Botox and Burpees
Botox and Burpees
S05E110 - In Remembrance of Stephen Rice: Team Master Blaster - An Unexpected CrossFit Duo
There are friendships that defy expectations—bonds between people who, on paper, shouldn't connect. Yet these unexpected relationships often teach us the most profound lessons. My friendship with Stephen Rice was exactly that kind of connection.
Steve passed away on April 8, 2025, after suffering an unexpected stroke. Though we primarily knew each other from CrossFit Bison, rarely seeing each other outside the gym, we shared one extraordinary experience that exemplified who Steve truly was. This remembrance isn't just about grief—it's about celebrating a remarkable human being through the lens of our unlikely friendship.
#InMemoryOfSteve #FriendshipTribute #CrossFitCommunity #LegacyOfLove
#GoneButNotForgotten #CelebrateLife #CherishedMemories #InspirationalStories #FitnessFamily #HeartfeltTribute
@asburyparksummergames #BotoxAndBurpees @crossfittraining @crossfit @crossfitgames #crossfit #sports #exercise #health #movement #crossfitcoach #agoq #clean #fitness #ItAllStartsHere #CrossFitOpen #CrossFit #CrossFitCommunity #apgames
My name is Sam Rhee and this is my remembrance of my friend, stephen Rice, who passed away on April 8, 2025, after suffering an unexpected stroke. My condolences to his wife, christine, his two sons, connor and Logan, and his close friends and family. Steve was a friend of mine, a CrossFit bison gym friend. I know there are a lot of people who knew Steve much better than me who have already paid tribute to him. I rarely saw Steve outside of bison, if ever, and in many ways our lives could not be more different. But there is one great memory I shared with Stevie, one that few know about. I want to remember Steve and to share that memory with others and to add it to his legacy. As I said outside the gym, I did not know Steve Rice that well. I knew he worked nights for a local water utility company and Steve lived in Midland Park, not far from the gym. I did know he was all about things Irish, including Notre Dame football. He was also a Chicago Cubs and Bears fan. But most importantly, I know he cared deeply about his family, particularly his two sons and their sports. He coached his sons in their youth sports and that was something that over the past several years had been taking more and more of his time and in the past year or two he started bringing his older son, connor, to the gym. And out of the many high two, he started bringing his older son, connor, to the gym. And out of the many high school kids who would drop into Bison, connor was always quiet but smiling and so positive. I could tell how proud Steve was of his son and how much he loved him and how much Connor loved his dad. There wasn't another father out there that loved his kids more than Steve did. Now, regarding the more whimsical side of Steve, I also knew he really enjoyed beer. He knew how to have a good time and I recently asked a couple gym people what his favorite beer was, but they couldn't remember. I think he was pretty non-denominational when it came to brand preference but, being Irish, I would guess he would never say no to a well-poured Guinness Ever. Because he worked nights.
Sam Rhee:Stevie was a midday gym class guy and he was not small, over six feet and well over 200 pounds. He played rugby in college and he looked every inch of it. He started at Bison a couple months before I got there in 2014, and he could put up great lift numbers with the barbell. He was, surprisingly, not bad with the cardio pieces either. Of course, everyone knew how much he hated burpees and, given his build, who could blame him? And what sane person really loves burpees anyway? I remember many classes, especially back in the day. He would get there a little early, wrap his ankles or knees and he would look a little creaky or tired. I never knew what was going on in his life. If he had troubles, worries or cares outside of the gym, there might have been a passing shadow on his face as he started to warm up, but then they would disappear as he started to focus on the workout. It might take Steve a little while to get going, but once he shifted out of first gear he would build up a head of steam and he could work his way through many CrossFit wads in a manner you would never have guessed he was capable of.
Sam Rhee:The most vivid memory of Stevie I have is when we did a CrossFit competition together back when we were both a whole lot younger. This was June of 2017. I don't know who suggested that Stevie and I team up to do this competition. We had both started just a couple years ago and had very little CrossFit competition experience. I think it was Dave Syverton who suggested we join forces. This was one of the first big CrossFit comps in the area that had a 40 and over division and so we wouldn't have to compete against the younger athletes. Thankfully, this CrossFit comps in the area that had a 40 and over division and so we wouldn't have to compete against the younger athletes.
Sam Rhee:Thankfully, this CrossFit competition Stevie and I did was the first year of the Asbury Park Summer Games. Nowadays this competition is quite the extravaganza with many elite athletes competing. It's a huge event and it's become a signature CrossFit blowout affair every summer. And this year they ran ran six divisions of athletes and it lasted three whole days, which is unheard of for a quote local competition. But back then it was a one-day comp and anyone could sign up. There was no qualifying and a lot of the local OG CrossFit athletes did it, including many from our gym.
Sam Rhee:Gavin Cunio was there, the Bryson Brawlers had Dan Mazzina and Marek Kirilko. Aaron and his brother Dave had the awesome and imaginative team name CrossFit Bison. Owen Morrissey was part of Bison Strong, which sounded more like hope and less of a statement, and Brian DiCarlo was part of the necessary thickness team. There were some other competitors there too who are now part of CrossFit Bison CrossFit Games athlete Tracy McGee she was part of Team Mom and Me Coach Bobby Wallum, who competed with Joe Piero. Their team name was Big and Little, which, interestingly enough, does not actually reference their different heights and weights. By the way, if you're watching this episode on YouTube, you'll see a lot of the photographs from the competition from professional photographer and friend Jose Fernandez of Jfz photography. So thank you, jose, for those amazing photographs. They bring back so many special memories. Anyway, we were excited for months before the comp actually started.
Sam Rhee:Stevie came up with our team name bison master blaster. It's from an 80s movie, mad max beyond thunderdome, starring mel gibson, in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where there was a pair of characters who were always together. One was this little person who sat on the shoulders of this giant, hence the name Master and Blaster. One was supposedly the brains and the other the brawn. Well, in this case, stevie was probably the smart one too, but based on our physical sizes, it wasn't hard to figure out which one of us was the master and which one of us was the blaster. In fact, steve even had t-shirts made up for us for the comp, with Master Blaster on the back. I wish I still had this t-shirt, but unfortunately it's gone, the way of so many of my old beat-up CrossFit shirts.
Sam Rhee:We didn't really train too much. I think we got together once or twice on the weekends before the comp, but it wasn't anything formal and we weren't elite athletes or anything. We just wanted to have fun and work out down near the beach with our friends. We met up that morning of the competition down in Asbury Park and we were amazed by the setup. We had never seen anything like this at a comp before Huge indoor arena, neon lights, a professional DJ that kept the music going. We felt like we were at the CrossFit Games themselves. It was so fancy. And then we started feeling the nerves. There was a large enclosed arena with circular seating all around it. It felt like the Coliseum, straight from the movie Gladiator, and we just needed Russell Crowe to yell out Are you not entertained?
Sam Rhee:We didn't have much time to sightsee with a comps-tight schedule, so Steve and I got right to work on WOD 1. Eight minutes to establish the following Partner A one rep max snatch. Partner B one rep max clean and jerk Weight could not be decreased once it had been loaded onto the bar, which means if you failed you couldn't go back down to a lighter weight. You either made it or you didn't. And I remember discussing this with Stevie and it was an obvious master blaster situation where my master weight in the snatch would have to be carried by his blaster clean number. I managed 125, which was a PR for me at the time, and Steve hit 260 for his clean for a total number of 385. So for Team Master Blaster that number was good enough for us to take fourth place in the event and that was a pleasant surprise. Maybe we didn't completely stink at this.
Sam Rhee:The second WOD was a 10 minute AMRAP for which the 40 plus men's division had an assault bike for 10 cals, 10 burpees over bar and then 10 thrusters. Each round of this the thruster weight would go up. So it started with 75 pounds. Then the next round the thrusters were at 95 pounds. The third round was at 115, then 135, and then 155. I don't remember exactly how we split the reps, but I think for each round one of us would do the entire 10 cals of the bike, then I'd do most of the burpees over bar and then we would split the lighter thrusters at 75, 95, and 115. I did more of the lighter 75 and 95 pound thrusters and then Stevie took over completely at the 135 and 155. Then Stevie took over completely at the 135 and 155. We got through all five rounds, which was the entire thruster ladder, including 10 at 155, and then six more assault bike cals on top of that, which was good enough for third place. So this master blaster combo seemed to be working for us.
Sam Rhee:The third and fourth wads went simultaneously. Partner one would do a deadlift and knee raise rep ladder for three minutes two deadlifts, two knee raises, then four deadlifts, four knee raises, then six and so on for three minutes. While partner one was doing this, partner two would be doing max calorie row for three minutes at the same time. After three minutes the partners would switch and partner one would start rowing and partner two would switch from the rower and continue the deadlift e-races ladder. Now I don't remember, but I have a feeling that Stevie rode the first three minutes while I did the ladder and then I rode second and somehow we crushed the first three minutes and got 192 reps, which was first place, and then I wrote second and somehow we crushed the first three minutes and got 192 reps, which was first place, and then for the second three minutes, stevie and I fell back down to earth and got 111 reps, but that was still good enough for fourth place in our division. So all of these wads were a blur and I don't really remember that much, except that it was under the bright lights.
Sam Rhee:The adrenaline really got us juiced up and Stevie and I really poured our hearts out into each WOD. Like I said, neither of us were elite athletes, not even close. But there's something to be said for pushing yourself to your limits in a competitive situation that strengthens the mind and body. It's a feeling unlike any other. Cheering everyone else from bison, watching everyone give their max effort, it's always a special feeling and this one was even more so because of how big the event was and how many of our friends were there to cheer us on. So after these four WODs, we were sitting in fourth place for our division and Steve and I were happy to have had a respectable showing and it had been a long day. So Steve and I hugged, we high-fived, we were ready to make our drive back to Midland Park.
Sam Rhee:Stevie packed up his wheelie cooler, started making his way out of the arena and then someone stopped me I think it was Dave and he told me that there was a playoff wad. A playoff wad, yes. Four top teams of each division would continue in one more workout and then the top three would podium, and this was something we didn't know about. So I caught up with Steve and I told him the news and if I wasn't thrilled about hearing this information, stevie was really not happy to hear it. He didn't want to do it. He said it didn't matter, we should just call it a day. There were a bunch of beers in his cooler that were calling out to him. It was definitely Miller time and he was particularly unhappy because this playoff WOD involved a lot of pull-ups.
Sam Rhee:There's no actual record of the playoff WOD itself and I even checked with the competition runners themselves and they can't even remember what they programmed. But from asking the other competitors, they do remember the WOD having sets of pull-ups. Rx competitors had chest-to-bar and bar muscle-ups, there were deadlifts or maybe deadlift high pulls, more pull-ups paired with front squats and then even more pull-ups with overhead squats. So, whatever it really was, there was definitely a ton of pull-ups for our division and as soon as Stevie heard that he said forget it, there's no way he was going to do more pull-ups. I begged Stevie to just give it a try. I said let's just see what we could do, and it didn't matter if we did well or not and it wouldn't take that long. I told him I would do the pull-ups, he could do the other movements, and I don't remember what else I said, but somehow I managed to convince Steve to come back to the arena and get ready for the workout.
Sam Rhee:The only actual memories I have of that final workout is that I did more pull-ups than I've ever done in my life. Our judge was pretty strict about getting that chin over the bar and I remember that I could tell she felt bad when she had to start no-repping me when I started failing and I am positive I looked like a floppy, half-dead duck trying to pull myself up onto that bar. I also remember that early in the WOD Stevie actually did more pull-ups than either he or I expected. I'd be sitting there resting and he'd come over and do a couple and help me out, and I don't think I did any of the deadlifts. Maybe I helped out on the front squats or overhead squats, but I just can't remember. I just remember that when we ran to the end of the finish line I felt like complete death, and that was pretty much it. We high-fived, we were happy, we got through it. It was a tremendous moral victory.
Sam Rhee:And so while we sat there on the sidelines after the WOD all crumpled up, they started announcing the podium winners, and then they got to our division. In first place was Atomic Gangsta Mastas from Shrewsbury CrossFit and in second place, from CrossFit 908, was Maverick and Goose and, to Steve and me's complete and utter surprise, we somehow took third place Bison Master Blaster from CrossFit Bison. You will not find a more surprised team at podium than we were that day. How we beat these other tremendous and famous well-known CrossFit teams, such as Masters of the Universe, starsky and Hutch and Ageless Pex, is completely beyond me. That is what made that day so special. The two of us could not be more different in so many ways Our physical differences, how we grew up, what we did, who we were. Steve and I were about as different as chalk and cheese, as the saying goes. We were truly the oddest master and blaster duo, and yet we managed to team up and find a way to hang on and grit our way to the award platform, and no one was more proud than Stephen Rice that day. He was absolutely giddy when we took that stage. I think the reason he was so happy is that it really showed we could hang with some great athletes and, more importantly, he brought everything he had that day and the fact that it resulted in an award that reflected that effort validated everything we did. It was really special for both him and me.
Sam Rhee:Afterwards, everyone headed over to the post-comp party at Sue Walsh's place, which was at the cutest little cottage nearby at Avon-by-the-Sea. We broke open all the alcohol and drank and drank, and drank. My arms and upper back were already starting to really ache and I honestly believe I had rhabdo and if I didn't have rhabdo it was probably the closest I've ever been to getting it After a full day of working out five bajillion extra pull-ups, no hydration, then just trying to keep up with Stevie's liquid consumption. Afterwards I was very lucky I did not sustain permanent bodily harm and even so my arms, shoulders and back were like puffy wood for two weeks. But ever since that comp, anytime Steve and I would see each other at the gym, we'd high-five, called each other partner. It was really special. Now, we never competed again. After that I did a couple more comps, but that comp with Stevie was the best. I also believe it will remain as the most special athletic experience in my life. It was simply a pure experience of two guys, no sporting ambitions, just showed up, gave everything they had and surprised themselves with what they could do. I could not have asked for anything more with my partner.
Sam Rhee:I'm now 55, soon to be 56 years old, and, like a lot of people as they go through life, our thoughts and focus turn more to not just the daily tasks at hand, but trying to uncover and discover what makes life meaningful for us. What are the things most important to us now? What lessons can I learn from Stephen Rice and his life lived? I think a lot about Steve, how special he was and how short our time on earth really is. Steve was a good human being, which means he was a transcendent and great human being, and for one day, steve and I elevated ourselves and became more than what we expected, and that was a powerful lesson.
Sam Rhee:I want to thank Steve for making me a better person, and now, every time I have a drink, even if these days it's a non-alcoholic beer, which I know Stevie would probably say what the fuck? If he saw me. I toast the big man silently and think of him. I was given the gift of more time on earth than what Steve got. It means I had better make sure I don't waste it. Thank you, steve. I love you and I won't forget you. Steve, I love you and I won't forget you. Partner.