He started his career as a CrossFit athlete before becoming the face and voice of the CrossFit Games, Rory Mckernan has a storied career in the sport. Do you want to know more about this bodybuilder-turned-CrossFit athlete-turned media personality? Well, continue reading and find out who he is.
Former CrossFit media director Rory Mckernan
An Introduction to Rory Mckernan, CrossFit Athlete
Let’s get into all the details you need to know about one of our favourite CrossFit stars.
Life Before CrossFit
Prior to joining the sport, he was already a well-known bodybuilder. And similar to many CrossFit athletes, Rory Mckernan found the sport online in 2005. He later took a liking for the sport. Initially, he thought CrossFit was an online thing until he moved to San Diego. The father of his friend told him that a CrossFit gym was close to their home. And this marked his entry to the world of CrossFit.
Life at CrossFit
After discovering a CrossFit gym close to the home of his buddy’s dad, Rory started his CrossFit journey. While training at US CrossFit and he got his Level 1 CrossFit certification. Around seven months after receiving his Level 1 certification, he got an iteration of the current Level 2 CrossFit certification. He was soon invited for internships in Level 1 seminars.
He became a CrossFit instructor and started to travel around the world. By 2008, he became a part of the CrossFit Games both as an instructor and enthusiast.
Rory and the CrossFit Media
Rory is well-known as the voice and face of the CrossFit Games. It all started in the 2008 CrossFit Games. He was given the opportunity to stand in front of a camera for a video Jordan Gravatt for the games. Jordan asked him to make a quick interview for the transition material for his videos.
Rory was later contacted by media director Tony Budding to become a part of their team. The first video he worked on was the 2009 CrossFit Games where he took videos from two to three cameras and put them together. They initially focused on the games before starting work on Workout of the Day demonstration videos.
As time passed, they started receiving videos from independent videographers who covered different aspects of the sport. Some even covered CrossFit events and sent the videos to them. Rory and the media team received so many videos that they used for the Update Show. The show was conceived to be able to serve the fans of the sport.
Update Show Early Struggles
With limited experience and resources, Rory recalls they used a teleprompter for every show they made at the start. They also had numerous retakes since they wanted to make the show perfect. Another issue they had to take into account was the music coming from a church located under the studio. They initially thought it was coming from someone in the crew. After finding out it was church music, they had to wait until church services ended before continuing their recording of the show.
The events of the 2012 CrossFit Games at Camp Pendleton was also taxing for Rory. Since they were not given much advance notice, they decided to make a radio show where people would give a play-by-play account of the events. Rory was initially doubtful if anyone was listening to their broadcast, but later found that many people were on the radio listening.
CrossFit Media Role
Being an integral part of the media arm of CrossFit, Rory was one of the most recognizable faces in the Games. He was the presenter and commentator in the Open season. Despite his inexperience in media production, he played a major role in structuring the department in the way it is today. Working with his team, they were able to raise the bar of their media production to a level some organizations may envy.
Life After CrossFit
Rory Mckernan worked in the media department of the company for a decade. But the company decided to let him go in February 2019. Even with his departure, he expressed his gratitude to the company and its founder who shaped him and changed his life for the better.
In fact, Rory helped his former colleagues at a recent Mayhem Classic event. He also showed class as he doesn’t have any ill will with his departure. Rory even said he was overwhelmingly thankful for all the opportunities and the people he met. Nearly a year after his departure from CrossFit, he was named the new media director of the sports apparel company, NOBULL.
Rory Mckernan‘s Stats
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 209 lbs.
Country: USA
Born: 1981
Benchmark Stats
Let’s check out the results of Rory Mckernan in some CrossFit exercises:
Back Squat: 445 lbs.
Clean + Jerk:
Snatch: 230 lbs.
Fran: 2:35
Grace: 1:47
5 km run: 23:18
CrossFit Games Results
Since Rory Mckernan’s CrossFit experience was mainly on the media side, he didn’t really have time to compete in the CrossFit Games. But he was able to participate in the Open season under the individual category from 2012 until 2016. In the 2017 CrossFit Games, he also joined the Masters Men ages 35-39 division of the Open season. Rory took part in the same division during the Open season in 2018 and 2019. For the Team Series, Rory was part of the Team Good Times that competed in the 2015 season.
CrossFit Tips from Rory Mckernan
Even as Rory Mckernan did not focus too much on competing in the CrossFit Games, he has so much experience in the CrossFit organization that he can be relied on to give some tips to aspiring CrossFit athletes. But, his most important tip is for people who are not quite knowledgeable about the sport.
CrossFit Athletes Are Human
When Rory Mckernan co-wrote “Dottir” with Katrin Davidsdottir, he was hoping his readers will understand that CrossFit athletes are human. They go through the same things an ordinary person would go through. With this, the CrossFit community will become closer since everyone knows they are going through the same thing. They will also understand that they do the same things.
Rory Mckernan’s Instagram
Even though Rory Mckernan focused more on the media side of CrossFit, he still enjoys a good following on Instagram under his handle, “Rory Mckernan.”
Have Your Say about CrossFit Rory Mckernan
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CrossFit media personality Rory Mckernan
