Week One in Review: Mid Atlantic

March 11, 2013

Candice Case

The Open kicked off in Mid Atlantic with a live announcement in Concord, N.C. at CrossFit Vitality.
 

The 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games Open kicked off with a live broadcast event from the Mid Atlantic at CrossFit Vitality in Concord, N.C.

Central East athletes Scott Panchik and Dan Bailey brought a Games-like atmosphere as they tackled the 17-minute AMRAP of burpees and snatches in front of several hundred spectators.

A special tiebreaker was introduced, requiring athletes to submit their total reps and their time for completing their final full set of snatches. Those competitors with the same number of reps were then ranked by their submitted times. This had athletes thinking about strategy and how to pace this workout. 

The men’s side had familiar names on the Leaderboard. Ben Smith has the top spot in the region and is currently ranked eighth worldwide. Ray Gutierrez and Erik Laney, both from CrossFit Murphy, are holding the second- and third-place spots, respectively. 

Newcomer, Paul Buono from CrossFit Lionheart, took fourth with 185 reps. Rory Hanlin has returned from active duty and currently sits in eighth, with 183 reps.

Other notables from last year’s Regional competition are Brian Quinlan, currently in 15th   with 178 reps, and Steve Pinkerton scored 176 and sits in 23rd. Nate Schrader, only three reps behind Pinkerton, sits in 40th.

For the women, two-time Games athlete Gretchen Kittleberger posted her score late in the week and immediately took the No. 1 spot with 198 reps.

Alea Helmick, of CrossFit Revamped, is less than a year into CrossFit. She scored an impressive 197, earning her the No. 2 spot in the Mid Atlantic. Former collegiate rower, Morgan Joseph, of CrossFit Harbor East, is in fourth place with 196 reps. Amy Bright of CrossFit Northlake has returned to the Mid Atlantic after a brief relocation in the South East. Bright completed 192 reps and moved into ninth place, just ahead of Jennifer Butler. 

The remaining top 10 women of the Mid Atlantic include well-known athletes Dara Ching (third), Tanya Wagner (fifth), Sara Hatfield (sixth), Kate Carson (seventh) and Christy Phillips (eighth). Missing is Cameron Williams, who is injured and completed one rep in order to remain eligible for competition.

The new Masters category is full of talent. For the men, top scorer, Jeff Tincher, was the fifth-place Games finisher in the 2008 CrossFit Games. Neal Woolard of CrossFit Tier 1, and Cory Worf of CrossFit Weddington are athletes to watch as they round out the top three.

For the new women’s division, Marcie Wells placed first with 178 reps. Michelle Wright is a newcomer to the sport and earned a second-place finish with 176 reps, while Jayme Bowles, fierce competitor and strong anchor for Ultimate CrossFit is holding the No. 3 spot with 175 reps.

Jerry Hill is back and dominating in the men’s Masters Division 45-49 with 165 reps. Lee Sanford and Victor Hoyos have solid holds on second and third place with 163 and 162 reps.

For the Masters Women 45-49, Kim Holway, of CrossFit Reston, put up an amazing 191 to give her a solid lead over Susan Stephens and Terri Farley. With Stephens leading Farley by only one rep, both women will have to bring their best to the remaining workouts.

Team competition is tough in the Mid Atlantic and the top-five teams after 13.1 are CrossFit Reston (1,087), RAW Training (1,064), CrossFit Murphy (1,057), CrossFit Explode (1,056) and Patriot CrossFit (1,025).

Worldwide, CrossFit Reston is ranked 11th, while RAW Training barely misses the top 25 and sits in 26th.