So You’re Saying There’s a Chance? Tia-Clair Toomey Has Open Invite to Rogue Invitational
In her latest YouTube video, six-time reigning and defending “Fittest Woman on Earth” Tia-Clair Toomey disclosed that she hasn’t completely ruled out competing at this year’s Rogue Invitational on October 28-30 at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, TX. When asked if she had an open invitation to Rogue she confirmed that was indeed true.
“I couldn’t decline my invitation,” commented Toomey. “I actually was like, ‘Hey I’ll do Legends. I still want to physically be a part of the Rogue Invitational weekend.’”
Remind me: We reported that Toomey would not be a part of this year’s Rogue Invitational field after Rogue announced the 20 women and 20 men on the competition roster of the fourth installment of the premiere offseason competition. Absent was Toomey, who according to her previous YouTube videos is not completely healed from a back injury that happened before the Games during training and plagued her throughout the competition.
- She has also stated she took a month off after the Games and just recently got back to training three weeks ago with her focus being training for November’s Down Under Championship in Wollongong, Australia. Her training for that event has been more team-focused as she will partner up with Brooke Wells and Ellie Turner.
- Though absent from the Rogue list of confirmed athletes, Toomey has said she would be at the Rogue Invitational in some capacity. That is no surprise given that she is a Rogue sponsored athlete and her and husband Shane Orr’s close friendship with the Bill and Caity Henniger, the founder and owners of Rogue.
Open invite: It is believed that Toomey is referencing Caity Henniger in her YouTube video when she says she was having difficulties deciding to decline her invite to Rogue.
- “Caity was like, ‘I’m going to say no because you need to focus on getting your back better,’ this was immediately after the Games. I just can’t decline. I physically can not press decline or email that in. She was like I’ll handle it and keep it open for you. She had to reassure me that ‘hey there’s still an option if you need it and it’s not taken away from you but you’re not going to be forgotten.”
- Toomey offering up competing in the Legends Division at the Rogue Invitational could be her wanting to compete not just for herself but also for her fans. That division acts as more of an exhibition to showcase the Legends of the sport and could be a great solution for Toomey as it’s not six events over the three days of competition. She could jump in on a few of the events like Rich Froning did in 2019.
- Additionally in the latest video, Toomey and Orr again teased the audience regarding their plans for the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games season. The question being will Toomey compete? When asked about her comments on Nashville’s NewChannel5 interview of her, she playfully avoids answering the question.
- Orr does the same when asked what their plans are for the season.
- Both segments are obviously scripted and the two are clearly enjoying the attention surrounding what has been a lingering question since the Games regarding Toomey’s future in the sport.
The bottom line: Retirement questions aside, Toomey enjoys competing but she also wants to be in top form when competing at an event like Rogue where the programming tends to be heavier. Those types of events could provide problems for someone still recovering from a back injury.
Competing at less than 100% is not a good move when it comes to her nearly perfect legacy. At last year’s Rogue Invitational she had to mount a comeback on the final day to win as she struggled with not being in “CrossFit” shape due to her training with the Australian Olympic bobsled team.
But it wouldn’t be surprising if she competes in some capacity at the Rogue Invitational especially given that they will accommodate her if she desires to jump into the competition in either the elite or Legends divisions.
The indecisiveness of Toomey when it comes to competing at the Rogue Invitational is much aligned with what she dealt with when it came to questions regarding her retirement. It’s hard to make a decision when you are the best the sport has ever seen and are still the best. It’s understandable, competitors compete and she is considered one of if not the best competitors in CrossFit history. She’s obviously has been torn with making decisions but having people like her husband and the Henniger’s supporting her protects her legacy as the greatest of all time.
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