San Pedro’s Ricky Luna ROCKS Merida Mexico’s 2015 WOD Challenge

Crossfit was founded in 2000 in California – a combination of high intensity training, weight-lifting and more – and over the last 10 years has spread like fitness wildfire.

And in the last two years it has really exploded in Belize.  There is a gym in Placencia and two on Ambergris Caye  – San Pedro Crossfit (north of town in the Boca Del Rio area) and W.O.D. Zone (just south).  Both “boxes” or gyms are owned and run by Belizeans.  In just two years, it’s taken over the island and classes at both gyms are filled with locals, expats and visitors.  Fitness, healthy eating and constant Crossfit talk have taken over San Pedro. 🙂

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Wonder why your bartender at your favorite bar or the concierge at your resort is looking so ripped?  CROSSFIT.

If you haven’t seen this HILARIOUS (and pretty spot-on video) about Crossfit talk and its cultishness, please watch.

Sorry…I get off topic.  Just last weekend, members of the San Pedro, Belize WOD Zone headed up to Merida, Mexico for a competition.   Keep in mind that the daily AVERAGE high for the month of May in Merida is 97 degrees.  And the population of just that city is almost double that of the country of Belize.

(It also happens to be a GORGEOUS city – check out some of my posts below about last year’s visit.)

Ricky Luna and Lucien Pollard, two coaches, headed up with a handful of supporters to compete and represent our country.  (Ricky on the left, Lucien on the right)

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I met Ricky on one of my first trips to Belize – in 2007, he was an apprentice tour guide at one of the shops in town.  Shy and super cute.

In 2013, he was working on his father-in-law’s boat, the Lady Leslie and looked like this.

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Now two years later, he is a coaching at Crossfit and WINNING in the Intermediate Group in Merida Mexico.

Here are some pictures from the competition.  Winner of the Intermediate group…Ricky!

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High 90s…is that a HAT ON YOUR HEAD?  That, my friend, is Beast mode.
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His physical transformation is…unbelievable.  Personality wise?  He’s still one of the nicest guys around.
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Here is part of the work-out for the competition.  See what I mean by another language?  All we laymen need to know is this is BRUTAL.

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Awesome.

AND he and his wife Jessie are the parents of a gorgeous new baby girl, Sophia.  Here is a picture of Baby Ricky and Baby Sophia.  CLEARLY father and daughter.

ricky9Amazing work guys.   And here’s what Rick had to say about the experience:   We had such a great experience in Merida.  Coach Lucien and I trained under an intense program for about 3 months.

He competed in the RX level and did really well. It was my first competition and it felt really good to represent my box but most importantly Belize. We had a few people from the island there as well so that was added motivation. We plan to train harder and enter a couple more competitions in the near future, well, with the wive’s blessing.

It was very humbling to come out on top but it goes to show that if you work hard at something, it pays off. I’m just glad that Coach Lucien pushed me to challenge myself. Definitely looking forward to more challenges in the future.

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GOOOOOO TEAM BELIZE and congratulations Ricky and Lucien.

 

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