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By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 12:10 p.m. EDT, Jul 08, 2009
NORTON: Charlie Dunifer wasn't able to realize much of a tangible benefit for his insatiable appetite for physical fitness during the past two decades.
''About the only thing it helped me at was being quicker than every other server at Denny's'' in Ravenna, he said.
''And every once in a while that would pay off in a little bigger tip, but it certainly wasn't much.''
Dunifer, however, thinks his outlook is ready to change.
He is one of 75 men from around the world who has qualified for the third annual CrossFit Games in Aromas, Calif., which is about two hours south of San Francisco near Monterey.
Dunifer and his coach, local CrossFit Legacy owner/trainer Brian Yoak, will fly to California today to prepare for two days of competition this weekend.
Dunifer didn't play varsity sports when he attended Stow High School, but said he always has been a fitness freak who was willing to work to any degree necessary to achieve whatever goal he had set.
The only problem, Dunifer said, was that he lacked direction in terms of planning his training and the fundamental movements for certain physical tasks.
That was until June 2008, when he hooked up with Yoak, the former certified athletic trainer for Chippewa High School who opened CrossFit Legacy in Norton 13 months ago.
''Before I met Brian, I was going 100 mph but going nowhere training in my garage,'' Dunifer said. ''Brian has given me tremendous direction and confidence over the past year.''
That change of direction and confidence boost enabled Dunifer to qualify for the 2009 CrossFit Games through the ''last-chance qualifier'' in May.
Yoak videotaped the three workouts dictated by CrossFit and uploaded videos to judges who reviewed them and selected Yoak and four others from among 100 athletes throughout the world to receive the at-large berths.
Dunifer, who is married and has a 2-year-old daughter, wasn't able to dig into his pockets and pay for the airfare and hotel stay. A majority of Yoak's 40 other clients put on a fundraiser and came up with $1,200 to pay for plane tickets and lodging for Dunifer and Yoak.
''A lot of people, including my wife, Alisha, and daughter, Camille, have made a lot of sacrifices for me to be able to do this,'' Dunifer said.
''For all of them, and especially my daughter, I am dedicating this weekend and am committed to winning the title of Mr. Fitness. It's all about the title and paying people back.''
Dunifer, who is 5-foot-7 and weighs 165 pounds with a body fat content of about 7 percent, is in the middle of the pack in terms of age at 30.
The oldest male competitor is 42; the youngest is 18. There also are 75 women competing in their division.
Dunifer said each competitor will do five workouts Saturday. The field will be pared to 55 after those sessions, then to 16 after two workouts Sunday.
''We have no idea what the workouts will be on Saturday,'' said Dunifer. Workouts can last from two minutes to 30 minutes, he said.
''That is where luck plays a big part in determining who wins. If the workouts are heavy on endurance and play to my strengths, I'll have a great chance to win.
''If not, it will make it that much harder for me. We won't find out until Friday what the workouts Saturday will be.''
Dunifer concluded his pre-competition training early this week with several high-intensity circuits that combined aerobic training and weightlifting.
Yoak, a graduate of Malone College, is convinced Dunifer has a shot to win the title despite the incredible amount of talent from around the world.
''Charlie has a tremendous amount of work capacity,'' Yoak said. ''He has tremendous endurance in all of the domains — running, Olympic lifting, kettle bells and gymnastics.
''It will be a great field of competitors, but Charlie has a chance to win the title.
''He's committed to doing the best that he can and I've never seen Charlie come up short when has that mind-set.
''Now, it's going to depend on the luck of the draw — what the workouts are.''
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
NORTON: Charlie Dunifer wasn't able to realize much of a tangible benefit for his insatiable appetite for physical fitness during the past two decades.
''About the only thing it helped me at was being quicker than every other server at Denny's'' in Ravenna, he said.
''And every once in a while that would pay off in a little bigger tip, but it certainly wasn't much.''
Dunifer, however, thinks his outlook is ready to change.
He is one of 75 men from around the world who has qualified for the third annual CrossFit Games in Aromas, Calif., which is about two hours south of San Francisco near Monterey.
Dunifer and his coach, local CrossFit Legacy owner/trainer Brian Yoak, will fly to California today to prepare for two days of competition this weekend.
Dunifer didn't play varsity sports when he attended Stow High School, but said he always has been a fitness freak who was willing to work to any degree necessary to achieve whatever goal he had set.
The only problem, Dunifer said, was that he lacked direction in terms of planning his training and the fundamental movements for certain physical tasks.
That was until June 2008, when he hooked up with Yoak, the former certified athletic trainer for Chippewa High School who opened CrossFit Legacy in Norton 13 months ago.
''Before I met Brian, I was going 100 mph but going nowhere training in my garage,'' Dunifer said. ''Brian has given me tremendous direction and confidence over the past year.''
That change of direction and confidence boost enabled Dunifer to qualify for the 2009 CrossFit Games through the ''last-chance qualifier'' in May.
Yoak videotaped the three workouts dictated by CrossFit and uploaded videos to judges who reviewed them and selected Yoak and four others from among 100 athletes throughout the world to receive the at-large berths.
Dunifer, who is married and has a 2-year-old daughter, wasn't able to dig into his pockets and pay for the airfare and hotel stay. A majority of Yoak's 40 other clients put on a fundraiser and came up with $1,200 to pay for plane tickets and lodging for Dunifer and Yoak.
''A lot of people, including my wife, Alisha, and daughter, Camille, have made a lot of sacrifices for me to be able to do this,'' Dunifer said.
''For all of them, and especially my daughter, I am dedicating this weekend and am committed to winning the title of Mr. Fitness. It's all about the title and paying people back.''
Dunifer, who is 5-foot-7 and weighs 165 pounds with a body fat content of about 7 percent, is in the middle of the pack in terms of age at 30.
The oldest male competitor is 42; the youngest is 18. There also are 75 women competing in their division.
Dunifer said each competitor will do five workouts Saturday. The field will be pared to 55 after those sessions, then to 16 after two workouts Sunday.
''We have no idea what the workouts will be on Saturday,'' said Dunifer. Workouts can last from two minutes to 30 minutes, he said.
''That is where luck plays a big part in determining who wins. If the workouts are heavy on endurance and play to my strengths, I'll have a great chance to win.
''If not, it will make it that much harder for me. We won't find out until Friday what the workouts Saturday will be.''
Dunifer concluded his pre-competition training early this week with several high-intensity circuits that combined aerobic training and weightlifting.
Yoak, a graduate of Malone College, is convinced Dunifer has a shot to win the title despite the incredible amount of talent from around the world.
''Charlie has a tremendous amount of work capacity,'' Yoak said. ''He has tremendous endurance in all of the domains — running, Olympic lifting, kettle bells and gymnastics.
''It will be a great field of competitors, but Charlie has a chance to win the title.
''He's committed to doing the best that he can and I've never seen Charlie come up short when has that mind-set.
''Now, it's going to depend on the luck of the draw — what the workouts are.''
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
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Posted 12:40 PM, 07/08/2009
Good Luck Charlie.
Akron, OH
Posted 01:23 PM, 07/08/2009
If he wins, does he get a Golden Ticket?
Akron, OH
Posted 01:41 PM, 07/08/2009
Good Luck to Charlie Dunifer and CrossFit Legacy Coach Brian Yoak in Aromas, California this weekend!
Akron, OH
Posted 02:26 PM, 07/08/2009
"Coach convinced local man can endure, win 'Mr. Fitness' title"
Can anyone parse this "sentence" for me?
norton, oh
Posted 08:22 PM, 07/08/2009
whats the purse if he wins
AKRON, OH
Posted 08:57 AM, 07/09/2009
Good luck buddy! This is a positive event and I think it is nice to see someone from the area doing positive.
Akron, OH
Posted 12:41 PM, 07/09/2009
Good luck!
Posted 10:43 PM, 07/09/2009
there is a purse, but we are not sure what it is. He is doing it for the challenge rather than the $$$.
36 hours until competion starts....first event is 7.1km off road mountain run!!
