By Spenser Mes

Andrew Bielawski says it was easy to find a squad for the masters division of last year’s CrossFit Team Series competition. “We just gathered all the old [sic] people from Virtuosity,” he laughs. The CFV team, which included Maibritt Jensen, Lucas Rooney, and Elizabeth Wipff, brought the heat. As Andrew remembers it, their only hiccup was a workout that opened with jump roping: “Rooney and I both struggled. The ladies finished their portion of the entire workout before we had even finished our double-unders.” In the end, though, “Old Dawgs, New Trix” placed a very respectable 69th in the world. Encouraged by that success, Andrew and Maibritt decided to compete this year at the Long Island Masters Team Competition in Hauppauge, New York.

Andrew is 47, but since the youngest team member determines the age bracket, they competed with the 40-44 year-olds. While the second workout brought back Andrew’s old double-under nemesis, thankfully the rules allowed Maibritt to complete most of them. For Andrew, the real struggle came later during the fourth workout of the day, a six-minute max distance sled push, which he described as, “the most brutal thing I’ve done.” “Please Please Please,” he posted on Facebook, “NEVER program sled pushes.”

In the end though, the team survived the sled push to place sixth overall in the competition, with several fourth place event finishes along the way. They hope to return to the same competition next year and make it to the podium!

When he’s not competing, Andrew is an NYPD detective. He’s on a mission to convince both more NYPD officers, and more masters athletes to start CrossFitting. To that end, he recently completed his CrossFit Level 1 certification, and is an aspiring coach. Andrew hopes to show people who are no longer in their twenties that CrossFit isn’t just for spring chickens. “[Seeing someone] in your age group shows older folks that it’s doable, rather than some 20-something chiseled guy. I think the over-40 crowd is intimidated by that.” He fails to mention that many members of the over-40 crowd at CFV are more chiseled than their 20-something counterparts!

Are you over 40 and looking for a way to stay fit, healthy, and strong? Stop by a Free Intro class to learn more about what we do, and how it can have you feeling like a million bucks for years to come!

Do you know someone who’s over 55 and looking to try CrossFit? CFV runs a Masters 55+ class every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 – 10:45am. Learn more here >