Going to Miami in the middle of winter was only a small highlight compared to what Coach Zac Courtier and Pam Peterson had accomplished while competing in the Wodapalooza. The competition was a solid match for both in their divisions. Coach Zac competed as an Intermediate Individual and Pam competed as a Master’s Athlete. Thursday was the day of relaxation and registration. Both athletes found themselves on the beach among friends in the afternoon, patiently waiting for their first event the next day.
Waking up very early on Friday morning for their first event felt like a typical CrossFit competition hurdle. Coach Zac’s alarm went off at 4:00 am, snoozing until about 4:10 am. He was up and getting prepped for his beach run starting at 6:30 am. It was an amazing experience to witness the CrossFit community that gathered to cheer on their workout comrades before the sun was up, the view was gorgeous as well! The beach WOD consisted of a sand run then a water run including four laps to and from a buoy, then back to the beach for a sprint to the finish, Coach Zac finishing in 4th. There were so many heats that Pam got to sleep in a tad bit, but not by much. As the sun was rising over the horizon, the NorthFit crew was waiting for her start at 8:30 am. By that time, the cool morning, turned into blue skies reaching 70-degree weather. Which was amazing! Pam was a trooper, with only six individuals in her age group, she took off on the beach run and made her way to the finish line like a champ! When she was done, she came over to the NorthFit crew and explained that her legs felt like they had led in them after running in the ocean to and from that buoy, all smiles of course!
A few more highlights of the weekend were Pam’s bar muscle up workout and Coach Zac’s speed through the handstand walk, deadlift workout, in awe just talking about it. Watching Pam get so close to her first bar muscle up was insanely inspiring, getting the chills just thinking about it. The crowd was so loud, encouraging her every attempt. Coach Jeb and Neal Maddox were there giving her pointers from the stands as she kicked butt, of course, all with a smile. It was so inspiring to watch. The community is tremendously supportive, and it was so awesome to be a part of it. What to say about Coach Zac’s handstand walk, deadlift WOD? Man, that guy can move! Barely had the camera ready and he was done, setting the time to beat at 1:57, bumping out the leader who had the previous time to beat, 2:10. Again, the crowd was all in it. The look on his face was priceless, knowing he had gone as fast as he could. Again, an amazing moment to capture, sort of 😊.
Jumping to the last day, some events were cancelled due to rain, unfortunately, one of Pam’s, but overall the entire weekend was a blast. Thank you, Coach Zac and Pam, for working so hard in and outside of the gym. It was absolutely incredible watching you compete and, speaking for NorthFit Creamery, we are so proud of all that you have accomplished and are excited to see what you have up your sleeves for next year!
