Five rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
5 Back squats
About two years ago, I got this email from the typically understated Brent Fryia: "Coop, check out this video. This kid goes to White Pines. He's the real deal." That was it. Nothing about the kid's intent to fight; nothing about his desire to train at Catalyst.
When he started training at Ho Shin Sool and the Park, there was a chance that it could go either way: as with so many others, the training stress mounted quickly. Many think that an hour per day on a "back and biceps" split and a half-hour hitting a bag are all that's required for awesomeness. What those folks forget is that we're really 99% brain. It takes a very deep pool to hold a shark.
What are Adrian's strengths? Well, he can clean and jerk more than most, and far more than what's required. He can hit a 449 Fight Gone Bad, and finish 25 rounds of 'Cindy' in 20 minutes. But what wins his fights is this: he's humble. He's funny. He's got a lot of brain agility. That's the REAL footwork; that's what puts him a level above. He's a volunteer, both to hit and be hit. And he's ridiculously exciting to watch.
Yesterday – on a day when most fighters would be absorbed in their own preparation, Adrian stopped by the Park to bring me a "Vengeance" T-shirt. "Coop," read his note, "I got you a shirt. Hope it fits. Heart, V." I'm incredibly proud to be one of the few to get one of these shirts, even if there's no corn husk on it.
Around the same time, or maybe a bit before, a skinny football player signed up to train with Mike. He, too, possessed one of the greatest gifts a parent can give to their child: humility. A teenaged football player who asks his parents for a personal trainer so that he can get better? Very rare. And usually a hallmark of success….
In the offseason, Josh started doing CrossFit. He showed up for Murph, ran like Pingu, and won. Watching him on the floor, sprawled and apparently in a Level-2 coma, his mother asked me, "Is he okay? I'm asking you because you know what's okay and what's not. He sure doesn't look okay to me." I reassured her, but to tell the truth, I knew he was NOT okay. He was a standout.
Josh has the incredible ability to take the pressure – the pain, the stab – and put it somewhere else. He's the strongest flatfooted gentleman you'll ever meet. In CrossFit Sectionals 2009, his overhead squat/burpee event was so fast that only after he'd finished did the referees finally catch up to him and tell him to repeat part. He did, springing back to his feet, throwing the bar back overhead, and doing two overhead squats so fast that his feet left the ground on each. THEN he returned to the burpees…and still finished the whole thing in just over two minutes, about 30 seconds faster than anyone else. ANYONE ELSE IN ONTARIO. That won him third place – at age 20 – of the fastest,best, strongest, most fit in the province. Afterward, his hands were probably more tired from shaking with judges than from the grip in event #3.
Josh shows up when he's not asked. He volunteers; he refuses to clock in at events. He apologizes when he CAN'T help. He just plain likes to be here. He's the flag-bearer for quality: in movement, in manner, in METCON. Tonight is his first fight. I feel like I've got front-row seats to a shuttle launch.
If you've been reading this blog for more than the last six minutes, you've heard of Ray Gowlett. He's fighting as a pro tonight, for the first time. He's already got a pro card for Motocross. Last year, he told me, "Coop – I've decided what I'm going to do when I retire!" We're only 35. But go ahead, Ray: "I'm going to be a professional athlete! I'm going to go around and compete at stuff!"
Likewise, in his newspaper interview last week, Ray (as usual) left me with a memorable quote: "90% of what I'm going to get from this fight, I've already got. I got to train hard for three months; live like a superstar; hang out with my friends every day; and be in the best shape of my life." He's too humble to mention it, but he's also serving as a tremendous mentor and role model for the hundreds of kids who watch him, especially the two at home.
And, maybe, for a gym owner or two.
If you've ever read an email from Ray, you'll know how fast his brain goes. Most fighters, at this level, are binary: "I'll do this, and IF this works, THEN I'll do this." Ray is algebraic. He's got a drop-down menu of the answer key. "Hey, I'll try this. Whoa, awesome! Okay, now this, this, and then that. Sweet! Okay, I wonder how I can make a hot tub out of a feed trough….Oh, I'm gonna submit him!" …and then, afterward, he makes you feel like you've done HIM a favour for coming to watch.
Sunday morning, when I'm refereeing the Open again, people will ask why my voice is so raspy (for once.) I'll tell them it was just the cigarette smoke. If you're there tonight, you'll know the truth.