Congratulations Invictus Athletes!

Congratulations Invictus Athletes!
Written by C.J. Martin

Five amazing weeks of Regionals have come to a close. I’ll be honest, I am pretty exhausted . . . but damn, that was well worth it. The last weekend of Regionals was as phenomenal as the four that preceded it, with several Invictus athletes achieving some amazing results.

Cheryl Brost (pictured above) earned a 1st place finish at the Northwest Regionals and is heading back to the CrossFit Games. Cheryl is a 41-year-old mother, wife and business owner (not a gym either). She juggles a ton of responsibility, but has incredible focus and energy that keeps her competing at the highest level.

Caroline Fryklund earned a spot to the CrossFit Games taking 4th in Europe (Annie T. finished first, so four move on). Caroline has been following and posting on the “Competition” blog. I am excited that her finish will allow her to come out to California to meet (and hopefully train with) the Invictus crew in person.

Several other athletes who consistently post on the Competition blog also found themselves toward the top of the leader board in their regions at the end of their weekends – Christer Idland (7th – Europe), Christian Harris (8th – NE), Ryan Swobody (9th – NW), Paul Zavaglia (14th – NW), Roselle Fryberg (15th – NW . . . after finishing the Open in 59th!).

I have to give a special shout out to Noah Pester. Noah’s 8th place finish wasn’t what he had hoped for going into the weekend, but he’s the reason I made the trip to the Northwest. He’s been a model of consistency all year long, and the gains he made were tremendous. Regardless of the results of the weekend, I am proud as hell of everything he has accomplished over the last year, both as an athlete and as a coach/gym owner. And most importantly, he’s a damn good father, husband and friend, and someone that I would want to hang out with any opportunity I had to do so.

All in all, I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing athletes over the course of the last year. The results are staggering, but they certainly don’t tell the whole story. The leader board doesn’t always show the obstacles overcome, the personal records achieved, the confidence gained or the hours invested. For some, a season of hard work and consistent PRs got them to regionals, and for others it has extended their season and gives them a shot to compete at the Home Depot Center in July. Regardless, I am extremely proud and feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to work with these athletes.

The following athletes will be moving on to the CrossFit Games in July, and I would be honored if the entire Sea of Green would lend them its support:

• Team Invictus (Nichole DeHart, Ayo Anise, Katie McLaughlin, Kathy Borkoski, Nuno Costa, Shane Farmer, Justin Nahama and George Economou)
• Aja Barto
• Camille Leblanc-Bazinet
• Valerie Voboril
• Tarasa Barnett
• Jenny LaBaw
• Elyse Umeda’s CrossFit 808 superstars
• Cheryl Brost
• Caroline Fryklund
• Mike Ford (45-50 Masters)