I had overcome the part of me that wanted to play it safe and watch someone else do it. My reward was a great time and a learning experience.
I don't get worked up about famous people or movie stars. I've never done the autograph thing either. Those that leave the biggest impression on me are great minds and pioneers. I'm interested in successful people because I want to know how they achieved greatness. There is something to learn from these people.
When I was asked to relate my experience at the CrossFit Tour event in Big Sky, Mont., where I volunteered to participate in an Olympic lifting throwdown with Rich Froning and Dan Bailey, I had to think for a minute about what it meant to me. It is apparent these guys have tremendous ability, discipline and work ethic. In talking with Dan and Rich at the event, I learned they are also good people. As accomplished as they were in the physical arena, they were very unpretentious.
On the day we did the Olympic lifting throwdown, Rich and Dan did a total of five workouts. Their work capacity within unknown and unknowable situations was unbelievable. The first workout was a six-hour ascent of Gallatin Peak, which towers over the rest of the mountains in that part of Montana. The next workout pitted the two Games athletes against a pair of gymnasts and was comprised of eight back flips apiece and a 100-foot handstand walking race. Dan Bailey learned how to do back flips immediately before the workout began.
Spectators watched breathlessly expecting Dan to miss one of his flips and crash headfirst into the ground. Not only did he pull it off without a miss, he and Rich won the event against the two specialists. After our workout, those guys would go on to finish the evening with a kettlebell throwdown and a burpee challenge. Most people would find just one of these workouts impossible to perform as prescribed.
Our workout started with Dave Castro asking, "I need a team of three guys that want to clean and jerk and snatch and try to get a bigger total than those guys."
He gestured towards Rich and Dan. They were standing ready on the makeshift workout area Rogue had set up on a random patch of concrete under the Big Sky mountains.
Dave's proposition silenced the crowd.
"Any takers? Any three guys?" Castro pressed.
I was in the crowd, standing next to my wife and my mind was filled with a thousand reasons why jumping in was a bad idea. Three hours before, after deadlifting, I had walked a quarter mile up a ski slope with a 135-pound barbell on my back accumulating 100 squats along the way. My legs were toast. I had no gear ... no warm-up ... just ate ... in slacks. I thought, ‘I'm going to get crushed on camera ... But it's not like that hasn't happened before.’
So, despite the negative thoughts, I was compelled to step up and be exposed.
Rich and Dan’s shoulders were still smoked from the gymnastic WOD when we got down to business. Dan is 5'7” and weighs 174 pounds. He matched his snatch PR at 265, and then hit a new personal record on the clean and jerk with 315. Rich is 5'10” and 195 pounds and hit a 285 snatch and just missed 305. Rich's previous clean and jerk PR was 325. He PR’d that lift twice, hitting 335 and 355. Both had great form and the poundage was phenomenal. They averaged 610 pounds each for the two lifts.
I hit a PR on my snatch, but was 30 pounds off from my clean and jerk PR. It didn't really matter. I had overcome the part of me that wanted to play it safe and watch someone else do it. My reward was a great time and a learning experience. In the end, our team of three (which included Rob Orlando who PR'd with a 305 thruster at Castro's request) saved face and won out against the dynamic duo.
What I enjoyed most about the experience was Mike Burgener's coaching. He's a great coach and a solid human being. Coach B and I have hung out numerous times, but I have never seen him so 100 percent in his element. All of his many years of coaching came into play here. He celebrated all of our successes regardless of the weight. After struggling with a cold snatch, I hit a wandering 205 lift and Coach B yelled, ‘Yeah’ about four times and slapped me the best high five ever. Coach Burgener got just as excited, if not more, about the modest lifts Ryan (from Big Sky CrossFit) and I performed as he did about the more noteworthy feats of strength. Coach B reminded me that a great coach can motivate and improve an athlete at any level and make them feel good about the process. A great coach can be honest about what he sees without discouraging the athlete. And a great coach realizes they are there for the athlete, not the other way around.
After the event, all the participants looked me in the eye, shook my hand and called me be my name. That is what resonated with me more than the tremendous performances. At that moment, I realized what an honor it was to be there on that patch of concrete with those guys. Not because of their athletic prowess and great coaching ability, but because of their collective character. Character is what matters most to me about coaches and athletes.
The lesson to be gleaned is that it takes both character and skill to be truly great.
