The last three weeks were a test of communication and organizational skills. Some teams excelled, others struggled. Some started out strong and then stumbled, others struggled at the start but pulled themselves together. Each event rewarded those teams that did the best job of planning and communicating. Weeks 1 and 2 we kept the events short so teams could practice communicating and organizing. In week three we threw a bigger event your way hoping the skills developed in the first two weeks would assist you in managing the logistics of a longer workout. It went better for some than for others.
DT came prepared with a colour coded flowchart to help manage her team’s transitions. Team Stampeders, completing all the WODs outside the gym, had to improvise equipment and cleverly used a bucket and ball with Sandman’s face for a bum target! Starting their event late, Team Here for the Coffee gave us a glimpse of what might have been. Sure, they might have been near the bottom of leaderboard with only 236/300 reps but they did all those reps in only 10 minutes!!!
Of course, the main impetus of this whole make-work project for the WOD Father was to have a few weeks with members discussing something other than masks and restrictions and vaccines. And it worked. As much extra work as it created on the back end, it was worth it to come in daily to see and hear the excitement, the drama and the laughs created by the first annual Empower COVID Games so thank you to all who participated!
And while we certainly do not hope to have a pandemic annually, there is no reason why we have to abandon fun ideas born of the pandemic after it has passed. This year’s event was a trial run to test the scaling of movements and the scalability of the event. In 2022 we may try inviting a select few other gyms to participate along with us as there are few masters team events available locally and none as accessible to athletes of all levels.
Kudos to you for coming out and giving it a try. If you had fun, if you made some new friends, if you had a few good workouts that really pushed you, if you got a taste of that great Empower community spirit, then regardless of your rank on the leaderboard, you are a winner and you should celebrate and congratulate yourself for coming out to play!
Here are you winners by division:
I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up!
In the coveted, rarefied air of our oldest division Team Snap, Crackle, Pop remained uncontested earning their place on the podium and our respect. We should all grow up to be so healthy and active and committed to having fun! They were already champs in my book before, the competition just gave them an opportunity to make it official.
Points | Team |
56 | Snap, Crackle, Pop |
Hey Kid, Get Off My Lawn!
The second oldest division offered up some fierce competition. 50 is the New 50 got off to an early lead while the Aged and Marbled Beef Boyz struggled to coordinate in week one. But once the Beef Boyz got organized, they started creeping up the leaderboard. Never far behind the two lead teams Team Bombaye lurked just behind with solid showings in all three weeks. This turned out to be the tightest race of all and a come-from-behind-victory-story when the Beef Boyz pulled off their second consecutive third place finish in 21.3 to tie 50 is the New 50 on overall points (16) forcing us to resort to the tie break ruling that the best place finish wins. In this case the Beef Boyz had two third place finishes (weeks 2 & 3) while 50 is the New 50’s best finish was fourth place in week 1. What a nail biter! Great job teams!
Points | Team |
16 | Aged and Marbled Beef Boyz |
16 | 50 is the New 50 |
21 | Bombaye |
27 | Like Fine Whine |
43 | Cross(mis)Fitters |
48 | The Fem Fitales |
40 is the new 20
In our most popular middle division, competition was the thickest with no less than 8 teams vying for the title. But the outcome was never really in doubt as Two Young Chicks and an Old Dog never finished below second place in their division. In week one Team Onyx edged them out for top spot but in weeks two and three the champs left nothing to chance as they put distance between themselves and runners up Team Huey, Dewey & Louie.
Points | Team |
14 | Two Young Chicks and an Old Dog |
28 | Huey, Dewey & Louie |
33 | White Onyx |
48 | Bats Out of Dumbhell |
52 | Here for the Coffee |
(23) | Sandbaggers Inc |
(30) | 5pm Old Guys |
(33) | Team Last Minute |
Spring Chickens
The drama was high in our second youngest division as Team Stampeders battled it out with Empower villains Team The I’m-Peck-Able 3. The Stampeders took the win in week one. In week two drama and controversy ensued ast the I’m-Peck-Able 3 tried to claim a score of 27 rounds in 8 minutes or 17 seconds per round. An official Empower inquiry was launched to uncover a scoring “error”. Judge Derby and the nefarious trio were all found guilty of screwing sh!t up but innocent of intentional wrongdoing. Their actual, verifiable score, was enough to put them 2 points up on the Stampeders. In week three the programming “luckily” favoured the Stampeders, almost as if the programming gods had reached down to punish the tricky trio. The Stampeders as expected took the event win but would it be enough to win the overall points spread? Only if another team or two could also beat the I’m-Peck-Able 3. Well I hate to disillusion you kiddies but in the real world good does not always triumph over evil. Though they didn’t win 21.3 that infamous trio did enough to edge out the competition by one slim point to top the overall leaderboard and win their division.
Points | Team |
7 | The I’m-Peck-Able 3 |
8 | Stampeders |
32 | Spice Girls |
40 | Not Fast Just Furious |
Diaper Division
The Brody Bunch used their superior strength to take the lead in week one but in week two Doomsday Divas showed off masterful rope skills launching themselves into the division lead. All three teams in this division had solid showings through all three weeks but in the end, the Divas managed to stay far enough ahead in week three to secure their victory.
Points | Team |
31 | Doomsday Divas |
44 | The Brody Bunch |
48 | Fit, Buff & Ready 2B Tough |
There will be a formal awards ceremony later this summer which will also see the long overdue presentation of our Spirit of the 2021 Open award. Stay tuned for the event announcement. Meanwhile here is the overall leaderboard after three weeks of competition:
Points | Team | Division | 21.1 | 21.2 | 21.3 |
7 | The I’m-Peck-Able 3 | Spring Chickens | 5655 (3) | 293 (2) | 14:02 (2) |
8 | Stampeders | Spring Chickens | 5900 (2) | 243 (5) | 13:37 (1) |
14 | Two Young Chicks and an Old Dog | 40 is the new 20 | 4160 (6) | 249 (4) | 16:34 (4) |
16 | Aged and Marbled Beef Boyz | Hey Kid, Get Off My Lawn | 3450 (10) | 272 (3) | 15:08 (3) |
16 | 50 is the New 50 | Hey Kid, Get Off My Lawn | 4950 (4) | 231 (6) | 18:15 (6) |
21 | Bombaye | Hey Kid, Get Off My Lawn | 4615 (5) | 164 (11) | 17:28 (5) |
27 | Like Fine Whine | Hey Kid, Get Off My Lawn | 1925 (18) | 298 (1) | 18:35 (8) |
28 | Huey, Dewey & Louie | 40 is the new 20 | 3450 (8) | 188 (8) | 277 (12) |
31 | Doomsday Divas | Diaper Division | 2035 (17) | 210 (7) | 18:15 (7) |
32 | Spice Girls | Spring Chickens | 2780 (14) | 168 (9) | 18:51 (9) |
33 | White Onyx | 40 is the new 20 | 6560 (1) | 116 (18) | 266 (14) |
40 | Not Fast Just Furious | Spring Chickens | 2275 (15) | 133 (14) | 291 (11) |
43 | Cross(mis)Fitters | Hey Kid, Get Off My Lawn | 2060 (16) | 126 (17) | 19:48 (10) |
44 | The Brody Bunch | Diaper Division | 2820 (12) | 112 (19) | 274 (13) |
48 | The Fem Fitales | Hey Kid, Get Off My Lawn | 1110 (22) | 167 (10) | 260 (16) |
48 | Fit, Buff & Ready 2B Tough | Diaper Division | 1480 (19) | 155 (12) | 258 (17) |
48 | Bats Out of Dumbhell | 40 is the New 20 | 1225 (20) | 146 (13) | 265 (15) |
52 | Here for the Coffee | 40 is the new 20 | 2800 (13) | 110 (21) | 236 (18) |
56 | Snap, Crackle, Pop | I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up | 911 (21) | 129 (16) | 207 (19) |
(23) | Sandbaggers Inc | 40 is the new 20 | 3472 (7) | 132 (16) | DNF |
(30) | 5pm Old Guys | 40 is the new 20 | 3290 (10) | 112 (20) | DNF |
(33) | Team Last Minute | 40 is the new 20 | 3280 (11) | 65 (22) | DNF |
Monday WOD
Today we have a Tabata complex which we’ve done several times before, 3 times since 2020 if I’m not mistaken. The key will be to organize your station. Each Tabata interval is 8 rounds of 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest (total 4 minutes). We are counting total reps/calories and giving 1 rep per 5 seconds on the holds.
Warm Up
1 min each:
Belly Breathing
Head Nods/Rotations
Dead Bugs
Windshield Wipers
Bird Dogs
Forward/Backward Crawls
Leopard Crawl
Full Body Rocks
Cross Crawl Squats
Tech
Back Squat
L-Sit
Ring Rows
Handstand Hold
Row
WOD
Tabata Back Squat
1 min Rest
Tabata L-Sit
1 min Rest
Tabata Ring Rows
1 min Rest
Tabata Handstand Hold
1 min Rest
Tabata Row
Cool Down
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