July 9, 2014
The Story in North East

The North East Regional was all about community.

“Nothing compares to the camaraderie, relying on each other, working together to win,” said CrossFit Brickyard team member Seth St Amand.

One of the best parts about being an athlete at regionals is the support from your box or fellow competitors, said 2014 Games qualifier Sheila Barden.

“If you’re first you get a couple cheers from the crowd,” Barden said. “When you’re last, you have everybody with you. It’s so motivating. It’s literally the best feeling in the entire world to have everyone cheering for you and rooting you on.”

North East Regional announcer Jon Jansen agreed.

“It’s what makes CrossFit so special. The … competitors that you’re competing against are right there pushing you along.”

During the individual competition, it was the rookies who distinguished themselves. Mathew Fraser and Barden stopped veteran athletes in their tracks and proved to be the class of the field. Fraser, described on the “CrossFit Games Update” as “Froning-esque,” handily won the men’s side of the competition, while Barden set a world record on Nasty Girls V2, beating the likes of Camille Leblanc-Bazinet.

In all, four of six North East individual athletes are CrossFit Games rookies. In addition to Fraser and Barden, Craig Kenneyand Rachel Martinez will join veteran competitors James Hobart and Dani Horan to represent the region.

Video by Ian Wittenber.