028 - Dave Castro - Former SEAL and BUD/S Instructor, Current Director of the CrossFit Games

Oct 5, 2020

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Dave Castro rarely speaks of his service at the tip of the spear but the imprint of those years of training to excellence is apparent in everything he does -- especially at the CrossFit Games.

“The past that I speak so little of is so foundational for who I am.”

In Episode 028, with Jason and Rich, Dave discloses a few of the missing pieces of his winding journey starting with “The Rock” and leading to leadership in the Navy as well as CrossFit International.

Dave grew up on “The Ranch” in California and while he was involved in athletics and martial arts he never excelled. Always a “self-directed” researcher he stumbled onto the challenge of becoming a Navy SEAL and he dropped out of college (against his parents’ wishes) and chased the goal with single minded focus wondering “do I have what it takes?”

With self knowledge and the reflection born of being both recruit and trainer, Dave talks about the mindset and mentality of getting through BUD/S and other challenges. Dave made the deliberate choice to not put his SEAL experiences up front in the early days of working for CrossFit while still active duty as a BUD/S instructor -- a decision which makes some still surprised to learn he was a SEAL. He served 12 years as a SEAL yet the quiet professional ethos is so ingrained, details are not forthcoming about his service through multiple deployments on elite Special Operations Teams. The lessons and values Dave holds from his years of service, however, are clear: holding yourself to a high standard; constantly training and pushing; walking the walk; and being willing to be humble, start over and work your way up.

He attributes his success out of the military to his mindset of “not ‘be impressed by what I’ve done,’ but ‘let me impress you by what I can do.’”

Dave lays out his narrative about the source of the edginess he brings to CrossFit as a sport -- especially at the Games -- and the crossovers between Teams and CrossFit: teamwork, community, discipline and always training/honing your craft with care.

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