Moments after he arrived at the Alliant Energy Center on Day 3 of the CrossFit Games, former legendary individual competitor Chris Spealler ran into two members of NorCal CrossFit Redwood City.
The team had just completed the Drag & Drive event, a 150-ft. Big Bob pull followed by a 150-ft. Big Bob push across the stadium’s outdoor turf. Big Bob weighs 1,135 lb.
NorCal CrossFit Redwood City finished third overall in the event. The team sits in fifth overall.
“Flush out those legs. Get on a rower or a bike or something,” Spealler advised Raphael Durand and Alexander Rollin.
The men parted ways, and Spealler walked off to prepare for a full day of competition.
The man known as Speal—who competed in seven Games before retiring after his final appearance in 2014—is not only competing for the first time as a master but also coaching.
“I honestly just feel bad because I can’t put a fraction of energy into it,” the 38-year-old said.
But that’s not to say NorCal CrossFit Redwood City isn’t getting coached. Austin Begiebing, owner of CrossFit Milpitas and a friend to many of the team’s athletes, helps the squad with event strategizing. Begiebing also is a member of CrossFit Seminar Staff.
“He’s able to help them out on a level that I’m not at all,” Spealler said of Begiebing.
Spealler is not alone.
Adrian Conway, team captain of Wasatch CrossFit, and David Charbonneau, who is leading CrossFit Queens, also are coaches to athletes competing in different divisions at this year’s Games.
Conway coaches rookie individual athlete George Sanchez, as well as masters athletes 42-year-old Jeff Prejean and 56-year-old Mary Beth Prodromides. Charbonneau coaches individual rookies Tim Paulson and Michael Palomba.
“We have a team of coaches,” Conway said. “I can be absent and focus more on the team."
With four other coaches in place, Conway can concentrate on keeping Wasatch CrossFit at the top of the Leaderboard. The team is in first place after eight events.
“I can help the team with (rep-scheme goals and time-domain goals) and not get pulled in multiple directions,” said Conway shortly before stepping into an ice bath outside the team and masters warm-up area Saturday morning.
Charbonneau has been able to catch his athletes’ performances on TV monitors throughout the venue. Still, he will occasionally walk up to the line separating the individual and team warm-up areas to impart some advice.
“Yo, Paulson, Palomba, come over here,” he will holler.
Charbonneau said managing the tasks of both competing and coaching isn’t as difficult as he anticipated.
“We snuck in under the radar,” he said of CrossFit Queens qualifying for the Games out of the East Regional.
That allows for a no-pressure situation, Charbonneau noted.
“I’m not really stressed out by that or by this.”
