Latest / Clydesdale Media Podcast / Jonathan Varela | The Athletes of the 2024 Legends Masters CrossFit Games

Transcript

Jonathan Varela | The Athletes of the 2024 Legends Masters CrossFit Games · Clydesdale Media Podcast

• 0:09
  Hey, hey, chill.
• 0:12
  Let's go.
• 0:13
  I was born a killer.
• 0:14
  I was meant to win.
• 0:15
  I am down and willing,
• 0:17
  so I will find a way.
• 0:18
  It took a minute,
• 0:19
  now it didn't happen right away.
• 0:21
  When they get hot in the kitchen,
• 0:22
  you decide to stay.
• 0:24
  That's how it winners me.
• 0:25
  Stick a fork in the hater on my dick.
• 0:34
  What is going on, everybody?
• 0:35
  Welcome to the Clydesdale Media Podcast,
• 0:37
  where we are featuring the
• 0:38
  athletes of the 2024
• 0:40
  Legends Masters CrossFit Games.
• 0:42
  And we have experienced so
• 0:43
  many of the technical
• 0:44
  difficulties you can in one night,
• 0:47
  but we are live on the air now,
• 0:48
  and we're so happy to be here.
• 0:50
  My name is Scott Switzer.
• 0:51
  I'm the Clydesdale.
• 0:52
  I have with me Jonathan Varea,
• 0:55
  who is a two-time CrossFit Games athlete.
• 0:59
  Welcome, Jonathan.
• 1:00
  Thank you, Scott.
• 1:01
  Thank you for having me.
• 1:04
  So this is your second time
• 1:05
  to the CrossFit Games.
• 1:07
  You went in 2022.
• 1:07
  What was that experience like?
• 1:12
  It was an overwhelming experience.
• 1:14
  Like I was,
• 1:16
  I wasn't probably mentally
• 1:18
  prepared for what was going
• 1:20
  on and also share the
• 1:23
  warmup area with elite athletes too.
• 1:26
  You know, those athletes you get to see on,
• 1:28
  on the TV all the time,
• 1:30
  they are like your
• 1:32
  inspiration and you admire so much.
• 1:35
  And just being, just being there with them,
• 1:38
  it was like really
• 1:40
  overwhelming because it,
• 1:42
  know as a master athlete I
• 1:43
  train by myself 95 of the
• 1:46
  time and going from my
• 1:50
  alone gym wearing my
• 1:52
  headphones all the time and
• 1:53
  just being by myself and
• 1:56
  then being there with all
• 1:57
  these guys and be part of the
• 2:02
  10 top guys who qualified to the games.
• 2:04
  It was just an honor.
• 2:06
  But at the same time,
• 2:07
  it was really overwhelming for me.
• 2:09
  It was a great experience.
• 2:11
  I learned a lot.
• 2:12
  I did a lot of mistakes.
• 2:15
  And that was part of it.
• 2:17
  You know, it was a great,
• 2:18
  great experience.
• 2:21
  So before we went on air,
• 2:22
  you were telling me about
• 2:24
  you went to Carson,
• 2:24
  California and got to see
• 2:27
  the elite athletes do MRF.
• 2:30
  Yes.
• 2:31
  And then my wife was there next to me.
• 2:33
  We were there watching the
• 2:36
  games as an expectators.
• 2:38
  And I remember turning to her and saying,
• 2:40
  like, I want to be there someday.
• 2:42
  I want to compete there.
• 2:44
  So that's when that little fire starts.
• 2:47
  And I start training myself.
• 2:50
  And then I just put the time, the effort,
• 2:56
  the consistency and everything.
• 2:59
  When I realized that I made
• 3:02
  it to the games,
• 3:05
  it was like accomplished
• 3:06
  something so big.
• 3:07
  And it was just incredible.
• 3:11
  It took me a few weeks to realize.
• 3:13
  And I made it real until I
• 3:18
  got the mail from CrossFit,
• 3:20
  you are invited to go to
• 3:21
  the CrossFit Games.
• 3:22
  That's when I feel really real.
• 3:26
  So typically,
• 3:27
  when you go to the CrossFit Games,
• 3:29
  then it's kind of an
• 3:30
  expectation the next year
• 3:32
  to do the same thing.
• 3:34
  But last year,
• 3:35
  you actually got a penalty
• 3:36
  in the qualification process.
• 3:39
  Yes.
• 3:40
  And it was a major one.
• 3:42
  How did that affect your mood?
• 3:44
  Like, were you discouraged?
• 3:46
  Did you get depressed?
• 3:48
  Or did it light another fire
• 3:50
  for you to get back this year?
• 3:54
  I think...
• 3:55
  What happens is I am a
• 3:57
  really realistic person.
• 4:00
  So that means that I take
• 4:05
  one step at a time.
• 4:07
  So I do the open,
• 4:09
  but I also have in the back
• 4:11
  of my head that in some
• 4:14
  point as a master athlete
• 4:16
  and training at this level,
• 4:18
  I can get injured.
• 4:19
  I can get penalized.
• 4:21
  Like there is some outcomes.
• 4:24
  I don't have control of it,
• 4:26
  but they're always in the
• 4:28
  back of my mind.
• 4:29
  And I think that helps me a
• 4:30
  lot to get through all of this.
• 4:33
  Because when I was doing
• 4:38
  really good at semifinals
• 4:39
  and then I got penalized
• 4:41
  and that took me out.
• 4:43
  So that year they took the
• 4:47
  top 30 athletes to move on
• 4:49
  into semifinals and I finished 31st.
• 4:54
  So I was, even with the penalty,
• 4:56
  I was one spot out of the
• 4:59
  qualification spot.
• 5:03
  And yes, I was sad.
• 5:07
  But I move on really quick, honestly.
• 5:11
  Like I focus on what I have control.
• 5:15
  And what I have control is my training,
• 5:17
  my nutrition, my recover.
• 5:20
  And I said, like, well,
• 5:21
  this is going to be an experience.
• 5:24
  I learned from that.
• 5:25
  And this is not going to happen again.
• 5:29
  So, for example, that year I was...
• 5:32
  penalizing box jumps so we
• 5:34
  have the same movement this
• 5:37
  year on box jumps at 30
• 5:39
  inch box and every single
• 5:42
  rep I was opening hyper
• 5:44
  extending my hips you know
• 5:45
  I learned a lesson even I
• 5:47
  was doing more that I need
• 5:48
  to but I was like I'm not
• 5:50
  gonna get disqualified
• 5:51
  again I learned my lesson
• 5:54
  and the thing is that
• 5:57
  Again,
• 5:58
  it was not like really consistent
• 5:59
  because the year previous
• 6:01
  when I qualified to the 2022,
• 6:03
  we did box jumps too and
• 6:05
  all my box jumps were the same.
• 6:07
  You know what I mean?
• 6:08
  They haven't changed in
• 6:10
  years and they were good.
• 6:13
  So last year,
• 6:14
  I guess they implement a new
• 6:20
  judgment approach.
• 6:25
  But this year,
• 6:25
  I tried to make it even better.
• 6:28
  So I just learned my lesson.
• 6:30
  Last year, I just moved on really quick,
• 6:32
  and I have the support of my family,
• 6:35
  friends here in my gym,
• 6:37
  and I focus on the next year right away.
• 6:42
  That's kind of the drawback
• 6:44
  of the Masters always
• 6:46
  having to do everything
• 6:47
  online until you get to the games.
• 6:50
  Mm-hmm.
• 6:51
  Because you don't get that
• 6:52
  immediate feedback from a judge to know,
• 6:55
  is it good?
• 6:56
  Is it not good?
• 6:58
  So how excited are you now
• 7:00
  that you've made it to the
• 7:02
  spot where you do get that
• 7:03
  immediate feedback?
• 7:06
  It's really exciting because
• 7:08
  you get to show what you train every day.
• 7:15
  And also,
• 7:16
  we get to share the training
• 7:19
  floor with other amazing people,
• 7:22
  American athletes.
• 7:23
  So it's really exciting to
• 7:25
  finally put all the effort
• 7:28
  that we do for years,
• 7:30
  because this is not just a
• 7:31
  year of training.
• 7:33
  It's been years of training,
• 7:35
  years of repetitions,
• 7:37
  of repetition after repetition.
• 7:40
  And finally,
• 7:41
  you get to show that in four days.
• 7:44
  So it's years of effort, of training,
• 7:47
  of repetitions,
• 7:49
  and all resume in a weekend.
• 7:52
  So you just try to go and
• 7:55
  try to do your best and enjoy it.
• 7:58
  And that's the only thing
• 7:59
  I'm going to do this year.
• 8:02
  Like I said,
• 8:02
  it was really overwhelming in 2022.
• 8:05
  This year,
• 8:05
  I'm going to try to enjoy it way more.
• 8:10
  And that's really cool.
• 8:12
  But before we get into more
• 8:14
  parts of this year,
• 8:15
  I want to go back to how you grew up.
• 8:18
  You grew up in Costa Rica.
• 8:19
  Yes.
• 8:22
  And from what I read,
• 8:24
  you were sick a lot as a kid,
• 8:27
  had a hard time gaining weight,
• 8:30
  suffered from asthma,
• 8:32
  anxiety and depression,
• 8:33
  and fitness was your medicine.
• 8:38
  Yes.
• 8:39
  so how did you find fitness
• 8:42
  and where did you find it
• 8:44
  uh at first um I listened
• 8:50
  to the another couple
• 8:52
  podcasts from from you and
• 8:54
  the other guys burn burning
• 8:58
  in the us you guys have a
• 9:00
  different experience than
• 9:02
  like we do coming from central america
• 9:05
  For example,
• 9:06
  you guys have the background
• 9:08
  of playing sports like baseball, football,
• 9:11
  basketball.
• 9:13
  We don't get to do that.
• 9:14
  At least it wasn't like that
• 9:16
  in the 90s when I grew up.
• 9:20
  And we don't have the facilities,
• 9:22
  for example,
• 9:22
  that you guys have here in a high school.
• 9:29
  So, yeah, I was a really sick kid.
• 9:31
  I was really asthmatic.
• 9:35
  Um,
• 9:35
  so I have trouble with that and I
• 9:37
  couldn't, I couldn't run because it just,
• 9:40
  I was hyperventilating and
• 9:43
  just get asthma really,
• 9:44
  really quick for everything.
• 9:46
  I, I, I was trying to play and then, um,
• 9:51
  When I was like around 20s,
• 9:53
  one of my friends,
• 9:55
  I used to work for a bank in Costa Rica.
• 9:57
  So one of my friends showed me a gym,
• 9:59
  like a regular gym where
• 10:01
  you are in front of the
• 10:02
  mirror and doing three sets
• 10:04
  of eight bicep curls, old school gym.
• 10:07
  So he showed me that and I
• 10:10
  click immediately with that.
• 10:11
  Like I was like, I like this.
• 10:14
  Like this is like on a long
• 10:16
  time where I enjoy this.
• 10:19
  And I feel better,
• 10:21
  like I don't feel that
• 10:23
  asthma coming back.
• 10:24
  I start swimming a little bit.
• 10:26
  I start running.
• 10:27
  I start using my bike.
• 10:30
  So slowly, and also when I start growing,
• 10:34
  when I was like over 13 years old,
• 10:37
  my asthma starts slowing
• 10:39
  down a little bit.
• 10:40
  So, and then it just became my,
• 10:44
  in a good sense, it became my drug.
• 10:46
  It was my release just to do exercise.
• 10:52
  And that means just to go outside and run,
• 10:55
  use my bike,
• 10:57
  go to the gym, any physical activity,
• 11:00
  it was like my release.
• 11:03
  And also for, I'm a really anxious person.
• 11:06
  So that was,
• 11:07
  that's my way actually right now,
• 11:09
  what I deal with that,
• 11:10
  like just training.
• 11:12
  I really enjoy training.
• 11:14
  Sometimes I enjoy training
• 11:16
  more than competing.
• 11:17
  And that's because it's just
• 11:19
  part of my daily basis and just my,
• 11:22
  that way I release with my
• 11:24
  stress and all this stuff
• 11:25
  of my daily life.
• 11:28
  You know,
• 11:28
  a lot of us CrossFitters like to
• 11:30
  make fun of, you know,
• 11:31
  the mirror and the bicep
• 11:33
  curls and all that.
• 11:34
  But for someone who's trying
• 11:35
  to gain weight to put
• 11:37
  muscle on had to be like a
• 11:40
  really good feeling for you.
• 11:42
  And it was kind of like the
• 11:43
  gateway to get you into
• 11:45
  higher levels of fitness.
• 11:47
  Exactly.
• 11:48
  Yeah.
• 11:49
  We, we didn't have, or at least personally,
• 11:51
  I didn't have the
• 11:52
  background of playing sports.
• 11:53
  The only sport I played in
• 11:54
  Costa Rica was soccer.
• 11:57
  Um,
• 11:58
  I did that a lot until I
• 12:00
  blow my knee and then I
• 12:03
  have to stop because I have
• 12:05
  a LCL replacement.
• 12:07
  So then I have to stop
• 12:08
  playing and then I was
• 12:09
  really scared to go back and play.
• 12:12
  But at the same time,
• 12:13
  I was using the gym all the
• 12:16
  time as my routine.
• 12:22
  So what brought you to the States to live?
• 12:26
  My wife.
• 12:28
  Always a woman, right?
• 12:30
  Right.
• 12:30
  Yeah.
• 12:31
  She's the anchor there.
• 12:33
  We met in Costa Rica in a festival.
• 12:36
  And we started dating there.
• 12:40
  And we lived in Costa Rica for, what,
• 12:43
  almost four or five years.
• 12:45
  And then my green card got processed.
• 12:48
  We got married down there in Costa Rica.
• 12:50
  I got my green card.
• 12:52
  And then her dad is not really healthy.
• 12:56
  He's not doing really well.
• 12:59
  So we decided to move here to the U.S.
• 13:03
  in 2011.
• 13:05
  And I think you're the first
• 13:08
  athlete I've ever
• 13:09
  interviewed that's living in Wyoming.
• 13:12
  Okay.
• 13:13
  Yeah, there is not a lot of athletes here.
• 13:16
  No, no.
• 13:17
  So is that where she's from?
• 13:19
  Is that why you landed there?
• 13:21
  Yes.
• 13:21
  Her family is from Casper, Wyoming.
• 13:26
  So it's got to be quiet, right?
• 13:28
  I can only imagine.
• 13:29
  It's beautiful, quiet, serene.
• 13:32
  Yes, it's really quiet, really outdoor.
• 13:36
  We have the four seasons here.
• 13:38
  It was a shock for me, too,
• 13:39
  coming from Costa Rica and
• 13:41
  the tropical weather.
• 13:42
  We have summer and rainy season.
• 13:45
  So coming here and having the four seasons,
• 13:48
  it was a little shocking.
• 13:49
  But...
• 13:52
  i like it I kind of enjoy it
• 13:53
  here and I like that part
• 13:55
  that is really really quiet
• 13:56
  you know coming from costa
• 13:57
  rica also uh two million
• 13:59
  people city coming here
• 14:02
  where there is no traffic
• 14:03
  and it's pretty nice and
• 14:06
  pretty quiet here it's way
• 14:07
  different and then you
• 14:09
  ended up becoming a
• 14:10
  business owner yes uh-huh
• 14:12
  three years your own gym
• 14:14
  three years ago this was
• 14:16
  one of my dreams too to have my own gym
• 14:20
  And three years ago, I opened Cura Fit,
• 14:23
  what is a boutique gym I
• 14:25
  have here in Casper.
• 14:27
  So Cura, what does that mean?
• 14:29
  So that's in honor of the
• 14:31
  indigenous from Costa Rica.
• 14:35
  Cura, they named Cura.
• 14:38
  It's kind of a mountain lion.
• 14:42
  And it means strength for
• 14:44
  them and some other values.
• 14:50
  And I want to honor my country.
• 14:52
  I want to honor where I'm coming from.
• 14:54
  So for me, the Indians from there,
• 14:57
  they were the first ones to
• 14:59
  be there in our land.
• 15:01
  So I decided to use one of
• 15:03
  their God's names in honor
• 15:08
  to them and my country.
• 15:11
  I think I'm trying to pull
• 15:12
  up your Instagram.
• 15:15
  Yeah.
• 15:16
  I think I saw a
• 15:19
  Like a graphic.
• 15:23
  Of the Puma.
• 15:24
  Yeah.
• 15:25
  Where was it?
• 15:27
  Come on.
• 15:30
  Now I can't find it.
• 15:34
  Shoot.
• 15:35
  It looks so cool.
• 15:36
  It was like this for the audience.
• 15:39
  It was like an outline drawing.
• 15:41
  Like lines of like a Puma head.
• 15:45
  The Puma head.
• 15:45
  Exactly.
• 15:46
  That's what it is.
• 15:47
  Maybe I saw it.
• 15:48
  It's on your gym's website or Instagram.
• 15:51
  It's there too.
• 15:52
  Yeah.
• 15:52
  Yeah.
• 15:53
  Okay.
• 15:53
  There it is.
• 15:54
  Got it.
• 15:55
  Okay.
• 15:55
  So I'm going to share my screen.
• 15:57
  Okay.
• 16:02
  And bam, there we go.
• 16:06
  That is such a cool graphic.
• 16:08
  And so that Puma head is
• 16:10
  what represents Cora, right?
• 16:13
  Kura, yes.
• 16:14
  That's the name of that puma.
• 16:17
  And it's in honor of the Borucas,
• 16:19
  what is the name of the
• 16:20
  Indians in Costa Rica.
• 16:23
  It's so cool.
• 16:24
  So cool.
• 16:24
  So it's a boutique gym.
• 16:27
  Yes.
• 16:29
  And you're a functional fitness gym?
• 16:31
  Yeah.
• 16:35
  So is it smaller?
• 16:36
  I want to keep it small on purpose.
• 16:41
  Because I want to offer
• 16:42
  something like more personalized.
• 16:45
  I don't want to have a
• 16:46
  global gym where you have
• 16:48
  20 people in the same class,
• 16:51
  and then you have five in
• 16:53
  the back that they don't
• 16:54
  know what they're doing,
• 16:55
  or they are completely shy
• 16:56
  because they don't want to
• 16:57
  ask in front of everyone.
• 16:59
  Or, you know,
• 17:00
  people just feel uncomfortable.
• 17:01
  It's uncomfortable for some
• 17:02
  people just to come to the gym.
• 17:05
  So I want to have a small class,
• 17:09
  a small gym where
• 17:12
  My classes are, when I have a full class,
• 17:16
  it's going to be a 12-people class.
• 17:19
  And that's it.
• 17:20
  That's the maximum.
• 17:22
  But usually during the week,
• 17:24
  it's like around six, eight,
• 17:27
  it depends on the day.
• 17:28
  And that was one of my
• 17:30
  purpose when I opened the gym,
• 17:32
  to keep something small and
• 17:33
  something more personalized
• 17:34
  where you're going to feel
• 17:35
  more comfortable too.
• 17:38
  It's funny because when I, like...
• 17:41
  During COVID, I changed gyms.
• 17:43
  And I went to,
• 17:45
  do you know who Christy
• 17:47
  Aramo O'Connell is?
• 17:48
  Aramo, yeah.
• 17:49
  Yeah.
• 17:50
  So I go to her gym.
• 17:51
  Okay.
• 17:53
  And during COVID,
• 17:54
  they had lanes made and
• 17:56
  they capped the class at 18.
• 17:59
  And it was so nice because
• 18:01
  you weren't on top of anybody.
• 18:02
  You had your space.
• 18:04
  And then they liked it so
• 18:06
  much that they kept that
• 18:08
  business model after COVID.
• 18:11
  Yes.
• 18:12
  And so it's set up in a way that they can,
• 18:16
  as a coach,
• 18:17
  go between the rig and see all nine lanes,
• 18:22
  one on each side.
• 18:23
  So that gives you 18 really
• 18:25
  quickly and able to give
• 18:28
  all of the clients a great experience.
• 18:32
  Exactly.
• 18:32
  So when they are doing their strength,
• 18:35
  for example, and they're back squatting,
• 18:36
  I set up the rig in a way
• 18:40
  that I can see everyone.
• 18:42
  so if I need to correct
• 18:43
  someone I have access to
• 18:45
  everyone at the same time
• 18:47
  so I'm not missing the
• 18:48
  person in the back and that
• 18:50
  person is not going to get
• 18:51
  any coaching so yeah that
• 18:54
  was my concept and I want
• 18:56
  to keep it that way is is
• 18:59
  coaching a passion of yours
• 19:01
  yes I love it what's what's
• 19:04
  more athlete or coach they
• 19:08
  go hand to hand like I said
• 19:11
  sometimes I feel like I love
• 19:13
  more training than
• 19:14
  competing compete competing
• 19:17
  get me gets me really
• 19:18
  anxious but when I'm
• 19:20
  training I am I feel good
• 19:23
  like it's just my lifestyle
• 19:26
  but coaching I also feel
• 19:28
  like you know I'm doing
• 19:31
  something for someone like
• 19:34
  it's impossible
• 19:37
  let's say I have 10 of those
• 19:39
  guys here training,
• 19:41
  it's going to be for me
• 19:41
  impossible to change their
• 19:43
  lifestyle for 10 people.
• 19:44
  But if I make a change to one,
• 19:46
  I accomplish something
• 19:49
  because that person is
• 19:50
  going to change their
• 19:51
  lifestyle and is going to
• 19:53
  become a better mom, a better dad,
• 19:57
  is going to be healthier,
• 19:58
  is going to play with their kids.
• 20:00
  It's such a broad...
• 20:04
  change that you're doing in your life.
• 20:06
  And people need to realize
• 20:07
  that this is the only life we have.
• 20:13
  And we just have to take
• 20:14
  care of ourselves.
• 20:15
  No one is going to take care
• 20:16
  of you if you don't take
• 20:17
  care of yourself.
• 20:18
  So for me, that's really,
• 20:19
  really important to change
• 20:21
  people's lifestyle.
• 20:22
  Not just making you lose five pounds.
• 20:26
  Everyone can do that.
• 20:27
  It's just looking at yourself in 10,
• 20:30
  20 years.
• 20:33
  Yeah, that's really cool.
• 20:38
  So if training is your happy
• 20:42
  place and gives you that serenity,
• 20:45
  why do you compete?
• 20:55
  So making it to the CrossFit
• 20:57
  Games was my biggest goal.
• 21:00
  Let's put it that way.
• 21:01
  I did some small
• 21:02
  competitions here in Casper, in Wyoming,
• 21:07
  sorry.
• 21:08
  But, you know,
• 21:09
  I knew that any of those competitions,
• 21:13
  it was not going to take me
• 21:14
  to the CrossFit Games.
• 21:16
  So it's like the Super Bowl, you know,
• 21:20
  for you guys.
• 21:22
  So I want to be there.
• 21:25
  So the only way I can get
• 21:26
  there was going through all
• 21:28
  the process of the open semifinals,
• 21:30
  quarterfinals.
• 21:31
  But it was just kind of a goal for me.
• 21:35
  And then when I reached it
• 21:36
  the first time in 22, I was like, OK,
• 21:40
  I think I can do this again.
• 21:41
  Like, I know the process now.
• 21:44
  I know how to train
• 21:45
  specifically for each stage.
• 21:49
  And, you know,
• 21:49
  I'm going to try to make it.
• 21:51
  But also at the same time, if I don't,
• 21:53
  I did my best.
• 21:56
  But it's just the competing
• 21:57
  feel like it just it's a
• 22:00
  weird relationship.
• 22:01
  It's so anxious, so stressful.
• 22:03
  But at the same time,
• 22:04
  when they're three to one go,
• 22:06
  I start enjoying it again.
• 22:08
  I guess it's just a weird relationship.
• 22:12
  So you're a mayhem athlete.
• 22:14
  Yes, sir.
• 22:16
  Mayhem is probably the exact
• 22:18
  opposite of what I would
• 22:19
  call a boutique gym.
• 22:22
  Have you been to Cookville?
• 22:24
  Oh, yeah.
• 22:24
  I go there for every semifinal.
• 22:27
  They invite me to go and compete there.
• 22:30
  It is the biggest gym I've
• 22:31
  ever been to in my life.
• 22:32
  It's a big gym.
• 22:34
  It is.
• 22:35
  Yeah, it's different.
• 22:36
  Again,
• 22:37
  coming from this boutique gym where
• 22:39
  you are surrounded of eight people,
• 22:41
  ten people,
• 22:42
  and then going there is just insane.
• 22:44
  It's huge.
• 22:46
  So a lot of the guys I've
• 22:48
  interviewed this week are
• 22:49
  mayhem athletes.
• 22:50
  They all went for semis.
• 22:52
  Are you, do you know all those guys?
• 22:53
  Oh yeah.
• 22:54
  Bread.
• 22:54
  I love bread.
• 22:56
  Brandon, Jordan Webb.
• 22:59
  I have a, another guy,
• 23:02
  a friend in Costa Rica, Arturo.
• 23:04
  He's my really good friend too.
• 23:06
  And also helped me with coaching.
• 23:08
  And yeah, every time I go there,
• 23:11
  it's like I create a new relationship,
• 23:14
  a new bond with some of those guys.
• 23:16
  Like,
• 23:17
  Does it feel like a team?
• 23:19
  It does.
• 23:20
  You're on a team?
• 23:21
  Personally, it does.
• 23:23
  Like, you know, you're going to have,
• 23:27
  and I think that's a normal
• 23:29
  behavior of a human being.
• 23:30
  You're going to have a
• 23:31
  better relationship with
• 23:32
  some people than others.
• 23:34
  But every time I go,
• 23:36
  my experience is just the best.
• 23:38
  Like those people,
• 23:39
  we are kind of in the same page.
• 23:42
  You know what I mean?
• 23:42
  Like we all go compete against each other.
• 23:45
  But then when we're done, we shake hands.
• 23:48
  We are all sweaty.
• 23:49
  We hug each other and that's it.
• 23:53
  So, and that's what I love.
• 23:54
  Like it's such a family there.
• 23:59
  Why did you choose Mayhem?
• 24:01
  I did another program.
• 24:03
  I did a couple programs before Mahan.
• 24:08
  And I felt that it wasn't
• 24:13
  taking me where I need to
• 24:14
  be to be at the games level.
• 24:19
  And then I did some research.
• 24:22
  And then basically the decision was like,
• 24:25
  if Rich Froning is doing
• 24:27
  this and he is at the top of the game,
• 24:30
  he's doing something right.
• 24:32
  so I'm gonna give it a try
• 24:35
  and I don't like to judge a
• 24:37
  program in a month you know
• 24:38
  what I mean like I want to
• 24:40
  do it for a year and then I
• 24:42
  can see like okay this this
• 24:44
  this is working this is not
• 24:46
  working so I start doing it
• 24:49
  and then also they surround
• 24:51
  with the best coaches and
• 24:52
  gymnastics and endurance
• 24:55
  strength so they just have
• 24:57
  the top coaches
• 25:00
  On, on the game.
• 25:02
  And again, like I said,
• 25:03
  like if rich running is at
• 25:05
  the top of the game,
• 25:06
  that means that he's doing
• 25:07
  something right.
• 25:09
  Yeah.
• 25:11
  Um, so who,
• 25:11
  who are you taking with you to
• 25:13
  Birmingham?
• 25:14
  So my family is going with me, my two kids,
• 25:18
  my wife,
• 25:19
  and there is like five gym members.
• 25:23
  They're my friends,
• 25:24
  close friends here that
• 25:25
  they're going to be there with me too.
• 25:27
  That's awesome.
• 25:29
  Yeah.
• 25:31
  Who's your coach with Mayhem?
• 25:34
  So I don't do like a
• 25:35
  personalized one-on-one coach.
• 25:37
  I follow their program.
• 25:39
  But Jordan Webb and Arturo from Costa Rica,
• 25:43
  those are my two coaches that we discuss,
• 25:47
  you know, like the workouts,
• 25:50
  like let's do this this way.
• 25:52
  They do recommendations for me.
• 25:55
  So we are in constantly
• 25:57
  communication with each
• 25:59
  other and we just support
• 26:01
  each other really good.
• 26:03
  That's great.
• 26:04
  It's just awesome having a
• 26:05
  great support network.
• 26:07
  Oh, yeah.
• 26:09
  What are the expectations this year?
• 26:12
  To enjoy it.
• 26:13
  I like to keep it basic.
• 26:16
  I'm going to go enjoy it and try my best.
• 26:19
  That's it.
• 26:21
  You said you were overwhelmed in 22.
• 26:24
  Do you want to soak it in more this time?
• 26:27
  Yes.
• 26:28
  What's going on around you?
• 26:32
  I want to enjoy it and
• 26:35
  more this year like I
• 26:37
  learned from the previous
• 26:39
  experience and also from
• 26:41
  legends because I competed
• 26:43
  in legends at mayhem and
• 26:45
  that was a really good
• 26:46
  group of people it was a
• 26:48
  big competition so having
• 26:50
  the experience to be at the
• 26:52
  games in 22 and then also
• 26:54
  legends that really helped
• 26:55
  me because you know when I
• 26:58
  made it for the first time
• 26:59
  I was from training alone
• 27:01
  going to the games to the games
• 27:04
  So that was a little bit shocking.
• 27:06
  But now having the
• 27:06
  experience of going to the
• 27:09
  games for the first time and also Legends,
• 27:12
  I feel like I feel more
• 27:13
  confident now going into a
• 27:15
  bigger competition like that.
• 27:19
  Well, Jonathan,
• 27:19
  I want to thank you so much
• 27:20
  for hanging out with me for 30 minutes.
• 27:23
  It's been so much fun
• 27:24
  getting to know all the athletes.
• 27:27
  We are going to be in
• 27:28
  Birmingham doing a behind
• 27:29
  the scenes at the Masters CrossFit Games.
• 27:34
  Can't wait to chat with you
• 27:35
  there and get some more
• 27:37
  footage of you at the competition.
• 27:40
  Perfect.
• 27:40
  I appreciate your help and I
• 27:42
  appreciate your support to
• 27:43
  all the Masters athletes.
• 27:46
  It's a great community that
• 27:47
  I love being a part of.
• 27:48
  I'm a master's athlete myself.
• 27:50
  Just as good as all of you.
• 27:52
  Perfect.
• 27:52
  Thank you so much.
• 27:53
  I appreciate it.
• 27:54
  With that, thank you, everybody,
• 27:55
  for joining us.
• 27:56
  We'll see everybody next
• 27:57
  time on the Clydesdale Media Podcast.
• 28:01
  Bye, guys.
• 28:02
  Bye.