Denis Rod reviews the Start Up Games 2022

Hey, Dennis. Just like before last Christmas I would like to congratulate you on the fact that you and your team managed to get a valuable place at the Czech-Budejovice CrossFit competitions.

Hi Ondra, I'm glad to meet you again and finally with a win, so thank you very much

Before Christmas, you and your partner Milena finished third at the Winter Classic 2021. Less than half a year has passed and you managed to win the Start Up Games 2022. How does it feel to stand on the highest podium?

We finished second at the Winter Classic 2021 before Christmas and I think that's what the motivation to win was about. Obviously it feels great to get the top spot, I think we showed that we really didn't settle for second place and there was still that desire to win.

This time you invited one more guy to join the team with Milena, who was it?

We invited Lukáš Veselý, who trains in České Budějovice in Bcross. He and Mili know each other from there. We were looking for someone skilled, someone who has no problem with more difficult exercises and Lukáš really doesn't have that. He fit perfectly into the team, he was able to go through the pain and was able to push himself to excellent performances. So I was happy that we were able to find such a great partner.

But originally someone else was supposed to race on the team, right?

Originally, Marek Vácha Sr. was supposed to go, but he had health problems with his shoulder just before the race. So health came first and unfortunately he had to turn down the race.

How long before the race did you know you wanted to take part in this show?

We knew about 2 months or so before the race, actually since the race was announced. When I read that, I knew right away that we were going to participate.

Was there any qualification?

There was no qualification, it was mainly because these races were on the fast track and it was more from an organiser's point of view, so anyone could enter.

Did you prepare for the races in any special way or did each team prepare individually?

We didn't prepare in any special way. We had one training session together more for synchro exercises. Otherwise, everyone prepared individually on their own. For me personally, I prepared more from a cardio point of view, working with my weight and doing a lot of trapeze. I knew these competitions wouldn't be about strength, so I chose my preparation accordingly.

Do you know how many teams you competed against?

I think there were something like 30 of us. I have to say that the teams were pretty stacked, there were some familiar names that we often see at elite races. That's why we knew we had to work hard right from the start.

How did the whole race go?

There were 3 workouts and the top 6 teams advanced to the finals, so we had 4 workouts in total.

1.wod - we had no problem with this workout at all. It fit nicely and we won this workout so we knew right away that the box was real.

2.wod- I think this one also suited us very well, because each of us was suited for one exercise, so we knew right away who was going to do what. Luke went wall ball and managed to throw it twice in a row for 2min straight, and anyone who does crossfit knows that it's not exactly easy, so I was very happy. Mili went for cleans, and I think she did great. She showed off her incredible strength, and she was outworking the guys like nobody's business, so we did great on that too. I went for the last one, and that's the hspu. I've got pretty strong shoulders, so I was pretty confident for this one. After that workout, we ended up in second place overall by just two points.

The 3rd wod- was the worst one for me. To be honest I was really scared of this workout, I came up with a tactic that I didn't know if it would work. It was a fight to even with a team that was running away from us by two points. In the end, they beat us by two calories on the row, so it was close. After that workout we jumped up two spots to first place and went into the final from first place.

The 4th wod- the final wod, this wod was all about which team would make it all the way unbroken. The ending was so exciting that people said it gave us goosebumps. It was all about the ending, who would make the mistake on DU. In the end, we won the final workout and won the whole race.

You've been to a lot of races, how did these particular ones affect you?

I really liked these races, the organization was great. There were no delays, a great commentator, well thought out workouts, a great race area for the athletes, but it was also nicely set up for the spectators. You can see that these races are moving forward.

What about the facilities for the athletes?

The facilities for the athletes were nice, although there could be more equipment in the warm-up room, but I'm comparing that with foreign competitions. Otherwise, I think there is nothing that the athletes are lacking.

Were there a lot of people to see the athletes?

Because of the Hobby, which was held at the exhibition centre, a lot of people came to watch. I'm glad that CrossFit was shown a little bit to people who maybe didn't know there was such a thing.

Will we see you on the team at the 2022 Big Summer Games?

You'll definitely see me there, even though we won the entry without qualifying, so we'll definitely take advantage of that as a team and be there.

Okay Denis, thank you so much for the interview, have a great day and keep up the good work!

Thank you very much for the interview, have a nice day.