Meet Staff Invictus Unbowed 2024Written by Kelly Sekulovski
Meet the fourth crew out of CrossFit Invictus: Staff Unbowed.
Kelsey Schulte
Kelsey, 21, has been doing CrossFit since she was simply 13 years outdated. Kelsey moved from Sacramento to San Diego to coach in individual final February after being a distant Invictus athlete for 3 years. The transfer undoubtedly paid off as she punched her first ticket to the CrossFit Video games in 2023 on Staff Invictus Unbroken!
“Competing on the video games taught me methods to deal with the pressures of being on the largest stage in our sport whereas nonetheless having the ability to respect the work that acquired me there within the first place,” stated Kelsey when she mirrored on final season.
Now Kelsey is happy to start out her eighth yr taking part within the CrossFit Open, and showcase her crew’s chemistry and strengths.
Eric Carmody
Eric, 35, is bringing his earlier Video games expertise to his younger crew having certified twice as a person, and twice on a crew. Eric went to the Video games final yr on Staff Invictus Unconquerable, however sadly the weekend was reduce quick resulting from harm. This shall be Eric’s thirteenth yr doing the Open, and he’s hoping for his fifth journey to the Video games.
“Truthfully, what you study from the Video games is {that a} WOD is simply one other WOD,” stated Eric. “You might be simply an accumulation of your coaching, you’re not going to magically be one thing you’re not and due to that it’s essential to frequently push your self to stay aggressive.”
Not solely is Eric a very long time Invictus athlete, he’s additionally a father! Eric and his spouse Haley have a 19 month outdated son named Colton, and a 5 month outdated daughter named Aliza. Based on Eric, he additionally has two 21 yr outdated adoptee women that he has educated to be CrossFit Video games athletes: teammates Riley and Kelsey.
The vary of expertise within the crew is one thing that he’s wanting ahead to. “This crew shall be enjoyable because we’ve got some folks with numerous expertise and a few people who find themselves newer,” stated Eric. He’s feeling exceptionally wholesome this yr, and is wanting ahead to hopefully getting some folks to the Video games!
Riley Estrada
Riley, 21, is initially from Kailua Kona, Hawaii. She moved to San Diego to attend San Diego State College, which was when she joined Invictus. Little did she know her passions for water sports activities rising up in Hawaii, like water polo and browsing, would ultimately flip right into a ardour for CrossFit.
Riley’s aim this yr: to qualify for her first CrossFit Video games. “It could be a dream come true to make it to the video games for my first time this yr,” stated Riley. “I’ve been coaching for this for the final couple years and am so excited to work exhausting at making that dream a actuality this season.”
Whereas she may not have competed on the Video games final yr, Riley was there supporting the Invictus groups, particularly her boyfriend Tyler Soderback who punched his ticket for his first Video games in 2023 on Invictus Unconquerable. Now it will imply the world to Riley for this yr to be her flip, and she or he’s greater than assured in her crew. “My favourite half about this crew is how effectively we get alongside. I really feel like we’re very understanding of one another and actually need the others on our crew to succeed. We have now enjoyable with what we’re doing and the corporate round us.”
Rob Schillaci
Rob, 33, is initially from the UK (together with fellow Invictus athletes Lauren Stallwood and Joshua Al-Chamaa) however can also be half Italian. Whereas he may be new to the Invictus groups, he’s not new to Invictus in any respect, having been a distant Invictus athlete since 2017 working with coach Tino Marini.
Rob has been dreaming of constructing his debut on the CrossFit Video games since earlier than 2018, when he went to Regionals as a person (RIP Regionals). Rob hopes that is lastly his yr! “To have the ability to punch a ticket to the video games could be an enormous accomplishment and a really particular reminiscence particularly on a crew realizing the exhausting work and hours spent within the gymnasium paid off,” stated Rob.
Whereas some athletes battle on a crew however thrive as a person, Rob loves being on a crew. “I’ve all the time been concerned in crew sports activities from beforehand enjoying rugby so I naturally simply gravitated in direction of the crew aspect,” he stated. “I really feel there’s something particular about being in a crew, constructing the crew chemistry and strategizing to work with every others strengths and weaknesses on the competitors ground.”
Good luck to Staff Unbowed now that the season is formally underway!
