Commentary On 2012 Regionals Commentary
Wait, What Commentary?
If you haven’t watched it already, here’s the CrossFit Games Update on the Regionals by Caity Matter Henniger, Rory McKernan, and Pat Sherwood:
Yes, it’s 30 minutes long. Yes, I watched the whole damn video. Yes, I’m that obsessed with CrossFit. Chances are, if you’re reading this, you probably are too 😛
So Why Commentary On Their Commentary?
I always find these Games Updates rather amusing. There’s a SportCenter-like feel to it, especially with the flashy menus and cheesy music, but they don’t take themselves so seriously and they know it. There’s that gritty feel to it that’s very much of the CrossFit culture. It’s just raw, despite the production values.
Let’s Get Started
Diane
Okay, the first thing they were really talking about was the WOD Diane for Individual Event 1. I’ve never done Diane before, nor would I be able to Rx it. 225# deads are around that threshold where a high number of reps would possibly fuck up my back. And handstand push-ups? Before my trip, I was able to do 1 legit HSPU! Now I weigh a bit more, just getting inverted is a hassle…
Everyone was saying that deads are pretty straightforward for the people who’ve made it to Regionals, so the HSPU’s will definitely be a bottleneck. That’s skill right there and some efficiency management.
“Efficiency management”? Well, it’s just something that came to mind. Not sure if there’s a legit term for it. Basically, in the case of this WOD, do you do strict HSPU’s or do you kip? Strict HSPU’s are obviously faster, but you need to take into consideration your abilities and how long you can maintain your shoulder strength for the duration of this WOD. Oh, you’re a beast at handstand push-ups and know you can plow through each one strict? Then by all means do that. You’ll have a speed advantage. However, for some, kipping through the whole WOD could serve beneficial. Starting off strict might gas the athlete out. Switching to the kip later on would help, but that initial wearing down from the strict HSPU’s would bring down his or her overall time for Diane.
That’s why it’s all about knowing your abilities.
8:11 – “HOLY SHIT!”
At 8:11 in the video, Rory starts talking about Individual Event 2, which is row a 2K, 50 pistols, and 30 hang cleans (225#/135#). Once done spitting that out, all Rory could say was, “HOLY SHIT!”
Then Pat nonchalantly responds, “Yes, thank you…” and continues on with his thing.
In this next screen, look at that smile on Rory’s face lolz. He knew that Pat had the perfect reaction to his “Holy Shit” and you know for sure Pat just enjoyed saying “Holy Shit” for the cameras. Better yet, Caity’s trying so hard not to crack up. She had a small laugh, but I could definitely see her blowing up in laughter. I would’ve done the same.
It’s subtle scenes like these that keep me coming back to these Update shows.
9:43 – “Balls To The Wall”
At 9:43, Caity talks about strategy for Event 2. Should you go…
Sure, there are obvious reasons why I find her saying “balls to the wall” so amusing. But, for those of us who watched the 2010 CrossFit Games online, some of us will never forget this gem of commentary during the final heat of Event 2 “Hell-in”. From what I remember, the female announcer was talking about pacing for the current workout and drops the phrase “ball to the wall”.
Her co-anchor didn’t seem too happy about the phrase, so he apologize to the audience at home for the language, since kids might be watching. Well, he should’ve said something about people constantly saying “shit” in the earlier portions of the stream haha. Oh the pre-ESPN2 days 🙂 #nostalgia
Edit: I found the video! Check out my post on the whole scene.
15:03 – Can I Get In On This?
Coming back from the commercials at 15:03, you see the trio having such a fun convo. Can I get in on this? For real. I think it would be so much fun just to shoot the shit about the CrossFit Games with these guys and gals. At least for all the Updates I’ve watched, every guest host seems to have been a good time.
21:42 – Why Chivalry Is Dead
Team Event 4 involves a “human rack” where a pair of men or women will have to hold the other sex’s barbell during a set of 50 pull-ups. ROUGHHHH.
When you think you can go for a break from the pull-ups and some squat variation, you need to lift up that weight onto your shoulders for your partners. Okay, for the men, that’s bad enough. For the women? It sucks cause they have to carry a much heavier weight on their shoulders. Ladies go first, huh? Yeah, workouts like this show why chivalry died a long time ago. You can thank Dave Castro for that 😛
It’s okay though, Rory says this workout provides “equal opportunity” lololol:
So I Think You Get It By Now
I don’t watch these Updates for technicalities or to learn stuff about CrossFit. Yeah, you might pick up on a few workout tips or random trivia info every once in a while. True…
…but I just watch the Updates for the lolz.
Thanks guys!
