“After the first few workouts, it was a fair assessment that we would do well. How well was still up in the air.”
CrossFit Explode held two combines prior to the 2013 Open to determine the top athletes in the gym. Those athletes competed at this year’s Regionals and Team CrossFit Explode finished on top of the podium.
“Going into Regionals, we wanted to finish in third place or better, “ says Brian Quinlan, owner and team captain. “After the first few workouts, it was a fair assessment that we would do well. How well was still up in the air.”
Explode dominated the Regional Events. In the Burpee Muscle-up Event, they finished in fifth place. In every other event, Explode earned a top three or better ranking.
In 2012, Explode came in fourth at Regionals. CrossFit Wilmington was later disqualified and Explode went to on to compete at the Games. That year, Quinlan also went to the Games as an individual competitor.
“There’s so much effort on yourself, “ Quinlan explains about preparing for the Games individually. “I felt selfish. I had a 5-year-old, a team going to the Games and I was box owner. My training took away from all of that. It was a hard pill to swallow. Going to the Games (as an individual) was a great accomplishment, but I didn’t like the feeling of selfishness that came with it.”
Quinlan is now “ecstatic” to be going to the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games as Explode’s team captain. He programmed the training for the team leading up to Regionals and now the Games. Quinlan admits that it’s been tough to schedule frequent group training sessions, but the team is committed and does the work individually and trains together once a week.
“We’re well rounded and don’t have any glaring weaknesses,” he says. “Regionals gave us more confidence.”
Explode has the confidence and the experience to make them a top contender at the Games. Ty Fischer and Lauren Krygowski are returning members from last year’s Games team and the remaining members are veteran CrossFitters and Regional competitors. They also have a highly motivated and proud team captain.
“This is an opportunity to bring five other people with me,” Quinlan says. “The most amazing part has been the community building and support behind us. Wow.”
