Hey guys,
After reading the below blog by Candice Case, Amy and I quickly agreed it was a must share. What are your goals for this year?
#TeamBrock
As audiences watched the 2014 Mid Atlantic Regional events, they saw the results of months, maybe even years, of hard work and sacrifices. Those athletes ate, slept, and breathed strict training schedules, clean eating, and adequate recovery. While their goals may have differed slightly – a ticket to the Games, a top 20 finish, survive the competition weekend- their focus was to do their personal best.
Each competitor on that floor had a story, a struggle, or a victory – something that made them unique. Zach Brock was one of those Regional competitors and he had something very unique. He had CrossFit Northlake.
CrossFit Northlake’s motto is “Stay Humble, Stay Hungry” and Brock could easily be the poster boy for such a slogan. With an unpretentious, quiet manner and a relentless drive to succeed, Brock is a natural favorite around Northlake. His podium finishes in local competitions and high scores during the CrossFit competition season always garner him attention. Earlier this year, CrossFit Media was interested in doing a feature story on Brock. He politely declined. He stays out of the spotlight and lets his results do the talking.
Seems to be a common theme in the Northlake community. Quietly among us, there are former collegiate athletes and even a few retired professional ones. Like many who are drawn to CrossFit, they’ve found an outlet for their competitive nature. There are also runners with a room full of medals and swimmers with a few trophies on their bookshelves. Some members discovered an inner athlete they never knew existed. In an encouraging and positive environment, people are more willing to step out of their comfort zones and allow amazing things to happen, even athletes of Brock’s caliber.
Northlake wanted to send a team to Regionals this year. Being a relatively new box, most of its members had little to no experience in competition and only a few had experience at the Regional level. Many were eager and anxious to take their fitness to the next level. Brock was no exception. Having previously competed on a team at several Regionals and at the 2010 CrossFit Games, this year Brock set out to compete as an individual. But he always had Northlake behind him.
Every morning at 4:30, the “Corner Boys” rolled into the box to work out – Brock, his wife Anna, Chuck, and Ben. Each with their own goals and motivations and each there to support the others. By the time the rest of the world rose and had their first cup of coffee, the Corner Boys had already posted Ben’s unbroken muscle ups, Chuck’s back squat PR, or Brock’s barbell complex on Instagram. Northlake members talked of it throughout the day and quite a few were inspired to take on the challenge of matching those results. The Corner Boys set the bar high, both for athleticism and community love.
At weekend team workouts, Brock was occasionally there offering pointers. It was often hard to imagine that this group of athletes were competing for spots on the team. There were so many cheers of “You can do this!” and fist bumps after an all-out effort to finish before the person on the next platform.
Team Northlake didn’t qualify for Regionals, but Brock did and a new team was created: #TeamBrock.
It was a whirlwind of activity around Northlake: t-shirts were designed, orders placed, travel arrangements made, and road trips planned. It seemed as if everyone was prepping for Regionals in their own way.
Once at Regionals, #TeamBrock dressed alike and sat together. They checked the leaderboard after each event. At the start of Brock’s heats, some got butterflies in their stomachs at “3, 2, 1…GO!” Team members who couldn’t make the trip to Regionals watched in on the Live Stream and got updates via text from those in attendance. Brock did well and moved up to the number four spot. He was in reach of the podium and an opportunity to go to the Games.
The unfortunate happened on Day 3 of the competition. Brock was injured and had to withdraw. #TeamBrock was stunned. Brandon, Nicko, and Chuck were working the event and saw it unfold. The pain was evident on their faces and it was as if they suffered the injury. Once everyone was assured that Brock would recover, they relaxed a bit and looked forward to catching up with him about the whole experience.
Life has returned to normal at Northlake, but its members are changed. After watching Brock train through the season and observing the performances by all of the athletes at Regionals, many now have a renewed sense of purpose. They have set new goals and are working on their weaknesses with enthusiasm. They’ve even uttered the phrase, “next year.” Stay Humble, Stay Hungry, unless you’re Kisha and then it’s #myboxisbetterthanyours.