One Vision, One Community…

A CrossFit enthusiast and trainer at CrossFit Unbroken in Englewood, CA, Kevin Ogar was paralyzed after he broke his back during a competition over the weekend. Kevin Ogar was performing in a weightlifting event, held in Southern California’s Orange County on January 12, 2014.

The Colorado native was performing a 200 pound lift during the OC Throwdown event when something went wrong. His back was broken and his spine severed in the accident. He was immediately rushed to the critical care unit at Western Medical Center, where he underwent multiple operations. But despite medical interventions, Kevin Ogar is not expected to walk again as a result of an accident that his surgeon called a ‘freak catastrophe.’

While Ogar’s life-changing mishap definitely falls into the category of rare and unexpected — the type of accident that nobody wants to see happen — this tragic accident serves as an important reminder of how important it is to take the proper safety precautions, whether you’re training in the CrossFit Impact gym, in a competition, or simply working out on your own. It’s also important to remember that no matter how experienced and cautious you may be, accidents can and will occur; in rare cases, those accidents can be life-changing.

At CrossFit Impact, safety is our top priority. It’s important to remember that the decisions we make and the vision that we instill in our athletes on a day to day basis are driven by our concern for the safety of you and other members of the CFI community.

The CFI coaches serve as leaders of the class and ultimately, we make specific decisions in an attempt to maintain a safe environment. We want everyone to make improvements and to achieve their objectives, but this cannot come at the cost of safety. It’s simply unacceptable to endanger yourself or others. You want to live to fight another day!

This is why we maintain an environment with one leader, one set of rules. Nobody is bigger than these rules.

Maintaining a strong core and foundation is the single most important measure for preventing injuries. Using a proper form and method is also extremely important; there’s a reason why we instruct our athletes to perform various exercises in a particular manner.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding a particular activity or safety in general, I encourage you to stop by to speak with myself or one of the other coaches. Safety is extremely important to the entire team at CrossFit Impact.

Notably, Kevin Ogar does not have medical insurance. So his friends and colleagues have started a fund to help raise money to pay for his medical care.

To learn more and to read updates on Kevin Ogar, visit www.Facebook.com/OgarStrong. You can also stop by his website at www.KevinOgar.com to learn more about contributing to the fundraiser.