Affiliate teams faced with the Big Bob on Friday.
CrossFitters, meet the Big Bob.
The CrossFit Games and equipment supplier, Rogue Fitness, have come up with some truly crazy shit designed to test fitness, but the new six-person sled might be the wildest yet.
The Big Bob is one heavy chunk of metal, and on Friday at the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games, Affiliate Cup teams will push the beast 100 yards before using ropes to pull it back. For time, of course.
“You don’t need top load it with anything. It’s heavy as fuck,” said Kris Warner of Rogue.
In just a few days, CrossFitters will find out just how heavy it is as they carve up the grass at the Home Depot Center.
“Everyone here has probably pushed a sled or prowler,” said strongman expert Rob Orlando. “They know what it feels like. If they don’t, they’re in for a rude awakening.”
After the announcement on the golf course behind the Manhattan Beach Marriott, the teams gathered around the mammoth piece of metal and tried to figure out how they’d move it.
“We’re in the last heat, so we’re going to watch everyone else and change plans as we see fit — and do a lot of praying,” said Todd Weygandt of Rocklin CrossFit. His team will also experiment with its placement of athletes on the multi-handled bobsled.
The Rocklin crew actually did an 8-minute, 800-pound team sled push workout with Diablo CrossFit a while back, so they’re ready for the challenge at the Games.
Multi-year individual Games competitor Peter Egyed, now on the CrossFit Fury team, was excited to get his squad on the Bob.
“I was hoping for something interesting for that ‘to be determined,’” he said of the holes in the schedule containing unannounced challenges.
Kasper Hansen of Team Butcher’s Lab was also up for a bit of pushing and pulling.
“I think it’s awesome. I have no idea how much it weighs. I was hoping they’d pull something spectacular out of the hat.”
Indeed they did. The Big Bob promises to be a signature event that people will talk about for years, much like the Killer Kage event from 2011.
Team athletes have tomorrow to prepare for the first day of competition on Friday, including some tough sledding in the evening.
Friday
Big Bob
Points available: 100
Location: Track
Friday 9-11 a.m.
Teams will begin this event just after the Relay Run.
For time:
Push Big Bob 100 yards down the field.
Pull Big Bob 100 yards back up the field.
Time cap: 15 minutes.