Much like my recap of the Open, I'm going to split this into highlights instead of breaking it down race by race, otherwise this would be 30 pages long. But before I get to the highlights...
A quick summary
On both days we were sorted into different teams and we were lead by the actual Grid coaches. On Day 1 I was coached by Dusty Hyland of the LA Reign and on Day 2 I was coached by Jeremy Jones of the San Fransisco Fire. Most teams had about 6 females and 10 males, everyone specializing in different things. We had to work with our coaches and talk as a team to decide which athletes would be best suited for the different races. I actually thought this was one of the coolest parts of the combine. It was so interesting to me to be a part of the process of how the coaches decide how to run the athletes through the races. We had to go through exact rep schemes, transitions, substitutions, etc. It was like filling in a giant puzzle. Everyone had a specific job in every race.
On the first day the races were run in full heats, meaning teams 1 and 2 would go through race one, then teams 3 and 4, teams 5 and 6, etc. This wasn't like an actual match because we had a ton of rest between races. On the plus side, it gave us more time to warm up between each race. On the down side, it wasn't really an accurate simulation of how a match actually feels. Day 2 was much more similar to an actual match, it was still run in heats but my group was at the end of the day with only three other teams, so the rest was very minimal. On the first day we ran Pike's Peak, which is an actual Grid match. Day 2 was something totally different, a lot of new elements were introduced (back uprise, backflips, jumping over a wall, etc).
Racing on the grid is unlike anything I've ever done. We had done two practice matches at CSC so I knew what to expect, but being on the actual grid was just so awesome. Everything was lightning fast and done at a 100% full sprint. It was stressful but extremely fun. It was all about teamwork and communication and I loved it. Now for the highlights....
Highlights from the 2015 NPGL Combine
1. Hang clean mirror race
Out of all the races the entire weekend, this was the one I wanted to do the most. I can move the bar very well on heavy hang power cleans and I wanted a chance to show it. When we were going through all the races before our team began our match, Dusty asked who could do 10 unbroken hang power cleans at 145 and my hand shot up. I told him I would do as many HPC as he needed me to do. The race was going to be 40 total reps, 10 reps in each quadrant, and the bar could not touch the ground. Dusty told me I would be starting with 10 unbroken HPC in the first quadrant and 10 in the fourth quadrant. I thought it was pretty cool that I got to open and close the race. Our team didn't end up winning this race (I think it was the only race we lost all day) and the transitions got a little confusing, but I still had a blast doing this. It required a lot of communication between teammates and everyone did a good job moving the weight. This was one of my favorite races of the weekend.
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| Eric and I closing out the 4th quadrant |
This is how the race looked:
One element each station, one person working at a time:
40 1-arm overhead squat, 20kg
40 toes to bar
15 muscle ups
40 power snatches, 95 lbs
5:00 time cap
:30 rest between races then repeat
Since the Grid didn't have any walls for handstand push ups, toes to bar were subbed instead. At first I was bummed out about this, I was really hoping to be able to do some HSPU at some point and I knew this would probably change my role in the race. When we were laying out the team plan for this race, all I knew was that I did NOT want to do any 1-arm overhead squats. No sir. No thank you. I volunteered for the muscle ups right away. We had a few females who could bang out 20 TTB in a row and others who wanted to do the snatches at the end. Dusty asked who could do the 1-arm overhead squats, and the next thing I knew I was raising my hand. My whole attitude changed in that moment, and I was just like yes, put me in, I'll do it. The race started and I did 15 reps then subbed out. Next up for me was 7 unbroken muscle ups and I did those pretty easily. We won the race and had 30 seconds rest before we had to repeat the entire thing. My partner and I went out in the first quadrant, she did 20 OHS and I did 20. Then I had about :90 before I had to go back out and do 7 more unbroken muscle ups. I was really tired at this point from doing the 1-arm OHS but I knew I had to just suck it up do it, and I did. I hit 7 muscle ups and tagged in the next person. Our team won that race as well. It was an awesome moment for me because I ended up doing well on the 1-arm overhead squats, a movement that I originally struggled with, and I was able to deliver on the muscle ups even though I was very fatigued. This really boosted my confidence and it proved that I can do the work even when I don't think I can (but more on that later).
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| I believe I can fly |
This was the final race of the combine on Day 2. There were 8 different movements, many of them new elements the athletes had never done before, and only one person could work at a time. One of the elements was the back uprise, which is basically a muscle up in reverse? We had one guy on our team (Julian) who was pretty sure he could do a few reps, but no one on the team was 100% confident about hitting it. We started the relay and when it came time for the back uprise, Julian came out and did a couple sets of 2 reps, which was awesome. Our team would get really excited every time he did a rep. After Julian did his half, he went and tagged in Eric. Eric did one rep, then another, then another, then another. It was awesome. Our team went nuts every time he did a rep. We went from being uncertain about the back uprise to having 2 guys who did them easily. It was a cool moment for our team.
4. Thruster ladder
Anyone who knows me knows I love a good ladder. It was originally supposed to be a deadlift ladder but they changed it to thrusters, and I was pretty excited. This was going to be the final race of Day 1, they had to cut the rest of the match due to time. Since we didn't get to do a full match, Dusty wanted to make sure everyone got a chance to get through the thruster ladder. I think his exact words were "Fuck it, you're all doing it." He said he would be standing at our last bar and tell us when to run off. Everyone was going through the bars FAST, it was awesome. My original goal was 165 because that's what I hit in practice, but once I hit 150 I knew that was it, my legs were done. We managed to get every single person all the way through the ladder and we still had 10 seconds left before the time cap. We also demolished the other team by quite a few pounds, and our women lifted more as well. As the final 10 seconds were counting down, our team huddled up in a circle and jumped all around and screamed and yelled. It was so great. I felt really connected to my team and it was an excellent way to end the first day.
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| My awesome team for the first day! |
There were definitely a lot of ups and downs throughout the weekend, and this whole process was a huge learning experience for me, so I want to share some of the things I took away from the combine.
Here's what I learned
1. Things are not always going to go the way you want
As we were sitting down with our team on the first day, Dusty said "You guys are going to have to do some things you don't necessarily want to do." He was right. Everyone came in to the combine with specific races they wanted to do and specific movements they wanted to showcase. This is all well and good, it's what the combine is for-to find specialists. But I never really thought about filling in the blanks. I basically went in to the combine thinking "Hang cleans, muscle ups, handstand push ups, that's what I'm doing. Rope climbs, overhead squats, that's what I DON'T want to do" but I learned that to make the team successful and to move the race forward, I would have to do movements I wasn't crazy about. Some people wanted to do muscle ups but ended up smashing snatches instead. Some people wanted to do cleans but ended up doing really well on the atlas stones. We quickly figured out that we had to stop being so focused on what each person wanted to do and change our focus to what was best for the team. Our coaches did a great job of giving everyone a chance to shine and tried to give everyone the movements they wanted but I learned to accept the fact that at some point I was going to be put on a movement that I didn't necessarily want to do. It happened with the 1-arm overhead squats, and it turned out great in the end. This taught me to go outside my comfort zone and to trust myself as an athlete to do the job well, whatever the task may be.
2. Communication is key because sometimes things are going to change
On day 2, the mirror race was shoulder to overhead at 165 pounds. We had four females (including me) on our team that were comfortable with that weight and we originally planned to do sets of 5. Once the race started, we quickly realized that plan was going to shit. The weight was a lot heavier than we expected and after the first 10 reps we were down to 3s and 4s. This was not our plan but we had to roll with it and adapt, and that's why it was so important for us to communicate with each other. While one person was doing the STO the other two would have to decide who was feeling fresh enough to go next, and the athlete with the bar had to communicate when she was ready to switch since we weren't sure how many reps each person was going to do from there on out. Jeremy did a great job of helping us transition and I actually never felt panicked (except when the bar slipped out of my hands and I dropped it, errrr sorry guys). You have to communicate because you can't leave a teammate hanging. In the end, we didn't finish the race before the time cap, but I thought we did a good job of helping each other and figuring things out as we went.
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| "Don't drop the bar don't drop the bar-ehhhh dammit" |
This was probably the biggest thing I took away from the combine. I can honestly say there were points during the races where I wanted to sub out because I was tired and I felt like I couldn't keep going, but I didn't stop. We all pushed hard. When you compete as an individual, you're competing for yourself. There's no one relying on you and no one waiting on you. When you compete on a team, you are one part of the giant machine and there are people that need you to do your part quickly and efficiently so the machine can keep moving. During the women's echo race on day one when it came time for me to muscle ups the second time around, I honestly didn't think I could do 7 unbroken. I was so tired and I had never done that many unbroken under that kind of fatigue. As I was doing the muscle ups, the only thing I was thinking about were the people at the starting line who were relying on me to do my part, so I did it. When it comes down to it, you will find a way to go hard for your team because they need you to do it. We all played an important part in getting our team from the first quadrant to the finish line. If your coach needs you to do something, you don't ask questions, you just do it because that's what's best for the team. You trust each other and help each other because that's what teammates do. I will take this experience and use it for regionals, I know I can push myself past what I thought my limits were. It's a great feeling to succeed on a team because you know you did it together and everyone played a part.
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| Team on Day 2! |
I want to thank Dusty and Jeremy for being such great coaches and for making my experience so fun. It was great working with both of you and I have no doubt I'll be seeing you again. To my teammates, you guys are equally hilarious as you are talented, and I'm thrilled for those of you who got drafted. It was so awesome getting to race with you and I hope to see you guys next year!
Katrina, D, Alice, Amanda, Carolyn, Jenna (My Boston Pro Day buddies), it was great getting to see you guys again, I had a blast hanging out with you and I'm so glad we got to all reunite at the combine!
Now it's time to set my sights on regionals and I couldn't be more excited. After attending the combine I feel more ready than ever to compete with my awesome team. Onward!
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| Up, up, and away to regionals! |
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