HOUSTON — On the surface, it might seem like the sport of CrossFit is all about numbers.
“My clean and jerk is 245, my clean’s 260, my deadlift’s about 400,” elite CrossFit athlete Kelly Baker said when she was asked about some of her personal marks in common CrossFit lifts.
Baker trains at CrossFit Greater Heights and is one of only 40 women in the world to qualify as an Individual for the 2023 CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin.
“Crossfit’s constantly varied high-intensity functional movements. So the goal is to either get the most reps or do a certain amount of reps in the fastest amount of time,” Baker said.
But for Baker, who others say is the “Queen of Houston CrossFit,” the sport that requires well-rounded fitness is about much more than just the numbers.
“It’s just seeing what my full potential is,” Baker said.
The “Games” are held every year to determine who — among the athletes who qualify — is crowned the “Fittest” on the planet.
To qualify for the sport’s highest level, the athletes have to advance through multiple, highly competitive rounds over several months.
“When you can take a step back and realize, oh, wow, I’m a part of this really low percentage of people that get to make it this far, it kind of shifts your perspective of just, you know, I’ve already made it this far,” Kelly said.
Like many CrossFit athletes, Kelly’s journey started on a field. She was a college soccer player from Philadelphia and when she found CrossFit in 2016, she fell in love with the sport and the community …
