Week Five in Review: North West

March 27, 2012

Dan & Amy Hollingsworth

Ashleigh Moe and Kevin Simons take the top spots on 12.5 in the North West Region.

CrossFit is often billed as training for the unexpected. Week 5 of the CrossFit Games Open showed us unexpected doesn’t have to mean unique or new. If things felt a bit familiar during Workout 12.5 that’s probably because this year’s Open concluded in exactly the same fashion as 2011, and that was certainly unexpected. With athletes fighting for those coveted Regionals qualifying positions there was no time to lament or reminisce about 11.6, a serious battle was brewing.

MEN

The top three men of the North West Region asserted themselves early in the competition and then continuously put up big numbers to demonstrate why they held the top positions. Kevin Simons, of CrossFit Basic saved his best performance for last, notching his first Open Workout regional victory with 154 reps. As of the writing of this article, Simons sits in 21st place in the worldwide rankings. Apollo Lewis continued with his consistent top-end performances to secure the 2nd place position in the region. Spokane Valley’s Kevin Longmaier completed 137 reps to maintain his clench on the 3rd position in the North West.

Week 5 did provide an interesting opportunity for some men, who were for all intents and purposes out of the running, to throw down some big numbers. Matthew Coffelt of CrossFit Meridian was in 154th place after Workout 12.4, but managed to crank an amazing 154 reps to tie overall leader Kevin Simons for 1st place on the workout. Challenge Fitness CrossFit’s Forrest Belmont was in 149th place after Week 4 yet managed to post the 2nd highest rep total with 150 reps on 12.5.

WOMEN

Much like the men, the women of the North West who staked their claim on the top of the Leaderboard over the last couple of weeks proved why they are there in Week 5.

CrossFit Skagit’s Ashleigh Moe logged her second Open Workout regional victory by putting up a score of 147 reps. This score not only secured her 1st place position in the region, but tied her with 2011 CrossFit Games Champion Annie Thorisdottir for 7th place in the world on this workout. Moe currently sits in 33rd place in the overall worldwide standings. Melissa Dixon and Kendall Burnham once again traded positions in the top three. Burnham outscored Dixon by 7 reps to reclaim her 2nd place position.

Jessica Core of CrossFit Fort Vancouver had the 4th best score in the region on 12.5 and finished the Open in 4th place.

TEAMS

With 5 of their top 6 athletes notching over 120 reps on 12.5, CrossFit Fort Vancouver ended the 2012 Open on top of the regional Leaderboard for the 4th straight week. Fort Van finished the Open with a 10-point lead over 2nd place CrossFit Intensify. CrossFit Spokane Valley maintained their grip on 3rd place on the backs of their top three men who posted two top seven scores on 12.5 in addition to Longmaier’s 17th place effort.

MASTERS

North West Masters competitors finished in top spots in nearly all of the available age divisions. Mike Ford of CrossFit Beaverton dropped three places from last week, but still remains in the top 10 in the world in the Men’s 45-49 Division.

Janice Spray finished the Open in 3rd place in the women’s 45-49 division and proved that she is not only one of the best masters competitors, but one of the toughest women in the North West all around. Susan Habbe and Laurie Carver finished Week 5 in the top 10 of the Women’s 50-54 Division, setting the stage for a North West battle royale in Carson this summer. In the men’s 60-plus, Rainier CrossFit’s Jim McCarry logged 69 reps on workout 12.5 to secure the 11th place position in his age group.

With five weeks of battle now in the books the focus turns to Regionals, which will once again be held at the Puyallup Fair Grounds. Athletes now have two months to recover, address exposed weaknesses and further build on strengths in hopes of qualifying for the 2012 CrossFit Games.