Still Locked Down in Quebec, Cedric Lapointe Finalizes Move to Alpharetta
In February, we reported on Canadian CrossFit Games hopeful Cedric Lapointe, who was banned from his gym by police in Gatineau, Quebec when he was training alone at CrossFit 819, an affiliate he manages.
- Since then, Lapointe’s training life has been uncertain and tumultuous, and with gyms in Quebec still closed, he is making the move to Alpharetta, GA on May 3 to live with his coach Kyle Ruth and train at Training Think Tank amongst a number of other Games athletes, including Noah Ohlsen, Travis Mayer, Alessandra Pichelli and Lauren Fisher.
The details: After police threatened to fine Lapointe if he returned to train at CrossFit 819, he began training at a friend’s garage gym in the neighboring province of Ontario.
- Shortly after that, gyms reopened in Quebec, but that only lasted for about 10 days before they were mandated to close again. “All these members brought back the equipment they borrowed, only to close again 10 days later,” Lapointe said of the hassle it caused his community.
- In recent weeks, Lapointe has been legally allowed to train outside only, and police often come by to make sure nobody is inside, Lapointe explained.
- During the Quarterfinals, Lapointe, who finished 30th overall, “snuck inside” to complete the tests, while people outside kept an eye out for policemen showing up unannounced. “It was somewhat stressful, but I’m kind of used to it now because I have been sneaking in for a year now,” Lapointe laughed.
High hopes for 2021: After missing the CrossFit Games by one place at two Sanctionals competitions in 2019 — The CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown and the Atlas Games — and qualifying to the Games last season only to have his invitation stripped from him when CrossFit LLC changed the qualification process because of COVID-19, Lapointe feels confident 2021 is finally his year.
- “When that spot was taken away, I was pretty bummed out, pretty upset, but I was still thinking I could qualify through another Sanctional because they were still pending, but when they were cancelled, yeah, I was pretty upset,” he said. “But to be honest, I think 100 percent this is my year.”
One big thing: Lapointe came close to the Games multiple times in both 2019 and 2020 while battling various moderately serious injuries — a torn pec to a shoulder injury, a hamstring injury and a broken wrist — which bodes well for his chances this year, as he has finally been healthy for an entire year.
- “I had a lot of things happen to me…At one point, I couldn’t squat for three months,” Lapointe said.
- Being healthy has allowed him to fix some of his biggest weaknesses, which he was able to put to the test on the wall ball, rowing event during the Quarterfinals. “I was really happy with how I did. That rowing test was a bit of a redemption,” Lapointe said of his top 100 placing on that event, a big improvement from his 1,125th placing in the wall ball, rowing Open workout in 19.1
The big picture: Through all the injury and COVID-related challenges, Lapointe has become more determined than ever to get himself to Madison, WI this summer. His confidence is higher than ever, and he’s hoping training with other top hopefuls at Training Think Tank will help him seal the deal.
- “I’m still improving so much, so I have always felt like my time will come. I’m getting fitter and have closed the gaps on my weaknesses, and I do believe the best is yet to come,” he said.
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