By Rhi Reynolds
Today I randomly found myself rifling through the athlete profiles of the fittest women on the planet. I’m not sure exactly how this came to be, but during this endeavor I decided something: I want to be one of them.
My newfound desire is partially to blame because the first 2014 Crossfit Open workout will be announced on Thursday. I don’t plan on going to regionals or anything this year, but I do plan on doing a hell of a lot better than I did last year. At this point last year, I was just getting exposed to Crossfit. Not only was I new to Crossfit, but I was also new to Olympic weightlifting. Well, I use the term “new” loosely – I had a basic understanding of the lifts, but my technique was less than pretty and I wasn’t doing a significant amount of weight. But besides having the bare minimum to make it through the open, I always had heart, discipline, and strength.
(A great photo throwback to last year)
I can thank the Crossfit Open last year for exposing every physical, mental, and emotional weakness I never knew I had. I can also thank the Crossfit Open for allowing me to combat those weaknesses and turn them into the best experiences I’ve ever had. The 2013 Open allowed me to start the tedious process to perfect weightlifting, resulting in a huge 50lb increase in each lift, with an astonishing difference in technique ( I kept some of the atrocious videos for entertainment purposes(Last Years Snatch PR @95lbs, while weighing 63k/). This work and desire also resulted in my first trip to the 2013 American Open, my first outstanding female lifter award, and is the current impetus for training for the 2014 Nationals.
The 2013 Crossfit Open marked the beginning of a new way of life for me. I am the strongest I have ever been – in all aspects of the word. Now that I recognize what I am capable of, I can’t wait for this year’s Open. Another year marks new opportunities. This year I will put everything on the line to have my weaknesses paraded in front of me. I accept the challenge, and hopefully one day I will see myself among those women I was reading about.
