Catalyst Games 2016 – Results

If a picture says a thousand words, I’ll need a thousand pictures to tell the story of Catalyst Games 2016.
(Luckily, Andi took over 3200 pictures. I can’t match that!)
I thought the Games were a great match of “fitness tests” and “CrossFit”. Non-CrossFit athletes could possibly have done well, but we also saw the power of CrossFit across broad time and modal domains, like shuttle runs and long jumps. In other words, perfect programming!
I’ll save the Womens’ event for the end, because it’s always the best.
Varsity:
screen-shot-2016-09-22-at-5-34-35-pm(click on results to see a larger view)
I always love watching the Varsity athletes compete, because their form is better than the adults. Seriously, take any athlete in Varsity and hold up their form against any adult, and you’ll see at least the same technique. I say “the future of fitness” a LOT, but these guys might just be the future of health.
Team:
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Team competition was a lot of fun until the final event. On its own, it would have been a riot–but first place was suddenly up for grabs. Speaking from my own perspective, we knew we could take first place overall unless the perfect storm happened: we ended up in third or lower, and “99 Problems” won. Of course, that’s exactly what DID happen, and it came down to events won. But that just made the day sweeter!
Men:
screen-shot-2016-09-22-at-5-40-25-pm

Before the final two events, Luc said to me, “I have to win both of these, and Cam has to finish third or lower in at least one.” Again, the perfect storm. He could have had a relatively smooth ride to second, but he went for it–and it paid off, as close as it gets! Thanks to Dave Eisler for making the trip home to the place of his CrossFit birth.
Women:

screen-shot-2016-09-22-at-5-40-32-pm

I love watching these top three compete, because they’re all buddies. I see them every day around the gym, training with and encouraging each other. And when the chips fell at our year’s championship, they did exactly the same: cheered for each other, challenged each other, and hugged at the end. Awesome.
Spirit of the Games:
Miranda Mayhew.
My best memory of Miranda at the Games — and she knows it’s a favorite — is from way back in 2009. She left the Games after the first two events because she was going to a wedding in the afternoon: hers.
She ran the sloppy trail race and hammered the deadlift ladder with lace in her hair that year. And when she passed me before the final climb, I yelled, “C’mon, Stadnisky!” She answered, “He’s taking MY NAME!” Classic Miranda.
It was especially awesome to have Jamie with us as a CrossFitter this year! Jamie, next year she holds YOUR water bottle all day.
Thanks:
To the 807 Crew, especially coach Dave Wensley. These guys make the trip from Thunder Bay every year, cheer our athletes and hand over their own. We love them for it.
To Dan Elliott, our intrepid scorekeeper who sits in the back room all day with his spreadsheets. I tried not to interrupt him, but definitely did anyway.
To our judges, who gave up a beautiful Saturday for a gorgeous piece of life. I know why they do it, but I’m grateful to them anyway.
To Jess and Charity, who ran the whole thing (I didn’t even know the events.) It’s pretty amazing to see this event take on a life of its own, but I certainly know how much steam is required to move that train, and these two knocked it out of the park. Best Games ever, all because of them.
To you:
Competing in an event like the Catalyst Games isn’t just a physical challenge: it’s a social one. To stand in front of friends and strangers and attempt something that might not work out–well, that’s a thousand miles beyond what most people will do on a Saturday. THIS will be something worth remembering on your deathbed, I promise. Well done!

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