Smile of a competitor. Keep going!

The smile of a competitor

We know her for that great smile. Her warm heart and love for people is unmatched. But we also know that she has a power that is hard to beat. 

A little about Monica’s journey NCC. She won a local comp and earned her spot to NCC this year. This comp is no joke, it is full of some monster athletes. Knowing that can make it tough for people to believe they should be there. Monica did not escape that feeling. The prep leading up to the comp actually proved difficult, not only physically but mentally. The swim was one of the big unknowns for Monica. She wasn't sure how she would perform. 

I think one of the cool things about competition is that it can be so hard to do the things necessary to be at our best. Emily said that Monica would give the shirt off of her back, putting others before herself, so during this time of competing it has been hard for her to say no to things or people that would hinder preparing for her best results. 

Each of her friends that I’ve asked have said that Monica hasn’t missed one of their competitions or qualifiers to support them since they’ve known her. Sarah H, said Monica has counted reps, set up cameras and encourages her the whole day leading up to a qualifier event. That’s incredible. And as many of us know, having someone support us even a little bit means a lot. 

Monica is a drawing card to so many people. The kind of person that makes them feel connected to something bigger and more important.

Competition doesn’t just happen. You don’t just fall into this. You have to choose to attack your weaknesses. If you don’t, you will come face to face with the thing you fear, and it will remind you why you fear it. Monica said her favorite event was the swim. The one she was the most concerned with. I was so impressed to hear that. She even said she wants to keep swimming! That's huge. What a competitor. What a win. What a smile. 

Keep going!

Last week was tough. I know some of you are beat up pretty good. Sore everywhere. But Will and Mary Spinetti showed me some of their workouts while in Hawaii, so maybe I have some more ideas for next week. Just kidding. 

The beauty of CrossFit is that we gain so many skills. We are getting an incredibly effective workout in a very short time. CrossFit is focused on high intensity for a reason. It has been found to be the most effective way to build overall fitness. Obviously form comes before intensity but in areas where we can increase intensity, we should.

“Learn the mechanics of fundamental movements, establish a consistent pattern
of practicing these same movements, and, only then, ratchet up the intensity of workouts incorporating these movements. ‘Mechanics,’ then ‘Consistency,’ and then ‘Intensity’— this is the key to effective implementation of CrossFit programming.”

—COACH GLASSMAN

Here is the hierarchy of our mindset on fitness.

• Form / Technique

• Movement Standards (hitting depth and targets)

• Intensity

We cannot and should not have intensity without proper technique. But we should be so focused on gaining better technique that we can improve our intensity. Lets have that relentless pursuit of good form that leads us to high intensity which leads to improved fitness. 

Keep building,

James and Bre Cooper