day 26... Morgantown Duo Scores High Marks in Sport of Crossfit

Morgantown Duo Scores High Marks in Sport of Crossfit
Posted Monday, April 11, 2011 ; 10:29 PM
Updated Tuesday, April 12, 2011; 12:27 PM

Two local competitors both from Morgantown are ranked in the top 10 in the world.By Mike Krafcik Email | Bio | Other Stories by Mike Krafcik MORGANTOWN  -- On any given day, you're likely to run into Thomas Hooten and Lindsey Wehseler at the Pro Performance gym in Monongalia County.They're training hard for one of the most grueling sports you may have never heard of. The sport of crossfit is intense and unlike any other. It's a combination of Olympic weightlifting, power lifting, gymnastics, and cardio all mixed into one workout. "Crossfit is just a high intensity high interval training. We incorporate everything-- Olympic lifting, we put it to a clock, make it like a sport," said Hooton. Thomas Hooton and Lindsey Wehseler are proving themselves to be among the world's best. Hooton ranks fifth in crossfit's fittest man in the world ranking, Wehseler is ninth in the women's category. There are more than 30,000 registered crossfit competitors worldwide. "The workout's are very grueling, but I push through it," she said. Hooten and Wehseler have won several crossfit competitions across the state and region. Hooton says they thrive off of working out and competing together. "If we put up numbers and she puts up a score then I have something to chase and vice-versa. I know she'll chase after something if I put something a score, so that's definitely a driving force because of the competitiveness we both have," he said. Both are former competitive athletes and say the nature of crossfit hooked them right in. "I started because about a year ago I left gymnastics and I was looking for something that was competitive but like I found crossfit and got addicted immediately," said Wehseler. Both are gearing up for a regional tournament in June and if they finish in the top three they'll move on to the national Crossfit games in California in July. Hooton is the founder of Mountaineer Crossfit, and teaches crossfit classes daily at Pro Performance and says he's always willing to train more people. Click the link below for more information on Mountaineer Crossfit and to track the progress of Hooton and Wehseler.