2012 Regional Preview: Canada East

January 18, 2012

Andy Mitchell

    

2011 was the inaugural year for Canada East as a region and was most certainly a formative year in terms of identifying Canada East as powerful and capable contenders. While individual competitors fared well at the Games overall, teams struggled against some very formidable competition, especially from the United States. 

Time will change all things. One of the more notable changes to the Canada East line-up for 2012 will be the absence of Jason Cain. Cain, who in 2011 finished 1st in the Canada East Regional Event and 38th in the Games, has relocated to Saskatoon, which means he’s now within Canada West. 
 
Men
Albert-Dominic Larouche of CrossFit Chambly in Quebec will be one of the “must watch” athletes this year.  In 2011, Larouche secured 2nd place in Canada East for the men and finished 33rd at the Games. Larouche says he has aspirations of pursuing a career in policing and he likens preparations for entrance testing to the Games. 
 
Matthieu Dubreucq finished 3rd in the Canada East Regional in 2011 doing his home box, CrossFit Laval, proud. Dubreucq is looking to make a major step forward in 2012, not only for himself but also for Canada East.  “We're all competing at Regionals, but at the Games, we want the winner to come from Canada East,” offered Matthieu, a spirited competitor but also a sportsman in the truest sense of the word.
 
​Women
For the women, Camille Leblanc-Bazinet of CrossFit Brossard (Brossard, Quebec) will be back for her third year.  Leblanc-Bazinet finished first in the Regional event last year and delivered a tremendous 8th place finish at the Games.  Literally emerging from nowhere at the 2010 Games she delivered an astounding 9th place finish for her first effort.  Much will be expected from Camille this year.
 
Camille and fellow Montrealer, Michele Letendre will definitely be looked for on the Leaderboard this year.  Letendre, at a diminutive 5’1”, is pumped after wrapping up rehab from an injury she sustained at the 2011 Games. “I’m definitely going to compete in 2012. The biggest change for me this year is the amount of support I’m getting from friends, family and the CrossFit community in Montreal.”
 
​Masters
Women’s Masters athlete Valentina Giangregorio of Burlington, Ontario finished 13th overall at the 2011 Games. Giangregorio, along with five other competitors, met their match with Day 2’s Muscle-up/Thruster workout.  Alain Charpentier of CrossFit Exertion in Bedford, Nova Scotia, finished in 18th for the Masters competition. There’s lots of room for new competitors and surprises in this category on the road to the 2012 Games for Canada East.
 
​Team
L’usine CrossFit in Montreal, along with CrossFit Altitude of Burlington, Ontario both delivered spectacular performances at the Regional event with L’usine edging out first place by just a single point. Both affiliates have solid reputations for cranking out powerful and capable athletes and there’s no doubt that we can expect more from both of them this year.
 
While it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of what happened in 2011, it is important to remember the explosive growth of CrossFit affiliates across Canada.  New athletes, new teams, and impressive results from Canada East are sure to dominate this year’s events.