“Land or Slam”

Did you know that photographers in skateboarding cannot publish images of tricks that aren’t landed? It’s a cultural norm that has stood the test of time. After all, it’s landing the trick that ultimately makes it real after all. 

Rule #1: You must land the trick. 

It doesn’t matter if you grab your board mid-air just right and the camera catches a nice lens flare and it’s the Image of the Year. If you don’t land it, it’s not real and you can’t claim it. Period. 

Hell, a few years ago, Kelly Slater and a couple other of the world’s best surfers had an ongoing internal banter around which waves they should “claim” in a contest. To “claim” a wave is to celebrate it with a fist pump or by pressing your fists overhead as if to say, “I got it.” Their general assertion was that surfers needed to celebrate fewer, more deserving waves.

All this to say, maybe we can borrow some of the unwritten rules from action sports for some perspective these days. With the prevalence of social media and amplified individual voices, I’d argue that humans are “claiming” many, many more tricks than we are landing. And, that’s a shame. 

If there’s a trick you want to claim in the world, make sure you land it first.

8/20/21 WOD

DEUCE ATHLETICS

Complete 4 Rounds for quality of:

12 Front Barbell Reverse Lunge
:25 Single Arm Plank (ea)

Then, in 12:00 complete the following for reps:

1 Block Run
50 Swings (62/44)
————
AMRAP

6 Lateral Burpees
9 DB Push Presses (50/35)
12 Air Squats

DEUCE BACKLOT

Complete 4 rounds for quality of:

3 Pause DL (:02)
:45 Side plank (ea)

Then, complete 3 rounds for quality of:

12 Barbell RDL
12 Half Kneeling Cable Chop

Then, complete 3 rounds for quality of:

15 2 DB Bent Row
300’ Farmer’s Carry

DEUCE GARAGE GPP

Complete 3 rounds for quality of:

6-8 HSPU or 10-12 Straddle DB Z-Presses
6 Strict Ring Dips + :15 Iso Hold
12 Partner Resisted Hollow Rocks

Then, make 3 attempts at the following complex:

2 Strict Presses
10 Push Presses
-Rest as Needed-

Then, complete the following for time:

12-9-6 Deadlifts (225/155)
12-9-6 Box Jumps (30/24)
400m Run