It’s the Tuesday after 16.3, a time when many are engaged in a practice lovingly called Leaderboarding. With the majority of the Open workouts completed, the overall standings are becoming more meaningful.
Most of the athletes in the top 10 worldwide are well-known for their performances at the CrossFit Games—Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, Annie Thorisdottir, Mat Fraser, Ben Smith, and Rich Froning have all claimed spots on the podium at the Games— but the current leaders, Jamie Greene and Kyle Frankenfeld, have never made it past regionals.
While these names may be new to us, this is not a story of overnight success.
Greene, a New Zealander with a background in gymnastics and rugby, competed as an Individual at the 2014 Australia Regional (21st) before relocating to Abu Dhabi, UAE, to take a coaching job at CrossFit Yas. The following year, she and other ex-pat trainers formed a team that would go on to take 2nd place at the Meridian Regional, only to be disqualified when it came to light that a teammate had moved to the UAE after the January 1, 2015 cutoff.
One year later, Greene has an impressive seven-point lead over the second-ranked 2013 Fittest Woman on Earth and two-time Open winner, Sam Briggs. Greene’s success is reminiscent of Sara Sigmundsdottir’s rise to worldwide acclaim with her third-place overall 2015 Open finish, which would be followed by a bronze medal at the Games. Greene, however, has no intention of becoming 2016’s Sigmundsdottir.
“We decided straight away (after disqualification) that we were going team, regardless of how any of us did in the off-season or the (2016) Open,” Greene said. “I'm not one to let my mates down. Plus it's so fun going team. The pressure is shared —but because we are all so close we just have a laugh.”
Frankenfeld, an Australian three-time regional Individual competitor, came two spots shy of qualifying for the Games in 2015, a career best finish after 13th- and 24th-place finishes the previous two years.
“I honestly didn’t feel like last year was the year for me to be going to the Games,” Frankenfeld said. “There were still major flaws in my performance that needed to be addressed. That being said, being that close sparked a massive fire in me!”
After the regional, Frankenfeld took three months to rehab injuries and work on weaknesses revealed by the regional events, among which were his one-rep-max snatch (Event 5, 206 lb., 36th place), 250-ft. handstand walk (Event 4, 2:35.5, 15th), and the ability to withstand workouts with rowing, chest-to-bar pull-ups, and strict deficit handstand push-ups (Event 6, 15:50, 19th).
“I have had two shoulder reconstructions,” Frankenfeld said. “I have been battling to recover for quite some time. I then had a massive strength focus to help build up on those weaknesses I had identified.”
Both Greene and Frankenfeld have long identified strength as their weakness, with a particular dislike for snatches. Each has taken steps to address their weaknesses, from altering programming to training partners and nutrition.
Frankenfeld now trains with his 24-year-old younger brother, Chase Frankenfeld (18th in Australia), and his friend Mitchell Sinnamon (4th in Australia) which he says has “greatly upped my game.”
He has also chosen to stop doing his own programming this year.
“Doing my own programming became pretty stressful—I stressed about missing things or not doing enough,” Frankenfeld said. “The Training Plan follows the same principles and ideas of how I like to train and program, so it was an easy swap.”
With the help of Andy Edwards from Perpetual Performance, Greene has been focusing on weightlifting and strength, but not at the expense of gymnastics and metcons. She has also started paying more attention to her diet.
“I used to not take any notice (of) what or when I ate, but since August last year I have been on a nutrition plan and I have seen a huge change in performance and energy levels,” Greene said. “It was a real shock to me, as I was always too lazy for meal prep before, but now I couldn't do it any other way.”
Frankenfeld has always paid close attention to his nutrition, and while he’s a sucker for a good burger, Frankenfeld hasn’t touched a drop of sugar since he was 12. “I stopped sugar because of my ADHD, and it helped get me off Ritalin and improve my performance at school.”
Greene’s name may be new to the worldwide community, but being number one is not new to her. She and teammate Tamarind Robinson, were 1st and 2nd on the Africa Leaderboard at the end of the 2015 Open—but that’s quite different from being number one worldwide.
Frankenfeld seems to be taking his first go at the top of the worldwide Leaderboard in stride.
“I honestly am just enjoying the process at the moment, and so long as I am having fun and succeeding along the way I will be happy,” Frankenfeld said.
