Anyone can do CrossFit, regardless of physical restrictions. The phrase “adaptive athlete” refers to those with various physical or neurological conditions, stroke survivors, amputees, wheelchair users, and other long-term ailments that prevent individuals from participating in ordinary sports.
Adaptive Athlete CrossFit was created to show that people with disabilities can perform extreme physical activities if they put their mind to it and are beyond their disabilities.
Tools are available regardless of your age, health, or physical limitations if you need to achieve a more fulfilling life. This article will discuss all you need to know about Adaptive Athlete CrossFit.
What Is An Adaptive Athlete?
An adaptive athlete has a permanent handicap that imposes a constraint that affects labor capability. Generally, the adaptable world is divided into several groups: seated, lower, neural, and standing upper. There were numerous variations within these groups. Kevin Ogar, the strong man of the adaptive world, is a familiar name if you’ve been around the CrossFit community for a while.
An adaptable and inclusive trainer is a trainer who has learned through the Adaptive Training Academy how to adjust exercises for adaptive athletes, in particular. But now, they have additional tools to adapt, scale, or alter programs for all athletes, including those with disabilities.
Why Is Adaptive Athlete CrossFit So Special?
These sportsmen and women believe that losing a limb or having neuromuscular control issues should not be an excuse to quit exercising or hinder them from achieving a goal. A message of strength and inclusivity is sent to everyone who observes them at work through their love of exercise and passion for CrossFit.
Of course, they are determined to keep pushing on and prove to the world that their disabilities do not define them and that they can rise above everything.
Adapted Athletes Included In Crossfit Competition
CrossFit is dedicated to ensuring that all CrossFit athletes have access to and the chance to participate in CrossFit events fairly. Generally, the Adaptive Athlete CrossFit can compete with competitors while safeguarding the integrity of the sport. Of course, CrossFit is open to athletes with disabilities, commonly called adaptive athletes.
According to the guidelines outlined below, games are events within the adaptive athlete classes.
1. The adaptive athlete policy outlines the qualifying requirements, competition categories, and classification for participation in the adaptive divisions.
2. Athletes who can adapt are subject to every guideline in the CrossFit Games Rulebook.
Who Is Eligible to Participate in the CrossFit Open Adaptive Division?
There are about three requirements that must be satisfied by an Adaptive Athlete CrossFit to be qualified for the adaptive divisions:
1. An adaptive athlete has to prove a diagnosis with documentation of an impairment. This could be a health condition or diagnosis which is permanent. Additionally, it must be one of the 10 disabilities that are acceptable for CrossFit.
2. The athlete must experience significant functional limitations that keep them from competing against athletes in divisions with non-adaptive rules. Also, they must therefore be able to prove that they do not belong in the non-adaptive category.
3. Depending on their confirmed diagnosis, satisfy the minimal impairment requirements for one of the adaptive divisions.
The Age Requirement
When applying for the CrossFit Games, athletes must be at least 13 years old, and as of the competition, they must be at least 14 years old.
Athletes under the age of 18 will need to provide supplementary parental permission while registering online. Generally, the adaptive division’s section lacks age-group categories.
Famous Adaptive Athletes That Have Made Crossfit History
CrossFit places high importance on adaptation, and now adaptable athletes can compete among their peers in their own special divisions.
Here are four adaptive athletes who competed in the lower extremity, upper extremity, as well as neuromuscular categories in the adaptive CrossFit Games in 2021:
1. The Lower Extremity Division For Women: Sarah Rudder
Sarah Rudder was a Marine reacting to the Pentagon assaults on 9/11 when she sustained an injury on her leg that required amputation.
Following her accident, she spent a year using a wheelchair and incorporated exercise, focusing more on CrossFit. In fact, she lost almost 60 pounds before reaching new levels of power and fitness.
She keeps playing the sport as a form of physical and mental fitness. Also, she uses her voice and experience to inspire people who have faced similar challenges to hold onto hope and stay active.
Rudder advocates the Catch a Lift Fund, a group committed to veterans’ emotional and physical recovery, even though she has left the Marines. Right now, she resides in Oceanside along with her son and spouse.
2. Men’s Upper Extremity Division Logan Aldridge
Following a boating accident when he was just 13 years old, Logan Aldridge lost his left arm just below the shoulder. Aldridge, an experienced extreme sports athlete, hardly let the injuries slow him down.
Although still in his teen years, he used his experience to establish a career as a motivational speaker. Aldridge discovered CrossFit early in adulthood and used it to “make my one arm as strong as two.”
Aldridge founded an Adaptive Training Academy, an educational institution devoted to fostering better knowledge, comprehension, and inclusivity of adaptive athletes, over a few years in collaboration with other adaptive athletes.
The group was instrumental in establishing the CrossFit Games’ Adaptive Athlete Division, offering Aldridge the chance to advance his business and compete against other adaptive athletes.
3. The Lower Extremity Division For Women: Natalie Bieule
At the age of 18, Natalie Bieule was in an extreme car accident that required a right leg below-knee amputation. However, Bieule never allowed herself to think that her busy life was finished. She competed in the discus at the Paralympic Games 2016 held in Rio thanks to her positivity.
Also, she started doing CrossFit in 2013 to demonstrate to her kids that she shouldn’t be treated differently than a mom without a disability. She now participates in CrossFit Games 20 years after her accident.
4. Neuromuscular Division For Men: Sylvia Harrod
Sylvania Harrod sustained injuries while serving in the Army, leaving him with more than twenty different impairments. Also, he experiences severe migraines, nausea, excruciating exhaustion, and little feeling in his left leg or left arm daily. Despite significant obstacles, Harrod’s participation in CrossFit showcases his determination and spirit.
The athlete says that Crossfit has provided him with something unavailable in the first year after his injuries. He also added that Crossfit had given him a purpose. Harrod’s story sheds light on the resilience of individuals with neuromuscular challenges, inspiring many within and beyond the CrossFit community. Generally, CrossFit has taught him how to move forward and prosper regardless of how his body feels that day.
These adaptive athletes not only redefine the limits of physical achievement but also serve as beacons of inspiration, proving that determination and a positive mindset can triumph over adversity. Their stories echo the inclusive spirit of CrossFit, emphasizing that everyone, regardless of their physical challenges, has the potential to make history in the world of fitness.
Conclusion
Adaptive Athlete CrossFit are athletes that are changing the narrative. These athletes have dedicated time and energy to prove that nothing can stop you from achieving your dreams.
Remember, with the right dedication, you can achieve anything. So, feel free to sign up today to save 50% on your enrollment.
