Looking back at the Winter Classic 2021 through the eyes of Denis Rod and Milena Stepkova
Author: During the weekend before last, crossfit competitions were held in České Budějovice, which were attended by a really large number of competitors. This time they had to join together to form a team, because at the Winter Classic 2021 they competed only together. There were four categories that athletes could enter - Sport (men teams / mixed teams), Elite (men teams / mixed teams).
And in this very article, we interviewed Denis Rod and Milena Stepkova from the "I don't want to" team who raced together in the Sport (mixed teams) division. After a long struggle they managed to take the second place and stand among the best athletes of the competition. At the same time, we also interviewed their coach, Marek Vácha, who managed to completely dominate the Big Summer Games a year ago.
Hi, Denis and Milena. First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your second place at the Winter Classic 2021.
Hi Ondra, thank you very much, we finally managed to get a crate and not be still only in fourth place, so we are very happy!
Denis, who was the first one to suggest that you two go racing together?
Mili was definitely the first. I was up for it because when there are team races, I can't think of anyone else but Mili. At the same time, I knew right away that we had the chops to be on the podium.
Have you ever raced together before, or was this your first time?
We had already done the Big Summer Games together in the summer and found that age and youth complemented each other well, we just missed the box (laughs).
Why did you decide to do these races?
We decided to do the Winter Classic because it's one of the biggest races in the country that our team regularly participates in, so we knew we wouldn't miss it and would be there.
Do you prefer racing as a team or individually?
Mili: I definitely prefer to compete as a team. I enjoy teamwork and coming up with tactics together. I find that I can push myself to perform better in a team than when I'm racing on my own.
Denis: I like both because they both have something to them. There is great motivation and chemistry in a team, but I don't like to mess up because unfortunately I mess up the whole team. That's such a disadvantage, but otherwise I really like racing in a team.
If I'm not mistaken, you had to qualify for the races. Do you remember, Milena, how many teams entered your category?
You're not wrong. There was an online qualifier and less than 60 teams entered.
What kind of wods did the qualifier consist of and how did you do?
The qualification consisted of three parts, the first part being:
I go, you go 0-5min
A) 21-15-9
Shoulder to over head 60/40kg
We were confident for this workout because we are strong. We had no problem with this workout at all.
The second part was the worst of the three parts because it was also a bit of a sprint with the final chest to bars, which put a strain on the grip and forearms before the third phase.
B) 6-12 min
50 box facing burpee box jump over
40 pistol squat
30 chest to bar
C) 13-16 min
100 + 100 DU
I already had to bite this workout because I had separated my forearms after the chest to bar, so here it was all about surviving and hanging in there. Overall, we took 10th place in the qualifier.
When you went through qualifying, did you each train alone, or did you train together to get in sync for the actual competition?
We decided to train separately. We each live in a different city, we train in a different gym. It's a challenge to balance with work so we both have time off. But since we both train under Mark Vacha and see each other regularly at his camps, we believed we could make it work. Plus, as I mentioned, we have done one team race together, so we know each other a bit.
When D-Day came, were you nervous?
Milena: I'm always so nervous. (laughs) That's why it's great to go as a team, because your teammate will support you.
Denis: I'm not nervous before the race itself, but I start to get nervous in the warm-up before the workout. During the workout I don't have any more nerves and I just focus on the workout.
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What was the race itself made up of and how did you do in the race?
The Winter Games consisted of four workouts. The first was a five-round synchro on the barbell. We chose a good strategy for this workout, we knew we were strong on the barbell and managed to get second place.
The second workout was a combination of oars, thrusters and burpee box jump. It went for 12 minutes and the results were two - max calories and max reps . This workout was probably the one we were most afraid of and it was also the one we did the least well. We came 3rd in one part but 16th in the other. Which was our worst result.
Then followed a 14 minute AMRAP - we did a bikergo (increasing the calorie count each round), followed by handstand push ups and double unders. This workout proved to be really competitive and you have to go all out until the last second.
Before the last workout we had a 9 point lead on 4th place and a 2 point loss on 2nd place. We knew that we had to do our best to stay on the box. The WOD consisted of a trapeze (BMU, CH2B, TTB), single arm work (snatch, C&J) and was finished with a box jump.
Looking back, how would you evaluate your time at the races?
Milena.
Denis: Except for the second workout we managed to stay in the top 10 and our second place was clear, we had enough points lead and nobody was on our back. So this was also a pleasure.
What do you think about the race itself?
Milena: In terms of facilities and organization, it was one of the best races I've participated in. But the worse thing is that while the level of facilities is visibly moving forward, the professionalism of the judges is lagging behind. This hasn't changed much in the last 3 years that I have been attending the races. The same mistakes are still being made over and over again and it unnecessarily lowers the level of the races and the competitors' feelings about them. Which I think is a shame.
Denis: The races were definitely great. You can see that the races are getting better every year. There are varied workouts, which is not boring for racers and spectators. The music from the DJ was also excellent, which made the right racing mood. But I would say that the races lacked a proper commentator, which makes the exciting atmosphere in the workouts. So I missed that quite a bit, but otherwise I really enjoyed the races.
Marek Vácha, team coach
Mara, both competitors worked under your guidance, are you proud of your charges?
Of course, I think they did the best they could do at that moment. At the beginning it was a bit lack of juice, but that happens and I am all the more glad that they managed to overcome it.
Do you think they had what it takes to be in first place? And if so, why didn't they?
I don't think they did this weekend. You could see the performance difference from the first place team in almost all the workouts. They could have done better in some of the workouts, but it probably still wouldn't have been enough.
Were there any other competitors in these races who work under your supervision?
In the end, only two teams participated. Mili and Denis and the team of Čahounů in the category Sport men. Originally two other teams were registered, but due to illness they had to cancel their participation.
Didn't you feel like racing too?
You know I did. However, I'm still at the stage where it's necessary to suppress my ego and listen to my body. I hope to participate in more races next year, but we'll see. That's still in the stars.
If a competitor wants to train under you, is that possible?
There is definitely a possibility of cooperation. I have expanded the coaching team, so we are expanding the base of not only athletes. I see a lot of sense in the CrossFit community, and that's why I try and would like the people who train under us to know each other. That's why we also hold regular camps or joint training sessions, where not only technique improves, but more importantly motivation. Anyone interested can contact me either via the team ig r.u.f._training or email riseupfromfailures.training@gmail.com.
Last question Mára, how did you like the races from the coach's point of view?
I was pleasantly surprised by the races. The new facilities were nicely thought out, the timetable worked. As for the wods, maybe I missed some more strength workout in the sport category. The only thing I would criticize is the all-too-obvious difference in the approach of the individual judges. There are some gaps there and I see room for improvement.
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