2017 Has Arrived

January 7, 2017

CrossFit

The Open begins February 23. Register now.

The 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games Season is here and there is already plenty to look forward to. Keep reading to find out what’s new, what’s different and what’s still a mystery.

What’s New

Venue

The 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games will take place in a new venue after seven years at the StubHub Center (formerly Home Depot Center) in Carson, California. The Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, will be home to the CrossFit Games in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

CrossFit chose the multi-building, 164-acre entertainment venue after posting a national request for proposal.

Director of the CrossFit Games Dave Castro made the official announcement at the 2016 Reebok CrossFit Invitational.

“We saw a lot of great cities, a lot of great towns, a lot of enthusiasm for hosting us,” Castro said. “But in the end … we know we’re going to be able to put on an amazing show … an amazing test, an amazing community event in the city of Madison, Wisconsin.”

CrossFit will release ticket information in early spring 2017, and those interested in attending can look into hotel accommodations now at crossfithotels.com.

35-39 Masters Division

Castro also revealed a new masters division at the 2016 Invitational. Athletes aged 35-39 will have the chance to compete in the masters competition in 2017. 

“We’re gonna have legends of our sport from years past now have another opportunity to compete against each other sooner than the 40-year-old division,” Castro said during the Invitational Cool Down Show. “That division is personally something that I’m really excited about.”

Teenagers Included in the Online Qualifier

Also new in 2017, CrossFit’s four teenage divisions—Teenage Boys 14-15, 16-17 and Teenage Girls 14-15, 16-17—will join the masters in the Online Qualifier. 

The top 200 teenagers from each division will be invited to compete in the four-day online competition. The qualifier will decide the 20 fittest masters and teenagers from every division who will each receive a ticket to the Games. 

The Unknown

Open Workouts

The Open has evolved each year to include heavier weights, higher-skill movements and new challenges. With the option of a scaled version for each workout, Castro has been upping the ante in the Rx’d division. 

In 2015, Castro announced that Open Workout 15.3 would start with seven muscle-ups. A coveted skill in CrossFit, the workout pushed athletes to challenge themselves and many recorded their first muscle-up that year. 

In 2016, athletes were tasked with a never-before-seen movement in the Open: the bar muscle-up. Additionally, the last two years have challenged the community with max lifts, time-priority workouts and tougher standards. 

Open Workout Announcement Venues

For the last four years, CrossFit has traveled the globe during the worldwide Open to announce each workout at a new location every week. Immediately following the announcement, two athletes take on the workout and set the bar. 

In 2016, Open Workout 16.2 was announced from a small garage gym where perennial Games competitor Dan Bailey went head to head with Europe’s Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson. 

Workout 16.4 was announced from Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, where we saw eventual two-time Games champ Katrin Davidsdottir battle against fellow countrywoman Sara Sigmundsdottir. 

The options are endless in 2017. Stay tuned to games.crossfit.com for the release of this year’s Open announcement venues. 

Regional Events

2017 will be the third year of the revamped regional format, which has made earning a ticket to compete at regionals exceedingly difficult. 

With only the top 20 men, women and teams from each region qualifying for one of eight regionals, the competition is tougher than ever. And the regional events have followed suit. Exciting sprint events, long tests of endurance, feats of strength and challenges in skill are all fair game at the regional level.

Who will shine like Canada’s Brent Fikowski, who crushed his regional in 2016 and went on to take fourth at the Games in his rookie year? What upsets will we witness like 2015’s fourth-place Games finisher Dan Bailey failing to qualify out of the 2016 California Regional?

Who is the Fittest on Earth?

In 2016 we crowned two repeat champions in Katrin Davidsdottir and affiliate team CrossFit Mayhem Freedom, and two-time second-place Games finisher Mat Fraser finally stood atop the podium for the men after a more-than-dominant performance.

The culmination of the 2017 season will answer perhaps the most important question of all: Who is the Fittest on Earth? 

There’s so much to be excited about in 2017. Be a part of it all by signing up for the Open now at games.crossfit.com.