"I was hoping to finish in the top 5 or top 10, so to be sitting in 1st - I'm really happy about that."
In contrast to last year’s sweltering event, the 2012 South Central Regional is indoors and air-conditioned at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas. The competitors no doubt appreciated the cooler conditions, and the weekend kicked off with a classic CrossFit workout: Diane.
The men and women individual competitors put up some truly impressive times. If they got stuck, it was on the handstand push-ups. For the teams, it was the other way around. They performed a variation of Diane with a partner deadlift and some short sprints to the barbell and handstand wall. The deadlifts proved to be the movement that truly tested their spirit and teamwork.
MEN
Workout 1
1. Jacob Theriot (2:05)
2. Nicholas Sorrel (2:22)
3. Alex Romero (2:28)
In heat 3, Jacob Theriot of CrossFit Lake Charles South was untouchable. He capitalized on his proficiency at handstand push-ups to race ahead of the pack and no one, not even the top finishers of the Open in heat 4, could catch him.
“I have some weaknesses in later workouts, so I had to go as fast I could on this one,” Theriot said. “My strategy for the workout was just to do as good as I could. Just try to get through the deadlifts – I started to slow down at the end of those and then go as quickly as I could on the handstands.
“I was hoping to finish in the top five or top 10, so to be sitting in 1st, I’m really happy about that. For the next workout, 225 hang clean is really heavy, so it’s definitely going to be a weaker workout for me. I’m just going to try to get through it and do the best I can.”
The sheer number of handstand push-ups tripped up a number of athletes in the first workout. Many found themselves stuck on the 9 set and kipping with everything they had.
WOMEN
Workout 1
1. Ady Shea (2:21)
2. Azadeh Boroumand (2:32)
3. Karen Pierce (2:35)
In the first heat, Ady Shea from Mission CrossFit San Antonio put in an eye-catching performance no one in subsequent heats could match. At 5-feet tall, she used her stature to great effect, blazing through the handstand push-ups. In heat 2, Karen Pierce of CrossFit Central held off the challenge of Candice Walls of Fit and Fearless CrossFit to take the heat and 2nd place in the event.
In heat 3, the race between Azadeh Boroumand of Get Lifted CrossFit and Amanda Schwartz from Premier CrossFit was one of the most exciting moments of the competition so far. Schwartz broke on the set of 9 handstand push-ups, allowing Boroumand to finish ahead of her.
TEAM
Workout 1
1. CrossFit Bayou City (5:30)
2. CrossFit Central Competitors (5:34)
3. CrossFit Lake Charles (5:55)
Handstand push-ups may be a high-skill movement, but it was the partner deadlift that proved pivotal in Event 1. The teams that combined strength with coordination and teamwork posted the best times. CrossFit Lake Charles finished 23rd in the Open, but their heat 1 time of 5:55 was tough to beat. However, in heat 3, CrossFit Bayou City (5:30) and CrossFit Central Competitors (5:34) overcame a fast start by CrossFit Strong to take first and second in the event.
Andy Lewis from CrossFit Bayou City credited his female teammates for catching the women of CrossFit Strong on the deadlifts.
“The girls not stopping on the deadlifts [put us ahead],” he said. “The other team who was at that time in the lead [CrossFit Strong] had paused on their deadlifts after rep five. Our girls actually noticed that and just kept blazing through. They didn't stop at all and that's how we were successful.”
Follow all of the South Central Regional coverage -- video
