With the first-round of Regionals complete there is a whole lot to reflect on. I want to give a massive shout out to the three Power and Grace athletes from the North Central regionals. Minus the couple of hiccups along the way these athletes performed at an elite level and were a joy to coach. Congratulations Phil, Tristan, and Kara.
I also want to give a shout out to a couple other athletes from some other different regions that I am ecstatic to see make it back to the Games. Congratulations Travis Mayer and Talayna Fortunato for persevering through your Regional to reclaim your ticket back to Carson. Also congratulations to Sarabeth Phillips for her top 10 finish. Minus a couple of hiccups herself, her performance was certainly Games worthy. Lastly, massive props to Stacie Tovar. Watching her fight her way back into contention at North Central was impressive. Her result is just the nature of sports but her perseverance and fight was exemplary.
Much of the Regionals was exactly as I expected it and just as I had envisioned day two was the most important day. The strict handstand push-ups and legless rope climbs were the key ingredient to punching a ticket to Carson. A mistake on either of those workouts could end weekend so fast that being on point on day two is critical. Furthermore, the pressure put on the athletes this year to perform is much greater than past years. A couple slipups on the hang snatch or one wrong “misstep” in the HS walk and you could be so far behind that catching up is an impossible feat. We saw that with multiple athletes over all the Regionals last weekend.
I personally love the pressure. I think top athletes perform better under pressure than they do in training so it’s good to see who rises to the top in those situations. The best will always thrive when the pressure is on.
This weekend we have athletes competing in the Northwest Regional as well as the ever-so-competitive Central East. Lots was learned this weekend and I can’t wait to head out to Cincinnati while Mike heads to Washington.
