Inside Scoop from CrossFit Games Judge: Coach Lisa

Salus • Sep 23, 2018

I asked Coach Lisa to give her inside scoop on being a CrossFit Games judge. Check out her interview below.

Crossfit games judge lisa How long have you been judging CrossFit competitions?

I started judging in 2012.

My first “real” event was at CrossFit Freehold (Coach Gino judged that, as well) in January 2013.

How many competitions do you think that adds up to be!?

I’ve done a whole ton since then, about 50.

What’s the most exciting thing that happened to you as a CrossFit Games judge?

The last competition I did was the 2018 Games. The most exciting thing that happened was when the athlete I was judging was coming in first for an event! I get so focused on judging that I have no idea where they are relative to the other athletes, and then they win!

What’s the hardest thing about being a judge of that level?

The hardest thing about judging is having full confidence in your call. You cannot sit and consider, “Was it good? Was it deep enough? Was it close?” You have to call it and move on. Typically if you aren’t sure, it’s probably a no rep.

Everyone is working really hard, so you can’t have anything invested in the athlete or the outcome.

What are the 3 biggest things you’ve learned over your years of being a CrossFit Games judge that our athletes can apply at the box?

The 3 biggest things I’ve learned from judging that I believe are applicable to everyone include:

1. The standards are the standards.

If you don’t meet the standards it doesn’t count.

It doesn’t mean you aren’t working hard, it doesn’t mean you aren’t giving your best effort, it just means it isn’t quite up to standard, yet.

We can get a good workout and not meet standards, but if we ever want to be “Rx”, or compete, we need to get to the standards.

2. Everyone gets better.

I’ve seen athletes in competition year after year, and they all get better. Sometimes it takes longer, sometimes it is quick. But nevertheless, when they keep working, they get better.

We all can get better.

3. The hardest part of CrossFit is the mental part.

The strongest, fastest, biggest athletes can all get beat when they get in their own head.

If you can have fun, enjoy the journey, and be kind to yourself, you’re on your way to being successful.

What are you thoughts on the restructuring of the Games?

I’m keeping an open mind for the Games restructuring. Since I’ve been judging teens and masters for the last few years, I’ve become quite fond of the current setup. However, there are a lot of sports that find their top athletes in ways much different than CrossFit, and so I know there are lots of other models that CrossFit could use, and have great results.

If the focus is on finding the fittest on earth, for all age groups, I’m behind it 100%.

I would like to see lots of opportunities for all athletes to compete and be part of the bigger CrossFit community, so that seems to be still possible. But I’ll still wait for the details through this next year, to see what happens.

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