Going into the 2018 softball season, Novi High School girl’s varsity softball coach Dave Langlois knew the team’s focus in the new season was going to be on base running and explosive movements – two aspects of the game where a team must be fundamentally sound to be successful.
As a regular athlete at Grand Trunk CrossFit, Langlois started to see a connection between movements he did on a regular basis, and the movements that his team needed to be good at. So he reached out to GTCF in March right after tryouts and his final roster was set, and Brooklyn started the girls on a regular class schedule as part of their commitment to the team.
“We play an aggressive form of the game that involves quick thinking and pinpoint decision making on the base paths,” said Langlois. “The explosive movements we undergo at Grand Trunk Crossfit helped tremendously in that regard.”
Since the season started, the team has been coming to Grand Trunk twice a week for workouts that are geared toward the type of movements the girls are going to endure during the course of a game. This means WODs that are more focused on endurance, and less focused on weightlifting, as the girls need to remain nimble and flexible as they play through a long season.
Coach Langlois has worked closely with the coaches at GTCF to ensure that, not only are the girls performing at a high level, but also they leave the box with a sense that these workouts are about more than just working up a good sweat.
“This is also a way to expose these young women to something that, I hope, benefits them down the road as they look for ways to stay fit,” added Langlois.
The results, to-date, have been exactly what Langlois was hoping to accomplish when he signed the team up for their softball-specific workouts. He notes there has been a noticeable difference in their stamina in what can be a long season. However, they’ve attacked their practices with an enthusiasm and that can be directly attributed to intense workouts at GTCF.
“We are ready to go physically at all times,” said Langlois. “Our practices are tough on the body. They are filled with headfirst slides and constant movement. But these girls don’t stop; they just keep firing away.”
To Langlois’ knowledge, no other team in the area is looking to CrossFit as a way to train, but that just makes it all the more appealing as a secret weapon that he can deploy throughout the year. And when this season is over, Langlois figures to bring his travel team to GTCF for training, and 100 percent Novi High School’s varsity softball team will return in 2019.
“The team has benefited greatly this year from having access to Grand Trunk Crossfit,” said Langlois. “Brooklyn and Diana have worked closely with us to succeed, and I know my team has benefited greatly from their passion for exercise and staying fit.”