5 Observations from the 2014 CrossFit Games:

5) ESPN became a major factor in the coverage of this year’s Games.

Lie #2 – The video used by OTL, which supposedly captures Kevin Ogar’s injury, has been edited.

In thinking about how best to explain Lie #2, and in the time I spent waiting for another video – I came to the conclusion that the only way to explain would be to simply do an A/B comparison. I first discovered that frames had been omitted from the YouTube video of Kevin’s injury back in January. I had been asked to look at another, slightly different video, and see if I could tell what exactly occurred, or if I could find anything that anyone else hadn’t seen. In order to make sure I was getting the best resolution I could, I used an app called Video D/P to download the YouTube version to see if it was any better.

What I found was shocking.

I noticed that there was a magic skip of roughly 5-6 frames just after Kevin was initially impacted by the bar. I timed out the frames in Coach’s Eye and found that the video was at a consistent 12-13 frames per second, and at no point was there a skip of more than a 9th of a second. The video averages 12-13 frames per second, and in the video above my ADD kicked in and I forget to keep count. After watching it again, the second I use as an example, contains exactly 13 frames. The “magic skip” lasts for a 3rd of a second. I hope I’m saying that correctly – the only way I know to explain it is that it’s MORE than a quarter of a second. That means if on average there are 4-5 frames per quarter second, somehow roughly 5-6 frames are missing.

NOTE: I’m aware that the video currently states it is “edited” and “censored” on YouTube. I can assure you, that has been added since other versions of the video have appeared publicly. Not to mention, the point is ABC News used an edited video, and ESPN used that same video AFTER the publisher admitted it was edited.

I showed the odd skip in the video to multiple people, including a friend who is a professional in video and video editing. He came up with the same conclusion I did, which was the same everyone else who saw it did – the video had been edited.

But why?

There was immediate controversy surround Kevin’s injury. Some, who’d seen an unedited video, said the bar struck the plates behind Kevin and the horizontal blow it dealt Kevin’s spine was what caused it to give way. Others, who were eye-witnesses, said the bar didn’t change direction, and the movement of the plates was a coincidence. I personally have no idea exactly how Kevin was injured, but I know the evidence could have been in those missing frames. I also know it was most certainly a freak accident, especially for such a competent/strong athlete, and debating causality does nothing to explain the lie of the missing footage or why it was removed.

So, you want to know what I think?

Honestly, I can’t say – and that’s not because I don’t want to. I can, however, comment on some ifs and hypothetical scenarios.

If someone was trying to cover something up; like the possible negligence of leaving a stack of plates behind a lifter – then it’s an act of unconscionable cowardice.

If someone edited the video actually thinking that no other version would ever be made available, and that no one would ever see the over a quarter of a second of lost footage – then they have redefined the term criminally stupid.

If the intent behind this edit was to somehow hinder the injured athlete in pursuing legal recourse to help with the massive medical expenses brought on by this injury – then there is a special place in hell for the person/persons behind it.

I’d like to thank ESPN and Mark Fainaru-Wada for being so wonderfully inept at reporting, that I finally had an excuse to write this post.

WOD 140819:

BBG

1) 3 Position Clean (Floor, Hang, Power Position – do not drop bar) + 1 Jerk (after Clean complex): Max for the complex + Jerk – 1X1@95%, 1X1@90%

2) Jerk from blocks: 3RM – 3X1@95%, 3X1@90%

Strength/Skill

1a) 3XME UB Strict Muscle-Ups + ME UB Kipping Muscle-Ups (drop down after ME Strict set, and reset for Kipping set with no more than :10 break) – rest 90 sec.

1b) 3X8 Jumping Good Mornings – heavier than last week, rest 90 sec.

Conditioning

3X2k Row – Rest 4:00 after each 2k