The Open 2018: Dublin CrossFit CSA Team qualifies for Regional

Athletes and enthusiasts from across the globe kept a close eye on the outcome of the 2018 CrossFit Open competition, including the CrossFit Team from Combat Sports Academy in Dublin.

According to the official CrossFit Games website the annual event allows CrossFit athletes the opportunity to compete with hundreds of thousands of competitors in five workouts over five weeks. Athletes participate for varies reasons, some for fun, some for camaraderie with their CrossFit families, some for the fitness challenge and others to reach Regionals and vie for a chance to make it to the 2018 Reebok CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin.

Like every other sport CrossFit has its fair share of acronyms and terminology. Athletes train at a box rather than a gym, they don't just do workouts but rather WODs (workout of the day) and each workout in the Open is referred to by a number starting with the year of the event so in 2018 the WODs were 18.1, 18.2 etc.

Dublin based Jessica Brunick-Fitzgibbons is a two times CrossFit Games athlete and co-owner of Combat Sports Academy (CSA). The CrossFit CSA Team has just successfully qualified for the West Coast Regional which will take place in San Diego.

Jessica has an impressive history of athletic achievements which began as a young child when she was a competitive ice skater. Her athletic career includes Ice and Roller Hockey for which she has won multiple US National Titles. Jessica’s array of credentials includes being a certified Krav Maga Instructor with the Krav Maga Alliance, certified Boxing Coach with USA Boxing and an undefeated Muaythai Fighter. In addition to this remarkable list Jessica has excelled as a Competitive CrossFit Athlete, and has competed as a Regional CrossFit Athlete from 2011-2018.

Jessica’s CrossFit pedigree includes winning the coveted NorCal Masters CrossFit Competition in January 2015. She also qualified and competed in the 2015 and 2016 Reebok CrossFit Games. Her illustrious sporting career also includes being an Elite Power Lifter in two Weight Classes and she holds multiple State and National Records.

She has competed on the Regional Team for CrossFit CSA for 7 years straight and the Team has just qualified for the 8th time in 2018.

“The CrossFit Open has always been an exciting time of year,” says Jessica, “Our box always has a significant number of members who sign up to test themselves and see how much they have improved from year to year on many different levels. Strength, cardio, gymnastic skills. We make a Friday Night Lights event out of it and often have our biggest attendance in those evening classes filled with members cheering each other on!! There are many firsts that happen in the Open from year to year. People get their first pull ups, or double unders, handstand push-ups, or the coveted muscle up. Those are the moments that are most amazing. To see people doing things they never thought they could do. To see people evolve and become healthier, fitter, stronger versions of themselves along with a supportive community. When things like this happen it carries through to your everyday life and activities. All of a sudden people start realizing that anything is possible in any facet of their lives. The positivity is contagious and it’s wonderful.”

CSA caters for both adults and children and has a CrossFit Kids and CrossFit Teens program on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:30PM.

CSA indicates on their website that it provides all the tools necessary to build elite levels of fitness, “at CrossFit CSA the barbell is king, the pull-up bar is queen and dumbbells, rowers, kettle bells, box jumps, wall balls, rings, climbing ropes, a place to run and other “basic” and “old-school” fitness implements are cherished above all else.”

A key driver for participation in the Open is that the fittest athletes and teams in each region are competing to earn their place in the Reebok CrossFit Games.

Announcements of each Open workout were eagerly anticipated to see how many reps are required in an AMRAP, what one rep max weight they can lift or other exercises needed to be completed in the allotted time. These exercises varied from double unders and ring muscle-ups to squat cleans and thrusters so included both gymnastic and strength components. It's therefore not surprising that CrossFit athletes are renowned for their functional fitness.

The team spirit of the Open experience was evident in the interactions of a group of CrossFit enthusiasts from three boxes SchuBox Athletics, Tribe Strength and Fitness and I Will CrossFit, who created their own team challenges to motivate each other. Individual athletes from Dublin and Pleasanton egged each other on and kept careful score of each team members’ achievements from the first WOD of 18.1 to the final challenge of WOD 18.5 The friendly competition winners will be treated to a free dinner at a local restaurant and winning team Captain, Rob Topper said “Competing with these guys in the Open this year revitalized my interest in the fun and community that comes through hard work and competition.”

So for the novice and the experienced athletes CrossFit always has unique challenges to offer. The Regional is taking place in San Diego and we look forward to hearing about the performance of the CrossFit CSA Team.

Photo Credit: CrossFit CSA Team, Combat Sports Academy