Team Rollins - QCCF sits in first after Day 1.
Far beneath the city streets in the core of the Minneapolis Convention Center, the Midwest’s fittest teams came together to compete.
All but one of last year’s Games teams from the Central East and North Central Regions have returned to fight for another trip to Carson. Missing from the lineup was CrossFit Conjugate Black; the team that took second at the 2014 Games disbanded after one year, sending three of its teammates—including Sam Dancer—to compete individually this weekend.
CrossFit Mayhem Freedom, the team led by four-time fittest man on Earth Rich Froning, enters the competition as the heir apparent for the top of the podium.
However, the event wins didn’t fall where expected today. Both events went to a little-known team from Davenport, Iowa. In its sixth regional competition, Team Rollins - QCCF racked up 200 points on Day 1 and set an Event 2 record to boot.
TEAM EVENT 1
The Central teams have been paying attention.
While earlier regionals saw partners struggle to stay in sync during the couplet of unevenly loaded 410-lb. partner deadlifts and synchronized chest-to-bar pull-ups, the Central Regional was packed with teams that were comfortable with the work. It’s likely many of them spent the last two weeks practicing.
Team Rollins - QCCF won it in 12:36.7, just 14.7 seconds shy of the record set by NorCal CrossFit at the California Regional last weekend.
Though QCCF was first to send its first pair to the rig for the set of 45 pull-ups, no one thought it would hold its lead over the likes of CrossFit Mayhem Freedom. Mayhem had the champ, after all.
Indeed, Mayhem claimed a 30-second lead on the rig, sending its second pair of athletes out onto the floor ahead of QCCF. Though Froning and his partner were smooth on the deadlifts, they were slower on the rig. Matching his partner’s pace, Froning dropped from the rig every 2 to 3 reps to rest.
Meanwhile, QCCF flew through large, unbroken sets of pull-ups, gazes fixed straight ahead. By the time QCCF and Mayhem sent their final pairs to the floor, Mayhem’s 30-second lead had been reduced to 10. At this point, the deadlifts were just a nuisance; all that mattered was the rig.
Though the two teams began their sets of 21 pull-ups together, Mayhem kipped in sets of 2-3, while QCCF went unbroken. From there, QCCF earned a lead that it wouldn’t relinquish.
“We had our best chest-to-bar pull-up (athletes) go last because we knew they could go unbroken,” said Joe Piersanti of QCCF. “We practiced this event many times, but this was definitely our fastest time.”
QCCF finished in 12:36.7, and was followed nearly a minute later by CrossFit 417 (13:20). Mayhem’s final pair had been passed on the pull-up rig, but finished in 13:50.9 for third.
“It went actually a lot better (than in practice); we did it two-and-a-half minutes faster,” Matt Hewett of Mayhem said. “Everything went a lot smoother … we did a really good job coming out and performing on gameday.”
Event 1 Results
1. Team Rollins - QCCF (12:36.7)
2. CrossFit 417 (13:20.0)
3. CrossFit Mayhem Freedom (13:50.9)
4. Timberwolf CrossFit (15:27.8)
5. CrossFit Maximus (15:45.8)
In this event, the men’s only objectives were to blast through the snatches, so to allow the women to enter the floor, and stay far enough ahead that their female teammates never caught them. The men and women each faced 175 snatches, 25 rope climbs and 115 thrusters.
QCCF earned its second event win of the day, with a time of 18:33.8. That was good enough for an event record, surpassing CrossFit New England’s time by 3.2 seconds.
Once again, it started with a fight between QCCF and Mayhem. Both teams sent their men to the ropes first, just before the 5-minute mark.
Incredibly, Froning climbed the 15-foot rope in a single pull, which required that he nearly invert himself before standing and reaching for the top of the rig. A single ascent cost Mayhem only 3 seconds.
“It’s more fun,” Froning said of the team competition after Event 2.
Though Froning’s efficient climbs entertained the crowds, the women’s performance was what mattered.
CrossFit 417’s women were the first to pass Mayhem, and then QCCF, too.
Women from the leading teams were all about equal on the snatches and thrusters; what made the difference was their speed on the rope. Though all the women did single reps, ascending in just two pulls, QCCF transitioned more quickly, buying the team precious seconds of lead time over CrossFit 417 on the thrusters.
Event 2 Results
1. Team Rollins - QCCF (18:33.8)
2. CrossFit 417 (18:47.4)
3. CrossFit Kilo (18:57.0)
4. On Track (19:17.8)
5. CrossFit Mayhem Freedom (19:19.4)
Overall Standings
1. Team Rollins - QCCF (200 points)
2. CrossFit 417 (190 points)
3. CrossFit Mayhem Freedom (170 points)
4. CrossFit Kilo (157 points)
5. Timberwolf CrossFit (156 points)
6. CrossFit Maximus (151 points)
7. CrossFit Murfreesboro (140 points)
8. JoCo CrossFit (140 points)
9. CrossFit Grandview (138 points)
10. Kilotrained (128 points)