2011 Games: Masters Event 1 Results

January 10, 2012

CrossFit

When you hear a kid yell, “Go Grandma!” it’s not often that the grandma then picks up a barbell and starts busting out 21 overhead squats. 

In the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games Masters division, it’s all about family. The Masters competition includes Chris Spealler’s mom, Jill Spealler, 4-time Games competitor Breck Berry’s mom, Linda Berry, and 60-plus husband-and-wife competitors Greg and Becky Walker. 

Only 2 women, Linda Berry and Becky Walker, finished the first heat of the 60-plus event under the 15-minute time cap. The winner of the second heat and Event 1 of the 60-plus age group was Betsy Finley. She has a deadlift PR of 263 lb. and can back-squat 170 and most likely won’t have trouble with the max clean and jerk coming up in Event 2. Jill Spealler competed in the second heat with a time of 9:15. When I asked her if her legendary son gave her any tips, she laughed and said, “No. He just said to keep coming to the gym.”

In the 55-60 age division, Shelly Noyce finished well ahead of the rest with a time of 4:41. In 3rd place was Karyn Marshall, a former Olympic weightlifter who was the first woman to clean and jerk more than 300 lb. and was inducted into the USAW Hall of Fame earlier this year. 

In the 50-54 women’s division, Mary Beth Litsheim handily won her heat despite running the whole 50-yard shuttle run without finishing her push-ups. She went back and completed her 9 push-ups and finished the run, ending up with a time of 4:25. Despite this error, she finished with a huge smile and was hugged by her entire family, who cheered on the sidelines.

When Greg Walker finished first in the men’s 60-plus division, his 9-year-old granddaughter, Grace, did a celebratory cartwheel. Brett Wilson, father of 4 and grandfather of 2, won the 55-60 age group with a time of 4:29. 

Larry Silber, a 2010 Games competitor, won the 50-55 age group with a time of 4:17. One of the original CrossFitters, Mark Rosen, is in second with a time of 4:22. Rosen was one of the old-schoolers in Coach Greg Glassman’s original box in Santa Cruz, Calif.

The best time of the day for Event 1 of the Masters competition belonged to Scott DeTore in the 45-50 division, who finished in 3:42, followed very closely by Bryan Shockley and Ron Ortiz.

Event 2, a 1-rep-max clean and jerk is underway at press time.

For complete Masters results, visit the Scoreboard.