It has been almost a year since my last blog. A lot has happened since then, not the least of which was a landslide election and the 2nd inauguration of Donald Trump, praise God!
There many reasons why I haven’t written, but the main reason is because I have been deep in training for the World Police and Fire Games which just wrapped up this past weekend in Birmingham, Alabama. I competed in the Crossfit event. This event was held over the course of the first three days (6/28-6/30) of the Games.
I initially registered for this event in October of 2024 and have been training non-stop since then. At the beginning of April I sought the help of a nutrition coach to really get my eating dialed in and lose some weight. At the time I was pushing 230lbs. On the day of competition, I weighed 204lbs.
I have not trained this hard or been this committed to a singular goal in a very long time, especially the goal of competing in a physical challenge.
Competing at the WPFG was in my home town during the week of my country’s 250th birthday was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I was not going to pass it up. The experience was surreal starting with the parade of nations. The United States was the the last country to walk and Alabama was the last state. Athletes held their nations’ flags proudly. I did as well, though I held a different flag. I entered the area draped in the Christian flag. On my feet, I wore an American flag special edition training shoe; this idea being inspired by 1 Corinthians 15, which says, “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” (1 Cor. 15:25, ESV).
The athletes I competed with were some outstanding men and I was honored to share the competition floor with them. The workouts were short, tough and really fun.
Workout 1 was my worst performance in which I took 6th. Workout 1 was written as follows:
For time: 3rds of 21 snatches (75), 21 assault bike calores, 21 thrusters (75), w/ a 12:00 cap. I had attempted this workout 3 times in the weeks leading up to the comp and had never finished it. Competition day was no different, in fact, it was my worst attempt. It was the longest twelve minutes of my life and my lungs were on fire. My tongue started to go numb during the last round. I was assigned to lane 5 which was right in the center of the competition floor. My family had a great view and were cheering my on faithfully. However, during this workout on the last round of snatches, a Swedish gentleman who I did not know took a liking ot me and coached me through it. Every time I would drop the bar, he would yell, “3, 2, 1, GOOO!!” and I’d pick up the bar for another set of reps. If it were not for him, I would not have gotten as far as I did in the workout. I was completely out of gas and his coaching was all I could focus on.
Workout 2 I had performed once before the competition and this time I did much better; I was only 1 round from finishing and took 4th in the workout. Workout 2 was written as follows:
For time: 10rds, 3 Bar Muscle-ups, 6 Handstand Push-ups, 9 Burpees over the line, w/ 16:00 cap. The 25lbs I lost really came into play here since I’m not that great at muscle-ups and haven’t practiced them much over the last few years. I only started relearning them a few months ago…they got easier as the weight came off.
Workout three was by far my favorite as it was the one that played more to my strengths. I took 3rd in this workout though I must say that after watching the video, I was shortchanged on a number or reps and probably would’ve finished if my judge had counted correctly. I did not come to this realization until after the scoring was final and the appeals process was closed. Oh well. Workout 3 was written as follows:
For time: 1rd, 240 Double unders, 6 Rope Climbes, 12 Front squats (205). I absolutely loved this workout and to be honest, I thought I was going to run away with it if I could get to the front squats fast enough…a 205lb front squat is a very easy weight for me. However, 205lbs after 240 DUs and 6 rope climbs might as well be 315lbs because that’s what it felt like. Never has 205lbs felt heavier. My very first rep I couldn’t even clean it. Then, after a took a few seconds to settle down and catch my breath, I was able to squat clean the weight and knock out a few reps. Then I got no-repped, which is such a defeating feeling, especially when you have 205lbs sitting on your chest. I dropped the bar and took a few breaths. Next attempt…couldn’t clean it up. Time was running out. Next attempt….clean it up and get 3 reps and no-repped on the 4th. My total count of good reps were 10 but my score card only showed 7 completed or 7 left…I’m not sure. I had 2 no-reps which were, in my opinion, bad calls. I’ll post the full video of workout 3 below.
The blurb below is my social media post for the highlight video.
Here’s a short highlight reel from the CrossFit competition at @bhm2025 the world police and fire games in which I competed. I did not win. I did not podium. But, man did I have a blast. I took 4th in my age group. It was an honor to represent the Lord and my country on the world stage and compete against and share the floor with some outstanding athletes, a few of whom I would now call friends. It was thrilling to put on display and test all the hard work and training I’ve put in the last few months preparing for the games and while I did not medal, I am pleased with my performance and encouraged to know that there’s still a lot left in this 45 year old body. Lastly, while competing again, especially at this event, was such an amazing experience, the part I enjoyed the most was, honestly, the process; the training and all the elements included in it. I learned a ton about myself and what I can accomplish through faith and hard work. The last few days have been relaxing. My family and I enjoyed watching some of the other sport at the games, we enjoyed our nation’s 250th birthday, we ate some food and desserts that have been forbidden the last few months. Tomorrow, it’s back to work. @wpfg2027perth is on the horizon, but first, @mayhemonthemountain.
I want to say thank you to my amazing family for their support, my beautiful wife @mile_lavs for her support, encouragement and awesome camera work, @jeremy.brush.16 for his camera work as well, @rebuildjohan and @k9bob for pushing the pace in the lanes to my right and left, @micahshoemaker for some tough but fun workouts, and @bhm2025 for an amazing event and experience. Soli Deo Gloria #worldpoliceandfiregames
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