I’m writing this because Alex said he laid and egg…and he’s not close enough for me to try and tackle right now…One World represented it’s self magnificently at the NorCal qualifiers. Everybody that didn’t make the 40/20 cut is somewhat disappointed. But, they didn’t miss the cut for lack of effort. The NorCal region has some absolute beasts in it. It was an amazing time. I’m really glad I got my exam postponed.
So, here is what you missed….
Let’s start where we should with the ladies. Maria and Mia flew through their workouts. Both looked really strong in both workout A and B. I had a couple of people come up to me telling me how amazed they were at Maria’s performance in the Clean and Muscle Up WOD. She strung together cleans that would make Jason K. and the Oly Class proud.
Brian was in the first heat and he started things off…by breaking his rower. That’s the way to come in and make an impact. He did a great job in recovering, getting his head back into the game finishing strong. He also put together some great cleans in W-B. It was great to see Bradass try to get to him to coach him through the muscle ups. It was my first time meeting Brian. What a genial and tough guy. He’s definitely a beast!
Will came up next and put together a couple of workouts that were fantastic to see somebody work through. He had a game plan and stuck to it… except for not doing any push jerks in W-A (hereby the designation for Workout A…and Workout B gets W-B…cause I’m lazy.) He was nice and smooth through burpees and row as well as in the Muscle ups and cleans. He did a good job. His hard work paid off.
Neal, Czar and Marty were all in the same heat. They all did really well in W-B which was their first run. Marty did a great job with his cleans especially. Strong stuff. Neal dominated cleans as well. And I saw Czar string together some fantastic muscleups. However, this crew really showed the one world spirit in their second workout. Neal was first off the rower, then killed the burpees. He finished up the press and then went to pass along the instructions of Freddy to Marty and encourage him. Marty had been struggling with the weight…some minor adjustments and he put the weight overhead with some beautiful presses. Czar was working with weight that was as much or more than he weighed. To see him keep fighting to get it overhead was amazing. And the crew that cheered for him was just as inspirational.
Chong continues to amaze me as he hasn’t been able to train like he normally would for something like this… apparently, there has been a proper priority shift as of late. Little Bear is getting a great role model. Working with either body weight or just under in both workouts, I was amazed at how flawless his technique was. If I had been asked to do what Chong, Schoolboy, Czar and Kirk did in comparison to their bodyweight, I am sure I couldn’t have reached the level that they showed up at. Incredibly impressive! I definitely want to be like you guys!
I only saw one of Kirk’s wods. But, he’s just a great example of consistency. In W-B, he stepped up. His MU were beautiful… I hadn’t done my workouts yet and I really wanted to borrow some of his muscle ups. They were great. Another impressive thing about Kirk was that when most people made their pull on a clean, they would either hit their power clean or they would miss. Kirk sold out and had already decided in his head that if he couldn’t power clean it, then he would squat clean. So much more effort in a squat clean, but Kirk definitely showed up and gave the extra effort.
Chris Lai signed up wondering if he could compete. His body of work today shows that he can. Having just started doing muscle ups last week. He ran through them really well in his W-B. What a strong dude!! The more he works on his technique the more is going to grow into an amazing athlete.
Bradass. Can I be like you when I grow up? Damn. I only got to see his W-A. We all know how smooth he is on the rower. He was just that on gameday. I’m sure we all have seen it on the rower. A hard leg drive, deep strong pull, a breath and then he goes again. He went through his hated burpees. I think he was the last one to finish them in his heat. But, when he got to the presses. He destroyed them…and they were beautiful too. The picture perfect press. Weight overhead, arm fully extended with his ear pushed through the window. Picture f-ing perfect!
Every heat, every individual from One World stepped up their game and gave a tremendous effort. It was amazing. I had a great time getting to know Eric a little more, but one of the biggest roar of the day from the One World supporters might have been after 4 fails at getting his last muscle up. I know everybody knows how a miss can mentally throw you, but Eric did a great job of shaking it off, focusing and then hitting number 10 with just over a minute left…he then became the cleaning machine that we all know he is throwing around the weight like it was paper plates.
I don’t think Joe D got a single muscle up…which sucks because we all know that he can do them. But, Joe decided to do the Qualifier on a shoulder that is just ridiculously messed up. But, to see him out there having fun, cleaning the weight and continuing to make attempts at getting his muscle ups was just awesome. Joe showed the true spirit of the fun that can be had, as well as, an unbelievable effort.
So you wonder why Freddy’s the captain? He once again showed up like he does on gameday. He strategized and executed flawlessly. Cleans, then muscle ups, and keep the cycle moving. He put together one of the more impressive W-Bs finishing with I think 63 reps if I’m not mistaken. He then put on a clinic in W-A. slow and steady through the row and burpees and then 10 straight presses. I don’t know how many times that was done all day…but, I’m certain I can count it on one hand. Freddy’s a beast.
I think, however, his most impressive performance of the day happened as soon as he finished his workout. Schoolboy was in his heat and struggling with weight that outweighs him by ten maybe twenty pounds. He sprinted over to help and coach Josh. Now that’s a good coach…and just so the others coaches get their due…every single coach that I was standing next to, Chong, Cheryl, Joe, was yelling for Freddy to help Josh. What a great family!
Josh what an amazing performance at such a high level. He dominated in W-B. The change of standards for the MU caused him to have to adapt, which he did excellently. It was my first time to really see him workout and he showed amazing heart and perseverance. He cleaned the weight in W-A flawlessly and then had to put it overhead. He got it overhead, but he struggled to get complete lockout and SO MANY reps that were SO, SO, SO CLOSE to completion were counted. But he stuck to it and eventually got every single rep. The effort he put forth to get lockout was something to behold. He is as intense and athlete as I have ever seen once he steps onto the playing field. Awesome. It truly was a sensational effort and performance.
There are days in everybody’s life where things just don’t go according to plan. When things you know you can do…don’t. Alex had that day. In W-A, he hit a wall and couldn’t get things dialed in. In workout, that he did in 5.5 minutes earlier in the week, he struggled and was unable to complete it in time. A huge disappointment for him. But, he still finished the workout, even though time had run out. Even though he was trying to do a workout on a far less than 100 percent shoulder, he refused to give up. So, then he has every excuse to not do anything else. He’s got an f’d up shoulder and a huge disappointment hanging over his head. And W-B comes along. I was in his heat, so I’ve already told the judges that he was hurt and couldn’t do it. Everybody is set up ready to go. The judges call one minute to go…and Alex comes bounding through the boundary like a madman looking for his card so he can do the workout. They finally get him to the station as 3,2,1…go hits and he starts in. I gotta be honest…I peeked a little during my run. His cleans were strong…But, there were a couple of muscle ups that he hit from just IMPOSSIBLE angles. Angles where there is no possible way that he should complete the MU. But he did. He RX’d W-B on a shoulder that required ice and popping motrin capsules like they were jelly beans afterwards. An incredible display of heart!!
The one performance that cannot be understated enough was the support that came from those not even competing. Cheryl, Mary, Allison, Lissette, Raz, Lissa, Marty’s wife and Schoolboy’s parents (the latter three names slip my mind, because I suck at names… I promise to make it up to you all!! I’m sorry!!) You guys were amazing. I am absolutely certain that none of the performances could have been done as well as they were done without the vocal support from the One World family. Nor could we have done it without Mary’s teriyaki chicken!
So…. I’m sorry if this was a bit long…..
But, if there is an athlete from One World that tells you he or she laid an egg at the Qualifier… They’re absolutely wrong.
I can't say it enough... I'm glad to be a part of One World.
-John W.
Well done John! Finally, I wanted to (again) congratulate Freddy and Will B. for making it to the quals. Freddy finished 15th and Will B. finished 29th. I'm so proud of these guys representing One World. I'm also impressed because they make the 30 and over crowd look so grown and sexy. Love it! I'm going to miss Will B. dearly. He'll be leaving our box to run his own CFit program. Best of luck to you!
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