Photo courtesy of CrossFit SVQ
Loading up Early On
CrossFit SVQ in Seville, Spain, opened 11 months ago and already, despite the complications of COVID, has more than 150 members. Sixty-eight of the new box’s athletes competed in the CrossFit Open.
“The Open was great,” affiliate owner Karin Seelow said. “It brought everyone together. We have since then created a very tight community, and it made everyone push themselves that little bit harder.”
Miguel, Carlos, Ale, and Pablo get ready for the first workout in the CrossFit SVQ Open Championship. (Photo by Adrian Pandelet Barco)
On April 24, 2021, Seelow and her team hosted a community event to keep the momentum going. They felt motivated to orchestrate the event because “we didn’t want our members to feel it was all over for them,” Seelow explained.
Their solution was to hold a CrossFit Open final, where the top five women and men in each category — Rx’d, scaled, masters, and teens — could take the floor and compete together one more time to close out the season.
“The atmosphere was awesome,” Seelow said. “You could feel the true spirit of CrossFit in the box.”
Head Coach Karin Seelow briefs Fran, Alberto, Rafa, Enrique, and Martin on the first workout. (Photo by Adrian Pandelet Barco)
Down and Up
Seelow said the first workout was the hardest for many of the finalists.
“Most of our members are not used to competing, so they went full out on the run and didn’t save much for the rest,” she said with a laugh.
Later in the day, like CrossFit’s Quarterfinal and Age Group Online Qualifier competitors, SVQ’s athletes took on a 4-rep-max front squat. It was their favorite workout of the day, Seelow said. The heavy lifting set gave many who had redlined early the adrenaline boost they needed to get through the rest of the day.
Celia gives it her all on 4RM Front Squat. (Photo by Adrian Pandelet Barco)
Virtu and Celia take on a tiebreaker workout. (Photo by Adrian Pandelet Barco)
The day closed out with some additional excitement when two athletes, Virtu and Celia, discovered they had posted the same point total across all the events. The event organizers quickly coordinated a tiebreaker workout involving a spicy combination of Assault bike calories and box jumps to crown the winner.
“The faces of the athletes when I announced there was a draw between two athletes was priceless,” Seelow said. “They were all shattered, and the thought of another workout for some was too much.”
“They almost finished (the tiebreaker) at the exact same time, but Celia came out with the win by just 2 seconds,” Seelow said.
Another high point of the day was seeing how much the athletes had improved since joining the gym months earlier.
Many athletes exhibited their growth at some point during the day, “but Marta Alvarez is awesome,” Seelow said. “She is a working mum of two, came to the box with very low self-esteem thinking she could never last or do anything.”
Alvarez “started with the PVC pipe and very little weights and ran out of breath even on a short 100-meter warm-up,” Seelow explained. “But after some TLC, giving her positive advice, and pushing her a little every day, six months later, she made the podium!”
Scaled women’s podium (Photo by Adrian Pandelet Barco)
Scaled men’s podium (Photo by Adrian Pandelet Barco)
The Summer Swelter
Seville — Spain’s fourth-largest city and one with a rich history, flourishing arts scene, and unparalleled tapas — provides a beautiful backdrop for CrossFit SVQ.
“Seville is an awesome city,” Seelow said. “But it’s very hot in the summer, which makes training a very sweaty mess,” she added with a laugh.
Rafa and Alvaro congratulate each other on a job well done. (Photo by Adrian Pandelet Barco)
“Fortunately, the beach is always the escape for the weekend as it’s only a 45-minute drive away. But on a day-to-day basis, a beer and some tapas are always a classic after a good workout,” Seelow added. “We have a bar next to our box, so it’s hard to go home straight after.”
As soon as COVID restrictions let up, the SVQ crew plans to take their workouts to beach again.
CrossFit SVQ will mark its one-year anniversary on June 15. The community will celebrate with another team competition — and of course, a party.
Inspired to have fun with fitness and engage in a little friendly rivalry? Grab a friend and join us for the first annual CrossFit PairUP ThrowDOWN, May 20-24.
The PairUP ThrowDOWN is a single-workout competition designed for any and all who want to work together to test their fitness and teamwork against peers across the globe.
CrossFit Training will provide supplemental content to support CrossFit athletes at any age and every level.
CrossFit SVQ Lets the Good Times Roll in Seville, Spain