Hungry Dog Barbell Podcast
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Hungry Dog Barbell Podcast
Rachel Fricker
Rachel Fricker shares her journey from high school softball player to CrossFit Semifinals athlete, detailing how she transitioned from using CrossFit as training for softball to making it her primary athletic focus and eventually competing at an elite level.
• Started CrossFit at age 15 when her mom introduced her to Brandywine CrossFit
• Already had experience with basic barbell movements from speed and agility training
• Competed in her first CrossFit Open in 2014 despite being unable to do chest-to-bar pull-ups
• Found CrossFit appealing because results directly correlated with effort, unlike team sports
• Made significant performance improvements after beginning work with coach Greg at Golden Line Trainubg
• Qualified for Semifinals as part of a team in 2022 and then individually for the past three years
• Recently took a year's leave from her job as a special education teacher to train full-time in Colorado
• Currently preparing for TFX competition with a goal of finishing in the top 10
• Believes the combination of individualized coaching, proper recovery, and mental preparation has been key to her success
If you want to follow Rachel's journey to the CrossFit Semifinals, you can find her on Instagram @rachel_frick7 and watch her compete at TFX in mid-May.
Uh, let's dive right in then. So, like, like I just said, I knew your mom from way back in CrossFit. Brandywine, brandywine, crossfit. I'm sorry, I didn't want to get that one wrong. Is that how you got into CrossFit? Like, who found it first, you or her or someone else in the family?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so my mom did. First. She knew the McGills, wade and Kelly, from my sister and their daughter, um, and when they took over Brandywine, so she started and at that time I was going to like a speed and agility place above Ice Line and I was trying to just get better at softball. I was in middle school and high school doing that. We would do lifting and you know speed and ladders and distance running and that kind of thing and I loved it. So once my mom started CrossFit and she was like you know, I think you'd really like this even more. So I tried it.
Speaker 2:I was a sophomore in high school. I was 15.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:So my mom would go to the 545 am class still does to this day so since 2013,. She's been going to that class and she brought me. I didn't have my license so I would go with. Her did my foundations in the morning. I'll never forget it, so, yeah, so that's when I started like winter of my sophomore year of high school and then, yeah, I feel like I never looked back after that. It became like something I really loved. It turned from doing it for softball and to become better at softball into I'm actually doing this and softball is just what I'm doing, almost on the side. It turned into my first priority, my first sport, and I mean here I am 27, still doing it today.
Speaker 1:So that's so cool, dude. So I want to ask so many things about that. But first off, you said you were training a little bit before you even cross it right. A little bit in the gym, like speed and agility place.
Speaker 2:Were you guys lifting weights and like what kind of weights were you guys lifting? Yeah, I did um a lot of dumbbell stuff. Um, they did a great job like making sure we were doing, like staying safe and doing all the things, but learning foundations as we go, um. So I did a lot of like dumbbell stuff, like dumbbell snatches, dumbbell cleans, um just like your classic bodybuilding stuff.
Speaker 2:Um like lateral raises, front raises, those kinds of things, um, um, but we did like burpees and wall balls and we would do like almost like mini I didn't know that they were like CrossFit workouts at the time, um, but I learned how to back, squat, front squat, bench, um, and then kind of started to learn learning how to do hang cleans with a barbell and um. So I got my basic barbell movements um there, so that that kind of helped me transition into crossfit a little bit. It was like so that that stuff I I kind of had a good foundation with since I was in like eighth grade um, but you know, it's that gymnastic stuff that that was harder and all that yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So, um, you know, it was like we did planks and circuits and a lot of running and speed stuff too, so that's kind of was more of the focus, and I was young too, so not as much like heavy loads but you know dead lifting, like I said, the bodybuilding stuff.
Speaker 1:You should feel so lucky, right? Like some people that come on here. They're like I didn't touch any weights, so I was like 25, 30, like when I walked into a CrossFit class for the first time. So it's so good to start young and then you just get that good base and keep it going the whole time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think even more like physically obviously it's super helpful, but mentally, I think just it's been a part of my life for so long that like it's something I haven't even questioned and I've definitely had my parents to thank for that. They just always instilled that in me, that it was like part of life and being healthy and being strong was was awesome, and I feel like that was really a good foundation for me to have, especially as a female, like knowing that I wanted to be strong at a young age.
Speaker 1:Um, definitely helped, helps a lot where does the sports like background come from? Like your mom's super active, did she play sports, dad play sports, and it just kind of, are you Like tell me like that kind of background?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it's funny Cause my mom actually played no sports growing up. She really didn't even. It's so funny too because I feel like so much has changed since from their generation to ours of, like, exercise wasn't even the thing that everyone did when they were growing up, my dad was like I remember when people started going for jogs like that was a good thing that started happening and um, for him, like, well, let me go back to my mom.
Speaker 2:But she has she never played sports growing up. She really didn't even exercise till after she had me, um, and I am the oldest. So, um, she's made a huge improvement in her health and I was like so proud of her for that and that's so hard. Like you're saying, she probably was 30, in her 30s before you know. She started walking and then started running and then kind of trans once she started CrossFit, really started lifting, but that's probably the first time she started lifting and she was in her 40s at that time. So so cool to see for her. Um, my dad played baseball. His whole life played at Millersville. Um, his dad and his, his grandfather, both all played baseball at Millersville.
Speaker 1:Oh, did you go there too? I did not.
Speaker 2:I went to Westchester.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's better, there you go.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So my dad's I feel like you know the male side of things was just like playing sports and growing up and going to the weight room and lifting with the guys on the team. Growing up and going to the weight room and lifting with the guys on the team, so my dad always had like free weights and a bench in the basement and we'd always see him work out and, you know, go for runs and treadmill and that kind of thing.
Speaker 1:So that, and then yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:There we go.
Speaker 2:So we, we were always very active, playing outside, doing whatever sport we wanted to do, like I swam basketball, like you know anything, anything you could think of. We played all the sports, um and so yeah, so I'm the oldest and we always say that they learned their lessons with me my sister who's? We have a brother in the middle, but my sister plays softball and she's very successful. So we always say that my dad was like I learned a lot going through with you that I knew what to make with her, but I always feel like I ended up in the right place.
Speaker 2:She was meant to play softball and I was meant to do this. So she goes to Lehigh University and she's in her freshman year. She's killing it. She's leading the Patriot league and batting average um and hits. So super proud of her. And then my brother is in the middle of us and he um played on the club baseball team at penn state. Um was a pitcher. He still plays adult league and does that kind of thing. Him and his friends are out playing whatever sport of the day you know tennis, tennis this day, golf that day yeah, that's so good.
Speaker 1:The whole family's like active dude, Like cause there's so many families out there that not one person is so to have the whole family means you're probably going to be active for generations. Yeah.
Speaker 2:It helps a lot. I mean, I definitely learned from the best and my grandparents are always been super involved and come to everything that we do, and so I feel like it started with them. Pass on to my parents, pass on to us, and I know that like it's something we'll continue to pass on to our kids one day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so when? How does CrossFit keep progressing Right? Like you do your foundations, you start hopping into classes. When do you do your first competition? When do you want to do your first competition? Like what? What happens next?
Speaker 2:yeah, so I, I remember like not, I didn't even know you could compete you know, like, and once I figured out that, I remember watching the open announcements.
Speaker 2:It was like 2014 was my first open and and that came around, people were like, yeah, you should sign up for this, it's open. And I feel like you know the sport has changed so much and nowadays I feel like and if you go into a gym it's kind of some gyms it's like everybody signs up for the open. Other gyms it's like you have competitive people sign up and not really other people.
Speaker 1:But I feel like at that time, anyone who was doing cross it was doing the open like yeah, it was funny that it's like that too, because at that time there was no scale, right like there was just one workout yep, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:So my first open.
Speaker 2:I remember um the first week was snatches and double unders and it was like a lightweight, so it was a, it was an amrap. So I did that. And then week two was overhead squats and chest to bar. And I didn't couldn't do a chest bar pull-up, so I did my 10 overhead squats. I tried for the rest of the time to get a chest bar, got one, so my score was 11 at that time, you know. So that was I. I mean, if you that, that was my first competition, but in person team of four we did. It was called Battle Royale. It was at Lebanon Valley College. You remember that we used to be around, let's go.
Speaker 1:I love the college comps man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they were awesome. They had a swim event in the pool and they had a track Like we would. We swam, ran around the track and then we're on a rower. I remember all that and, um, being able to do that kind of crossfit in college is so cool yeah, it was really cool. So, um, it was at yeah, it was at lebanon valley college. I was, um, I guess, finished my sophomore year of high school, going into my junior year, um, and I was on a team, you know, four of us and I I just remember being like just so amazed that this even existed and like this kind of community existed and that was the first time I was in person.
Speaker 2:Like you know, everybody had their tent set up outside and everybody's hanging out. And I was like, wow, like this, this is what I'm, this is where I want to be and this is what I'm meant to do. And I feel like, from there, there, I did a ton of like team stuff, teams of four and um. You know, crossfit proven yous have their comp.
Speaker 2:Back in the day, we did their team of four comp, um yeah, so I was yeah, yeah, that ghouls and gals halloween one yeah, I've done that yeah, and then at kop like they had the girls comp I there were so many, I feel, like local comps in our area back in the day, like right it was awesome so that's kind of where I started doing them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you, you are 15, 16. Well, I guess you said you were a slumber before, so that's how you were comfortable with that. But, like, when did you first feel like you were competitive? You know, if you're so young just discovered CrossFit, just get into, get into this, did, were you competitive in softball? Like, not stats, like in your mind you know, like to go out and like, hey, I want to put myself out there. Not that I want to beat other people, I want to put myself out there. When did you like first figure that fact out?
Speaker 1:I, I was competitive immediately, I was like oh, I can do this right off the gate.
Speaker 2:I was like, once I started and I was like you know, I take a look around and like see what everybody else was doing, and I was like you know, I feel like I could do this, so like yeah people are like trying to do double unders, and I was like I could probably do that, like and I was so young too, I feel like I could just pick things up a little easier, like that kind of thing.
Speaker 2:I was like I was just on the playground jumping rope like two years ago, so like that kind of thing.
Speaker 1:I just love recess. That's funny.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly Like looking at rope climbs. I was like I could do that Like, and part of the no fear thing too. You know you're young and you're not scared to climb up a rope. It helps, it helps.
Speaker 1:I've missed it.
Speaker 2:But I like, I think doing the open, like I think doing the open like I started in the winter, like probably December um of 2013, so the open was started in February, so it was. It was pretty shortly after that. I realized that like you could compete in this. So as soon as that, as soon as I knew that, I was like, oh, I'm in for that, and I think like the biggest thing that helped me to coming from softball was like that made me want to kind of focus on that more was just knowing that all of my efforts were just directly going to show in my results like I didn't have to. I love team sports and they're awesome, but you know, there can be a lot of politics with coaches and who gets picked to be on what team and what can happen and and things that you can't control. And I felt, like in CrossFit, I could control everything because my work directly reflected how I performed.
Speaker 2:So I knew yeah, I knew if I worked harder I'd get better. And I and that's like kind of something that I've always felt like is something I really feel deeply about is just like I've always tried to be the hardest worker in the room and I always knew that like I wasn't, most of the time, never going to be the hardest worker in the room and I always knew that, like I wasn't, most of the time, never going to be the most talented in the room, but I could always work the hardest. So I think that was like the biggest pull for CrossFit. For me is like it didn't matter. You could prove yourself and you got yourself exactly where you needed to be. And even if you were competing on a team like it's just different with CrossFit and I mean that's part of the reason I feel like I fell in love with it is just because I knew. I knew that my results were directly correlated with my efforts.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, that's one of the best parts, right, like you can almost do like a blind leaderboard or like a faceless leaderboard, right? That's what the open is essentially for most of the world. There is obviously your top 200, probably like no names out there, but it's mostly just whoever ends up on the leaderboard. Um, and where your spots fill, you see a couple of like red herons here and there, like weird stuff going on, but they're trying to weed all that stuff out yeah you know, still, it's still a young sport.
Speaker 1:It'll come along though. Um, you know what I was thinking about when you said the open 14.1 or two, whatever that one was. They had the double unders or the the chest of ours. I saw so much this year people complaining in the comments that the scale wasn't easy enough or rx is like out of reach, and it's like that's the point. Yeah, like I don't think people I don't a lot of today's people could not survive in the world where it was like all right, there's one workout, you rx it or you know, you just look at whatever you can't do, and I was there. I I'd like handstand pushups at like 2017. I couldn't do those after all the deadlifts, you know, and I just looked at the wall for five minutes. That's what happened. The bar muscle-ups at 16, like I just looked at the bar, I got 10 reps as my score. That's just what it was. I never thought about like, oh, did CrossFit make this workout too hard? You know?
Speaker 1:yeah, I had to skill the next year. The thing that annoyed me that crossfit did is that I would get the skill and then they wouldn't do it again the next year for so long. Like I got rigged muscle-ups the next year they had bar muscle-ups. I didn't have those yet. Or like handstand push-ups and instead of just handstand push-ups they made it strict handstand push-ups. It's like, all right, well, now I'm only gonna get like two of these instead of like the 20 that I would have got.
Speaker 1:You know that's what I was used to be like. Oh, fucking CrossFit, you always make me want something else. Not that it was like out of reach, the movements and stuff like. So, for everyone listening out there, if you think the workout's hard, it's supposed to be. That's literally the point. You know it's supposed to be a little bit out of reach. So you start doing the open, you start doing like local cops. Um, I know that you guys you've been uh, yourself to semis at least one year, individual, I think multiple years on a team. When do you start to push for those kind of things? Did that just happen that you ended up higher on the leaderboard and you're like all right, I'll start to push, or did you consciously, from the beginning, be like I'd like to make it to regional semis, things like that? Well, I had that.
Speaker 2:So I mean, I think and I I think it's interesting now too, because I feel like the separation from starting like when you start in your beginner you've never done crossfit before to becoming like a semi-finalist regional athlete, like the people have just gotten so much better since 10 years ago that I feel like it probably looks just so unattainable when you first start. But when I, when I first started, I feel like I could look at these girls cause it. You know it was regionals and it was small regions. You know we were mid Atlantic and they were taking 60 from the region, and not that I was remotely close to that, but I felt like that was something I could do one day.
Speaker 1:Like I was like you know, one day I can get there and I'm like I don't know if I would feel that way today, If I were, if I were to just be starting today and looking at like in those years we had a lot of people like in affiliates around you that would like maybe the team or two, maybe have like some people that were on the bubble of like going to regionals. You know, back in those days and now it seems like it's a little bit more few and far between, you know. Yeah.
Speaker 2:So I and I knew people at Explode that were going to regionals at that time and you know, cody and Emily were going at that time and they were my first coaches. So, like, looking up to them was huge, like knowing, and I was like, you know, I want to work hard and get there someday. So I feel like it was always a goal, you know. So, even even when it wasn't something that I was close to doing, it was a goal. So my second year of the open, they did the teenage division. That's when they first introduced it, so 2015.
Speaker 2:And I was that was the only year I got to do teens but they really didn't even announce like. They were like, okay, here's a teen division, but they didn't say like who was going to make it from there. Really, they were just like, yeah, we'll take people to the games and we're like well, is it from the region, is it from the world, is it whatever? So, um, I remember just like trying my like absolute hardest, and that was the year it started with ring muscles and I didn't have them and I had to do that workout, you know, and I was like and, but so many people couldn't do them, especially in the teen division that it really like didn't set me back too far.
Speaker 2:But, they ended up only taking 10, 10 people to the games from each each teenage division, and it was just worldwide, so I was like 39th or something.
Speaker 2:So at that point I was like all right, I can do this, though. Like, even though I'll be in the big, big girl division, like you know, like 16, 17, 18, um, just like trying my best, like doing whatever I could, um, and you know, I I was moving up the leaderboard, like trying to trying to get to regionals. And then 2019 is when they did that year of sanctionals, and I felt like 2019 was the year I was like all right, like after 2018, I was like I really think I could try to make it to regionals next year because it was still like a pretty big number of people that made it in those regions. And then they switched it to sanctionals and I was like I don't even know what this is going to be or what, and so many people were, because it was either like you they took people directly from the open or like you could qualify from all these random events and like top 20 from the open went directly, and then there was a bunch of and we didn't really know where all the events were.
Speaker 2:They were like an outing as they were happening yeah, and I feel like that kind of pulled me away from it a little bit, because it made it really like unattainable. I felt like um, so I was kind of like I don't really know where I'm going to go from here, because I'm not going to go win wadapalooza, like Like I'm not you know, so how am I going to get there? I'm not going to be 20 in the world. So that year I just kind of remember like a little bit of disconnect. And then after COVID, you know, coming back to Explode you know, I was at OPEX for a while, going back to Explode. I was kind of like in a new position. I graduated from college, yeah.
Speaker 1:I was going to say wait a minute before you go there in the 20,. So you're in college now. By like? What year did you graduate high school? Like 16?
Speaker 2:2016.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 16,. So then you're in college from like 17 on and you're already more focused on CrossFit, right?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yep, You're full steam ahead of CrossFit now right, Like training up at college coach going on. And then 2019 is in the middle of your college career now right. And then COVID happens next. So then, after COVID, you're back at Explode.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I'm back at Explode after COVID and I feel like found our community of kids. There was a Rochester CrossFit club going at that time, so there's a lot of people my age there, um, and I feel like that kind of reignited my spark into like competing again, because then they brought the open back and it was, you know, they were going to do it differently and 2020 was still a weird year. But then 2021, um, that's kind of where I feel like I definitely changed gears a little bit and I felt like, you know, I'd grown a little bit. I felt like I like physically, just like was in my adult body at this time.
Speaker 2:So I was, like you know, getting stronger, getting better, had like a little bit more of a like mature mindset, so I was able to like really actually focus on nutrition a lot more and could understand, like what I, what I should and shouldn't do and what actually made me feel good. So 2021 was the year I feel like things changed and like I really was like all right, like we're going to try to do this. Um. So 2021 was also the first year quarterfinals so, you know, made it through the open, did quarterfinals, didn't qualify for semifinals, which I didn't. I didn't expect to at that time, cause it was the first year, and we were like I don't even know what's going to happen here.
Speaker 1:Um, what did they take?
Speaker 2:they take 40, or something like that, from regions, and there was two that year they took, they just had north america as a whole and it was 120 people from north america and then they just let them rank like where they wanted to go out of the four events. It was like atlas games, granite games, um mac, and like one in the west, I think, and they people picked like the like ranked their order of like which they would like west, I think, and they people picked like the like rank to their order of like which they would like to go to, and they just kind of sent people randomly to each of those four events, so that year I was like okay you know, yeah, people were going to choose to go to easier regions you know to qualify out of.
Speaker 2:I remember that it was weird, it was just a weird way to do it.
Speaker 2:I felt like yeah but, um, I think after that year we went and watched um, the mac uh page. Henry was competing and sean gordon and mac cutler, like all local, local people. So I went to go watch them at the mac um and it was awesome to see and and and, like, observe and just be like all right, I really want to get here next year. And so then, 2022 is when we made it to atlas games as a team from explode um and uh, caris dmi or caris carnuccio now, but she made it individually that year as a back, got a backfill. So we were all kind of like all right, like we're getting the hang of this, we can see where this is going. So then, um, after 2022.
Speaker 1:Before you went there, though, or are you thinking that after? How are you feeling like going into team the first year?
Speaker 2:we didn't even I mean, we didn't really even plan to do a team. We didn't. We were just like, oh, you know, we'll sign one up and see what happens. And then we ended up being like qualifying for team quarterfinals and we're like, all right, well, might as well do it, yeah. And then we got like the last spot, I think. We were actually like we got about. We were like 60 first and they took 60 and we got like or 80 for whatever it was. We were like one spot out because we got a penalty on something, um, and we ended up getting like our spot back and so it was kind of like a random series of events that happened that put us there like it wasn't really supposed to happen but it did.
Speaker 2:Um, and after that year was when I um started back working with Greg, my current coach, um and Golden Line, and then I feel like the rest was history. Like you can, if you look at my CrossFit games profile, I'm like you can just see like where, like okay, like I'm doing good, improving every year, and then it's like a massive jump, like right, and I'm like I wonder what year I started working with greg again and like having a coach and doing all this stuff and um, it was that year, so after 2022, um started working with him again, and then the three years since I've qualified for semifinals individuals. So oh yeah that's dope.
Speaker 1:What do you? What do you think like it? Is that really caused the spike? Is it structure from Greg? Is it the programming? What was the big game changer you think?
Speaker 2:I think it's a little bit of everything. I mean I think, like with Greg and Golden Line, like they just do a fantastic job of everything with. You know it's all individualized coaching, so everything I need like comes from one place and he knows everything of like my nutrition, my recovery, what my day to day looks like, so like if I can train hard on these days and what days I need to pull back and you know what the season looks like, and just everything being in one place and not having to. You know, go to different people of like here's my nutrition coach and here's my person who does my programming and here's my weightlifting coach and here's all these different people that I have to now communicate with. It's all in one place. And mean they I I can't say enough good things about about my experience with Golden Line and Greg, but I mean they they just do it right.
Speaker 2:Like if you want an individual coach, like it's just the way to go. And I think just knowing that it's all directed towards me and like what I can handle is very different than like other people. So I even take Tracy Johnson, for example. Like her and I both have the same coach. We do things completely differently, like she can maybe handle more volume on certain days where I need the less volume and that makes me feel better, or vice versa. Or like certain things it's just so different and so uniquely tailored to me that I feel like that was the big game changer, is like before. I just was like you know, the harder you train, the better you'll be, and it's not necessarily the case.
Speaker 1:Yeah, not always.
Speaker 2:So when I, you know, start working full time and you have a lot of responsibilities and all these things, there's a lot more that comes into play with your programming than just the workout of the day. It's like the stress in my life and how I'm managing that and what I'm recovering from and and I think that is the biggest difference of just like having it all in one place and knowing that you know I'm, he has my best interests at heart and, as has, knows what goals I want and it like takes every step to get me there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's awesome and it's something it touches, something that I spoke about with Greg too, about like allowing athletes to just athlete you know, when that's all you have to worry about and like not to say it's like a small thing, right, but you're able to put all of your intent and focus into that. You do all the work beforehand to like have your body prepared for it. But then, if you have to like, is there so much mental output to just have your body prepared for it? But then, if you have to like, exert so much mental output too just for your training and for your competition day, it's going to be your body's probably going to fall short. You know, intent, focus, all on like all right, this is what my body can handle. This is what I'm going to go put my intent and focus into. You know.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:With my weightlifting coach a lot of times for the past two, three years. Every time I do a meet, I also have athletes competing in like sessions around it, and I remember the first time I did that he asked me like afterwards like were you able to athlete? And I feel like it's getting harder and harder to coach an athlete at the same time and it's probably going to have to come down to all right. I probably need to pick times to just be a coach and athlete later on, because it's a lot of mental output to put together, you know yeah, I mean I just seeing what he does at competitions, like even when it's when I'm the only one competing versus.
Speaker 2:So, like last year at semi-final the was, I was only one of his athletes that was competing, so just knowing everything that he was running around doing and I was the only one competing, let alone then like tfx this past year in january all I think there was like 30 plus golden line athletes there.
Speaker 2:Now that they're all his athletes but, between the four coaches, like having over 30 athletes there like they are running around, like we always joke about. His whoop straight is like higher than mine, like they do so much. I can't imagine trying to compete and coach people and like give 100 in both of those things it be. I don't know that it's possible, honestly.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, tell me about like the team year and then the early years, like 21, 22, of going to semifinals, and like how that goes for you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so 2022 was the year that, the first year I went to semifinals and we were on a team. We went to the Atlas games in Canada, Montreal. It was a hike but, it was fun.
Speaker 1:So last minute to like it. You have like two, three months around that time, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it'd be. The whole season was a whirlwind because, like it was going to be me, karis, mitch and a guy, alec, and Karis ended up getting a backfill individual. So tracy came on our team, which was like awesome too, um. And so with the four of us trained super hard, like did worm stuff every day, like loved it, um, and then alec ended up getting hurt, like right a week before Atlas Games. So Sean Fantuzzi hops into our team and hopped in with us.
Speaker 2:And we're like you know. If I know anything about Sean is that he will give 100% for his team and, no matter what, he will definitely give you all that he has. So I'm like Sean's the best man we have for the job right now.
Speaker 1:Let's go.
Speaker 2:So he hopped in with us. We were like, all right, you know, we're just gonna go out there and give it the best we have. Um, we're just, we were just happy to be there and have the experience. Um, you know, unfortunately sean did get hurt, like our second event on saturday, so we didn't get to finish all of the events of the weekend. But glad he's okay now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was gonna say he's back, he's pretty much he's doing great um, but you know that that was terrifying at the time. Like it was a snatch ladder and the guys like all guys went through of every team, and then they switched the bars and all the girls went through. So all the guys went through first and tracy and I were watching on the side. We're like horrified, we don't know what to do. Like do we go and do our event, do we not? We're like sean would want us to go do it. Like so we, we go out there and we're like, should we even snatch?
Speaker 2:like we're both terrified to snatch at this point yeah so we go out there, give it the best we had. We're like, you know, this is our last event, because we, you know, we try to see if the guy would let us go out there with three people, but uh, unfortunately it did not. We were like it's okay, but it doesn't count. We don't care if our score counts, just let us go out there and try the workout.
Speaker 2:So, anyway, it was more of a joke than anything. But, um, you know, we we had a blast. Just training and being there and just getting the experience out on the floor was so cool. Like being out there is like all we had ever dreamed of. Like mitch started the same time, I did, you know, probably even before me in CrossFit. So just like being out there and knowing like we were where, like our young teenage selves have always dreamed of being, so that was awesome. Um, and then the next year, you know, we were kind of like all right, we should do a team again. You know that'd be fun and like this year we'll actually try, like not that we didn't try, but like we'll, we'll consciously go in with the effort of we're gonna do a team yeah um.
Speaker 2:And then the season progressed and we were kind of like you know, actually like we might be able to make an individual. So mitch and I both qualified individual that year, and caris, so the three of us um qualified individual. That was our first year, for mitch and I both um. Caris had qualified the year before but um, so it was super fun going down there with the three of us like all qualifying from explode um, we went down to it yeah, yeah so that year was just, you know, north America East, north America West.
Speaker 2:It wasn't like called any, any events, it was just East and West. So, yeah, that was awesome. And I mean I'll never forget just like the feeling of, like you know, checking the leaderboard of quarterfinals and being like, was it enough, wasn't enough, like am I gonna, you know? And just barely squeaking in there, and I was just like I don't care where I'm where, at what place. I finished it. If I'm there, I'm there.
Speaker 2:So that year was totally like an experience year of just like you made it here, let's get the experience, go out on the floor, give it what you have like kind of no pressure, because I mean, of course, you always put pressure on yourself as an athlete, even if you say no pressure. But I wasn't in a position that I'm like, yeah, I'm trying to make it to the games this year, like it wasn't in a spot that that was something that was going to happen. So I was like, you know, I'm just gonna go out there, take some risks to do what I can. Um, and it was an incredible experience. You know, we had some some fun events and, um, having greg there, that was like the first time, like we got to really be in person competing um with him there. Um, so that was awesome, um.
Speaker 1:And then the next year came around and they, you know, we're going to that because now you're getting like this time period where yeah probably sharpened in the axe a little bit more.
Speaker 1:What do you think like was the hardest part for you in your first year? Indeed, was it like the volume of the weekend, maybe the more intensity of the workouts, the in-person with these people that are like probably in your mind, you're thinking are so far like gone from how fit you are at that time? Do you remember like what was the toughest part of the beginning?
Speaker 2:um, I think, yeah, like the like imposter syndrome, a little bit of like how did I get here or do I belong here? Like, looking at, you know, danielle brandon and alexis raptus, like all these girls that I've looked up to for so long that are like these veteran games athletes are like in my, in the warm-up area, and I'm like what am I doing here?
Speaker 1:like do I belong here? Where's the vendor village?
Speaker 2:yeah, so so just like trying to, you know, mentally, be like you earned your spot here, you got here. So trying to like have that confidence a little bit. Um was definitely like I feel like it was just so nerve-wracking, like I remember waking up in the morning just like being like, oh my gosh, like what's about to happen. Um, so just like I feel like it's just a little overwhelming, like you're out there on this huge stage and you know, with these people that like you just like look up to, like I said, and so I feel like that that part of it, the workouts, like are all things for the most part like that I knew I was capable of doing. Um, you know they had a couple of things that were like. You know that was the first year they had pirouettes, which is something that didn't I'd never even attempted before in my life until they announced it like two weeks before. Like um and the seated legless rope climbs.
Speaker 2:We didn't know the standard we were like there was you know, so there was three semifinal weekends that year and we were in the first one and the workouts were. That was the first year that all the workouts were the same for all of them, because before that, like, either, like sometimes, the event would program all of them or, like the year before that, crossfit program two events that were the same at all the semifinals and then the rest were, like, programmed by the event director. So this was the first year that they were all the same. So, but we were the first weekend, so they released the workouts and, if you think about it, it's like a week and a half, two weeks before the people that go last have more time to look at those workouts and prepare and then see how everybody does the two weekends before, but we didn't even know what the standard was going to be for a seated legless rope climb.
Speaker 2:I was like, where do we have to touch? How tall is it? We didn't know, I know. We had no idea you were gonna have to use legless on the way down, and so that is also something that is very challenging for me, so that that workout was was tough. But I remember sitting there like on the floor because like I was just like resting Cause I couldn't, you know, just trying to rest before I tried my second legless rope climb, and you know remembering like that feeling of like being stuck and not being able to complete the next rep and um, and I remember my judge being like you're doing awesome and you know you, you're so great to be here, Like just remember that, and I was like you're so sweet, Like thank you for saying that Cause.
Speaker 2:I'm like filling up in tears, um, and I remember like greg and I having a conversation after that and him being like you know, this is like a like a building block moment for you and like this is gonna be a moment that you'll remember, but it's gonna help you and this is probably one of the best things that could happen to you because, like you go out there and just fly through everything. You don't face any adversity, you know, you don't. You don't build any character in those moments and like finding out, like how you can dig deep and come back from that and how you can then go into the next event with a fresh mindset. Like it's really hard to come back from those things. So I think like those kinds of moments were like definitely I could say, like character building moments for me and knowing like what I wanted to work on and where I never want to feel again, and like knowing that I never want to feel like that and what can I do to make sure that that doesn't happen again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I mean overall, like I said, it was just like a let's go out there and give it everything we have kind of year and, whatever happens, the result is the result, because it's our first year and the goal was just to make it that year Right, like, like, let's do this, yeah, so yeah, like I said, I finished, I finished 60th um, and they took 60, so like after, after video, I think I was like 58th and then after you know, video review and everything ended up like in that 60th spot, so like the final spot to make it in. So I like and and people did get back to a spot, so I really wasn't like last seed going in there's a lot of shuffling that happened to the last week or so, before you know.
Speaker 1:After that qualification period.
Speaker 2:Yes, so much so my goal. Then after that I was like, all right next year, like I don't want to be this spot, I don't want to be 60th, like let's be top 40 next year.
Speaker 2:And then, what do you know? They change it to be only 40. Are going to make it this year. So I'm like, well, I better be top 40 or else I'm not going to make it. So it was always my goal all along to be any sort of video review. I was like 43rd or something like I wasn't quite in the 40th. I don't remember exactly when I've been 44th, somewhere around there, but I remember being like, all right, well, we'll see what happens with videos. Like I feel confident in my videos and I'm like everything so I'll submit them and then we'll see what happens. And I mean, you know, everybody, everybody got penalties last year with the step ups.
Speaker 2:So, um, I ended up like getting in finishing 37th after video review, all my videos got approved, luckily, so that that helped me, um, but I, but then I was like you know, like I'm still at the bottom of this. Like I, my goal was to be in top 40 but, like now they only take 40. So I'm like, I'm still Like, which was a huge improvement for me being going 60th to 37th, but out of the field, like now I'm still on this like bottom tier which, like again, I'm still so, like thankful and grateful to make it there. But you know, I'm like all right, like what are they going to do 20 next year? Like I don't even know. Like where is this going?
Speaker 2:So I I felt a lot different like going in last year, like felt a lot more confident and and my own abilities, um, and you know, went out there and did like I said, like gave it the best I I had. Um, I can like even the small wins, like I feel like sometimes on the leaderboard you can't even see like the small wins that you get, like, uh, me finishing the legless rope climb last year before the time cap was like huge for me, like because the year before I was sat there on the ground not being able to do my second rep.
Speaker 1:So, like you know, even though that wasn't like a top whatever finish for me, it was huge for me to just like finish that workout under a time cap yeah, like back to what greg said, you know when you, if you don't leave, like after facing a little bit of adversity or some kind of failure, you're probably going to go home and just work as hard as you've already been working, Not not work harder. You know harder is what gets you to those higher like levels that you want to get to. I'm not even like any kind of tangible level, just like whatever your goal is, Cause you were like, okay, I want to go from 60 to 40. But what you really meant is I want to keep expressing my fittest self, or like I want to keep expressing that I'm going to go home and work harder, Cause it wasn't that you want to be that number, you want it to just be higher up on the pack. You know, like separate yourself.
Speaker 1:I didn't go home and do the bare minimum you know.
Speaker 2:Exactly so. I mean, I I felt like a very different athlete like year the 23 to 24. Um, and just like being able to make it two years in a row helped me a lot mentally to be like, okay, like I do, I have earned my spot to be here. It wasn't just a fluke thing that I made it here last year. Like I am fit, I do belong here and I can, I can compete at this level. So that was huge and I feel like last year was a big growth experience for me too and that kind of led to my decision of going full-time this year and, you know, making some changes in my life to really like even focus even more on CrossFit than I have in the past.
Speaker 2:So I, um, I'm a special ed teacher elementary school and so you know, these past few years, like I've been working full time, competing and, you know, made it to the semifinals level twice. But while you know, having a full time job and doing these things and my body was just exhausted, like you know having days where you like get up at six, you know go to your am, go to work all day, come back, do your PM and then get home at like eight, 30,. You eat and go to bed, like you know there's not much time for recovery in there, um, so I think I kind of proved to myself like okay, you can't compete at this level. Like what can we do to like get you to even the next level of like competing for a higher spot at the semifinal level? So, um, greg and I had, you know, countless, countless talks of of things and what we thought was best, and so that kind of I decided to move out to Colorado for the year.
Speaker 2:Um, at least for the year. So I'm still kind of deciding what I want to do next. But, um, yeah, my job gave me a year leave to take um to pursue this professionally and I'm so grateful for that that. You know I have some job security that if I want to go back I can. So I've been out in Colorado since the fall, training full time, and Greg lives out here. So working with him and being in person full time is huge and I feel like this has like really set me up for success for this season. And you know we only had then all the, you know all the changes that happened this year. Still don't really know how it's going to go from here on out.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about that a little bit, but keep going.
Speaker 2:But yeah, so I call. So now I'm in the West. Um, cause I you know it's based on where you live now. So sometimes, like years, it's changed of like what gym you train at or where you live or whatever. So, um, based on like my address.
Speaker 1:You know we're like we're just going to send you wherever we want to send you exactly so.
Speaker 2:I'm in the west this year and then they're, you know, having no quarterfinals. It does make it a little different because, you know, the workouts of the open are very different than quarterfinals workouts, like this year. But I, you know, I I do believe like, if you're going to be the best, you should be able to be the best at anything any workout that they give you.
Speaker 2:So and I mean I know it's frustrating too, like for a lot of people, that you know they, they needed they, they were kind of relying on a heavy barbell and there really wasn't that in the open. And you know, regardless of how the season played out and what everyone thinks about that, like you just kind of have to do the best with what you're, you're given and we we have you just have.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, you have to play the game with what you're given and I just felt like I just have. Just. My biggest mantra has just been to try to have a positive mindset and be like, okay, you can't change it, and that's one of you know. If you don't, you can either control something, if you can make the change, and if you can't, then you just got to get okay, okay with it, get on board and figure out how you can make it happen from there. So it's something that we can't change, how the season is. So what are you going to do with that? Are you going to like, sit around and and sulk about it, or are you just going to try your best and give it everything you have with what you're given? So I was like you know, we're just gonna give it our best and see what happens that's the answer.
Speaker 1:That's what you gotta do, like, dude. If you can't do anything about it, then just stop complaining or move on, you know yeah, I mean because there's.
Speaker 2:If you, the more that you let it just sit on, you just creates a stressor and like it's just that's not gonna help you at all, right, so so you've been out there since the fall right like, yeah, what did you leave last year semi-final with, like your goal, like what's pushing you to push that for this?
Speaker 2:full time for the for the year I mean, from the beginning, my goal has always been to just make it to the games and I've always, you know that's that. That will always be my goal. I, I think forever. And you know, looking at last year, like kind of where things were and East versus West, and you know where I would have kind of been sitting and you know they last year it was, they were taking 10 spots, 11 spots from the semifinal level right to the games. You know, this year it's two from these in-person events.
Speaker 2:So goals maybe are changing a little bit, but, um, and and just like kind of being realistic, but also, like you know, still going out there and giving it everything I have of. You know, taking top 10 from an event is way different than two, um, but still like trying to qualify for a semifinal level event and doing the best that I can at that event. And so my goal, you know, is to try to be in the top 10 this year at tfx. Um, knowing that like top two would be as amazing as that would be like I'm just going to try to do the best that I can out there and and prove the hard work that I've been doing. But, um, so, yeah.
Speaker 2:So I think back to what you're saying about last year was like I was kind of like I think I can do this, like I I've been doing, but, um, so yeah, so I think back to what you're saying about last year was like I was kind of like I think I can do this, like I I've been growing each year and I think you know I I can really make a jump if I can eliminate some of these stressors in my life and add like full-time training and be able to recover better. Cause I just felt like I was not recovering at all last year and with, with you know, working full-time and doing all these things and trying to fit into sessions a day, and my CNS just like was not recovered. Um, and I as much as like anything I did, I just like my body just like was like we need to slow it down or change something, or else like you're not going to make it, you're not going to, like you're not going to make it through this like in one piece anything.
Speaker 1:You're not gonna make it through anything.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're not making it through anything. So, um, that was kind of my mindset of like, let's, let's go all in on it this year, see what happens and then kind of make a decision from there where we want to go after this. So I'm kind of still in that mode of like, let's see what happens this season, how it finishes out, and then kind of make a decision for the future after that. But being full time has definitely created a lot of space for me to, you know, feel more confident and get better physically, but also like work on my mental game a lot and be able to compete and do all these things. So it is definitely helping a lot. So I'm excited to, you know, get to go out there and see, see the end result of like, what really is going to happen and the difference that it's going to make.
Speaker 1:So you're doing syndicate.
Speaker 2:Um so TFX is uh the West.
Speaker 1:Yeah the effects. Oh, syndicate is the East coast one.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:How are you doing about that? Like uh, we know at least one workout right one, yeah. How you feeling about that? Like uh, we know at least one workout right. Or do they have they announced two?
Speaker 2:already heavy isabel, everyone has yep, so that's. That's all we know so far there we go.
Speaker 1:How you feel about that I?
Speaker 2:like it. I do like it. Um, I think it's. I think it's awesome. I think it's a really cool event, um, and I think it's cool to see, like, how the sports progress and like that. This is an event. I think it's super cool. I love when it's like a classic event like this and it's like 30 snatches for a time. It's like a classic battery event and yeah, you know, so I'm excited to see it uh and do it, doing a ton of practice with it.
Speaker 2:So they haven't tested isbell out at all I have yeah, I've done it full out twice, um, and then we also just do some some work, just like working on heavy, uh, just working with that weight. So, just like you know, two minute am reps of snatches at 155 with a rest in between, and you know, just doing, just do 10 today and see how they feel. Like try to do it your game pace, or, you know, try to work on power and squat and those kind of things. Um, that's kind of where we've been with that what else you want to see at TFX.
Speaker 1:If you like, we're programming workouts. What would be the one? You're T? T up for a grand slam.
Speaker 2:Um, so at TFX in the in January the they're like championship. So there was a dumbbell bench, sled pull, sled push event and that was that's like my jam. Jam. I'd love to see like a dumbbell dumbbell bench, like I love like a linda style workout. Um, but anything like that I love, like diane deadlifts and handstand push-ups. Uh, yeah, I like the grindy stuff that are like you're just gonna kind of put your head down and do it um, yeah I do like that stuff. I love a good barbell so what is the next?
Speaker 1:like it's at the end of may, right you're? Are you guys the last one?
Speaker 2:uh, no, we are, I think. Then I mean the next north american one in person. I don't know about the other ones, but we're may 16th through the 18th, middle of may so what's your next two, three weeks?
Speaker 1:look like yeah.
Speaker 2:So we just got um got back from texas. We had a golden line training camp this past weekend, which was awesome to throw down with those guys and um be in person and have like some simulation of competing a little bit. Um so had that and then kind of recover today, flush out a little bit and um, you know, train hard the next few weeks and then um try to freshen up a little bit right before and uh try to make sure the body's feeling good and mine's feeling good and head in there and give it all we have.
Speaker 1:What's your week of competition look like? Like, obviously you'll fly out, probably Tuesday, wednesday. Like what are the last few things you're trying to do before you leave home? Like are you going to get some special food? Are you getting any body work done? Like what's the? Oh well, this is your first year out there. Yeah, so it's got a new routine. What does it normally look like? What's it going to look like this week?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I'll fly out that Wednesday. I don't like to fly out the day before I compete, so I'll try to go like two days before. So we compete Friday. So I'll fly out there like Wednesday morning, try to just relax, get myself like situated and acclimated, um, and then I uh Thursday I'll do like a prep day, so get into like a local gym, uh, flush out, like hit some light stuff, like Greg always puts in like stuff that makes me feel really good, so like like a bench press always makes me feel really good. So like like a bench press always makes me feel really good right before like freshens me up and makes me like really primed and ready to go like yeah, so hit some like aerobic stuff, some air squats, 30, 30s on the kind of thing, get some power, um, and then get into it on friday, um.
Speaker 2:But I think the biggest thing is like I try not to change a whole lot. I try to just like make it. You know, eat the same things, try to. That's why I try to get there early too, so I can go to the grocery store. You know, cook the same food that I normally eat, um, same like supplements, same. I I don't. I try not to like change anything drastically so that way like my body just so used to what I normally do. Yeah, so just try to keep it that way as much as possible, even though you're in a new place. Luckily it's not you know too far of a journey to get there, so just try to try to keep myself nice, calm, cool and collected and just like want my body to feel good headed into it.
Speaker 1:Were you like superstitious growing up as an athlete, like on team sports. Like did you do anything that? Like oh, I always have to wear these socks. Or like I don't, I wash my jersey two nights before. Like what, do you have anything like that?
Speaker 2:no, yeah, I I do plenty of weird stuff like that. Like I have certain like clothes that I'll wear for certain movements. Like I have like certain things that I like to wear when I'm lifting or certain things I like to wear for, like a gymnastics event. Uh, yeah, I I do some some weird, some weird stuff with that, like the shaker bottle that I use has to be this shake the blue shaker bottle, greg, that one. Yeah, exactly what. What headband I wear, the earrings I wear, you know that's hilarious, all right.
Speaker 1:So you're getting close to a man Like are you, do you have a place you want to finish? Uh, like any personal goals for it? Right, like, what are you hungry for right now?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I mean, ultimate goal would be to be top 10 at TFX. So there's 36 girls competing, um, so I and you know it's always hard because you don't really know who accepted invites and who's doing team and who's doing what. So I finished 16th in the West coming into this event. So, um, I know a couple of girls, I think, who were ahead of me are doing team. Um, so hoping to kind of make some moves there, make some spots, um, but yeah, that's the ultimate goal to be top 10 let's go.
Speaker 1:Yeah, some shuffling will happen in there. That's one of the weird parts about crossfit, right, like you kind of don't know what's really going to happen until like you're actually in it happening you know as far as qualification and who else you're going to be competing against comes up, especially with, like now, last chance qualifiers happening but people doing uh comps before then having to do the next one also, or not having to do the next one. Yes, that's one of the the weird parts of it, for sure. But yeah, I'm hyped to watch all these semifinals. I'm hyped to watch the the golden line people throw down.
Speaker 2:It's gonna be exciting how many golden line athletes are uh going to tfx um, so I, like you said too, it kind of depends on how online semifinals goes for some people too. So, um, right now, I think, uh, because abby qualified through mayhem to go to the game, so she's not going to to TFX, but I think she'll probably be there, you know, hanging out doing some community stuff, but she crushed it at Mayhem, so good for her. She doesn't have to, you know, compete here. She gave her spot to somebody else, the next girl in line, and then I think I was the other elite girl and there's two guys, I think. But we have a ton of athletes competing in rx and other community divisions as well, which will be awesome. So it'll be. It'll be cool to have a big squad community there again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this would be crazy. That's awesome yeah well, rachel, like I said, I'm pumped dude, I'm excited for you. I like like when people keep climbing up and then that just makes them dedicate even more to like whatever they're passionate about, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's awesome to see people like keep burning, like brighter and brighter. You know, yeah, watch it man. Thanks for coming on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Such a fun combo and this recording we'll get out of here, Dogs Peace.