Caroline Conners had 5 seconds to make the 205-lb. clean.
She’d just sprinted back into the Coliseum after her final run, leaping over the 165-, 175-, 185- and 195-lb. barbells she’d already lifted. Taking no time to rest, she gripped the bar, pulled, and popped under, catching the weight in a deep squat before standing it up straight. The bumpers hit the floor just as the buzzer signaled the end of the event.
It was the same foundational movement she teaches the children in her CrossFit Kids class at CrossFit MF — except there, they call it an “oompa loompa.”
“It initiates the squat,” Conners said of the cue after taking 27th in Event 6, a clean ladder spiced with a 250-m sprint before each lift.
“‘Angry gorilla’ is a big hit for the deadlift,” she added.
Read “How to Raise an Angry Gorilla” to learn more about this coaching technique and its application in CrossFit Kids classes.
This week, Conners makes her debut as one of the world’s best athletes in the Sport of Fitness. But after the reps are done and the points counted, the 28-year-old will return home to Windham, Maine, where she helps teens and tots learn to love fitness and health.
“This is one of the most rewarding jobs, and being a small part in children and teens learning not only about health and wellness but (also about) self-confidence is just so amazing,” she said.
It’s a crucial job.
Between 2017 and 2018, more than 19% of United States kids aged 2-19 were obese. In 2020, 39 million children under 5 worldwide were overweight or obese.
According to the World Health Center, “Childhood obesity is associated with a higher chance of obesity, premature death and disability in adulthood. But in addition to increased future risks, obese children experience breathing difficulties, increased risk of fractures, hypertension, early markers of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and psychological effects.”
But it’s not just obesity that’s the problem. Sedentary kids become sedentary adults, and sedentary adults — even those with body-mass indexes considered healthy by the Centers for Disease Control — are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease.
It’s a good thing someone’s doing something about it.
Thousands of trainers at CrossFit affiliates around the world are fighting to reverse those statistics with constantly varied functional movement performed at high intensity — perhaps not exactly as we’ve seen it this week at the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games, but still centered on the foundations of human movement: squats, deadlifts, presses, pulls, and pushes.
As explained in the CrossFit Kids Training Guide, “The goal of CrossFit Kids is to break the cycle of passing on poor behaviors by instilling in this and future generations of children a positive association with exercise, a desire to be fit, and a goal to live a long, healthy life.”
The program isn’t just about exercise.
“For CrossFit Kids, the primary (and sometimes only) suggestion is to choose real foods over processed foods for every meal,” the guide explains. “The goal is to have entire families strive to make the best choices concerning food that they can: maximizing nutrient complexity (and) minimizing the insulin response while providing appropriate amounts of essential nutrients.”
For Conners, teaching kids to appreciate healthy foods is a core component of being a CrossFit Kids trainer.
“Every time you turn on the TV or turn a corner, there’s advertisements, and they have very specific ways to catch your attention and make you feel hungry,” she said. “And these kids latch onto the things they see.”
It’s not that they should never have a treat, she continued, “but if they want to be healthy and strong — and feel good, more importantly — fuel is the way to do that. … Like, if I put the wrong gas in my car, it’s not gonna go anywhere.”
As for Conners’ classes, you won’t see the kids doing Fran. But a round of “musical wall balls” or an obstacle-course race? Absolutely.
“They love an obstacle course,” Conners said.
She also uses CrossFit to teach integrity and build confidence. Sometimes, the kids teach her.
“A few weeks ago … they were doing a relay. One girl was running, and (another) looks to me and goes, ‘Wow, I really like her. She’s so fast!’” Conners recalled. “(Adults) don't do that. We don't go out there and (say) like, ‘Wow, she's so much faster than me; I love it.’”
After two days and eight events, Conners sits in 33rd in her rookie Games appearance. And should she have a discouraging moment, she’ll just remember what she tells her CrossFit kids back home:
“You’re here, you’re doing it, you’re moving,” she said. “You’re becoming the best version of yourself — and if the person next to you is doing it faster, it doesn’t matter.”