This past Saturday and Sunday was the inaugural Barnyard Brawl hosted by Big Barn CrossFit, which was the first individual CrossFit competition held in New Mexico. If you didn’t have a chance to stop by, let me tell you, it was an awesome two days. CrossFit ABQ had a strong showing across all the different divisions. We had a lot of seasoned competitors and we also had some athletes competing for the first time. If it gives you an indication of how intense the weekend was, I lost my voice about halfway through the day on Saturday.
I want to comment on a few of the highlights over the weekend. We had three athletes clear the Clean and Jerk ladder, which was the 2nd event on Saturday and arguably one of the most exciting events to watch. Whitney and AJ both cleared the ladder in the Fire-breather divisions and Rudy Meza cleared it in the Rx division. We also had two athletes put on outstanding performances while battling injuries, Reena Tenorio and Gavin Torres. They both were honored at the conclusion of the event and received the Spirit of the Games award. CFABQ also had the youngest athlete in the competition, Wyatt Starr, who also received the Spirit of the Games award. Another outstanding accomplishment was made by our own Kari Ruma, who competing for the first time, made it to the final event on Sunday; during which she completed 30 deadlifts in about 2 minutes at a weight only 22 pounds less than her PR! The men’s Rx division was close all weekend and it was insane watching CFABQ’s Joe Vigil, Jose Calderon III, and Patrick Bollotta battle it out. There were so many incredible moments over the course of the weekend, and I’m sure I have missed someone here. Please know that I (and every one of the coaches and owners) am extremely proud of everyone who competed this weekend.
When it was all said and done Whitney finished 1st in the women’s Fire-breather division, AJ finished 2nd in the Men’s Fire-breather division, Patrick Bollotta finished 1st in the Men’s Rx division, Jose Calderon III finished 3rd, and Jo Marley finished 3rd in the Women’s Masters division. There were countless moments throughout the weekend that left me speechless and almost brought a tear to my eye. I love CrossFit and I love watching our athletes/friends go all in and give everything they have in the pursuit of victory. Sometimes victory means a 1st place finish, sometimes it means conquering a feared lift/movement, and sometimes it means just finishing a WOD. Victory was had by all of you this weekend, and it was accomplished while showing class and humility. To me this is what defines greatness and something that has become synonymous with CrossFit ABQ. It has been built by your dedication, perseverance, blood, and sweat. Be proud of your accomplishments and thank you for making our gym such a special place.
