"Tragedy has a unique way of putting things into perspective. Seeing how hard my son has fought to stay alive only makes it all the more important that I do the same, too."
Photos courtesy of Norman Jaillet.
The ambulance raced against traffic and time while Michael Mogard prayed in the backseat for the fate of his 6-month-old son, Zion.
For a quick second, the monitor flat-lined. There was complete silence.
“We thought we’d lost him,” Mogard said.
2014 Open
Mogard’s Open season began unlike any other.
After Open Workout 14.1 was announced, Mogard found himself clinging to a hospital bed instead of a barbell, after his son was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. The reigning fittest man in Asia contemplated giving up the competition entirely.
“I wanted to be present with my family, and I was,” Mogard said. “Nothing is more important than that. But in a situation like that, it comes down to a battle of faith—to trust that he’ll hold on, and that we should, too.”
He paced back and forth as the score submission window closed in on him. When the nurses arrived with news about Zion’s stabilization, he headed straight for the box to clock his best attempt, merely hours before the deadline. The father of four ended up placing first in the region on the first Open workout of 2014.
“I’ve read so much about athletes who talk about giving up the competition because of their families, but with all due respect, we don't see it that way,” he said. “Bad things happen all the time. We’re not letting that take away the things we love.”
The Games veteran explained the importance of staying undefeated in the face of crisis and tragedy, and holding onto what matters to him and his family. CrossFit has been an integral part of the Mogard household, with training for the Games becoming a family affair—tiny Mogards can often be spotted accompanying their father on his daily grind in hopes to head back to Carson, California, this year.
“Competing is such a big part of my identity, and it was important to both myself and my community to make sure that element of competition stayed in the mix,” Mogard explained.
He lit up at the mention of his community, and the mutual affinity is apparent.
The CrossFit 673 community is a project two years in the making. Since uprooting himself from Iowa in 2012, Mogard has built a family, CrossFit community and the beginnings of a legacy in Brunei—all of which are heavily interwoven with one another.
A testimony to that is the response he received from his community when the family of six was faced with another test of faith.
Test of Faith
Zion’s condition worsened after the Open.
The infant experienced cerebral swelling and lost mobility in his hand, after battling the life-threatening virus.
“The community rallied strongly behind Mogard and his family. When we heard that Zion needed brain surgery, the box got together and collected donations to help fund part of the expenses,” said CrossFit 673 member Dexter Keasberry.
Heading into regionals with his worst Open placing, Mogard has his work cut out for him with the return of heavy hitters like Tanner Shuck and Taylor Rank, in addition to new contenders to the region, such as Mikko Aronpää and Eric Carmody—all of whom are eyeing that single ticket to the Games.
“Tragedy has a unique way of putting things into perspective,” Mogard said. “Seeing how hard my son has fought to stay alive only makes it all the more important that I do the same, too.”
With strengthened resolve, Mogard is ready to bring the gold medal home again, even if it means going through hell and back.
