GG: Wes! Where in the world did you get the Idea for this type of “COMBINE” event? We love it!
Wes: A CrossFit Track Meet is something I’ve been tossing around for the last two years. Track and field and Olympic weightlifting are marvelous sporting contests in their pure simplicity. While CrossFit derives its allure from the endless variety and complexity in its contests. On one hand you have athletes training hours upon hours perfecting and preparing for a known simple straightforward task, and on the other hand you have athletes training hours upon hours to harness the ability to perform an endless amount of tasks at a high level. This yin and yang of training paths is intriguing to me and I wanted to create a competition that encompassed both. In short it’s an opportunity to pit the specialist against the generalist and see who comes out on top.
I’m also big on history and I feel like the history, and culture of the track and field meet is lost on most . The word “Athletics” is derived from the greek word “Athlos” meaning “Contest”. The first tests of fitness were rudimentary track meets involving running, jumping, and throwing, and we see CrossFit as an evolution of “Athletics” contest. Our hope is the Athlete Open will serve as a bridge between the old and new methods of testing and defining fitness, while reviving both sports festive cultural experience for fans and athletes alike.
GG: Love the detail of the thought process. It is an awesome concept, and we look forward to seeing your event be an event that spawns others like it. Thanks for your time and love of the sport!
Series Sponsors
