CrossFit Games Checklist for the Sea of Green

CrossFit Games Checklist for the Sea of Green
Written by Jaimie Bougie

The time has finally arrived – the 2012 Crossfit Games weekend is upon us! For the Sea of Green and all of our athletes, this weekend is like the World Cup, Super Bowl, Stanley Cup and World Series all rolled into one. The best of the best – the fittest in the world! To make your experience as enjoyable as possible, we have created this checklist to guide you through the weekend. Even if you are cheering from home, we have all the information you need so you do not miss out on any of the action!

Packing and Pre-Games Prep

Wondering what to pack for this year’s Games event? The CrossFit Games is not a normal sporting event. The 12 hour days are packed and it’s going to be hot. Wear workout clothes, sunglasses, a hat, and a heavy layer of sunscreen. We recommend packing a change of clothes, a bottle of sunscreen, and an extra layer in case it gets cool at night. Don’t forget your Green Invictus shirts! Remember, you will need shirts for all three days. We may have a few shirts for sale at the Games, but we are already selling through inventory quickly, so buy your shirts before the trip!

Hydration and keeping cool is going to be a big factor in how much you enjoy the weekend. We recommend that you pack refillable bottles and purchase some kind of electrolyte tablets to drop into your water, such as Nuun. Last year, the sun was relentless, so bring a hat and maybe a small hand towel that you can soak down with water to keep your neck cool. Rehydrate frequently!

Pack some cash, but don’t worry about running out. Most vendors and concessions will take credit cards and there are ATMs at the Home Depot Center.

Parking and Travel

The festivities start first thing Friday morning (gates open at 8:00 am) and will last until the late afternoon on Sunday. Here is the address for those driving straight there on Friday:

Home Depot Center
18400 Avalon Boulevard
Carson, CA 90746

Parking will cost you $15 per day and includes in-and-out privileges – our recommendation is that you arrange your carpooling groups early and meet in the hotel parking lot to ride over together.

Tent City

Your first stop when arriving at the Crossfit Games is to make your way over to Tent City and find our Sea of Green tents. We will have several tents set up to shade us from the hot L.A. sun, but please remember to bring your own folding chair. You may leave your chair at the tent overnight, but we recommend you carry your bags and any valuables back to the hotel with you. Tent City is more than tents and coolers – there will also be food vendors, a Jumbotron, space to workout and of course, a beer truck, complete with TVs and bar stools. The Games will allow you to carry in coolers containing your favorite food and drink (alcohol is permitted), but don’t worry, there will be plenty of good paleo food to buy from vendors – including our favorites Burger Lounge and Paleo Treats!

Athletes to Watch

Start saving up your voice Sea of Green, because we will be doing A LOT of cheering this weekend. We will be cheering for our very own Team Invictus, plus eight individuals all competing for top honors. The heat schedule won’t be announced until the day of but we will have whiteboards on display in Tent City with all of the heat schedules as soon as they are announced so check back there throughout the day or keep up-to-date through our Facebook and Twitter accounts (see links below).

Teams
Team Invictus

Female Individuals
Camille Leblanc-Bazinet
Caroline Fryklund
Cheryl Brost
Jenny Labaw
Tarasa Barnett
Valerie Voboril

Male Individuals
Aja Barto

Masters
Mike Ford (45-50 division)

BBQ Tradition

Invictus will continue it’s annual Games tradition of hosting a BBQ the weekend of the Games on both Friday and Saturday night at Hotel Current – starting time to be decided depending on when the last events take place both nights. The BBQ is open to everyone, including non-members, and the price is only $15 each night – what a deal! Why go out to eat and fight the crowds when you can party with the Sea of Green and eat some home-cooked paleo food with all of your buddies?!

If you are interested in attending, please sign up at the front desk so we can start a running list. We can either accept cash or charge your account.

For those who are arriving on Thursday, we will also be hosting our annual “Chopping Party” in the Hotel Current party room to help us prepare for the weekend – all volunteers are welcome!

Cheering from Afar

If you can’t make it the Games this year, have no fear – there will be plenty of live coverage available so you can cheer along with the Sea of Green at home. For the second year, ESPN is running the CrossFit Games live on ESPN3! Each day, the ESPN3 shows will have at least six hours of highly produced coverage. Here is the full schedule:

Friday, July 13: 2:15 – 8:15 p.m., PDT
Saturday, July 14: 10:30 – 2 p.m. and 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., PDT
Sunday, July 15: 10:30-4:30 p.m., PDT

Once the Games begin, this page will stream everything that is being displayed live on the Jumbotrons at the Home Depot Center: http://games.crossfit.com/spectator-stream

View Live Stream of the Masters Competition here, starting Friday, July 13th: http://games.crossfit.com/masters-stream

For up-to-the-second updates, photos, coverage and news, check out the Invictus Facebook and Invictus Twitter.