Granny Butt, Miley, and Waffles on a Stick

Somehow my blog from yesterday did not publish and I was too busy to catch it.  So here’s today’s actual post.
I don’t know where to begin on how I spent my weekend. There are a lot of words I could use to describe it but I think some of the best words that could be used are simple. Transformational. Redemptive. Intriguing. Word of that category and usage.
Eric, Rae, and I spent the weekend in Medford, Oregon at Crossfit Rogue Valley. Full disclaimer, I had no idea what type of gym or area I was walking into for the weekend. All I knew was that they wanted to learn to do the lifts and wanted to spend the weekend learning it.

The camp actually oversold my expected number of participants and we were flying into Medford International Airport. With those two facts in front of me, I expected a metropolis similar to Portland or Seattle. I was wrong. Medford reminded me of my home town. Not exactly a small town but certainly not a city by any stretch of the imagination. They did however sell Maple Bacon Waffles on stick. (I bought my fair share this weekend) The airport had six terminals and we boarded our flight home on a plane with a propeller and 30 seats.
Medford as a city was beautiful, quiet, and the weather was perfect. The gym was very different from the serene, calm town that surrounded it. Friday night, Saturday and Sunday Rogue Valley filled up with 40 athletes and coaches anxious to learn, lift, and progress. As I said in my blog post from the first night of lifting. I knew this group had some crazy potential because their lifts were explosive, their bodies move super mobile and stable, and most of them had no clue what the bar was supposed to be doing during the lifts.
When I say the camp was transformational. I meant every bit of the word. Molly (one of our smaller girls) went from early arm bending her snatches and cleans with the bar 12 inches in front of her body to explosive power from the hips that can only be described as jaw-dropping. Travis, one of the pretty solid guys already, saw the utility of the first pull and his lifts were all of the sudden over this center of gravity with little to no effort. Elena, one of the mom’s in the group, squats 205# for reps @ 53kg bodyweight and couldn’t jerk to save her life. At the end of the weekend not only did she clean her PR with ease, her jerk was gorgeous. Seriously, she went from performing the cheerleader, superstar jerk out front to a Kolecki-esque split.
Eric, Rae, and I could not be more thrilled to have worked with each and every one of those athletes. We saw multiple PR lifts even at the end of a grueling and performance based weekend. The folks who attended asked some of the best questions I have ever been asked and their attentiveness to detail did not go unnoticed.
To Crossfit Rogue Valley, Jake, and Erin. Thank yall so much for being gracious hosts and having us there all weekend. To the crew that came in, worked your tail off and put up with every one of the holds we did at the hang position, thank you for being so eager and attentive to my crew. We had a blast and would love nothing more than to come back.
Remember guys: Knees back until you feel like Miley, Granny butt before you dip, eat Waffle’s on a stick, and when you PR be excited about it.
Thanks

PS: if you are ever near or able to be near a “Brewed Awakening” to consume waffle’s on stick. Do yourself the greatest favor and go get 10 waffles on a stick. I highly recommend the peanut butter and jelly or the maple bacon. Travis took our advice after the camp was over. He was no disappointed.