Updates: sponsorship, going to regionals, and gymnastics certification

This month has been crazy.


Finding out that I can compete in the Reebok Crossfit Asia Regionals in Korea came as a big surprise to me. I had all kind of emotions swimming in my head - from happy, to nervous, to excited, to being worried. 

Seeking Sponsors: 

The moment I found out I qualified, the first thing I did was look for sponsors for my team and I. Being I made history of competing in this international event, I thought finding sponsors won't be so hard.

Dead wrong.

My experience with finding sponsors was really disheartening. I got plenty of no's, plenty of rejections, plenty of lack of belief in what I do. Just last week, I pretty much threw my hands in the air in defeat. Time has run out for my team and I to make any arrangements (as many of us are full-time employees).

I had given up.

Only soon after, a lovely gentleman who wished to remain anonymous heard of what I am doing and teamed up with his partner, Sultan Saeed Al Darmaki to support me and my team to go to regionals. They understood the value of empowering an Emirati woman who is active in sports and highlight the UAE on an international stage. They are not only supporting my individual dreams, but they're helping me raise the UAE flag internationally.

These two gentlemen have given me hope and they took a huge load off my shoulder because they believed in me. I cannot thank them enough for their support and making my dream come true. We will make you proud!

HERE is an article Sultan wrote about us, please read it!

Going to Regionals:

So the preparation for traveling to Korea has begun. Flights are booked, accommodation is being sorted out - and I will be hoping on airplane (for the first time in 13 years) next week on the 1st of May.  Our departure will be at 10:55pm.

I think I am more nervous about being in a plane for 8.5 hours than competing (haha!), but it should be an interesting experience. Well, Crossfit does prepare you for the unknown! 

My team and I are currently preparing for the competition and what will be thrown at us. The workouts were announced on Thursday last week. You can see the hell we'll go through HERE.

The competition dates are from 4-6 of May, and I believe it will be aired on ESPN. More details to come soon.


So who's my team?

- Tessa Richardson
- Lorraine Muzadzi
- Brian Sigafoos
- Yaseen Kafafi
- Ben Ford (our coach!)

Last week, we got a two-page spread coverage in sport 360. Click here to read a snippet from the article.

Gymnastics Course and Certification: 

This weekened, 20-21 of April, the first EVER Crossfit trainer course took place in the Middle East, which took place at Reebok Crossfit LifeSpark in Dubai.

 

The course was the crossfit gymnastics trainer course, which delved into beginner, intermediate and advanced gymnastics movements. The course was delivered by Dusty Hyland, who has extensive knowledge in gymnastics, in form of a lecture on a specific topic followed by a practical session.

We learned everything from how to warm up, to floor work, to ring work, to bar work, handstands, how to spot, and how to scale movement progressions. 

I learned a lot more about gymnastics and how gymnastics actually has tremendous benefits to other sports, medline stability, and strength. 

I had quite a few highlights during the course - I got my FIRST FULL ROM HANDSTAND PUSH UP during the second day, and I got the chance to do a MUSCLE-UP!

By the end of the course, we were awarded certificates for successfully attending the course. 

So I am officially a certified gymnastics trainer!
Never thought my first certification would be in gymnastics!
Life is weird, eh!

Group who attended the course
with Dusty (left with a green shirt)

It has been truly a crazy month.

My Experience: CoreFit Games

I love competing. It's not like training - not close at all. There is a sense of adrenaline rush. Shaking off your fears and being your best. The crowd shouting your name in encouragement...and most of all, for me, it's breaking down some misconceptions. 

The competition, Corefit Games, was organised by Core Direction during the Good Health Gulf between 6-7 of April. I would say it was one of the best and well-organised local competition that I have been part of so far.

During the competition, a woman approached me and said: "A lot of people probably don't think you're strong because of your size, don't they?"

I replied saying "yes", with a smile.

There is nothing wrong with misconceptions, and to be honest - it's fun dispelling some of these misconception along my journey as an athlete. 

So what went down during the competition? Here's a short video! 

The first workout was a little devil - tough, required capacity, and some serious muscle endurance. The hardest part of the workout was simple - push ups. But I had to keep pushing through!

As for the second workout - I had two choices: 1) Do the workout as given, or 2) a scaled version (i.e. lesser weight load). The 40kgs is fairly heavy for someone my size and getting 10 reps and finish 3 rounds would've been tough.

However, I went there to compete, to show what I am made of, to push my body beyond what I think are my limits. I knew I have a 40kgs power clean. I've done it many times - just not the same repetition range. For me, in this workout, I knew I wouldn't score high enough, but I had to GO BIG or go home. I chose to go BIG.

I literally had to get 1 repetition at a time. I had a few misses, but to have done 10 power cleans with 40kgs was baffling to me - not only that, I finished one round and on top of that, I got 4 MORE power cleans (my 1RM is 45kgs). When the time cap was up - I was amazed by how well I did. Sometimes, in sport, you end up not surprising others, but yourself - and nothing feels better than that sense of achievement.

In the end of the day... I may not be the best out there, strongest, or fittest - but I have the heart and passion to be the best I can be for me, and I am strong for me. Not because of where I am from, what I wear, or my skin color - it's simple, because in the end, it's just Me vs. the Barbell.

For the full photo album, click HERE. 

Yours Truly,