Joey Kimdon CrossFit Games Interview
WOD: 7/25/17
For time:
Row 1000m
Run 800m
60 Toes to bar
40 Box Jumps, 24/20”
20 Turkish Get-ups, 53/35-lbs.
As most of you know our very own Joey Kimdon will be competing in 35 - 39 year old master's division of the 2017 CrossFit Games.
Joey is currently seated in 10th place going into the competition.
The Games will be held August 3rd - 6th in Madison, Wisconsin at the Alliant Energy Center. This is the first year that the games has not been held in Southern California and sure to be a special event because of it! The Master's division will be competing on the 3rd through the 6th, just as the individuals and teams will be.
Joey will be competing against prior games competitors Rebecca Voigt, Kristin Clever, and Danae Brown. The only event that has been announced for the Master's division is a Run, Swim, Run event with TBA distances.
You will be able to watch Joey compete on https://games.crossfit.com/
Joey is the hardest working and most determined person I have ever met. She doesn't give up, she doesn't stop, Hell she doesn't even slow down! The time that she puts into training and the intensity that she bring to every workout is unmatched. Nobody is at the gym as much as her, and nobody puts in the amount of work that she does. I am beyond excited for her to achieve her dreams of making it to the CrossFit Games and I am looking forward to watching her crush the competition!
Now let's get to know a bit about Joey Kimdon the CrossFit Games athlete:
Interview by Jamie McMahon
-For those that don’t know you, could you give us a brief background about yourself?
I grew up in Minnesota (Stillwater High School -- go Ponies!) and did high school gymnastics, track, and cross country as well as flute and choir. I went to Harvey Mudd College in southern California for a double major in engineering and mathematics, which is where I met David, and we started doing long-distance running, backpacking, bike-camping, windsurfing, and backcountry ski patrol. I also ran Division III track there. We moved to the bay area where I did my PhD at the University of California at Berkeley in Electrical Engineering/Computer Science and David started working for Devicescape, Inc. (which he still does via telecommuting). In 2007, we moved to Corvallis to join a cohousing community. We have two kids, ages 8 and 11, whom I homeschool. I started playing cello and re-started gymnastics when my youngest was a little over a year old.
-What kind of training did you do before Crossfit?
I did gymnastics, ran track and marathons and ultramarathons. I'd also done backcountry skiing and windsurfing.
-How/when did you get started with Crossfit and Crossfit Train?
I tried following main site on my own and with a few friends for a while, but I had no idea what I was doing. My lifts were unrecognizable as what they were supposed to be, and I tried and tried to do a ring muscle up and thought that 30 for time (well, even 30 in a single day) was the ultimate almost-unattainable goal. I joined Train in Sept 2013, and that's when I really discovered the magic of the whole CrossFit package. A year later my husband David started coming, and now my mom Barb comes as well!
-Does Crossfit help you outside of the gym in your day to day life?
I think being healthy, working toward goals, and working hard with friends really improves my whole life. My mood is more consistent, I enjoy life more, am more confident, and I feel like I can handle setbacks better. I like modeling a healthy lifestyle for my kids, and hopefully I'll live longer and be able to spend more years with my family. Plus, the research says that exercise makes you smarter and reverses some of the effects of aging.
Sean will be going to Madison with Joey as her Coach!
-What is your least favorite Crossfit movement and why? What is your favorite?
Least favorite has to be wall balls (mostly because I am short) followed closely by rowing and airdyne, where being small is also a disadvantage. My favorites are probably chest to bar pullups, muscle ups, deadlifts, lightweight barbell cycling, and running. And burpees. I love burpees.
-When did you decide you wanted to be a competitive athlete?
I assume you mean competitive CrossFit. I watched a local competition (maybe it was the WODtoberfest) in the fall of 2013, and it was so exciting. The whole time I just wanted to be out there competing.
-Do you have any advice for someone wanting to become more competitive with their training?
Don't underestimate the power of the dark side, er, I mean of the importance of mobility, positioning, and technique work. You can improve your lifts and times through efficiency of movement.
-What does it mean to you to be competing at the Crossfit Games?
I am super stoked because this has been a goal for me ever since my first Regionals in 2014. When I went to watch in 2015, again I kept wishing I was out there competing.
-How long have you been training to go to the Games? Has your training changed at all now that you are headed to the Crossfit Games?
I started serious training with Brooke in the summer of 2014. Then I had a setback in 2015 with my knee surgery, but Brooke continued to train me through Regionals 2016. I worked with Chris on weightlifting through the summer of 2016. Now I am following CompTrain Masters, plus things given to me by Sean, targeting my weaknesses. When it's not right before the Games, I like going to classes too. Training has changed in the last few months to include some different things such as swimming and odd object work. Also we have been focusing more on conditioning lately rather than strength.
-What are your thoughts on the already announced Games events?
I am super excited about the run-swim-run since I love to run, and I've been working on my swimming, so that will be a fun challenge. The bike event I'm thinking they might not do for the master's, but if they do, it will be my first bike race, though I bike all the time. And I can't wait for the obstacle course - how fun! I hope there's some gymnastics in it. And the snatch, well, yeah. Not my forte, but oh well.
-How is it different competing at the Crossfit Regionals as an individual vs. on a team? What are the major differences?
The biggest thing is the different need for communication. When I'm in the middle of a WOD, often my brain turns inward, so it was a challenge to be able to accurately assess how I can best benefit the team and then communicate that in the moment. Also on the worm, I was on the farthest end from the speaking judge, so most of the time I had no idea what was going on.
-Do you follow any sort of diet regimen while training?
I try to be close to paleo, though that is hard when cooking for kids at the same time. I have several food allergies, so that provides extra motivation to eat clean.
-When you are in the middle of a really hard, gruesome workout, what do you think about that keeps you going?
I try to remember that I like this and it's fun and cool that I get to do it. Also I try to focus on the technique of whatever I'm doing, and that helps keep my mind off of the pain.
-What do you hope to accomplish at the Games?
I want to feel good about the effort I put into each event. I want to be able to say I gave it my best. I'm excited to experience the Games so that I can do even better next year. I also want to scare the other girls and make them work for it. Plus I'm looking forward to meeting even more women who share my idea of fun. :-)
“I love the community here at Train. I love how everyone inspires and encourages each other to work hard, be healthy, and improve their lives. Thanks to all of you!”
-Joey
