstacle course and worked with other athletes to complete it. She did Parkour training, gymnastics, worked on swimming techniques and anything else organizer and Games veteran Austin Malleolo could come up with. Some of the workouts were held outside to simulate the atmosphere of the Games.
“More than anything, I think this experience helped me mentally prepare for Carson. I met a lot of athletes so hopefully I won't be as star struck when I get to the Games and can focus on my performance,” Jackson said. “I also didn't have the stress of having to work so my days were spent training, eating and resting which allowed more time for more volume.”
Essig couldn’t be happier to see Jackson finally get her shot to show the world what she can do at the highest level.
“I think for both of us, qualifying for the Games is a huge achievement in itself so we're going to try and savor it,” Essig said. “We've been working toward it for four years and nothing is more satisfying than seeing hard work pay off for a coach or an athlete.”
Jackson said she’s grateful she won’t be experiencing her rookie Games appearance alone.
Essig will be with her every step of the way along with Jackson’s parents, a large group of supporters from CrossFit Gambit and of course, her roommate and training partner LaChance.
“It is incredible that we get to do this together,” Jackson said. “We are going in to have fun, get experience and do our best.”
