For the past few years, athletes and fans alike have made a late October trip to the heart of Central Texas for the Rogue Invitational. This premier event produced by the iconic brand is a tremendous spotlight for the state that we call home, and brings together the community in ways big and small. While most athletes who are featured are typically invited because of their Games finishes that same year, there is a narrow, highly competitive path to qualify for the Invitational. And this year, one of TFX’s athletes will step out onto the field having earned one for himself.
Garrett Clark is an athlete, husband, and father. He’s also the 2022 TFX Men’s Pro Champion. Since his win at the Championship a couple of years back, he’s continued working hard on his goals ever since.
We caught up with him once we saw the news that he had secured a spot to compete at the Rogue Invitational through the Q to hear more about his journey.
When did you get your start in CrossFit? What was the occasion that led to you walking into a gym for the first time?
I started doing CrossFit at home when I was 12 years old. My family started attending Three Kings and then shortly after I made the switch from doing it at home to doing it at a gym. I was playing soccer at the time and CrossFit became more interesting to me. My passion changed from playing soccer to training and competing in CrossFit.
What are some of your competitive goals? How has the process been watching yourself progress from where you began?
My number one goal is to qualify for the CrossFit games individually. It’s definitely rewarding to see all the time and effort I have put into training over the years start to pay off. I am doing things now that I never thought I would do when I started CrossFit 13 years ago.
When you saw that you qualified for Rogue, what went through your mind? How are you feeling leading up to the weekend?
When I first got the notification I thought it was a mistake because last I knew I wasn’t in a qualifying spot. Once I realized it wasn’t a mistake, I was excited but knew I had a lot to prepare for!
As we prepare for the competition here soon, I am feeling the fittest I have ever felt. I’m definitely excited to see what the events will be and how they will play out!
To date, what are you most proud of? If you had to sum up this season of your life, what would you say?
Competitively, the obvious answer is qualifying for Rogue. But overall in life, I’m most proud of my family.
If I had to sum up this season in my life I would call it “All Heart” because I have put so much effort into training this season while trying to balance being the best dad I can be for our baby boy.
The entire TFX Community is proud to see one of its very own put in an immense amount of work and now turn to sending Garrett infinite #NoQuit energy as he looks to step out onto the competition floor at Dell Diamond next week.
To learn more about the Rogue Invitational, head to the event website.
