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11/01/2017 12:00 AMGuilford resident Jacquie Violette has been testing her physical and mental strength against some of the best CrossFit athletes from across the globe this year—and she’s seeing a tremendous amount of success.
Jacquie, a junior at Guilford High School who plays on the girls’ ice hockey squad, is involved in one of the fastest-growing avenues for physical fitness with the sport of CrossFit. Earlier this year, Jacquie spent a lot of time working hard to qualify for the Girls’ 14-15 Year-Old Division at the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games at the Alliant Energy Center (AEC) in Madison, Wisconsin. Not only did Jacquie qualify, she finished in 11th place in the world for her age group by scoring 626 points in the nine-event competition that was held in August.
“I increased my training volume a lot more. I started to think more about what would benefit me the most and being careful about injuries when it came to training,” says Jacquie. “I’ve also made a lot of friends from CrossFit that I wouldn’t have made before.”
The process to make the CrossFit Games is a long and arduous one. This past winter, Jacquie took part in something called The Open, which involved watching an online workout on Thursdays, after which she had four days to complete the workout for the week and then submit her scores and times. Participants had the choice to either complete the workouts with a judge at a CrossFit affiliate facility or film them for submission. At the end of five weeks, the top 200 people in each division moved on to the either the Regionals or an Online Qualifier.
Jacquie did the four-day Online Qualifier, which was the next phase for teenage- and masters-age competitors. After having their workouts scored by judges, the top 20 in each division advanced to the Regionals, where Jacquie came in 10th place to punch her ticket to the worldwide CrossFit Games.
At the Games, some of Jacquie’s highlights included a third-place finish in the Sprint-O-Course obstacle event behind a time of 2:07.60, plus a third-place performance in the Vest Triplet with a 15:30.78. She also placed eighth in the Diane event (3:32.30) and was ninth for the Run Swim Run (39:37.78).
In the Vest Triplet, Jacquie wore a 10-pound vest while running 400 meters, doing 24 squats, and a dozen box jumps. For the Diane, she moved 135-pound weights for 21 deadlifts and 21 handstand push-ups, then 15 deadlifts and 15 handstand push-ups, and finally nine deadlifts and nine handstand push-ups before crossing the finish line. In the Run Swim Run, athletes run 1.5 miles from the AEC Center to Lake Monona, swim 500 meters around a series of buoys, and then return along the same run course to the finish at the AEC Center.
With so many demanding physical tasks involved in CrossFit, Jacquie says it’s a big help to have such a tight-knit group of athletes backing her every step of the way.
“I have an awesome community at the gym with me. There’s always a lot of camaraderie among us in our workouts,” Jacquie says. “At the gym, we do different workouts on Fridays and always cheer each other on. Everyone has each other’s backs and is supportive. I’ve made a lot of friends and connections through it.”
Guilford girls’ ice hockey Head Coach Gil Schaper says that Jacquie’s success in CrossFit comes as no shock to him, because he knows that she always makes physical preparation a top priority.
“Jacquie is one of the few athletes I have coached that appreciates the value of fitness. Where other athletes see fitness as punishment or something that is only a minor aspect of their skill set, Jacquie sees it as an opportunity to become a more formidable competitor and a way to gain an advantage over her opponents,” says Schaper. “Her commitment to training is one that every coach, no matter what sport, would hope to have in their players. She is a valuable asset to the girls’ ice hockey program at Guilford and a role model for athletes of any sport.”
Jacquie has displayed an unrelenting work ethic throughout her time as both a hockey player and a CrossFit competitor. Jacquie prides herself on her dedication to athletics, no matter what time of day or which season it is.
“CrossFit has helped me understand myself a lot better. It’s helped with my discipline and made me realize that hard work pays off,” says Jacquie. “Even if it is working out late at night, you just have to give hard work.”