Rasich finds beast mode through CrossFit
USD’s Megan Rasich aims to qualify for CrossFit Games, the sport’s championship
Sydney Avery / Contributor
Her day is not the average in any capacity. The unreeling chronicles of her day consist of four to five hours of strenuous exercise. Her hands an abstract masterpiece of chalk, her spandex due for a cleaning, and her arms feeling fatigued, she forces herself to find renewed strength. Megan Rasich has a dream, and so the pain is worthwhile. CrossFit is the sport responsible for her sheer drive.
The USD sophomore was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and has been the queen of activity since she could hobble on her two legs. She would strap her hiking boots on and climb for extended periods. Then, before the day would cease, she would join her family on any active endeavors that afternoon.
“I grew up in a hyperactive family,” Rasich said. “We were constantly on the go; jumping from this to that, seeking adventure. I was the highly competitive one in my family and any outing always turned into a chance to win at something. I lived for it.”
She took her competitive nature and channeled it into sports. In second grade, Rasich decided to pick up alpine ski racing. Through seventh grade, she stuck with it.
When seventh grade came around, she put ski racing on the back burner and with high school approaching, she got into cross country and track.
But running never clicked for Rasich, and her interest fell flat. She still gave track a run and made it to the state finals and had her medal-winning moment. However, she wasn’t happy. She recognized it. Her dad saw it painted on her face.
So, on to the next sport she went. When she stumbled upon CrossFit, she had her throw-the-confetti moment, the realization that she found it — her sport.
“It makes sense that I love CrossFit because when I did all other sports, the part I liked best was the conditioning fitness piece,” she said. “That was the part in practice I looked forward to most. CrossFit is a mix of everything. You have the metabolic element with a mix of gymnastics as well as traditional weightlifting.”
Rasich knew from the sweaty smell of the gym to the array of skill sets one must possess that she was up for the challenge that CrossFit would entail. With her unique background in sports and her solid foundation of muscular endurance, she was able to pick up the sport fairly quickly.
“I always knew I wanted to be really good at something,” Rasich said. “When I stumbled upon CrossFit, sure it was fun, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t do it just for fun. I wanted to be the best.”
Rasich, being the highly competitive person she is, went to town and worked. She worked hard. She battled mental barriers, she pushed to new personal records, and she opened her horizons to her potential. She was introduced to the sport her junior year of high school and by senior year, she was rearranging her life around it.
“Everything in my life started revolving around CrossFit,” Rasich said. “I started paying attention to nutrition, sleep, and things of that nature. Also, when the pivotal moment came to decide where to go to college, I looked to where the best places to train would be. I ended up at USD in part because of the opportunities that I would have there to train.”
Her new home gym in San Diego is the training ground for several top-notch CrossFit athletes. She knew that she would be in good company and would be in an environment that could propel her to her ultimate dream of attending the CrossFit Games. The CrossFit Games are the World Championships or Olympics of CrossFit. Attending the Games is no easy task, but Rasich has fixated her eyes on making it. With every workout, she rises with stamina and burning passion because she is a girl with a dream. When she enters the new gym, she will be hungrier than ever for a stronger her. She welcomes the new opportunity.
When her first year of college rolled around, she loaded her trunk, mostly with athletic attire, and said her final farewells to Utah for the time being.
“I was terrified to be moving, to be going to a gym packed with so many athletes that have been to the Games,” she said. “I was uncomfortable, but I was able to acknowledge the necessity to go.”
She eventually adapted and, before COVID hit, they were the most fun months of her life.
“I had a good balance going on,” Rasich said. “I was able to be a fun kid in college but when I left for training, I was in this other mode.”
She found herself improving and able to keep up with the top tier at her gym. With every new workout, she became more and more resilient, inviting pain in and loving the constant challenges of the sport. She is ranked in the top 5 percent in CrossFit , indicating she is among the fittest women in the world.
Although her plans are being altered due to COVID-19, she continues to shape her CrossFit career. When school went virtual during her second semester, she flew to Houston, Texas to train with her starting coach. She is living there on her own, training, and also coaching younger athletes, getting closer and closer to making her dreams reality.
She starts her day early, eating breakfast before training for two hours in the morning and finishing with a food refill. Then she coaches. And then, back to training. She never quite stops but she wouldn’t have it any other way. Although the times are unprecedented, she finds herself reaching new heights with her fitness levels and is savoring the moments of teaching the sport that she loves to young ones.
In January, she plans to return to San Diego. Her life was the best it had been before masks were the new complement and she looks forward to returning to school and all its glory. CrossFit always grounds her and gives her the homey feel she needs anywhere, whether or not that be San Diego or Houston or Salt Lake City. CrossFit is her safe haven. She plans to compete until her goals are reached and she has expended herself. In the coming years, Rasich plans to make USD, but more importantly herself, proud.