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THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: On top of the World: Work and dedication pays off with world CrossFit title for Coeur d'Alene teacher Vesser

| August 14, 2021 1:30 AM

The journey to the top of the CrossFit world wasn’t done overnight for Coeur d’Alene’s Tia Vesser.

It wasn’t done on national television, nor with a large stadium filled with cheering fans.

As she tells it, most of the work was done when nobody was paying attention.

VESSER, 52, who has taught physical education and weights in the Coeur d’Alene School District for the last 26 years at Canfield Middle School, captured a world championship by winning the Masters Division (age 50-54) of the 2021 NoBull CrossFit Games on Aug. 2 in Madison, Wis.

“I’ve been in CrossFit for seven years, but only had the goal of getting to the games for the last four years,” said Vesser, who is 5-foot-3, 145 pounds. “I hope the kids see that it takes a lot of dirty work in dark hours when nobody is watching, and that’s what it takes to do this.”

No kids, it’s not something you can get off the couch and just do.

“I hope the kids in my classes ask me how hard it was,” Vesser said. “I really hope they don’t think it was an easy route. It definitely wasn’t a genetic gift whatsoever. It was a grind, with some grit, and a lot of years that led up to it. I really hope the students ask me a lot of questions and wonder how long it took me to get there. I couldn’t do a pullup on my own for a couple of years, and there’s a lot of other things I couldn’t do. And I hope they get that, and learn from it.”

In 2019, when Vesser traveled to Madison, she finished sixth in the Games. In 2020, with Vesser ranked No. 1 in the world, the Games were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Going into 2019, as a rookie, you kind of go and are shocked by everything,” Vesser said. “You see the field for the first time, and the warmup area for the first time. Everything’s a first, so I think it being my second time, the experience from then was a big factor. I didn’t feel so overwhelmed by everything and felt more calm this time. It was a lot better and more enjoyable this time.”

AS FOR how she was doing during the Games among the leaders, it didn’t cross her mind.

“All my workouts felt really great,” Vesser said. “I felt like I’d achieved everything I needed to in each event. I don’t watch the leaderboards, don’t try to see where I’m at. I could kind of tell where I was after the first day because of the lane assignments, and you’re in the middle lane. But I don’t want to rely on those. I just want to go out and run my race in each event. It keeps me more focused on what I can do, instead of what everyone else is doing and where they’re at.”

CrossFit throws a variety of different events, from a swim to pullups, rope climbs, weightlifting and walking handstands.

“I don’t really want to know what my competitors are good at,” Vesser said. “I don’t want to think about what they’re going to do in that workout. I just want to have a strategy in my head, go out and do that to the best of my ability and have no regrets by the time I’m done.”

Vesser added she traveled to Wisconsin a few days early to get used to the weather and other surroundings.

“It helped a lot,” Vesser said. “That helped a lot and I felt more secure when the check-in came that first day. I’d had plenty of time under my belt and wasn’t rushing things.”

Vesser won the Games with 595 points over nine different events. Joyanne Cooper of Canada was second with 530 and Carrie Sandoval of the United States third with 525.

It was three hours after Vesser’s final event before she knew what she’d done.

“After my final event, they kind of kept me sequestered,” Vesser said. “I didn’t see family or friends for three hours. They keep you in the back so the officials can do their counting and figure out the podium standings, then you’ve got to do a podium. And you’ve got an athlete control person with you at all times, whether it’s getting something to eat, drink or whatever because they’ve got to do drug testing.”

Then, chatter began between the competitors.

“We didn’t know for at least an hour afterward,” Vesser said. “It was the second-place gal that told me I’d won. She did the math and was with her coach, and I wasn’t at the time. I’d thought she’d won, but when I found out, I started bawling and crying, and everything just kind of came out at that point.”

“There were a dozen people that went back to watch,” Vesser said. “My son, my mom — and it was the first time she’d seen me compete — and then 10 or so of our CrossFit Coeur d’Alene gym that came out to watch it. We’ve had a couple of celebrations since I’ve been home. One of the coaches had a little celebration, but nothing like the parade last year (when she didn't get to compete). But it’s different being the best in the world. It’s a cool feeling.”

WHAT'S NEXT remains unclear for Vesser.

“Right now, I’m just taking a break from things,” Vesser said. “I’ve said no to a lot of people and haven’t taken a vacation with my husband (Jeff, who is also a teacher and defensive coordinator for the Coeur d’Alene High football team) in I don’t know how long. I haven’t been on a girls weekend with my friends, went to dinner or lunch with my friends. They know, and don’t want to hurt my feelings and don’t want me to say no, so they don’t even ask anymore. They know where my priorities are, but it’s time to start saying yes a little more to some other things in my life.”

And it could be as simple as a dinner, vacation or even a Friday night football game at Viking Stadium.

“There were some times I couldn’t go to a football game because I had to be up early in the morning to work out,” Vesser said. “And I want to go sit in the stands and watch him (Jeff) coach again. I want to be part of that, and that will be fun.”

Through everything, Vesser has been thankful for everyone who has helped her along the way.

“It’s been a long road,” Vesser said. “Winning the CrossFit Games, it was a moment in time. But the road that led to that is what I remember the most. All the people that helped me get there, and CrossFit Coeur d’Alene has been amazing and had my back the entire time. My family, and a lot of people have sacrificed a lot of time and energy to get where I did. I might be the physical presence that won that medal, but there was a lot of people that won that medal as well.”

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.

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Courtesy photo Coeur d'Alene's Tia Vesser recently won the Master's Division of the 2021 NoBull CrossFit Games in Madison, Wis.

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Courtesy photo Coeur d'Alene's Tia Vesser performs a walking handstand during the 2021 NoBull CrossFit Games in Madison, Wis.