# @pvellner on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DTV3plhCd9L
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/38665217-pvellner-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/e74fabfcc4.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-01-10T19:21:31.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Vellnerd (@PVellner) — https://gondola.cc/PVellner

## Caption

#SaturdayStorytime
The year is 2016. The 10th anniversary of the CrossFit Games, my first appearance as an individual and it so happens, the last year of the games in Carson. Wha a time to be alive. There’s a few stories from this year but today we’ll focus on the ranch.
Your first games is a lot to take in. Check in and media is a cool experience. I look back at 2016 and pine for it sometimes. It was the last time I got to go to a competition and be completely unknown. No fanfare. No pressure. Big time First world problems.
I had no reference point but this year came with what I imagine was extra stress. At check in we were handed a slip of paper, a packing list, and told to meet in the lobby at 3am the next day. Better get to sleep yesterday..
3am comes. Chaos in the lobby. If you’ve been on the scene long you know crossfitters don’t travel light, least of all games athletes. I’m a student, some people had with them more things than own. The brass comes out and tells us we need to pack down to carry on size/weight. Interesting.
After some shuffling we get on a bus then into an airport. We’re staying half awake so we can sleep where we can. We move like cattle through security until there’s a massive hold up and a collective grown comes from the group. crossfitcowboy45 has been pulled out of line, and fair enough. Sean packed a full on lasso rope. After being told to pack down to just the essentials for a day of competition this is what he brought… clearly his first day on earth.
If you know Sean he’s the most disarming man on earth, so after southern charming the pants off the whole staff he got to keep his rope. This ended up being good for everyone because on the way home all of Southwest Airlines went down and we were stuck in the airport for hours. Bodies littering the halls. So Sean got the boys roping each other in the terminal to help pass the time. nothing better after a long hard day. 
The ranch cool. Gritty and fun. Barely felt like a competition. Intimate, no noise. Great way to get to know the other athletes as a new guy. And I had a great first day in the show to boot before my reputation for slow starts began. More on that another time.

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## Tags

saturdaystorytime

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