California

After the Games Papa drove me to San Luis to meet up with Chad and Laurel. From there they drove me to Westmont and Papa flew home. Westmont was beautiful and I was so blessed to attend the conference. Chad and Laurel prayed, hoping that I could come and it worked out. The call for revival of the church was the theme and being among the fellowship revived my spirit. I learned how much God really wants to work in me. He will do it if I just call on his name. It's so encouraging to be reminded of that. I saw that God is always working in the church; working to prepare his bride for the feast. I am so delighted to be a part of it.
After the conference I spent a few days in Pasadena before heading to UCLA. Eric LeClair welcomed me to his affiliate for a workout and afterwards took me out to breakfast with his crew.
4 rounds:
400 meter run
50 backsquats @ half BW(55 lbs)
It took me about 23 min and completely wrecked my legs just in time for Gym Camp.
UCLA was a blast. Chris Waller, the assistant coach remembered me and congratulated me on my progress. My roommates weren't very social but I got to see Jessica and Sabrina from SLO. That was great; they were really excited to see me. In the gym I really improved my vault and floor tumbling. The coaching was very helpful. They were almost twice as many campers as the last year but it was great anyway. Just a little crowded. There was a skit night and the skit that my group did ended up winning the BEST SKIT prize. Hooray.
After UCLA I joined the Puente Valley Fellowship for Sunday service and a large group of us went out for lunch at Pei Wei afterward. Dave offered to take me on a hike. On Monday I really wanted to get another workout in at Eric's place but Laurel didn't want to drive in LA traffic and Chad had to work so it didn't work out. Dave picked my up at about 6 pm and took me on a hike up and along a canyon ridge to a thirty-foot waterfall that he had known about since him and his buddies were kids. The pool beneath the falls was twenty feet deep. It took me a long time to jump in the water but I finally did and it was colder than I expected. Dave did his 5.11 boulder problem up to the top and then did a gainer flip off the top into the pool. I got enough adrenaline from watching him so I decided not to jump. Water is not my favorite thing.
Monday night Per drove me to Claremont. Tuesday I got a hold of Megan and I hung out at her house for the day. Megan was pretty tired because she had stayed up late at her friend's house the night before. We went for a walk in the Village(There is a whole new section of it now, all modernized.) and we caught up a little on the last three years. She got a little more energy when we walked to the highschool and met up with Megan Young to play tennis. I saw quite a few of my old peers from school just stroll by. It was weird, they were all grown up.
Tuesday I just sat around at the KD's and Per treated me to this new frozen yogurt place in the Village called Cefiore(Claremont's big on the frozen yogurt thing). Tuesday night I spent at the Chu's. They were very excited to see me. We chatted a lot about school and dance(Desi made the highschool dance team). I told them all about the new and updated Kallista crediting Zone and CrossFit. Mrs Chu seemed very interested in the Zone, which made me excited. They took me out to dinner and to see the Dark Knight in theatres(it was wonderful, but I think I need to see it again.) I've had so many dreams about Claremont in the past four years it was totally surreal actually being there. Claremont was my first home that I have solid memories of so I have a sort of emotional attachment to it.
Leaving Claremont was sad because it meant that my trip was almost over. About and hour after I got back to Pasadena, Laurel, Chad, and I hit the road in their new car(Samson) to head to SLO for Grandma and Grandpa's 50 wedding anniversary! Yay! I was really happy that all six of us "kids" and Pa got to be there.
Sunday morning Pa and I drove home home home to Seattle. Bethany and Aimee and Stefan stayed a couple more days and got home Thursday morning and guess who they brought with them? Emily!!!!! oh yah and don't forget Caden.
This week at gym we started morning practice. It was a little hard getting back to routine. Riding the bus and all that. I was really spoiled mentally going to California so this week I was just getting back into the groove. Yulia and Guennadi are sure happy to see me back. Yulia gave me a Russian nickname that I cannot pronounce and definitely can't spell. but it's pretty. She said girls with this name are calm and composed and she said she would change it to something else when I get more aggressive and brave. Haha.
This morning Lisbeth Darsh a CrossFitter who works on the staff called me for an interview. Her name signs the posts on the CF affliliate sight, she owns an affiliate on the east coast and I think she edits the Journal. She emailed Papa a couple weeks ago asking to interview me about my experiences at the Games for the CrossFit Journal. I was stoked!!! I was just thinking about how all this attention is very overwhelming, but I am so happy and honored that the community is behind me and supporting me all the way. The interview went very well.
So it is Caden's birthday today. He is 2 and beautiful.
And guess what that means? My birthday's tomorrow!!! 15. yep.
We were thinking of throwing a really big party with for all the summer birthdays: Papa(July 14...haha I forgot again), Caden, me, Bethany(Aug 20). Laurel's birthday is on the fifth, I wish she could be there to celebrate with us.
Man, it's so sad how summer just flies by so fast. It's been so awesome and unreal.
all, have a wonderful weekend.

The journey back home(From KC)

I wish I had some pictures from the trip back to Seattle, but I cannot access them at this point.

I was challenged and inspired by the Dragon team the whole week. I got so much more out of it this year because I am better conditioned. Toward the end of the week a little inconvenience presented itself. I realized that I had phlebitis on Thursday so I had to cut the week short. This means that I had an inflamed vein in my leg that was irritated from a bruise I got a long time ago in my shin. I went to the urgent care center on Wednesday and the doctor mis-diagnosed it as an infection and gave me an antibiotic that I was sensitive to. I went back on Thursday to get a new antibiotic but the same doctor wasn't there and the doctor that checked me said it wasn't an infection and I needed to rest it and take a different medicine. So that was the little inconvience that kept me from staying through Friday. After I told Coach Fong how grateful I was for his kindness, Aimee and I hit the road Friday morning.
On the way back Aimee was busy driving and I was sleeping most of the way. We stopped in Colorado Springs area on the way back to visit Aimee's friend Lindsey Largent from SLO. We slept on her couch and she showed us around her little town called Monument.
We had a layover day in Superior(Louisville), CO at the Cevaal's. Papa knew Mr. Cevaal at the School of Mines in Golden where they both went to school. Mr. and Mrs. Cevaal weren't there so we hung out with the kids. After going to church with them we played board games, cards, and chatted until late.
Aimee and I left early Sunday morning and headed north to Bozeman once again. Chris couldn't be there but he left us his key. By Monday we were very anxious to get home and hit the road early for the last 10 hr stretch. We got home just in time for me to make it to gym practice:P
We were both really pooped(Aimee more than me:).
I was a little sad that it all ended so fast. It's so nice when you get away from your normal daily routine and have some fun. I love traveling and learning new things. I'm so grateful everything worked out. One thing I need to remember is to enjoy every minute and never take anything for granted.
Aimee and Acacia are troopers. I love you guys.
Thank you to the Rundles.
Thank you Chris Robinson.
Thank you Papa.
Thank you little mini van for hangin' in there.
Thank you Al Fong and Dragon Gymnastics.
Thank you Lord.

Sorry for the delay. I realized I've had this saved in my list of posts for quite a while:)
ciao

Golden California

I'm at the Police's house now, my hair is almost all gone now and I just finished swimming. Beau and Mayla(the poodles) are brilliantly black, and I am sitting on the hearth. Carol and everyone else is in the process of transforming the backyard into a fairyland for Sarah and Alec's wedding in August.

We all got back from the Christian Conference at Westmont, Santa Barbara last night. The campus was beautiful, the food was great for cafeteria food and the fellowship was the best I have ever encountered. Most of the attendees were somehow related to the Police family. I heard a lot of "second cousin, once removed" and things like that. My spirit is revived.

If I get a hold of Eric LeClair I will go to CrossFit tomorrow morning. My UCLA camp starts Wednesday morning. I can't wait to see some of my old friends from SLO. It'll be great to workout after not being in the gym for a week or so. After the camp I'll come back to Pasadena and visit Claremont a couple days. Wow, so much excitement. It's weird how these things are finally happening that I have been looking forward to for so long. The Lord is blessing me so.

Did I mention my hair was gone? As of 30 minutes ago I have very short hair. If my hair was straight it would touch my shoulders, but it's curly and it almost looks like Laurel's. I love it. I is times like these I wish I had my very own camera.

2008 CrossFit Games=total Success

If you weren't there, you missed out.

Day one:
So the CrossFit Staff's plan for the games was to give three WODs on the first day to completely destroy everyone and then see how well they held up for the fourth WOD on the second day. It was very clever. And as the saying went on a Concept II sponsored water bottle: "No weakness was left untested."
I was lucky so I got to compete the order of workouts I requested on the first day. The fourth workout was announced Saturday night.

I should clarify:
Age: 14
Weight: 103 lbs
Years CrossFitting: 3


WOD #1
Three Rounds for time:
21-15-9
Thrusters(men:95#, women:65#)
Pullups

The standards for the movements were:
Thruster: Rep counts if the hip crease is below parallel on squat, some portion of the ear showing in front of the arm as it is locked out overhead
Pullup: Rep counts if there is Full shoulder extension at bottom, and some portion of the chest below the clavicle touches the bar at top.
My time: 7:50 My very first as rx'd "Fran"


WOD #2
5 rounds for time of
5 Deadlifts(men: 275#, women: 185#)
10 Burpees!

The standards for the movements were:
Deadlift: Rep counts if there is full extension at the top of the movement and if your hands stay on the bar as it is lowered(in other words no dropping the weight)
Burpee!: Rep counts if hips and thighs touch the floor at the bottom of the pushup, and full extension of hips with clap behind the head in jump.
My time: 5:52 as rx'd

WOD #3
720 m hill run

There were no expectations... you just had to make it back alive.
My time: 4:53 (10th)
At the end of the day each person's time were added and the person who completed all three workouts in the least amount of time was the at the top.
After the first day I was in 15th place. Beside the fact that my legs were jello, I felt great.
They announced Sunday's workout after the last workout heat.
WOD#4
"Heavy Grace"
30 Clean & Jerks
(men: 155, women: 100)
My time: 10:47
I crashed in the middle of the workout and then got up and finished. CrossFit honored me with a video on the main sight: here
And then they posted and interview on the Games sight: here

I ended up placing 25th overall.

I wrote a potential article for the CrossFit Journal. If they accept it, I will post it after they publish it.

CrossFit isn't only about being fit. It's really about the community and the friendships that develop through suffering together. People should understand that when they start CrossFit, sure their strength will improve immensely, but also they are entering a whole different universe. I am very proud to be part of it.

In the video of my C&Js you may notice how the crowd is urging me on. "Dig Deep!" "Get it up there!" "Go!" Having the crowd behind you like that is surreal. It wouldn't have been possible without them.

GSGA

Heading down to Aromas tonight and tomorrow. Wish me Luck!!

Kallista