Late Starts: How Semifinal Athletes Adjust to Competing Later

June 22, 2022 by
Photo Credit: Fury Photography

It’s just before 9 PM on Friday night in TCO Stadium—the sun has set, the stadium lights are bright, and the crowd roars with each attempt at the barbell complex at the Granite Games semifinal.

Alex Gazan (who later in the weekend would qualify for her first CrossFit Games) hits a complex PR of 230 pounds and the raw emotion is palatable. Being so late in the evening, how does one come down from that excitement to get to bed on time, and do it all again the next day?

“That was definitely the hardest I think,” her coach and head of Underdog Athletics, Justin Cotler, said. “For her, just being wired —she doesn’t have that competition experience yet, so trying to get her focused and leveling her emotions. Yes, it was amazing; give me a hug, now let’s do what we need to do to ride this momentum the rest of the weekend.”

With late finishes come late starts, and many athletes aren’t used to being restless all day, waiting to give it their all until dinner time.

Cotler says one of the keys is to adjust your sleep schedule leading into competition weekend.

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