Teenagers will compete in their own division at the CrossFit Games this July.
It’s going to be a year of firsts for teenage CrossFit athletes.
In 2015, CrossFit Games organizers added a teenage division to the Open. Teenage athletes went on to prove they could handle both a barbell and high-skill movements like handstand push-ups and muscle-ups.
The pool of 3,400 athletes has now been cut to 40. The fittest 10 athletes in each of the four divisions will go on to compete at the CrossFit Games this July 21 - 23.
Boys 14-15
Going into the Games, Angelo DiCicco should be considered the clear favorite. The 15-year-old, who trains at Rich Froning’s gym, CrossFit Mayhem, finished in the top four in every Open workout except 15.4, in which he finished 13th. His closest competitors—Vincent Ramirez and Luke Pearson—collected nearly double his point total. His impressive overall performance included a 237-lb. clean and jerk in 15.1a and 21 muscle-ups during 15.3.
Fourteen-year-old Ramirez sits in second place in this division. He admitted to keeping an eye on DiCicco’s scores during the Open. “Angelo is a hell of a good athlete (and) it seems like he’s good at everything,” he said. “He has no weaknesses.”
With a 245-lb. clean and jerk in 15.1a, reported 195-lb. snatch, 2:54 Fran and 23:01 Filthy Fifty, Ramirez would seem to have few weaknesses himself, but in the months ahead he’ll work on gymnastics and swimming, “because you never know what Dave (Castro) is gonna throw out there.”
The field of qualifiers includes eight boys from the U.S., one from Ireland and one from Israel. Two Alaskan brothers, Luke and Tim Pearson, finished third and sixth, respectively, and both will make the journey south to compete at the Games. The Pearsons recently helped their family start a small farm.
“We've been clearing trees, cutting and hauling wood, putting up fences, planting trees and berries,” Luke said. “Last fall we planted 1,500 strawberry plants and hauled tons of dirt in wheel barrows. We also have goats, pigs and chickens. I’ve milked goats since I was 8 years old.”
According to Tim, CrossFit has helped him on the farm.
“When I first started CrossFit I couldn’t lift a 50-lb. feed bag,” Tim recalled. “It’s also helped with discipline in getting up early and working hard and still having a good attitude.”
Training with a sibling can be a blessing and a curse, the brothers said. Losing is bad enough for competitive athletes but try getting beat by your little brother. “At first, working out with Tim wasn't very fun because he sometimes beat me in a workout and I don't like losing to my younger brother,” Luke said. “But as time went on I realized that I was really glad I had him there to push me. Now we get along pretty well, but sometimes he looks me in the face and says, ‘Someday I’m going to be better than you,’ and that’s kind of annoying.”
Open Results of Games Qualifiers: Boys 14-15
| Rank | Name | Age | Points | Affiliate | Country or State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Angelo DiCicco | 15 | 23 | CrossFit Mayhem | Tennessee |
| 2. | Vincent L. Ramirez | 14 | 47 | CrossFit OFC | Iowa |
| 3. | Luke Pearson | 15 | 48 | Mat-su CrossFit | Alaska |
| 4. | Thomas Gallant | 14 | 91 | CrossFit Kilgore | Texas |
| 5. | Tommy Schadl | 15 | 97 | CrossFit Inner Fire | Ohio |
| 6. | Tim Pearson | 14 | 116 | Mat-su CrossFit | Alaska |
| 7. | Anthony Verderaime | 15 | 125 | CrossFit Loveland | Colorado |
| 8. | Abel Lucas | 15 | 134 | Yakima CrossFit | Washington |
| 9. | Kristaps Simsons | 15 | 153 | CrossFit Unlaois'D | Ireland |
| 10. | Yogev Miller | 15 | 154 | CrossFit Hazeevim Telmond | Israel |
Girls 14-15
Sydney Sullivan, 15, secured three first-place finishes en route to winning the division. In 15.1, she completed 217 reps of toes-to-bars, 55-lb. deadlifts and 55-lb. snatches within the 9-minute time cap before clean-and-jerking 165 lb.—significantly more than her body weight—in the following 6 minutes.
Lindsey Porter, who had first-, second- and third-place finishes across the five Open events, will be chasing Sullivan at the Games. Only a 20th-place finish on 15.5 kept Porter from being closer to Sullivan’s point total.
“I am very happy and grateful for how it all turned out,” Sullivan said. “My family and I went to the Games last year to watch, and I remember thinking how awesome it’d be to be out there someday. I never dreamed it would happen the next year. When the announcement came out that the teens are getting to go to the CrossFit Games, I was so excited!”
Sullivan started CrossFit two-and-a-half years ago after her father and older brother started CrossFit. She trains before school in the morning, and sometimes returns in the afternoon for another session.
Her dominance in the Open gives her confidence going into the Games, but with athletes like Porter in the hunt she’s wary of being overconfident. “It definitely does make me more confident, but I know that there's going to be tough competition,” Sullivan said. “Also there will probably be movements I’m not strong at compared to others so I just have to focus on working my weaknesses.”
Porter, the runner-up, has already changed up her training to prepare for the Games. As a gymnast with nine years of experience, she is focusing on the movements that don’t come as naturally to her, mostly barbell work and rowing. Moreover, she is training with the regional-level athletes at her gym, CrossFit Clearwater. She trains twice a day Monday through Friday and once on Saturday and Sunday.
“I know most people hate working out, but I guess I'm weird because I look forward to going to the gym everyday,” Porter said. “I have heard so many people say that CrossFit is dangerous or that it’s bad for you. I think that is wrong; CrossFit helps and saves so many lives, especially for children. It shows them how important it is to be active and healthy.”
The field invited to the Games consists of eight Americans, a Canadian and a Swede.
Open Results of Games Qualifiers: Girls 14-15
| Rank | Name | Age | Points | Affiliate | Country or State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sydney Sullivan | 15 | 24 | CrossFit Jenks | Oklahoma |
| 2. | Lindsey Porter | 14 | 43 | CrossFit Clearwater | Florida |
| 3. | Megan Trupp | 14 | 54 | CrossFit Colosseum | Canada |
| 4. | Filippa Ferm | 15 | 77 | CrossFit 360 Degrees | Sweden |
| 5. | Rachel McInnis | 14 | 96 | Carlsbad CrossFit | California |
| 6. | Alina Lewandowski | 15 | 99 | CrossFit Excess | Ohio |
| 6. | Romy Gold | 15 | 99 | CrossFit Red Zone | Connecticut |
| 8. | Taylor Babb | 14 | 103 | A-Town CrossFit | Tennessee |
| 9. | Gabby Wells | 14 | 104 | CrossFit Loveland | Colorado |
| 10. | Brooklin Smith | 14 | 111 | CrossFit Central | Texas |
Boys 16-17
Except for the clean and jerk, Mickael Sarrazin put in top-10 performances across the board to take the division—his 255-lb. clean and jerk earned 27th place. The 17-year-old Canadian’s best finishes included second place on 15.4 with 142 reps and second place on 15.5 with a time of 6 minutes even. According to his Games profile, the 175-lb. athlete possesses a 2:16 Fran, 230-lb. snatch and a 5-km time of 21:20. Sarrazin has competed against men before—he competed on his gym’s regional team in 2013 when he was just 15 years old. His team, Deka CrossFit, went on to take eighth place at the 2013 Canada East Regional.
Sarrazin made the decision to compete in the teen division this year after a lot of soul searching.
“Prior to the Open, I had a big decision to make: to fight for a spot in our team for the East Regional or compete in the teen division,” he recounted. “After a discussion with my coaches, we decided that I should measure against the best teens in the world and see if I could finish at the top. I started the Open not taking the competition too seriously, and quickly realized the level was much higher than expected, so I had to gear up. I ended up drained physically and mentally, but really proud to attain my goal (of) winning the Open.”
Though he has competed on a big stage before, he’s thrilled to be making his first trip to Carson, California.
“I don’t really realize yet that I qualified to the Games,” he said. “I just train as usual, focusing a little more and I guess I'll realize it when I'll make the trip to Carson. I’m happy to seize the opportunity as you never know when the chance to compete at the Games can come back.”
His coach and teammate Greg Lanctot speaks to Sarrazin’s ability and maturity: “I competed with him at his first regionals when he was 15. And he would’ve been on my team this year, too, crushing more mature guys,” Lanctot said. “We actually learn a lot from this kid. Humbling.”
Based on his Open performance, American Daniel-Etienne Ikner stands the best chance of defeating Sarrazin at the Games. Overall, he was 14 points behind Sarrazin, but the 17-year-old Oklahoman had his moments. He won 15.2, featuring overhead squats and pull-ups, and took second in the world on 15.3, getting 3 full rounds and 21 muscle-ups.
There’s an international flavor to the 10 qualifiers in this division, which includes five Americans, two Canadians, a Spaniard and two athletes from the same gym in Australia.
Josh McMahon and Rees Machell, who finished 10th and fifth, respectively, are training partners at CrossFit Tumut in Tumut, Australia. The duo is beyond committed. They train together three times a day and went head-to-head on all five Open workouts.
“It’s pretty cool knowing there’s two teens from our gym going to Carson,” McMahon said. “We can’t wait for the Games.”
Open Results and Games Qualifiers: Boys 16-17
| Rank | Name | Age | Points | Affiliate | Country or State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mickael Sarrazin | 17 | 53 | Deka CrossFit | Canada |
| 2. | Daniel-Etienne Ikner | 17 | 67 | CrossFit Heavy Steel | Oklahoma |
| 3. | Nicholas Palodino | 16 | 73 | CrossFit Steam | New Jersey |
| 4. | Luke Mayben | 17 | 77 | CrossFit Clash | Georgia |
| 5. | Rees Machell | 17 | 104 | CrossFit Tumut | Australia |
| 6. | Bryan Hernandez | 17 | 114 | CrossFit Lanzarote | Spain |
| 7. | James Kapacila | 17 | 117 | Saskpro CrossFit | Canada |
| 8. | Matt Cole | 17 | 149 | Hurricane CrossFit | Louisiana |
| 9. | Davis Combs | 17 | 168 | CrossFit Eternal Davidson | North Carolina |
| 10. | Josh McMahon | 16 | 197 | CrossFit Tumut | Australia |
Girls 16-17
Overall winner Allison Weiss struggled on the last Open workout, rowing and thrustering her way to 34th place with a time of 8:39, but before that she was the portrait of consistency. For the first four weeks, the 16-year-old from Greensboro, North Carolina, dominated the competition with a first-, second- and two third-place finishes. She completed the Open 25 points ahead of second place Celia Gold and 43 points ahead of third place Klaudia Dabrowska.
“Overall I was pleased with my Open performances,” Weiss said. “I gave it all I had each week and let the leaderboard work out itself.”
In spite of where she finished in the standings on 15.5, it was her favorite workout, “because suffering through the pain and pushing through the bad is by far one of my favorite things to do. I don't like taking the easy routes. I love being challenged.”
To prepare for California, Weiss will change up her training a bit, “adding in certain movements and conditioning pieces to prepare me for the unknown.”
Weiss said she’s excited about the opportunity to extend her CrossFit Games season.
“It’s breathtaking to think I'll be competing at the Games to earn my title as the fittest 16- to 17-(year-old) in the world,” she said. “Most definitely a dream come true. I’m blessed and filled with excited emotions to see what the future holds for me.”
Eight Americans, a German and an Aussie complete the pool of Games qualifiers.
Open Results of Games Qualifiers: Girls 16-17
| Rank | Name | Age | Points | Affiliate | Country or State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Allison Weiss | 16 | 51 | College Hill CrossFit | North Carolina |
| 2. | Celia Gold | 17 | 76 | CrossFit RedZone | Connecticut |
| 3. | Klaudia Dabrowska | 16 | 94 | CrossFit Essen | Germany |
| 4T. | Ashleigh Wosny | 16 | 117 | CrossFit Medfield | Massachusetts |
| 4T. | Nairobi Romero | 17 | 117 | CrossFit Invictus | California |
| 6. | Nichole Marth | 16 | 129 | CrossFit Menomonee Falls | Wisconsin |
| 7. | Isabella Vallejo | 17 | 138 | CrossFit Logic | Australia |
| 8. | Alli Parks | 16 | 151 | Iron Nation CrossFit | Washington |
| 9. | Julianna Hasselbach | 16 | 195 | SnoRidge CrossFit | Washington |
| 10. | Alexis Raptis | 16 | 217 | CrossFit Novi | Michigan |
In the past, the Open has been a reliable predictor of success at the Games. It remains to be seen whether or not the teenage division follows that pattern. All the same, as with the adults the teenage qualifiers will look to improve as July approaches.
Tiffiny Wohlers, coach and owner of Mat-Su CrossFit in Alaska, will be in charge of preparing the two Games athletes from her affiliate for the rigors of the big stage. According to Wohlers, the sibling duo of Luke and Tim Pearson are already mature beyond their years when it comes to competition.
“We have traveled and competed in a few out-of-state competitions,” she said. “I used it to gauge what might change from training in our home box, to the competition floor. To be quite honest, how they handled high-level competition was incredible. Coming from such a small town in Alaska, I was not sure how'd they do. To my surprise, I have yet to see a large crowd overwhelm them (on) gameday.”
The Pearsons are comfortable training in that “dark place” that can intimidate so many athletes. In the months ahead, Wohlers will look to add strength and refine the boys’ skills. Teaching them the mental side of CrossFit will also take up a lot of their time together in the gym.
“Being young and refining the mental aspect has been my biggest challenge,” she said. “Physically, they can take on the world. Mentally is a day-to-day task.”
Porter’s father, Les, will be wearing two hats at the Games: coach and parent. He was “ecstatic” about Lindsey’s qualification, as was everyone at their affiliate CrossFit Clearwater.
“Everyone in the box was very excited and supportive of her Open performances,” Les said.
He will prepare his daughter for the Games with “solid volume of high intensity, constantly varied, functional movement. In others words, lots of CrossFit.”
In an average week, she’ll train with the group class and the competitors’ class, more than 10 total training sessions that bring in a range of movements and skills.
“Lindsey can be as good as she wants to be,” he said. “She has a rare combination of athleticism with a burning desire to be great. You can’t coach her kind of work ethic. She is special.”
