"Sportsmanship At Its Finest"

FROM "THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH":

"..... I was blown away by, and even got chills from, the sportsmanship exhibited by both the participants and the crowd during Sunday's team and individual competition......"

".... Then, as the final competitor struggled through his walking lunges, all 12 of the other competitors surrounded him, cheering. While that was going on, the packed house rose and cheered louder and louder for this last-place guy. Really? Have you ever witnessed such a thing? Amazing......."

Sportsmanship at its finest

By: Diana Holbrook

The Columbus Dispatch - June 10, 2013 07:56 PM

 

If you're into CrossFit and have attended live events, you probably already know this. But as a newbie spectator at the CrossFit Central East Regionals on Sunday, I'd never witnessed such a thing. I'm not talking about the fitness level of the competitors, though that was jaw-dropping. I expected that. I did not expect such a display of sportsmanship.
In what other sport or competition do fellow competitors cheer each other on? Are there any other arenas where the crowd gets so loud in its applause for the last-place participant? I'm going to go with "none" and "no".
I was blown away by, and even got chills from, the sportsmanship exhibited by both the participants and the crowd during Sunday's team and individual competition at the Celeste Center on the Ohio State Fairgrounds. I'm a sports fan, and highly involved in the sports department here at The Dispatch, and I have never seen or heard such support and encouragement. Not even at the high school level, where the sportsmanship mantra is read over the loud speaker at state tournaments.
After watching one of the heats of the men's individual competition, where defending champion Rich Froning came from behind to finish first, I watched as he and every finisher after him walked back to stand and cheer on the men still struggling to complete their reps in the squat and clean and walking lunges. Froning and the others yelled and applauded these guys, right in their faces. While I can only guess as to what they were saying, it was thrilling to watch. Then, as the final competitor struggled through his walking lunges, all 12 of the other competitors surrounded him, cheering. While that was going on, the packed house rose and cheered louder and louder for this last-place guy. Really? Have you ever witnessed such a thing? Amazing.
So, while the fitness level of every competitor is outstanding, that is not the lasting impression I will have of the 2013 CrossFit Regionals. It will be sportsmanship. Kudos to you, CrossFit competitors and fans.

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