Learning from Loss: Jenn Webber

March 7, 2013

Kate Rose

"I learned firsthand how very important each and every one of those Open Workouts are in securing your ticket to Regionals and beyond."

Jenn Webber believes we learn the most from loss.

In 2012, Jenn Webber did not even make it out of the Open.

“I was already thinking ahead to Regionals with heavier weights and more advanced movements after I qualified, but did not attend Regionals in 2012,” she says.

She says she didn’t make the Open her focus and was humbled in the process.

“I learned firsthand how very important each and every one of those Open Workouts are in securing your ticket to Regionals and beyond,” she says.  

Over the past year, she has focused on her weaknesses.

“I’ve been trying to round out my abilities so that I don’t have any glaring gaps in my skill set,” Webber says. “There’s little use in being capable of 50 handstand push-ups, if a muscle-up isn’t in the wheelhouse.”

She also refocused her lifting.

“Over the winter, I stepped all of my Olympic lifting weights down in an attempt to correct errors in lifting technique that were preventing me from lifting heavier,” she says.

The impact has been noticeable and her numbers have been climbing.

Webber has been focusing on the skills she dislikes the most. She’s set a few training goals and hopes to hit them before the Open season. These include a 200-lb. clean and jerk, a 150-lb. snatch and to improve her running technique and speed.

Webber has been following the programming of CrossFit 204 in Winnipeg, with a consistent three days on, one day off pattern. Webber has strong ties to her CrossFit 204 community and hasn’t decided if she’ll compete individually or with her team.

“The community that I am part of at CrossFit 204 has made a world of difference in my training and love of this sport,” she says. “I have teammates that support and push me more than I ever could on my own. I have never been more excited to compete.”

Webber’s goals are simple.

“The first is to qualify for Regionals in Canada West, then to compete there as a team or individual. The main goal is to get to the Games.”