Week One in Review: Canada West

March 11, 2013

Chris Cooper

Five teams in Canada West submitted more than 1,000 reps on Workout 13.1.
 

Five teams scored more than 1,000 reps on Open Workout 13.1 in Canada West.

All are powerhouses in the region. Perhaps most remarkably, the Centaurs of CrossFit Fraser Valley — a team comprised of only nine registered members — were on top with 1,059 points. Also in the top five, were some very heavy-hitting teams: Mike Warkentin's snatch-loving CrossFit 204, perennial leader CrossFit Taranis, CrossFit V02Max and Jason Cain's CrossFit 306.

It's very clear the Centaurs could return to the Games in 2013, even if Nate Beveridge competes as an individual. Last year, they were Canada's top team in Carson, Calif.

Angie Pye, who finished first in the Open last year in Canada West, turned in a solid 194 reps on 13.1. She tied for second with Emily Beers.

“That WOD was challenging on multiple levels: lungs, strength, stamina and mentally staying in it for 17 minutes," Pye says. “One and done. I never, ever want to do that action again.”

The big story on the women’s side, though, was Janine Walinski. Walinski was top in the region with 195 reps. In 2012, she finished 19th overall, though her best finish came in the snatch workout. We can assume her burpees have improved since.

With Rachel Siemens, Alicia Connors and Heather Gillespie all finishing in the top 10 this week, the women in Canada West will have tight competition. Siemens, who pledged to forgo the Open to focus on competing in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Weightlifting, may have already seen her best event. She won two workouts in the 2012 Open in Canada West, though, and you can never count her out.

The new Masters 40-44 category is sure to be an exciting one, with Jolaine Bloom finishing 13.1 with 192 and Jenn Swagar in second with 178. Swagar has a diverse skillset, but Bloom's background reads like an encyclopedia of sport: gymnastics, karate, jazz, competitive trampoline, diving and bodybuilding. The battle should play out across the Open and Regionals stages.

Newcomer Judy Duncan dominated the Masters Women 60+ Division, completing 150 reps to Vicki Grover's second-place 115.

The top-20 men in Canada West can read like a ‘who's who’ of CrossFitters in the region. Former Games competitor, Dan Rogers, sits in 20th; another, Michael FitzGerald, is in 13th.

2012 Games athletes Lucas Parker and Jeremy Meredith are ranked sixth and fifth in the region, respectively. Parker scored 173 reps and Meredith, 174. Beveridge had 175, with Tyson Takasaki and Jason Cain tied with 176. All three have competed at the Games, either as individuals or on a team.

These scores serve to highlight the incredible performance of Casey Inglis, who smashed the rest with 191 reps. Inglis, a former competitive weightlifter and bodybuilder, finished 173rd in Canada West during the 2012 Open. From Rocky Point CrossFit, Inglis attempted every 2012 Open Workout three times. He was asked to join the Rocky Point team for Regionals, and his eyes were opened there.

"Being a part of Regionals made me thirsty to become a better CrossFitter," Inglis says.

And he's made his point in spectacular fashion on 13.1.

In the Masters men, 50-54 Division, Gord Mackinnon, who finished first in Canada West for every single Open Workout last year, kept his streak alive by scoring 165 points on 13.1. Next best were Troy Straith, Bruce Gordon and Paul Morford, who all tied at 150 in the battle for second place.

The eldest competitor in the region, Helen Peters, 73, managed to complete all 40 burpees and 30 snatches in the first round.

Canada West has logged 13.1 in the books, and competitors are eager for the live announcement of 13.2 on Wednesday to see what they’ll be tackling next.