CrossFitness
Crossfit for Physical Education
Adaptive Crossfitness
Adaptive athletes travel from all around the globe to CrossFit Rubicon in Vienna, Virginia, to participate in the Working Wounded Games, a competition that levels the playing field for severely wounded veterans and permanently injured civilians.
David “Chef” Wallach, founder of CrossFit Rubicon, says the event provides a competitive outlet for athletes who may otherwise not have the opportunity to compete.
“It’s the richest, most dedicated group of people from any walk of life I’ve ever met,” Wallach says.
Competitor Brendan Ferreira was injured in Afghanistan when an Afghan border-control worker wearing an explosive vest ran toward him and a few others.
“I lost two of my brothers that day,” he says, “I lost my arm, vision in my right eye, took a lot of damage to both my legs. But I’m here still.”
The energy at the event is electric, and the participants are beyond passionate.
“Have you ever met an adaptive athlete?” Wallach queries. “Are you gonna tell these guys that something is impossible? Because the moment you do that they’re gonna prove you wrong, and it happens every single time we have the opportunity to get together.”
Working Wounded Games
Our Core movements mimic those seen in day to day life. For example, sitting down and standing up (squat/ box squat), pick things up off the ground (Deadlift) and putting something on a shelf or carry-on-luggage in the overhead compartment (standing press); these are common things that we strive to do uncommonly well. If you saw a person bicep curling their groceries you would think, “huh, whats wrong with them” but if you see an old person picking up their keys off the ground you think nothing of it. That is why Crossfitness is easily adaptible to any person, no matter age, weight, or special circumstances. The goal of Crossfitness is to reach a varity of students' needs through functional movements. Check out the video to see adaptive Crossfitness in motion. As you can see on the video, the student is making simple modifications for box jumps and pulls ups. Also, click on the link below for an article about a mother and her disabled sons journey into Crossfit.
Check out the Working Wounded Games below, aiming to level the playing field for adaptive athletes by helping to facilitate the integration of permanently injured athletes into both the sporting community and the local community at large through sport and competitive efforts. The most enthusiastic desire is to work as an advocate for adaptive athlete inclusion in sports and fitness worldwide.