North West Regional Report: Speed and Aggression

June 2, 2013

Robin Runyan

"We had a plan to go steady and then pick up speed and aggression to pass the other teams," Skylar Pond says.

 

Following the momentous energy from Event 4, the crowd at the ShoWare Center grew even louder as teams and individual athletes completed the quick, leg-intensive combo of deadlifts and box jumps in Event 5. Women worked with 205 pound deadlifts and 24 inch boxes, while the men had 315 pound deadlifts and 30 inch boxes.
 
This event saw many athletes struggle with the weight of the deadlifts, while others lost focus when faced with the high box jumps.
 
The only time the crowd lost its energy was when three-time Games competitor and fan favorite Cheryl Brost felt the return of a game-changing injury.
 
Team
 
Event 5 brought a familiar sight to the competition. A couplet that we saw in 2011 requiring one male and one female to complete 21-15-9 reps of deadlifts and box jumps. The men use a 275 pound bar and a 30 inch box and the women use a 185 pound bar and a 24 inch box.
 
The event goes quick and teams that come out too fast appear to struggle on that infamous round of 15 reps. CrossFit Fort Vancouver was steady but quick throughout the workout. They again finish the event on top and secure their lead going into day three.
 
Taking second place in the event and helping to shake-up the top of the leaderboard was Old Country Iron. The team from Morgan Junction CrossFit in West Seattle said they were confident going into the event. When asked if they knew they’d perform that well, Marissa Luchua immediately responded, “Yes.” She later elaborated, “We  were confident we could give Fort Vancouver a run for their money and we wanted to win this one.” Skylar Pond teamed with Luchua on the event and says, “We had a plan to go steady and then pick up speed and aggression to pass the other teams. It worked except with speed came some unexpected no reps.” Old Country Iron’s aggressive plan got them past almost all the other teams puts them in sixth overall.
 
1. CrossFit Fort Vancouver (7:28)
2. Old Country Iron (7:35)
3. Jet City (8:14)
 
Women
 
In contrast to the morning’s endurance of the 100s chipper, Event 5 called for the women to bring both speed and strength to the competition floor.
 
Catherine Blatner posted the fastest time for Event 5 in Heat 1 at 3:39.9. Kelsey Nagel won Heat 2 to finish 5th for the event, moving her up the Leaderboard from the morning’s standings.
 
The final heat for the women would prove to be the most dramatic of the day.
 
Cheryl Brost was moving rapidly through the deadlifts and box jumps, clearly ahead of the field and set-up for a fast time in the event.
 
As she began her fifteen box jumps, she was no repped on the first one. On the next jump, something went wrong.
 
As Brost attempted her next jump, she could not complete it. A few more attempts and it was clear in her face that she was not going to continue. As the rest of the field moved ahead, the medical staff was brought in.

Later, Brost announced that she would withdraw from the competition to tend her Achilles injury. She has dealt with what she describes as chronic Achilles tendinitis
Ashleigh Moe was first to the finish pad at 3:40.2, followed by Briana Sands at 4:02.3 and Rory Zambard at 4:19.7. Zambard’s score moved her to the top of the leaderboard for the women. Only three points separate Moe who is currently third from Kendall Burnham.
 
1. Catherine Blatner (3:39)
2. Ashleigh Moe (3:40)
3. Tracy Nagai (3:52)
 
Men
 
After the long chipper in the afternoon, the men took all the energy they had left in their legs to rep out the heavy deadlifts and 30 inch box jumps. 
 
Robert Sax attracted attention in Heat 2 with his Bane t-shirt and light camo tights. The crowd cheered him on as he methodically moved through both the deadlifts and box jumps, finishing with a time of 4:46, placing third in the event.
 
Ryan Swobody was excited going into the deadlifts and box jumps. “It’s a strong event for me but I’ve never been this tired going into it.” Swobody looked determined as he plowed through the deadlifts. As the crowd saw him move ahead, they grew louder. The crowd counted out his last nine deadlifts and box jumps and he jumped down to the mat with a first place time of 3:44.
 
Bryan Miller sits in first place overall after Day 2. Miller knew he could be in this place if he did what he did in his training and executed the workouts correctly. “I’m happily surprised,” he says. “My plan going in was one rep at a time, one workout at a time, and be consistent.” 
 
1. Ryan Swobody (3:44)
2. Bryan Miller (4:43)
3. Robert Sax (4:46)
 
Overall Standings
 
After two days of competition, the races at the top tightened up. Ashleigh Moe leapt ahead from sixth to third place after the fourth event, so look to this former Games athlete to challenge the strong Kendall Burnham for a shot at the Games. Kevin Simons trails the top men by just 8 points and will be working to make the podium for a second year in a row. The team from Couer d’Alene keeps getting stronger with each workout and with their arsenal of supporters behind them, will make a run for their first trip to Carson.
 


Men
1. Bryan Miller (18)
2. Ben Stoneberg (20)
3. Ryan Swobody (21)
4. Kevin Simons (29)
5. Austin Stack (55)
6. Jesse Disch (58)
7. Ryan Smith (58)
8. Dave Powell (62)
9. Bo Meredith (65)
10. Noah Pester (67)

Women
1. Rory Zambard (19)
2. Emily Carothers (26)
3. Ashleigh Moe (34)
4. Kendall Burnham (37)
5. Briana Sands (58)
6. Becky Clark (58)
7. Cheryl Brost (60)
8. Karen McCadam (62)
9. Lindsay Vaughan (68)
10. Samantha Snyder (74)

Team
1. CrossFit Fort Vancouver (6)
2. Jet City (13)
3. Spokane Valley (25)
4. CrossFit Coeur d'Alene (25)
5. Intensify Team A (27)
6. Old Country Iron (46)
7. C-FLO (50)
8. Cascade CrossFit (55)
9. CrossFit X-Factor (56)
10. Boise CrossFit (57)