Special Response Bureau Corporal Specialist Rocky Warden is a lean, mean, fighting machine.Warden placed 24th out of 200 competitors at the Crossfit Games Southeast Regional Qualifiers in Jacksonville in July.
Crossfit blends weightlifting, gymnastics, plyometrics, running, throwing and climbing into short, intense workouts.
Warden represented the Crossfit Redline gym, which is one of 55 in the state of Florida that participated in the regional qualifiers. He competed against other Crossfit athletes from Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.
The top seven male and female competitors will compete in the Third Annual Crossfit Games in Aromas, Calif. alongside other regional winners from around the world.
In the two-day regional competition in Jacksonville, the first day’s events were not announced until 24 hours before it began. The purpose of waiting to list the itinerary is to inspire Crossfit athletes become well rounded in strength, stamina, power, balance and endurance.
Day two of the qualifiers was like a grueling obstacle course of rowing 1000 meters, doing 25 overhead squats with 135 pounds and completing 50 swings of a kettle bell weighing more than 50 pounds. Each challenge was separated by 200 meters on a track. The ranking was determined by completion time.
Warden’s training began when he started a version of “The Zone” diet for athletes. Three months ago, he began doing two Crossfit workouts a day.
“The workouts I used to train were very tough and closely resembled the events at the competition,” Warden said.
Warden is no stranger to competition. He has competed in the SWAT Roundup for the past three years and the regional SWAT competition the past two.
Warden said, “The competition was very humbling. I felt good when I learned I ranked 24th. I wanted top seven, however this was my first year and I was able to hold my own against some steep competition.”
Warden plans to compete in next year’s regional qualifiers as well.
Immokalee Cpl. Anthony DiSarro owns the Crossfit Redline gym where Warden trained. He said he plans to put together a group to compete in the team qualifiers in the near future.
