FORT HOOD, Texas – For the past five weeks Centurion CrossFit Fort Hood has been hosting an annual Cross Fit Open competition for resident competitors who hope to gain entry into the regionals of the CrossFit games.
CCFH is a non-profit entity located on post serving Fort Hood employees, soldiers and their families, Lt. Col. Andy Sanchez, CCFH owner-operator, explained. With thousands of CrossFit gyms, also called Boxes, located within 17 worldwide regions, CCFH falls under the South Central Region.
This year, more than 45 competitors, also called athletes, participated in the open, April Jordan, CCFH’s head trainer, said. Each week CrossFit Headquarters sends each box the competition workout to be completed within a week.
Each workout consisted of one to five exercises and graded by a level-one CrossFit certified instructor, Jordan added. All workouts are timed with scores based on each successful repetition completed.
The top 60 athletes within each of the 17 worldwide regions will move on to regional competition, Jordan added. There is a definite strive among athletes to make it to regionals.
“(CCFH) athletes are up against hundreds of hundreds of others within this region alone,” Sanchez stated. “For that reason our athletes have brought out the best of themselves. It has been awesome.”
Following the spirit of CrossFit Methodology – to enhance an individual’s competency at all physical tasks and to perform successfully at multiple, diverse and randomized physical challenges – CCFH strives to develop soldiers who will achieve personal records and become overall better physically and mentally, Sanchez said.
“We are involved in total soldier comprehensive fitness,” Sanchez added. “CrossFit will improve a soldier's fitness and the overall soldier – spouse readiness.”
Maj. Roger Miranda, knowledge management officer for 1st Cavalry Division, said improvements in his fitness have been extraordinary on both a physical and mental level.
“The benefits of CrossFit are beyond measure,” Miranda added. “My level of fitness and mental toughness has improved over the past year.”
Improvements come with hard work but also teamwork, Miranda added. The box is more than individuals in a gym but a community of athletes working to improve themselves by helping each other.
“Encouraging each other, pushing each other to complete workouts is what makes us a family,” Miranda said. “We keep each other accountable.”
Accountability, which has led every athlete to stay in the competition regardless of his or her achievements within the workouts, Sanchez said.
“It has been an awesome month. No athlete has stopped or fell out the competition,” Sanchez stated. “The competition has really brought the best out in each athlete.”
Regardless if any athlete from the box makes regionals, Sanchez is proud of every one of them, and is scheduled to host an end of competition social gathering to reward the athletes for their hard work.
Final scores and placement from the competition have not been released yet. South Central Regional competition is scheduled to start next month at San Antonio, Texas.