WOD FOR WHEELCHAIR FUNDRAISER EVENT A SUCCESS
By Harrison J. Bahe
On October 19th, CrossFit Four Peaks in Fountain Hills hosted a WOD For Wheelchair competition to benefit Erica Myron and her need for a wheelchair specially designed for weightlifting.
In 2003, Erica Myron was shot near the White Tank Mountains which resulted in complete L1 paraplegia. Complete L1 paraplegia is a spinal cord injury that results in paralysis of the legs and loss of sensation in the lower half of the body. For the past two years, Myron has been active in crossfit where she has found a community of supporters but, more importantly, a family. “On days where I’m feeling sad, or sorry, or just down and depressed, I go to the gym. I always leave happy. The people there have so much energy and they make me feel so welcome. I enjoy going there because I feel seen, I feel heard, I feel like a member of the community. I’m not just the girl in the wheelchair. I’m an athlete; an adaptive athlete and they make me feel like I can do anything.” Myron shares.
Adaptive athletes are people who have special needs or physical limitations who participate in sport competitions. Myron, who actively participates in crossfit workouts, requires a unique wheelchair especially designed for weightlifting. Doing crossfit in a standard wheelchair can be quite dangerous and can result in the chair falling backwards during lifts. As such, CrossFit Four Peaks hosted a WOD For Wheelchair competition to raise funds for Myron’s new wheelchair.
“We wanted to raise money for Erica to purchase a new crossfit specific wheelchair. This way, she can continue to [do] crossfit and live a healthy lifestyle without any restrictions. So, this chair is going to allow that where her current chair is a little unstable when she’s lifting.” CrossFit Four Peaks owner Andrew Gonzales comments.
Five divisions participated in the events which spanned a multitude of various crossfit routines including clean and jerks, wall balls, toes to bar, burpee box jump overs, pull ups, deadlifts, DB snatches, ring rows, and a sand bag carry. The energy in the room was palpable as people gathered together to participate in the competition. “The energy in this room is electrifying! It’s exciting and it’s electrifying!” Myron shares ecstatically.
Myron was overwhelmed by the turnout as everyone gathered together to raise funds for her new wheelchair. “I feel really good. It feels like I have a community. I have people that are here to support me and it’s not just family and friends, it’s people that I see all the time. People that I see in the grocery store. People that I don’t even know coming out to help me. It’s very, very cool. I love it! It’s inspiring.” Myron concludes.
