April Athletes of the Month

March 31, 2016
Affiliate Admin

by Ellie McKenzie

For April’s Athlete of the Month I would like to acknowledge everyone who attempted the CrossFit Open 2016! This was the hardest year in Open history in my opinion and you all performed and competed with vigor and grace! The hardest part of something like this is the initial commitment to put yourself out there to be judged and seen. We go through this stuff every day – pull-ups, push-ups, cleans, snatches, burpees, box jumps and more – and we push ourselves, but competition is different. Once you are in a competition you push yourself in a way you never knew you could, and everyone is there to watch you do it, win or lose.

Just facing one of these workouts is an enormous challenge for most people in the world. Many of you found yourselves doing things you never imagined yourself doing. Many of you had to go to a very dark place within yourself that you had never been before. Many of you had Personal Records. Many of you had huge successes as well as some disappointments. For many of you simply completing the workout was an outstanding achievement. Most of you, I hope, discovered that you are capable of much more than you ever knew you were capable of.

For most of you this is a first step – a bench mark. From here you will continue to progress and see how much more you can accomplish before next year’s Open. For many of you this is that next step and you can see the progress you have made. For all of us this is a place for us to assess what we are good at and what we need to work on. It is also a time to reflect upon how we see ourselves in life. It is a time to look at those obstacles that pop up in every area of our lives – illnesses, deaths, helping our kids become their best, issues at work or school, fear of failure, and so many more things – and it is a time to reassess our strength. We are capable of overcoming so much more than we realize. A workout like this can show us how capable we really are.

A special Shout Out goes to Kirk Harrel this year! If it weren’t for Kirk, a lot of people would have never signed up. Kirk is also the athlete with the biggest heart, giving everything to his workout, cheering everyone else on and challenging himself all the time. God bless you, Kirk!! We all love you!