March 5, 2014
More Than Strong: Sam Dancer Takes 7th Worldwide on 14.1
By Brittney Saline
"If you want to go to the Games, you have to be able to compete with these cats, so I thought, 'Why not put myself in the thick of it?'"


 

A year ago, Sam Dancer placed 12th at the North Central Regional. He’s since moved to Froning country, and with an unofficial score of 439 reps on 14.1, he sits in second in the Central East and seventh in the world.

“After (14.1) was over, I looked at my judge and when they told me the score, I couldn’t believe it,” Dancer said. “I look up to Rich (Froning), Scott (Panchik), Graham (Holmberg) and all those guys. It’s a huge honor, and it’s so stinking cool to see my name up there with my heroes in CrossFit.”
 
The 26-year-old crossed state lines to accept a coaching position at CrossFit Conjugate last June. Training under Shane Sweatt, a member of CrossFit’s Powerlifting Seminar staff, has been a bonus for Dancer and his wife and fellow CrossFit athlete, Jennifer Nobis-Dancer.
 
“In a matter of two weeks we discussed it, packed our bags, fit everything into her tiny car and made it work,” Dancer said. “It was an opportunity to get to coach new people and to be coached by some of the best and see where we could go.”
 
Home to two CrossFit Games champions, the Central East is often called the toughest region in the men’s competition. But Dancer welcomed the opportunity to test his fitness against the best in the sport. 
 
“If you want to go to the Games, you have to be able to compete with these cats, so I thought, ‘Why not put myself in the thick of it?’” he said. “It makes me uncomfortable, and I’m starting to thrive in uncomfortable situations.” 
 
Open Workout 14.1 was a perfect opportunity for Dancer to get comfortable being uncomfortable. The 5-foot-11, 215-lb. athlete has a 650-lb. deadlift, 580-lb. back squat and is not known for his love of fast, lightweight barbell complexes. 
 
“(The workout) was by no means up my alley,” he said. “I like really heavy stuff. But I’m getting to the point where I’m trusting my training and coaches, and knowing I’m in good shape.” 
 
Dancer came up with an unusual strategy for 14.1 on the fly just moments before “3-2-1 … go!” 
 
“Just for fun, I tested what would it be like if I did the 15 snatches in singles, and it really wasn’t too far off from what it would be if I did them unbroken,” he said. 
 
He performed his first three rounds unbroken. In his fourth round, he dropped the bar after the first snatch, and then did the next 14 reps consecutively. He continued in this fashion, doing one single more in each round until the clock read 1:15. 
 
“That’s when I turned myself inside-out and just held on,” he said. 
 
He also used a narrow snatch grip, just slightly wider than a clean grip, to save his legs.
 
“I figured if I was in the wide snatch grip, I’d have to squat down farther,” he said. “A 75-lb. barbell is lighter for me, so I knew no matter where I grabbed it, as long as I got my hands on that bar, I could rip it overhead.”
 
The performance proved Dancer can do more than lift big weight, something he credits to Sweatt’s high-volume programming, including varied metabolic conditioning, strength sessions and daily accessory work. 
 
“I still have a lot to learn, but it was really exciting to know that my conditioning and my capacity is at the point that I could do that (well) in a workout that’s really not up my alley,” he said. “It was liberating.” 
 
While some regional-level athletes may not be concerned with their Open placements, Dancer takes the Open just as seriously as the upper levels of CrossFit Games competition. It’s not enough just to be strong, he said. 
 
“That’s why (Froning) places first in the Open, regionals and Games,” he said. “I want to be the guy that has the motor, who’s good at gymnastics and can still sling heavy weight. I want to be a good (CrossFit athlete), and if I can just hang on, I think I can do some really cool things in this region.”