Mat Hotho competes at future Adaptive CrossFit Championships
Mat Hotho has been a member of Lineage CrossFit for a little over two years and has been doing CF even longer. We asked him to write about himself leading up to this amazing competition he is going to be a part of and he has done just that!
MAT HOTHO
Hey everyone! Mat Hotho here. For the past nine months, you all have been cheering me on as I have begun exploring adaptive CrossFit. But you may have questions about what adaptive CrossFit is, how I fit into it, and possibly how someone you know fits into it to.
An adaptive athlete is an umbrella terms for athletes who have limb deficiencies, use a wheelchair because of paralysis or lack of leg function, have intellectual disabilities, are short stature, are visually impaired, or have neurological impairments (that’s me—more on that later). There are currently 14 categories recognized by WheelWOD, the leading adaptive CrossFit organization. If you have ever been injured and had to adapt a motion (ex: snatching from the hang instead of the deck to protect your knees) then you have a little bit of a sense of what adaptive athletes do all the time to progress in their fitness while adapting to the limitations of their bodies.
Of the 14 categories recognized by WheelWOD, I am in the Neurological Moderate category. I have cerebral palsy affecting the right side of my body. My CP is mild (and I’m definitely thankful for that) but it impacts me regularly in the gym. My right ankle can’t flex or extend much meaning that it my heel comes up when I squat. My right leg and arm can build muscle but not nearly as quickly as my left side. And the muscle that is built tends to be very tight causing me to have less range of motion than I would like.
When I started CrossFit in August 2017, I couldn’t squat below parallel. I would regularly wake up feeling weak and could visibly notice how my right-side muscles were atrophying from lack of use. My step-sons were outrunning me and I rarely had the energy to keep up with them. And I wasn’t happy in my body.
While I’ve been doing CrossFit on and off for 6 years, in the past nine months, I have discovered an entire competitive community of guys who have CP and other neurological disorders and have begun overcoming them. I qualified for and competed in the semifinals for the WheelWOD Games with 8 other guys. And in just 10 days I’ll be heading to Raleigh, NC to compete in the WheelWOD Games against 7 other guys in my division.
I’m excited to meet these guys, hear their stories, and compete. Coach Andy, Coach Kelly, and Nick P. will be coming up to support me. And you all can watch by subscribing to the WheelWOD YouTube page (yes, the whole event will be live-streamed). You can also follow WheelWod Games on Instagram @WheelWOD or watch the Lineage page for heat times as they are announced.
One last thing. Cerebral Palsy is the most common congenital motor disorder and impacts approximately 1 in 350 children. So there is a good chance that you—or someone you know—know an adult or child with CP. While Cerebral Palsy doesn’t progress like other neurological disorders, the muscular and structural imbalances can lead to premature aging and a proclivity for tripping and falling. This is where CrossFit can change lives for kids and adults with CP. I know in my life CrossFit has made me stronger, more confident and healthier. If you know someone who would be an adaptive athlete, share the story of WheelWOD with them and invite them to check out Lineage or CrossFit in general.
It really does change lives.
Mat
