This year at the Granite Games, we saw something we’ve never seen before: a 3-generation team of athletes! Team 3 Gen is comprised of a grandfather, father and son and we just had to hear how it came about. Check out their story!
GG: How did you guys get into this together, as a family?
Frank Walker: It started when my son-in-law, Torrey, partnered up with his wife and another couple and bought CrossFit PHOS in Sioux Falls. And then I got dragged into it. *laughs*
Torrey Babb: I volunteered to judge the last two years. At the end of last year, I said, “Man, if we could do a team of 3 with my son and my father-in-law, that’d be pretty cool.” So for the last year, I’ve been telling him, we’re gonna do it, we’re gonna do it. And he’s been saying, “No we’re not, no we’re not.” And we did the Qualifier, registration opened up, we got signed up, and I said, “Well, we’re doing it.”
GG: Haha I love it. So did you guys CrossFit before he decided to do the competition?
FW: Before the competition, yeah, but they’ve owned the gym in Sioux Falls for two years and they’ve been working out for a couple years, and my wife and I just started working out. And Jaxon just turned 15 a couple weeks ago, so he’s still pretty young but kind of a beast.
GG: That’s my next question. I was going to ask what are the ages in your group?
Jaxon Babb: 15
FW: 55.
TB: 42. But I read at a 43-yr-old level.
GG: Hahaha ok. You’re advanced!
TB: We joke that his mom made him do it, my wife made me do it, and his daughter made him do it.
GG: And she’s watching you this weekend?
TB: She’s competing in the Team of 3 Intermediate division. She drank the CrossFit kool-aid right away. Their team is PHOS Strong, this is her third year competing. Last year our gym had two teams, this year we have people on 7 teams. It’s been a blast.
GG: Do you think you’ll come back?
JB: My parents will probably make me. *laughs*
TB: Pretty soon he’ll be qualifying as an individual, and he won’t want anything to do with us old guys. Haha but seriously, it’s been great. It’s just an amazingly-run event and judges, volunteers, staff… everyone treats us like we’re elite athletes, even when we’re absolutely not.
FW: And how often do you get to compete with your grandson, right?
