Where to start? Ups, downs, and one of the best moments of my coaching life.
To the Stormcenter,
I couldn’t be more proud of the way we represented this weekend. I received several compliments about our fans/community. The Stormcenter was a force! Thanks to Jeff, David, and Robyn for coordinating our banners. I remember being a small pack of BOLTers in 2012, no signs, one bear, and a few neon shirts. When I looked up to our crowd dominating section 130, our 3 banners, my bear, my people, I was overwhelmed and proud.
Thanks to the Caravan Crew (Lance, Mayur, Geoff, Jeff, Josh D) for transporting and taking care of BOLT Bear. Thanks to Bill for tweeting for BOLT Bear when his claws got in the way.
All of our BOLT Kids were amazing. Quite possibly the coolest thing of the weekend was watching our BOLT Kids represent and cheer for our athletes. I saw a few kids, but not very many that were on the rails yelling their hearts out.
Thank you to David and Bill for your statistician work and keeping me up to date on all the relevant times, etc.
Meg “The Stormtracker” Forbes, great job with coordinating our group texts and giving the Stormcenter important info about start times etc. And a blinking sign?!?! That was legit!
Robyn and Karen thank you so much for all the hard work on the T-shirts/apparel. There is no way I could have done this without you! Not only did our stuff look amazing, BOLT was clearly visible throughout the Freeman Coliseum.
Thanks to Jamie for all her doctoring work, you all may not see it but she is ready to help any of our athletes behind the scenes. She taped my wrist and allowed me to even have a chance at competing. I tried to Snatch/OHS 135 today and it felt terrible. No way I was doing MU or OHS without her help.
One word sums it up perfectly….Team. I know I am forgetting to mention or may not be aware of other ways you all contributed. But you all were instrumental this weekend. As Owner/Coach I cannot express the relief of pressure/stress; knowing so many have my back.
Yeah…see I knew I would forget some people. The Bryants, seriously how could I not mention you all. Maybe because it is so obvious to me how awesome and instrumental you are to our family. Thank you for the after party, but most of all thank you for your example, I don’t think I know a more generous family. Mark I respect you immensely, Su you are supermom…or supereverything, Cole you are my buddy, Jack-BOLT Hoodie fanatic-way to get our sign placed we were on crossfit games official photos, Claire and Jewel win perfect attendance for BOLT Kids!
To Team BOLT – Sam, Chris, Eric, Janet, Karen, Rachel, Ashley and all those that participated as part of our team for the Open,
Coaching is easy when you have great athletes willing to work hard. I asked these athletes to sacrifice time with family/friends and commit to an extensive workload (trust me the training was not easy). What a pleasure to watch your hard work, blood, sweat, and tears result in improved strength, capacity and overall athletic growth. Proud to compete alongside you!
From the exciting atmosphere throughout the Open to Sam and Janet walking out on the floor for Event 1, it has been quite a journey (and we are not quite done yet;)). Thank you all for trusting me as your Coach, thank you for pursuing excellence, and most importantly thank you for being amazing friends/teammates.
To our individual Regional athletes
Courtney –
I know a little bit about injuries resulting in your inability to compete. “Gut-wrenching” does not do the feeling justice. Court went down in the athlete area while warming up. He immediately headed over to the Airrosti tent to seek medical attention. With the Airrosti Doc ready to put him on ice, Court began apologizing, he felt like he was letting us all down. We talked, I let him know he was not letting anyone down and encouraged him to give it a shot. Without knowing if he would even get through 10 Wall Balls, Court went out and gave his absolute best even in his limited condition. I could never ask for more of any athlete.
I will never forget the first time I tore an ACL and all of the emotions that come with a devastating injury, frustration, anger, feeling sorry for myself, loss, just to name a few. As I crutched out of the stadium I see my Uncle in his wheelchair; he has been riding in one since he was 16 years old. The morale of the story…..we are blessed, the sun will shine tomorrow and Court will learn from this year and use the circumstances this weekend as fuel and motivation.
Cass-
For those of you that don’t know, 2012 Regionals did not end well. Cass was right at the top ten heading into the final workout, we were worried about the DL and then she was repeatedly no-repped on the MUs. Without a doubt one of the most terrible/helpless moments of my coaching career, watching as she looked back at me for answers.
She re-tooled, put in the work and then delivered one of the most focused, in the ‘zone’ performances I have witnessed in person….LEGIT! Re-watching Event 6 on the Games broadcast kinda went like this for me…. I am watching another CrossFit competition online. These athletes are amazing. Hey that’s Cass I know her, she is destrominating this workout! “CrossFit BOLT fans are going bananas”, those are my people! Did I just wake up from a dream? No?!?! Awesome!!!!
You have inspired your coach, everyone at BOLT and anyone who watched the South Central women’s competition. Congratulations!
I have watched event 6 about 12 times and every time it gets better. When the announcer says “A large group of CrossFit Bolt fans are about 5 feet away from us going absolutely bananas,” it makes the room get dusty every time. I have not felt like I was part of a team since college baseball years ago. This was one of the coolest and most memorable weekends of my life. I know our team did not compete long, but seriously just being there was worth it. I really got a whole new appreciation and outlook on CrossFit, and at the same time received more motivation than I have in a long time (mainly for Cass and Courtney). Our family/community is very special. I think that was obvious to everyone who was in Freeman Coliseum. I had about 5 people ask me where BOLT was and how many members we had.
As my one year at CF BOLT is quickly approaching, I cannot begin to thank God for how lucky and thankful I am to have found you guys. It is truly a blessing that I walked into BOLT in June of last year looking for a CF gym with friendly people. I’m going to push myself so hard this year to get better and be on that Regional floor again! But most importantly, push myself to become a better coach to help all of you achieve your goals. Matt- Thank you is not enough for what you have done for many people, including me. You have provided confidence, family, friendships, and a healthy lifestyle to hundreds of people. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of it. Looking forward to continuing this amazing journey!
Awesome weekend and awesome Bolt family! So thankful and GRATEFUL to have found Bolt!
I second the 6th event comment… By now at least 8 people in my office have seen the majority of the video! So proud to claim “our” athlete and our entire gym! Love you guys!
@Chris – I, too, have watched Event 6 numerous times! I even showed my class today, and at 8 years old, even they were inspired.
I cannot help but to think back to the gym I walked into 2 years ago and where we are now. We have grown so much in numbers, more equipment, bigger gym, etc., but one thing has stayed consistent. Bolt has always been full of humble, hard-working, supportive, and encouraging people. I am so happy that we have not lost that, but that it only continues to get even better. Thank you, Matt, for cultivating a positive place where people support one another. I am so proud of all of the athletes that competed this weekend and for the way that the StormCenter represented. We were definitely the loudest crowd there! 
I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I left Sunday feeling more inspired and motivated than ever! Excited for what is to come!
Amazing! All of it…. I quietly whispered to myself… i know them.. ive sweated with them…. Vicariously Proud.. Bolt sets an impossible bar for other boxes. Keep repping!
Yes, we have proof….the sweat couch!
Matt, great summary of an amazing weekend.
Cass, love you but it’s Thursday – get to work!
BOLT rolling to California in 53 days!
What a privilege to train and befriend such incredible athletes and people. To call Matt an incredible coach would be a phenomenal understatement. His care and support for all his athletes is unmatched in any sport I’ve ever trained in. I’ve never had a coach who has pushed me so hard to always try and reach my physical limits like Matt. The inspiration his coaching and work ethic provides extends to every aspect of my life. You guys and this gym have become much more than good friends and a place to lift heavy things and throw medicine balls. This is family and this is home.
Courtney was already a role model for me. Now he’s my hero. And Cass is the perfect example of where hard work, dedication, and heart can get you. We’re lucky to have such fine athletes and people to look up to.
Caravan Crew holdin’ it down bolt style!
You all are amazing! Had a great time this weekend. Proud to be part of this family! Props to all our athletes and to Matt on a job well done.
My top 3 athletic moments of the weekend: 1) seeing Karen compete as a regional athlete 2) Cass’ incredible focus and mental toughness throughout the weekend but especially while destroying Jackie 3) Mayur’s belly flop at the Bryant’s, total disregard for his own well-being
BOLT friends, everyone who has posted has perfectly and eloquently described this weekend, which for me was a culmination of 2 years of Matt’s hard work, faith and friendship – along with the belief and pursuit of excellence by each of the members. I walked into BOLT in December of 2011 as a last gasp for myself with little hope for ever achieving any type of fitness goals for myself, but after talking to Matt for 45 minutes (and going through an intro WOD that would now be a warmup – nearly killed me), I walked out with something I had lost. Belief. That hasn’t stopped ever since, and I’ve never had more belief in what BOLT represents than this weekend. Watching the BOLT team support each other during event 2 and walking off the floor with grace and humility exemplified everything BOLT stands for – and stood in stark contrast to the reaction that several other teams had. Watching Cass’ performance was one of the most impressive feats of athleticism I’ve ever witnessed. Bill and I saw it – and I’m sure others did as well – when Cass shut down “the voice” that tells us all to stop. During her Jackie pull-ups, she went into the zone, and stayed there the rest of the weekend. Amazing. And Courtney – I’ve never been more proud to have you as a friend. What you and Jamie have meant to our family – as well as so many others – is priceless. I’ve never wanted something more for someone than for you to make The Games – because I see the work you’ve put in. You deserve it. Unfortunately, God doesn’t always give us what we deserve – sometimes that’s good, sometimes it sucks. What’s certain though is that you’ll only be stronger after this. And if the thought, “I let them down” ever entered your head, please know what a bold-faced lie that is. You showed as much heart and character as I’ve ever seen. Thank you for everything you give to the BOLT community. You make us all better (more bad ass). And I know there are things in your life that will help keep it all in perspective
As fun as it was to watch the athletes, it was made even better by getting to watch it with the BOLT fam. I feel lucky to know each one of you. You really are like a family that’s really easy to get along with. Finally, thank you Matt and Robyn. As we were sitting by the pool watching the kids(and Myers and Chris) play on Sunday night, I said to Matt, “You realize none of us would be here right now if it wasn’t for you.” Matt, what an amazing thing you created by following your dream and starting BOLT. And Robyn – thank you for being there with him every step of the way. Thank you for sharing Matt with us. Thank you for being you.
Butting in with irrelevant info, but congrats to Cass and thanks to the bolt community for welcoming me when I am in Dallas.
Now to the irrelevant, or relevant depending on your perspective, Cass as promised, I would recommend downloading ‘the gareth emery podcast’ and the “Morgan page -in the air”. Great tunes, awesome to workout to (that’s where I get my lungs from – even if something else is playing at the gym, in my head its ‘trance’) And good way to discover new music.
cheers
grib
I honestly don’t think that I could put into words what Bolt means to our family. It is a part of our family. Our kids feel at home there and are welcomed and loved there. One of the best decisions I made was to follow Mark’s advice (finally!) and start working out there. Haven’t looked back since! The friendships I have made are such a blessing to me. Being coached by both Matt & Cassie is an honor. Watching the team get ready for regionals, as well as Cassie and Courtney, was amazing. The work y’all put in was unbelievable! Each one of you should be extremly proud of yourself. Thank you for welcoming our family into the Bolt family with open arms. We are behind you 100% Cassie as you get ready for the games!!! You know you have the best cheerleader in Cole! He will be cheering you on, in his Cass shirt, and holding his poster!
All this lovey dovey stuff is making me ill…just kidding… It is great!!! How can you beat a team like this??? I have never experienced one where everybody passionately roots for each other, and yet are crazy competitive, hugs each other when one of the team can’t quite do the rep, celebrates each team member’s victory as if it was their own, feels the pain of a members injury personally as well, and on and on… Thinking of that saying, “don’t know what you got til it’s gone”… I think everyone here knows what we have and others that come experience it, stay because of it…and …it keeps getting better as the “fam” grows. Here’s to all of you (David raises his glass……….and remembers last Saturday……….well….sort of…)
One of the things about cass performance that most struck me was her control over the whole situation. I just did event 6( in more than double her time btw) and one of the most difficult things is controlling your face and not letting the pain show through. Cassidy exemplified that skill in the picture below and throughout the weekend , and cass props to you for it. Keep it up in Carson!!