The Masters competitors from Canada West are ready for the Games.
The growing CrossFit Masters division will draw a lot of attention come Games time. With male qualifiers in three categories and female qualifiers in two categories in Canada West, the Masters competition is not to be missed.
Gord MacKinnon currently sits in first place for the men’s 50-54 division. MacKinnon is the reigning 2011 CrossFit Games champion for his age bracket. In 2012, he will compete alongside his coach, Troy Straith. With a stronghold on two spots in the top 10 for their division, Straith’s CrossFit BC crew is ready to hit the Games head-on.
Terry “Bull” Peters and Richard “Doc” Roston round out the men in the 55-59 division. Roston is part of the CrossFit BC crew under Straith, and had a strong finish in the Open placing second.
Peters, who finished 15th in the Open is looking forward to competing in his first Games and has humble goals for himself. “Going into the Games in 15th place means, for me, my sights are set on 14th or better,” he says. “I would like to just do the best I can and know I did what I could to prepare myself. In the end I'm proud to have made it to the Games and if I came in 20th I'd still be happy that I stepped up to the challenge and competed.”
He attended the 2011 Games as a spectator to cheer on his friend Roston. This year, he is looking forward to competing with him in the same category. “Richard's outstanding performance has been inspirational to me in my own goals,” Peters says.
In the men’s 45-49 division, Ken Andrukow of Reebok CrossFit Ramsay was the sole qualifier posting a 16th place finish in this year’s Open. He finished as high as seventh on 12.3.
Unfortunately, Andrukow tore a muscle in his forearm just a month before the Games and is withdrawing from the competition. “I frankly have been struggling with the fact that I am not able to compete,” he says. “I am someone that leads by example and it's heartbreaking not to be able to compete in front of our members.”
Canada West produced two of the top 20 athletes worldwide in the 45-49 Masters Women’s division. Laurie Meschishnick from CrossFit Saskatoon finished in the top five in the Open. Michelle Savard of Calgary took 17th.
Both women have previous Games experience, which could prove to be an advantage. Savard was on the CrossFit Calgary team that placed fourth at the 2009 Games and also placed fifth as an individual athlete at the 2010 Central Canada Sectional. Meschishnick took home a silver medal at the 2011 CrossFit Games. She finished fourth in the Open after recovering from a PCL tear sustained during a farmer’s walk.
Mira Singh is the lone Canada West woman to qualify for a Games spot in the Masters Women’s 50-54 division. The Kamloops, BC athlete who came in at 17th place in this year’s Open is looking to build on her previous seventh place position at the 2011 Games. “My goal going into the 2011 CrossFit Games was to get through Days 1 and 2, and to place in the top eight, so that I could advance to Day 3. I did that and was proud of placing [seventh], but my ultimate goal is to one day stand up tall as a Canadian athlete on the podium.”
