At 10 a.m., hordes of people lined up to get autographs and pictures taken with elite CrossFit athletes Dan Bailey and Rich Froning Jr. The meet-and-greet kicked off the grand opening of CrossFit Mayhem, the Cookeville, Tenn., affiliate owned by Froning, the two-time CrossFit Games champion.
Kreig Crabtree drove seven hours for the event.
“We’re just big fans of Rich and Dan’s, wanted to meet ’em,” he explains. “It was worth the trip.”
Dan Chamberlain, meanwhile, has been doing CrossFit for about six weeks after watching the Games on ESPN.
“I just did weightlifting all the time, no cardio,” he says, “so the transition’s been really tough.”
The remainder of the day included a partner DT workout that required participants to bring a toy worth at least $10 for the Toys for Tots Foundation.
“The purpose of it is just kind of build camaraderie, officially open CrossFit Mayhem to … the public and anybody else who wanted to come and join in our little celebration here,” says Bailey, who finished sixth at this year’s Games.
Video by Mike Koslap.