NCC: Good, Bad, Ugly, Victory, Injury & Redemption. Community Cup is NOW. CF & Rhonda. No Amazon Sups. Costco Recovery. TWA 6.09.25

A LITTLE ABOUT DIABLO @ THE NORCAL CLASSIC COMP  – QUICK RECAP

The venue (Discovery Park, Sacramento) was pretty damn nice. Any concerns for safety and cleanliness were immediately dismissed upon arrival. The event was fenced in and the green grass, delta breeze and shady trees made for an idyllic location for a CrossFit event. We set up 3 large tents with ground cover under the trees with a hundred or so other affiliates. Despite temperatures in the 90’s, the affiliate hangout area was cool and comfortable most of the day. The community vibe was epic – it was great to hang out with CrossFit enthusiasts from around the State (and world, frankly).

Highlights:

1. Definitely #1: Stopped in the parking area by an NCC Judge: “are you the owner of Diablo?” I said, “yes, I am.” She  said, “I’m a judge here at NCC. I need to tell you that you have the nicest athletes here. Every single one I judged was so nice and friendly.”  I replied, “wow, thank you – that means a lot to me.”  She interrupted me and said, “no, it’s not just me – all of the judges talked about it: ‘Diablo has the nicest and friendliest athletes here.’”  I set down my gear to take it in and listen. She finished with this: “you guys are making really good humans over there.”
2. Our Diablo athletes competing, coaching and cheering each other on was very special for me and Yvonne. For most of our athletes, this was their first big-time CrossFit event – a genuine learning experience AND an opportunity to compete against some of the best in their age-groups. And, there were some epic performances by several of our athletes that I’ll highlight next week. 
3. 7x Games Athlete Kristin Holte and her Kriger athlete crew from Norway hung out with us in the tent on Friday – welcomed by our Diablo crew. Kristin is currently in 2nd – and may earn a spot at the CrossFit Games (at age 39!!). Her fellow Norwegians, Oda & Andrea are in 5th & 6th! 
4. Dave Castro & Andrew Hiller showed up to say hello to our community .. separately but at the same time. It was a very fun moment for everyone. (see pic)

Room for improvement:

• There was a shortage of volunteers that created some issues – the warm-up area was not ready on Friday, judge shortages, and workout set up issues.
• Workout changes: the Gator ATV push scoring was changed when it was discovered that one lane was easier than the other. The point value was cut in half – and each lane scored separately. Jackson was penalized by this. Weights, repetitions and workout formats were altered on the fly all 3 days – leading to confusion for athletes. 
• Workout mishaps: the heavy ropes broke in the first few heats and were removed from the competition. The run was confusing – cones misplaced – and some athletes ran .7 mi longer than needed. The last Elite workout required weight changes and the wrong weights were added on some competitors’ bars. 

Congratulations To Our Podium Athletes!:

• Gwen Holtan W60+: 1st Place
• Melissa Chatterton W55-59: 1st Place
• Nate Wantantah M50-54: 3rd Place

Finishing Strong (A Redemption Story): After a frustrating day on Saturday (unable to do the skills for both workouts) Sherry Garcia (W50-54) returned on Sunday to finish the final three workouts: 1st, 1st and 2nd!! Now that’s how you close out a competition. Congratulations, Sherry.

Injury..Dammit: Martin Neira (team “2 Dudes 0 Brains”) suffered a shoulder injury warming up for the gymnastic event and had to withdraw from the competition. He’ll be getting an MRI soon to assess. But, his teammate, Coach Cole decided to carry on solo (!!) as best he could – partially completing the team workouts on his own (inspired!).

Thank you, Diablo family for creating an awesome experience for our community this weekend. Your willingness to put your fitness on the public stage and do things you’ve never done before is inspiring to everyone who watched – and everyone back at the gym who missed out. We expect an even bigger crew next year. 

Finally: shout out to Diablo members Surita and Erik Owens who volunteered multiple days – for 10+ hours each day! Thank you for helping the NCC Crew and the CrossFit Community