On a very, very warm Saturday in late June Sally and I attended an event held in the Expo Center of the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach.

Did we ever attend the event. We were there for over 10 hours, and it hadn’t quite reached its conclusion when we left. We had never been to anything quite like it.

I’m referring to a CrossFit competition. For those of you not familiar with CrossFit, think “fitness extreme” plus. And a bit more plus.

There were over 400 competitors, divided into many classifications. It was a gathering of an amazing amalgam of superbly conditioned, disciplined, motivated women and men. They competed in four-person teams. Co-ed. It was called “The Clash of the Fittest.”

Being a part of the athletic world for a goodly portion of my life, in several different capacities; and having been one who brought to all my endeavors a genuinely high level of motivation and self-discipline, it was soon readily apparent to me that CrossFit was a whole ‘nother thing. A world beyond anything my experiences had ever been. These CrossFit folks are awesome.

All of which brings me to a posting one of the competitors had put up on CrossFit-Wild.com. She is a 40 year old CrossFit disciple. What she wrote is, well, very special, to say the least.

In her words:

“From the moment I was born my father had me running. When most kids spent their summers going to camp I was competing in the Junior Olympics or attending Track and Field camp. My father is my greatest champion for instilling in me the love of exercise.

“After spending most of my adult life running, I decided I wanted to try something different, hence my CrossFit adventure began four years ago.

“This sport has taught me so much about myself as a person, woman, and athlete. My mental and physical stamina has grown and my desire to be a better athlete and person is overwhelming. But what I love most about CrossFit is watching other athletes reach their goals and dreams. There is nothing more fulfilling than to see an athlete get their first pull-up, muscle-up or box jump. No matter how great the feat is, it’s an awe inspiring moment to see people succeed and push beyond their boundaries.

“I thank my parents every day for providing a healthy and loving home for me and making exercise an important part of my life.

“And most importantly, I am the proud mother of two rescue dogs. Irwin, aka Irwy, my Chihuahua, and Penny, my Manchester Terrier. They are the loves of my life.” (And there have been others, as well.)

Her name is Mary Bart.

You can most surely imagine how this makes her Poppa feel.

Most surely.