his year’s IntraGym comp was scheduled on Halloween.. so the theme was easy and we let AI decide the name: “The Ghoul Games”. Coach Jamie created a full-blown competition app, made the teams judge each other and got a huge helping hand from Kim who managed the scoring. Shout out to Rod Abdo for the tacos (!!) and Yvonne for the awesome decorations and Halloween vibe.
See below for results!
Here’s a few of our pics.
“Do the thing you think you cannot do.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
WE GET TO DO HARD THINGS
Yesterday at the Ghoul Games, our members took on four workouts over four hours. For some, it was their first real competition. For many others, their second or third. I was struck by how hard everyone was willing to work, pushing themselves to their limits alongside friends and peers.
My friend and longtime member, Mark Mooney, said to me: “It’s pretty cool that we get to do this – to test ourselves at this extreme.” He’s right. There are very few places in life where we get that opportunity. I haven’t stopped thinking about that. Most of us don’t often get the chance to find out what we’re capable of when we’re tired, uncomfortable, and ready to quit. A competition gives us that chance in a supportive setting. We test our fitness, but we also practice courage, resilience, and trusting the people beside us. We become better humans.
That’s one of the special things about this community: we create opportunities to challenge ourselves and then cheer each other on through them. Congratulations to everyone who competed, and thank you to everyone (especially Coach Jamie and Kim!) who helped make the Ghoul Games such a memorable day.
#itsup2us
DIABLO INTRAGYM COMPETITION RESULTS!
OPEN DIVISION
- A$$holes Don’t Like Hard Work (5AMrs!): Min Zhou, Colin Clyne, Travis Johnson
- Kippin’ Ain’t Easy: Dan Scholl, Corey Mendoza, Amy Zhou
- Plan D – OGs: Sam Mendes, Chris Zuppan, Jamie Lee
SCALED DIVISION
- The Walking Deadlifts: Chris Wall & Tony Pourmohamad
- My Chemical ROWmance: Amanda & Ryan Ziffra and Andrea Garcia Zamora
- B&T: Brian and Teresa Fairbanks
HOLIDAY EVENT SCHEDULE!
- NOV 11: Veterans Day – 31 Heroes Tribute Workout
- NOV 26, THU, 8AM: Thanksgiving – Diablo CrossFit Totally Unofficial Turkey Trot, Hidden Lakes Park, Mtz.
- NOV 28-30: Limited Holiday Hours. Closed on Thanksgiving – Join our Turkey Trot!
- DEC 19, SAT: Diablo’s Annual Holiday Bash – Back40 BBQ Bar and Grill
- DEC 24 – 26: Limited Holiday Hours. Closed on Christmas Day
NOVEMBER PROGRESSIONS
- Primary Strength: Front squat (test 1rm)
- Secondary Strength: Deadlift (working volume with touch and go)
- Skill: Conditioning Run/Row (5k row test).
PROGRAMMING THIS WEEK
- MON – “UP AND OVER”: AMRAP 20m – 10 Burpees, 2 Rope Climbs, 10 Burpees, 12 Toes-to-Bar.
- TUE – FRONT SQUATS + “PRESS YOUR LUCK”: Front Squat 5×5 @ 70/73/76/78/80%. Then AMRAP 7m: 3/6/9… Single-Arm KB Strict Press + Goblet Squats. Alternate arms as needed; prioritize ROM.
- WED – “TEN ON THE TWO”: E2MOM x10 (20m) – Row 250/300m. Score each round; record your average.
- THU – “CLEAN BREAK”: 2RFT – 15 Hang Squat Cleans, 30/40 Push-ups, 800m Run. Barbell: RX 95/135 lb; M55–59 75/115 lb; M60+ 65/95 lb.
- FRI – DEADLIFT + “STEP IT UP”: Deadlift 5×6 @ 75/69/73/77/80%. Then AMRAP 8m – 5 Chin-ups, 10 KB Goblet Step-ups.
- SAT – “SEVEN DEADLY ROUNDS”: 7RFT – 5 Snatches, 10 In-Place Front Rack Lunges, 35 Double-Unders. Barbell: RX 65/95 lb; M55–59 55/75 lb; M60+ 45/65 lb.
- SUN – “CLIMB ABOARD”: 3RFT – 750/900m Row, 12 Burpees, 3 Rope Climbs
OG Of The Week – Erika Linden
Top Pics: Erika deadlifting in 2013 at Alamo. Erika rowing at Diablo in 2018ish. And, bottom pic: Erika at the Ghoul Games with her “Most Improved” Award.
OG Erika Linden joined Diablo in 2011 and quickly became a force within our community – including achieving the “Tom Jones” Community Leadership & Service Award in 2020. She is present at almost every event at Diablo, either as an athlete or as a volunteer. She is also a CrossFit Level 1 Certified Trainer and has competed in 11 CrossFit Opens! In 2025 she was injured in a car accident severely limiting her mobility. But, she kept coming to Diablo – scaling dramatically, but moving every single class and PT session. Yesterday, Erika’s return to fitness and health was made official when she COMPETED in the Ghoul Games, including scaling a 41″ box (at 5’1″ tall) – a lifetime achievement. As a result she was awarded “MOST IMPROVED” athlete 2026. Congratulations, Erika and thank you for all you do for our community!
The Diablo Way Podcast: Forging Elite Friendships
- THU, NOV 5, 12PM: Shauna & Renee Part Deux.. Well, more of a Re-DO! We screwed up the sound on our first attempt. In this episode we’ll talke with Members Shauna Sophy & Renee Bourke about their amazing and very fun CrossFit kinship story AND their experience at the Diablo CrossFit IntraGym Comp: The Ghoul Games.
Diablo Members In The Wild – 1 in a Million Chance..
While on vacation in New Orleans last week, Diablo team member and OG, Kat Patterson, stopped for a coffee at a cool little cafe one morning. While sitting at her table she happened to notice a familiar face a few tables away.. but thought it impossible that it was actually that person: Eleni Frediani (!) – her friend and former member, Coach and Diablo CrossFit Games team athlete. It WAS her! Leni was traveling with her husband, Matty for a business conference. Leni and Kat had coffee, took pics and met for a walk the next day. Amazing Diablo coincidence.
CRAIG’S LIST: Stuff I’m Watching, Reading, Using or Listening to:
ChatGPT: I’ve gradually learned to use AI in my everyday work and life – as a place to collect and organize my random thoughts and ideas, create graphics and designs (ie, podcast thumbnails), test my knowledge on important subjects (the CF L3!!) and, most often, to do comprehensive searches for important data related to building codes, zoning and planning. This week ChatGPTwas a busy partner for me both at work and at home. On the business side, I used it to help me plan for growth at Diablo, and create materials for our Ghoul Games and podcast. Personally, I’ve been using it to practice Spanish and get answers to questions about sleep, heart rate, and recovery. It’s become a useful way to organize ideas, get unstuck, and keep learning. It is, for me, a personal assistant and business advisor.
And, I always say “please” and “thank you”, ’cause you never know…..
