Anderson competed in the CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin over the weekend, participating in eight events spread out over three days. When the dust settled, he ranked No. 10 in the 40-44-year-old category that included competitors from the U.S., England, Canada, Australia and South Africa.
“The CrossFit Games was an amazing experience,” he said. “Whether it was a four-mile ruck run with a 50-pound pack, or a 500-meter row and 30 bar-facing burpees, the workouts were varied and challenging.”
Anderson’s favorite, and best, events were the last three that he participated in. In just 20 minutes, athletes had to complete three separate workouts – establish a 2-rep max overhead squat (finished eighth), complete a 12-9-6 set of snatches at 135 pounds and bar muscle ups (finished fourth), and complete a 21-15-9 set of snatches at 85 pounds and chest-to-bar pull-ups (finished second).
“Overall, it is an honor to finish 10th and to be one of the fittest 40-44-year-old Crossfitters in the world,” Anderson said. “Still, I can’t say that I’m satisfied. I made some mistakes and didn’t always perform my best, but I learned so much about myself throughout. Most importantly, I learned that I belong. My experiences this weekend serve as motivation to keep working hard and hopefully to earn a chance to compete again next year.”
Anderson noted that he received tremendous support from family, friends, students and hometown residents, which gave him extra motivation leading up to, and during, the event.
“I’m so thankful for all the support I received from everyone here at home while I was competing,” he said. “Whether it was texts, posts, or comments, I could feel the love from the Capital Region all the way to Madison. I hope I made them proud.
“For now, I’ll take a few days off from training, evaluate my performance, develop a plan for the upcoming year, and begin attacking my weaknesses,” he added. “As far as I’m concerned, the quest for the 2020 CrossFit Games begins today.”
