My name is Ronnie Teasdale and in 2010 and 2011 I competed in almost every CrossFit Competition in Southern California. For awhile in Dec and Jan I was competing on average: more than every other week, and even going to different states. So I had the benefit of seeing many of the Southern California athletes compete and place in events.
This year the sectionals of the CrossFit Games World Championships are based on a honor system of sorts. People have the option of video taping their scores, or having it validated at an affiliate. Their own affiliate if they wish, validated by their own friends, or even their self. 25,000 people are supposingly being held accountable by their peers.
I personally feel that I may have the most legitimate opinion on whether people are submitting the correct times, not doing the proper standards, or just outright making up scores that they couldn’t possibly do. I have seen many of these people compete,… and I am going to outright say that I know that people are making up scores. The movements in the Open are common, and I have seen all of them in competitions,… and I have seen tons of athletes compete in 5-20 minute workouts.
I see people who usually compete in the intermediate division (aka: 10lbs more than female weight) kicking my ass in workouts (I placed 1st or 2nd in every local competition I have done in California, in the “MEN” divisions).
I see people who are always in top 10 at competitions in near 60th place, some even furthur out than that.
I see people that I know can’t do an overhead squat with PVC somehow completing 30 at 120lbs in workout 4.
So I am going to call bullshit,… there is just no way.
So the CrossFit Open offers a chance for cheaters to thrive for a while. Until they get to regional’s and wont be able to finish half of the workouts. So be it. I am not bringing this up to complain about it,… But because it made me think about my own Box.
Me realizing that cheaters exist in CrossFit made me realize that there might be people in my own gym “miscounting” their own scores. I cannot be so naive to believe that every one of my clients is honest all of the time.
So I want to address this. And let all of you know the importance of being honest with yourself. Especially in situations that are very hard to be. Situations that you face almost every time you are in CrossFit Mean Streets.
The “magic” of the WOD happens not when you finish, but in those final moments when you are in a territory you have never been in. You know this because you might barely be able to stand, or breath, or keep your food down,…. You might be faced with putting a barbell over your head that you are barely holding on your shoulders. It is in these situations that you don’t know,… and… against all other wishes your body may have: you keep going. You gather all the strength you have, both physically and mentally. You might think back to a time you were strong to get you through this current dilemma. You might take a second to tighten up every rep,… Whatever it is, and however it plays out you get through it,… you were in a place you have never been before,… and you push through it. You gained access to that territory. You got your 4 min Fran, or you climbed the rope with no feet all the way to the ceiling, or you got 400 reps on Fight Gone Bad…. Whatever it is,… it’s yours.
On a small and large scale you are experiencing new territories like this every day…and to take that away from yourself by for instance: counting that last pullup that really shouldn’t have counted, or doing 19 reps when you should of done 21 is blocking this magic from happening.
Everyday you do a WOD, and everyday you write your name on the whiteboard and next to it the score you got. I can’t imagine making up a score and writing it next to your name, but this is what you are doing if the standards aren’t met.
The other day I PR’ed on a 2k row. I beat my last time by 1 second. But I earned that second,… It took everything I had,… and that one second made a world of difference about how happy I felt after the temporary pain of the WOD went away. If I were routinely cheating,… skimming numbers here and there,… making up times,… or not hitting standards that one second wouldn’t have made a difference,…. Hell I could just go up the whiteboard and reduce my time by 10sec,… that could have been much easier! But I would of missed out on so much, and I wouldn’t have truly known or represented myself…
So remember this. When the pain is so much you cannot bear ,…do not succumb to thinking that shortcuts don’t really matter. You are missing out on everything if you complete 98% of the workout. It’s that last 2% that makes you great….. and I want you to be great.
WOD 4-28-11
3 Rounds:
1 Min Sledge Hammer Right side
1 Min BFT Flip
1 Min Sledge Hammer Left Side
1 Min Jump on BFT
1 Min Rest
For Max Reps
BFT = Big Fucking Tire
CrossFit Mean Streets
Downtown LA
I think CrossFit should require video evidence of every person’s workouts if they wish to qualify for regionals. If you’re in 1234th place, or are just doing it for fun, don’t worry about recording, but you should know if you are a legit enough competitor (ie. have the possibility of cracking the top 60) by now. All legitimate competitors want people to see their efforts and are more than willing to submit to any and all scrutiny. It is on CrossFit to reward these efforts by not just blindly letting in whatever people make the top 60, but actually taking some time and effort to verify those times. Cheaters have no place in any walk of life, least of which athletic pursuits. People work too hard both physically and mentally to prepare for this only to be screwed by dishonest people.
Just wanna commend you for posting this and i just want to pass on what I play in my mind EVERY TIME, really EVERY TIME i do any WOD! Look up and think about the Hero WODS and those guys looking down on you! They never cheated and no matter how hard your WOD may be it was another day of the week for them so push yourself.
Well said, Ronnie! In the long run, the cheaters will get weeded out, but it’s frustrating nonetheless.
I agree, there’s some pretty crazy scores up there and I think with the website playing up constantly and the delay in the first week it made the whole think a bit “loose” so maybe people didn’t take the standards as serious as the should. Our box took the standards very seriously, to the point that our Trainer individually judged all our workouts. Now I know we would have been no repped a hell of a lot more than the vast majority of Boxes, but we all know 100% our scores are legit – that means a lot to us. Where it will suck is we have a few athletes that will probably miss the regionals by 10 places or less… it is these athelets that will be the most disadvantaged by this format.
I admire your honesty Ronnie and ur lack of fear to speak ur mind! You say what a lot of us think! It’s refreshing to read and I couldn’t agree with u more on this. At least when u make it to Regionals u can go into a WOD with ur head up!
I started CF 3 years ago and was trained by the best, Jason Khalipa. He has taught me to maintain form in every workout. Every CF I have visited or trained always see that. And I tell them we used to say at CF Santa Clara “keep your shit legit”. This the rule I live by and know everytime I walk into a box, I keep it straight. I have heard many CrossFits complain about this too and I am so glad you wrote this. Let these cheaters bring it as they will be eliminated quick. -Darlene CF Inland Valley
Ronnie… I think you’re a little crazy and don’t agree with most of what you say or do (you’ve interacted with some people I know and left them with a crappy impression) however I like this post.
What started out with a slightly edgy title ended up being a very solid article about a common Crossfit phenomenon. People get the “Clock Whore” mentality..meaning it’s all about the whiteboard and score, and are willing to sacrifice honor for a place at the top. The longer I Crossfit, the less I care about where I finish and the more I care about HOW I finish. Really, it’s exactly what you said…give it all you’ve got, squeeze it out to the end. If for some reason it wasn’t your day, tomorrow is a new chance to apply every lesson you have learned. The biggest bummer about cheaters at the Open level is that some people who deserve to go to Regionals will not be able to because they were blocked by rep cheaters. It’s almost like there needs to be 2 layers of Regionals before the Games to really do the weeding. But, there is always 2012. An God help us if we have the same format…I don’t have the attention span to stay so dialed in for so long… Great post Ronnie…now go throw some effing weight around..wouldn’t want you getting lazy!
I want to watch those cheaters look like fools at Regionals , but I also would hope all those deserving of competing make it. This is an awesome post. Cheaters can only win for a while before being exposed, it is the law of the Universe . I would hope all of those beasts and beastettes out there, deserving of competing, don’t get bumped by cheaters. Human nature is what it is and to see those beasts and beastettes that should be in the top 60 not , well , something has to be done. You have a moral imperative to speak this truth on this post. I admire the crossfit movement and it’s implications for the survival of the human race.
What’s sad is the cheaters will keep out some of those that deserve to be there, and could potentially knock out someone from Regionals who could win the games.
LOL @ John
Great post… I like you you turned what can be seen as a negative into a positive for us at the gym. The next time I’m squeezing out that last rep or two it will give me a little more motivation you might need to keep the form just right.
I always took solace in the fact that the cheaters (whether it be in counting burpees or winning a gold medal) haven’t accomplished anything. Nothing. The minute you quick count your reps or someone chooses to jam a needle in their body full of HGH or EPO or whatever its NOT YOU that won that competition or posted that time or hit that home run. And then you become a person without integrity, authenticity, truth, or any real power in life.
I agree with this entire post. It’s really annoying. I know there are some great athletes out there, but I also know how frustrating it can be for somebody busting their ass to complete the WOD with LEGIT standards and to come up short under somebody who wasn’t man enough to follow standards and directions.
Thanks for the post. I’ll be sharing this one for sure.
Well said Ronnie, The reality is they are only cheating themselves. It will be comical at the regionals watching people not meet that standards… Just sayin.
-dB
Well put Ronnie. I caution everyone on passing judgement for any top games open athletes that don’t do well at regionals since we saw last year that a few top Sectional athletes finished middle to the end of the pack at Regionals. Depending on the workouts, weaknesses can exposed. On the other hand, if someone at regionals can’t do some of the basic movements, especially those we’ve seen in the competition already, then they’re going to be embarrassed on grand scale.
Your other point about the 2% is dead on. Well put.
You should name the people you know are making up scores or cheating. Call em out.
So just have everyone repeat some of the honor system qualifying WODs in the regionals. If they cant come close to their previously reported score they are disqualified.
It’s funny because if you add up some of these rep counts, it comes out to like a rep every 2 seconds… FOR THE LENGTH OF THE WOD! No human could possibly keep that amount of work capacity up, it’s bordering an exponential work capacity, something not physically possible for a human… so either we’re competing against cyborgs, and skynet (terminator movies) came on line and started by taking over the CrossFit games… OR, people are fucking cheating and committing CrossFit Slop and counting it…. either way, I can’t wait for regionals… because it will be great to actually see this work capacity, in which case I will shut my mouth….
Some cheat while others simpley cannot compete in every local competition because they have a life. I personally know a couple of the top guys in Southern California who dont compete are legit and you will find out in June.
Well said Ronnie, great post.
RT, I like it. We have discussed it and you published it. Truth is truth and it will be evident in the end. My biggest grip is the negativity that it brings to the future of the sport… PS and I wont lie it keeps our overall rank a little lower than we know it should be.
Call em as they are!
@mike
The point of the post is to say that he recognizes many names and people from local competitions, and as a result, has a strong sense of where they should sit on the southern cal leaderboard… not to say that he thinks every single person is a liar.
@ officer nice state ur name!
“mike”
Stinky pete, I am totally down with that idea. You got 9 rounds on wod 1 and now you got 5. Out. Next! Takes care of bullshiters stealing spots. Brilliant. And for Ronnie haters out there, at least he has legit data (results) to back up his shit talking.
Officer retard Some legit competition in San Diego and a couple unknown firebreathers in LA. Its going to be fun to watch in june. All these big egos will have a rude awakening like last years regionals not evening placing top 25.
The WOD this week is a Ronnie WOD and, I have to say it is also a beast WOD, and ELITE WOD. I can now understand why those who have kept themselves true to form and honest in counting and doing so together are saying what has been said here. Good luck to all the beasties out there and stay honest. That , in my opinion , is what crossfitting is all about anyway , being honest.
The beginning of the article sounds like everything that I ever joined Crossfit for 2 years ago. I couldn’t agree more that the goal is to find that place you’ve never been before…legitimately. Without the slop etc.
The unfortunate side effect of the Crossfit Games Open is that the “Elite” athletes have turned into whiney asses who want to start criticizing everything about the process. The same Elite athletes who are so mentally strong suddenly turn to whiney asses calling people cheaters because they “know” that they and their buddies shouldn’t be getting beat.
Get over yourselves and let the process work it self out. You said yourself that the Regionals will weed people out….I believe Glassman has already stated that was the case. The beauty of the Open is to find the diamond in the rough who can’t compete in every competition in SoCal every weekend and be that guy who is more qualified than others just because he competes and knows people.
It is unfortunate for the sport and all it’s competitors if that person sitting at spot number 61 in any given region gave it everything they had and did it legimately while those people that may not have take those spots at regionals. The system does bring more people to the competition that may not otherwise get the chance yes which is a wonderful thing, but at a risky cost, as we have seen with some of these outrageous submissions. They should require video for submissions for workouts that put you in a top 60 placement. Mandatory video submissions each time if you do place top 60. If your a legitimate top 60 competitior you have no problem with that requirement.
I think cross fit chics are hot.
Good article Ronnie. Rest be assured though that the pretenders will be weeded out during the next round. Unfortunately, some of them probably took somebody’s spot at Regionals who was a legit competitor. The other topic this makes me think of is judging inconsistency. I saw it first hand at an annual event in North Carolina in which a prominent Crossfitter gave a very impassioned speech about standards prior to the events and then basically stood around and didn’t call out any judges or competitors for crappy reps. As a spectator, that was extremely disappointing to me…I can only imagine how the other competitors feel when you are busting your ass during a competition WOD and catch the person next to you not hitting full rom. One guy that was a consistent offender in the quality of his reps finished that competition pretty high in the standings and now I see he’s Top 10 in his region during the OPEN. Real curious how he fares at the next level. Hopefully, judging will have improved greatly at the Regionals.
Well said….I think Regionals should do at least some of the sectional WODs then compare the results to their sectional scores….could be a very interesting outcome/difference in scores!
Your point gets lost by using lousy language Do you have any idea how many people get turned off by this and for sure it costs business.