Carol Mezen’s career as a firefighter and paramedic nearly ended before it even began— her fire academy struggles in 2008 awakening a desire and need for strength that would bring her to extreme CrossFit workouts.
The 50-year-old not only continues to hold her own in a successful career with the Bainbridge Island Fire Department, but she is also putting her strength to the toughest of tests against international competition after qualifying for this year’s Masters CrossFit Games in Birmingham, AL, which takes place Aug. 29-Sept. 1.
Mezen was just one of 30 women in the 50-54 age group to earn a spot in the games. “I had been the bridesmaid, never the bride for this before,” she said while warming up for a recent workout at Kitsap CrossFit in Poulsbo. “I had come very close to qualifying a few times, so it’s exciting to finally get in there.”
Her journey to build muscle started with an introduction to Olympic weightlifting, which she learned while working with the owners of a Russian kettlebell gym on BI. She got through probation, but the gym’s closure led her to CrossFit.
“A couple of the guys at work were doing crossfit.com workouts, and they would write the workout on the whiteboard or the mirror in the gym. I would see it up there when I walked in and try to learn what I could.”
Once a new gym opened, Mezen just had to know more and has not looked back since. The workouts have provided her with a tool to maintain her strength for her job and an outlet to equally manage her mental health.
The competitive aspect, while fun and grueling, also gives Mezen a cool realization of just how much she is capable of. “When we train, we train at like 70-80%, and you go to competition, and you realize that you can lift more and do something faster. That is pretty empowering, and I guess I dig the dopamine from that.”
Her commitment to the fire department and CrossFit have also helped her distance herself from the stigma of “helpless female” that she said followed her and countless other female firefighters for years. “We go to a call, and somebody will say, ‘I’m really heavy. I’m not sure you can lift me,’” she said. “The guys will stand there and just say, ‘If there’s anybody that can lift you, it’s her.’ There’s a lot of faith in my abilities.”
Mezen said she’s doing just about everything she can to prepare herself for Alabama, but what excites her is the community of strong women competitors she feels honored to go up against. “I love going to these competitions and competing against other women, my peers and just seeing how many incredibly strong women there are out there,” she said. “(CrossFit) helped me take the step others want to try to take.”
