This is a somewhat misleading title, since my preparation was limited to coming as a volunteer, not an athlete. So my preparation was not related to rest, training and nutrition, it was more of an issue of logistics.
Here was my plan: Friday evening be sure to attend the Volunteer Briefing at the Box. Saturday, get up on time to have breakfast and coffee with Suzanne. Get dressed (wear my bright green CF2a Volunteer T-Shirt) and get to the gym prepared to do whatever Greg or Nicole ask of me. That sounds easy enough, I think I can handle that.
So I judged WODs 1 and 2 and then I was asked to run an errand for Nicole. When I returned from the errand, Dorie assigned me to judge/time the Floater WOD, the Prowler & Sprint.
I have to admit, I enjoyed it a great deal. It was certainly quieter than the mayhem in the gym. My throat was hoarse from yelling above the din of the crowd when I was judging the indoor events. Now I was outside in the fresh air. And one of my favorite things about it was that I got to meet every athlete, Men and Women, RX and Scaled. There were some awesome competitors who were fun and delightful to spend time with.
I actually had the easy part of this WOD, I stood in the parking lot with a clipboard and a stopwatch. Guys like Jim, Todd and Sean pushed the sled back to the starting line after every competitor. I do not even want to imagine how many meters and how many pounds these guys moved over the course of this event.
I spent about three hours out there judging this competition. It was fun, more fun than I was prepared for as a volunteer. Now look at the photo, I’ll bet you see what else I wasn’t prepared for: the sun. Since I drove to the gym in clouds and drizzle, and since I expected to be indoors, I had no hat, no sunglasses and no sunscreen.
This evening I have enjoyed covering my head, face and neck with HeadLube to relief the burn and to moisturize my crimson red epidermis. It is worth noting that a fine red wine (I prefer Cabernet Sauvignon) goes well with red epidermis. Two applications of HeadLube and two applications of wine and my head is feeling better already.
Omg Chuck Miller!!! When I went outside to do the floater wod at the end of the day, I said to myself “I hope Chuck is wearing sunscreen on his head”…my fiancee is a fellow baldy & I have to remind him constantly! Your poor burned noggin!! If it helps at all, I and everyone else appreciate your time yesterday & ALL of your cheering inside AND outside the box. I don’t know how many times I said to myself yesterday, just watching you guys, that being a judge looks like a very hard & intense job. You are always there to greet us with a smile, high five, words of encouragement or one of your many jokes…I for one know that everytime I see you Chuck Miller it puts a smile on my face & I feel very honored to know you 🙂 Thank, thank you, thank you for ALL of your hardwork yesterday, keep soothing that poor head & neck and by golly have another glass of wine…well maybe wait till noon 😉
Love, Kim Mullally The Great
Kim; it’s so nice of you to acknowledge the judges and volunteers. Nicole has created something very special at our Box and I believe we all want to do everything we can do to help her succeed. There is a very symbiotic relationship here. Regarding judging, I found it difficult because sometimes it feels too subjective, depending upon the movement. I think that was another reason I found the Prowler to be nice to judge: 1-2-3-Go! Click the Stop Watch, observe the athlete cross two lines, click it again. Done.
I have an incredible fondness for all my friends at CF2a. Everyone is good-natured, they work hard and earn every PR they achieve, and they revel in each others victories as much as they revel in their own. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced.
Chuck,
Great color but I bet your sore and a litle tired too. I think we are all a little fried today. I sadly woke up very very early today so I decided to head to the gym to “tidy up” a little and grab the reast of the trash. My voice is almost gone too! Just arriving there today put a HUGE smile on my face from all the GREAT memories from yesterday. A great bunch of people, great athletes, great visitors and a great team from 2A! Thank you for all your help Chuck!!! Each time I came outside yesterday there you were cheering each person on with high fives and all! You are amazing! Rest today and enjoy one more red wine! you deserve it!
Deb, CF2a is Nicole’s vision, but under her direction a wonderful atmosphere of camaraderie and friendship just continues to snowball. I continue to be amazed how this place (and it’s goal of Forging Elite Fitness) has become such a priority in my life. I love all my friends there.