How do you feel about your Regional (Australia/NZ) performance?
I think my performance at the Australia Regional this year was solid without it being anything special. I knew going in that some of the events really suited me and some didn’t, which is why I think the events were well programmed.
What surprised you?
I think the level and standard of competition were much higher than in past years. There are so many athletes new to CrossFit and so many young guys coming on so fast. I think it’s great for the sport of CrossFit.
What do you feel you could have done better on?
Like 90 percent of the field, I had expected more on the thruster ladder, but I think the no-foot movement really played on my mind. On my last bar, I remember thinking it didn’t feel that heavy, but instead on really driving it overhead I was more worried about not moving my feet.
How did Regionals compare to the Open?
For me, the Regionals were a lot of fun. I enjoy competing and enjoy the community coming together. The Open was good at first since it gave me something to do instead of just training aimlessly. Throughout the Open I just treated each open workout like any other training session. I did every workout once and got on with the rest of my training week. I couldn’t understand why a lot of the top athletes in each region were doing the same workout three or four times week.
You’ve been to the Games before. What lessons did you learn from that experience that you're carrying into this year?
This year I am going to give myself about two weeks in L.A to try and get over the jet lag and get used to the heat. I am going to train at the same gym as I did last year, Crossfit Long Beach, and am going to stay at the same hotel as I did last year. Last year, I feel I got over too late and didn’t give myself enough time to acclimatize. It was really hot that whole week leading up to the Games. The whole leading in, I was struggling to sleep and really struggling to get going in my workouts.
Are you doing anything different in your training in the lead-up to the Games?
I have been focusing much more on my technique this year.
Did you pay much attention to other Regionals? What did you think of them?
The Regionals in past years have been much more exciting because of the anticipation about what the workouts would be and trying to keep up with their times. But this year the coverage was much better than any other year. It made it easier to see the daily updates. The Regional wrap-ups were amazing and some of the performances were unbelievable.
