CrossFit Dallas Team Interview

SEALgrinderPT Interviews Crossfit Dallas Team athletes.

SGPT: Tell us about your CrossFit Team.

CFD: First and foremost, this team competes and represents the members and community of Crossfit Dallas Central and thanks them dearly because they make it all possible for us to be in this position in the first place. What can we not tell you about this group? Just an amazing group of people that have really come together as a  family.  Not going to sugar coat it either, we fight and get in each others business from time to time but the Love is there, it’s real and it transcends beyond the walls of the gym we have life long relationships here. To describe our team generically, we have two big guys, one little guy (but he makes up for it), two strong girls, and one lanky girl.  The thing that makes our team different than a lot of the others is you could basically put any one of us in any workout and be successful.  We can all do everything.  We aren’t a team of specialists, which I think has proven to be a better strategy for us. 

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SGPT: Did most of your team have athletic backgrounds growing up? What are some of those sports?

CFD: We actually have a lot of athletes on our team, it’s pretty incredible what some of these people did. Audra did gymnastics for 10 years, then pole vaulting and competitive cheer leading in high school and college.  Toge was an all-conference tight-end for the University of Arizona. Julz did gymnastics for nine years and ran track in college were she was the Big-12 Champion in the Heptathlon 2 years in a row.  Mere played volleyball and was a middle-distance runner in high school. Trey played Soccer, football, baseball, wrestling, basketball, and handball. Don played Soccer, baseball, and basketball.  So we have a very diverse group of athletic background on the team which is why I think we love Crossfit so much. 
 

SGPT: How did you get Team get started with CrossFit competitions? What was your first comp?

CFD: That is a hard question to answer because this group has gone through so many different competitions and roster changes over the last 3 years we can hardly keep count.  This years South Central Regional is the first time this 6 has ever competed together on the big stage.  The first competition Crossfit Dallas Central entered was the 2010 South Central Regional in Fort Worth.  We had zero clue what we doing and just through a group together at the last minute due to injuries and missing athletes.  What was amazing about that competition was how well we worked together as a group.  No matter what roster we have in there, our CFDC athletes know how to compete.

SGPT: Can you tell us about some of your Teams recent competitions and placings?

CFD: We have had the great opportunity to send many different teams to a lot of different competitions through the years but the most identifiable ones have been during the Games Sesason.  In 2010, we took 4th place at the South Central Regional and 25th at the 2010 Crossfit Games.  In 2011, Crossfit Dallas Central placed 3rd and moved on to take 13th at The 2011 Crossfit Games.  This year however, Crossfit Dallas Central earned a 1st place finish at the 2012 South Central Regionals and based how we have been improving 12 spots every year at The Crossfit Games… we are coming out fighting for that top spots, no doubt.

SGPT: How does your Team typically train? Together? Work on specific drills in smaller groups?

CFD: Interestingly enough, the most unique quality about our team this year.. is that everyone has a full-time job.  We have no coaches on our roster that do Crossfit full time and have the ability to train all day.  I think that is something our athletes are proud of and I know we as coaches are proud of as well. We try to get everyone to train together as much as we can. Everyone seems to have different
work schedules, so its not easy during the week. But we definitely take advantage
of the weekends to get together and push one another. The majority of our training
consists of the same workouts, but we do have scheduled skill work for each individual to work on their weaknesses (and yes we definitely have them).

SGPT: What about diet – how do most Team members eat and fuel on
competition days?

CFD: We have zero poster child’s of nutrition on this Team.  I amazed how we all do the things we do while running on pizza, candy, and beer.  It’s mind boggling.

SGPT: Does your Team take any protein supplements or post recovery workout drinks?

CFD:  We are a Progenex team, hands down.  Progenex is going to read this right?? 

SGPT: What is your Team best at? Metcons? Lifts? Efficiency?
 
CFD:  CFD:  That is a funny question to answer because before Regionals this year I would have definitely said that we are a metcon team.  Turned out we had most of our success in the strength bias events at the South Central Regional.  I will venture out to say that we are without a doubt one of the most efficient teams in the world.  We game plan and prepare with the best of them and always have a specific and strategic way to attack every workout with the personnel that we have. 

SGPT: Have any members in your Team had any injuries in the past and how did you deal with them in training?

CFD: It is a tough situation to have an athlete go down but we have had a few athletes be injured in the past but we are really lucky to have only 1 or 2 instances were an athlete has gone down during the season.  I say one or two instances and both had to do with Julianne. she had ACL reconstruction 4 years ago, and was pretty fresh off of that when she started crossfit.  She most recently had knee surgery again in Septemeber (medial and lateral meniscal repair) on the same knee, so that has been a huge thing for her to deal with personally.  Chase had really helped her far as programming since then right up until the opens, and guiding her with rehab, when to push it and when to back off, and getting her head right as far as dealing with it mentally.  Through the opens we really didn’t know if she would be able to compete, if the knee would hold up, and what exactly she could/couldn’t do.  It was right after the opens ended, and then about 2 weeks before we got going with regional workouts that she had a huge turnaround and earned her spot on the team. 

SGPT: Does your Team have any pre-competition or hard workout warmup or mental drills you perform?

CFD: Yes. Quite simple. We gather in a circle, blast the new “Call me Maybe” song by Carly Rae Jepsen, and get to rock.

SGPT: Any funny nicknames?

CFD: As a coach I would get in a lot of trouble for revealing these nicknames to you all… but it’s totally worth it so here there are in no particular order and zero consent from the athletes to reveal them.
   
Trey Kubacak:  Trey Songz, T-Rey, Trey Strongz, Trigga Trey and anyway way you can butcher his last name we say it. 
James Hugo: Toge, Frost Giant, Hulk, Teddy Bear 
Don Walker: The Body, Sasquatch, The Abdominal-BLE Snowman, Walker Texas Coder 
Julianne Kennedy: Julz, Juz, Julz got Moves 
Mere Ramsey – MABS 
Audra LeBeau – Stone Cold Killer, Black Widow 

SGPT: Thanks for the interview CrossFit Dallas.

CFD: Thank you so much for wanting to get to know what goes on behind the scenes a little bit at Crossfit Dallas Central, we certainly do appreciate the time, thank you!