Help a life in the CrossFit community.
Kevin Ogar, is a CrossFit coach at CrossFit Unbroken in Denver Colorado. He is a highly respected trainer and athlete. Unfortunately, this past weekend at The OC Throw Down, an extremely competitive CrossFit Competition in Southern California, Kevin failed a snatch attempt. He separated his T-11, T-12, and severed his spine causing current paralysis from the waist down. He is in and out of surgery, but from what I have heard he has no-voluntary movement below his belly-bottom. Kevin also is uninsured and as you can imagine the medical costs of this injury will be very expensive. Barbells for Boobs has set up a website where you can help fundraise for Kevin. Doesn’t have to be much, anything helps whether its money, prayers, or sharing the website so more people can help. Here’s the link:
https://fundly.com/kevin-ogar-s-recovery
I’m sharing this information to help raise funds for Kevin so he can get the medical attention he needs, but also to remind you that CrossFit is a sport, it can be dangerous, and it can cause injuries. I’m not trying to scare anyone off, and to be honest the chances of this happening are extremely rare – people are calling it a freak accident. However, these accidents happen. Kevin is an elite CrossFit athlete and was snatching a great amount of weight, but this can happen to anyone. As we go through our motions in the gym we really need to be cautious of those around us and ourselves.
Form comes first! If you have to slow down, use a PVC pipe instead of a barbell, whatever you have to do to stay safe, do it. Don’t let your ego destroy your ability to workout. Also, listen to your coaches! If they tell you not to go so heavy or to do a progression they aren’t trying to degrade you, they are helping you stay safe and get a good workout in. Perfect form is commonly neglected and so hopefully this can remind you of how extremely important it is. Listen to your body, if something doesn’t feel right, or you don’t think your doing a movement correct ask a coach.
Stay safe and work hard!