Even Kelly Greco couldn’t quite believe her transformation when she was introduced on the field of the StubHub Center’s 10,000-person soccer stadium in Carson last week.
“I went from Curves to CrossFit Games. It’s kind of crazy,” said the 46-year-old Felton resident.
Shortly after turning 40, Greco decided to ditch her membership to the women-only gym with a reputation for being noncompetitive and enroll at CrossFit Central in Soquel, the original CrossFit gym. Six years later, out of thousands who tried out, she became one of just 20 women in the world in her age group to qualify for the 2015 CrossFit Games.
In her own gym, however, she was one of three to reach the Games. That’s more individuals than from any other gym in the world this year.
“It’s very, very unusual,” said fellow CrossFit Central member Debby Baker of Capitola, who joined Greco and Watsonville’s John Kane in competing in the Games.
Baker, making her second appearance, and Kane, making his fifth, competed in the 60-plus division, while the rookie Greco qualified in the women’s 45-49 category. Brooke Ence of Santa Cruz’s CrossFit West also qualified and competed in the women’s Open division. Ence had the best result of any of the county’s athletes, winning two workouts — the snatch speed ladder and the clean and jerk (242 pounds) — to place 14th among 40 qualifiers. Kane placed 17th in his division, Greco placed 18th and Baker took 19th.
All first competed in an open workout conducted in CrossFit gyms around the globe in March. The top 200 of those then competed in a regional workout and the top 20 in masters categories and top 40 in open categories earned a bid to the Games.
Greco surmised that so many qualified in the masters divisions from CrossFit Central because it is the oldest gym and tends to have an older membership base.
“A lot of us are motivated, fit over-40-year-olds,” she said. “We’re motivated and driven and proud of our age and proud of what we can do, and that keeps us going. A few of us love competing and it’s nice to find a sport that at this age we can still do that.”
Baker, who qualified 11th into the Games but injured herself while training for them, said she was disappointed by her result and felt as though she let her fellow gym members down. Yet while she was in Carson, she served as an inspiration for people in and outside her gym.
“One of the neatest things was afterward, there were three from our gym competing, and after I worked out I would go back in the stands to watch,” she said. “And just random people would come up to me and say, ‘You’re so inspiring. You’re doing such a great job of competing,’ over and over again.
“That was the neatest thing.”
Adoring fans weren’t the only ones to give the competitors the celebrity treatment. Each athlete received a full workout wardrobe from Reebok, including several pairs of shoes and shirts emblazoned with their name and gym. There was an air-conditioned tent just for competitors and they had access to professionals for bodywork treatments. Plus, much of the competition aired on national TV.
“It was really overwhelming as a 60-year-old woman to be treated like a rock star,” Baker said.
That’s worlds apart from the first Games, which Kane qualified for in 2007. He said they were held on a ranch in Aromas and, for $50, competitors got entry and a barbecue. The next year, about 300 people showed up, he said, and by the year after that, the competition had to move to a more official venue.
“It’s just gotten bigger, more polished and way more competitive,” he said. “It was really competitive way back in the day, too, but there are more guys in my age group now that are really, really, really good.”
The increased interest requires and increased effort. Kane said he gave it his all, but even after nights of ice baths and clean eating, his body was feeling the effects almost a week after his part in the competition ended. When asked if he would attempt to qualify for a sixth time, he wavered.
“I think it’s like childbirth,” he said. “I think if I let a little time go by, some of that pain will fade and I’ll be ready to do it again, but I need a little more time.”