The California Regional is one of the most competitive Regional competitions in CrossFit. Stacked with perennial Games athletes and promising newcomers, the battle in Del Mar is sure to be a good one among men, women and teams alike.
Here are five things I'll be keeping my eye on as Week 2 of the 2017 Regionals unfolds.
THE QUEST FOR 10
The biggest story in the California Regional is Becca Voigt’s charge to qualify for her 10th consecutive CrossFit Games. Voigt made history last year by qualifying for a record ninth time, but a decade of Games appearances just has a better ring to it.
What Voigt has accomplished over her career is nothing short of heroic. She’s one of the last remaining members of the old guard of Aromas still growing and improving with a sport accelerating at a breakneck pace.
She finished on the podium in 2011 while simultaneously battling bouts of vertigo stemming from a car accident in the weeks prior. In 2014, she was the recipient of the prestigious Spirit of the Games Award, something that speaks of her character and presence beyond the competition floor.
Voigt has competed at and qualified from every single Regionals competition ever—a feat only replicated by Ben Smith. In over 45 Regional events, Voigt has finished outside the top 10 just four times, all of which came in 2015.
There’s little in terms of programming that Voigt hasn’t seen and conquered, so it’s only fitting that a possible tenth qualification would come in a year where the programming has caused such a stir. Lack of barbells, abundance of dumbbells, short ropes, weight vests—it does not matter, Voigt will continue doing her thing, and her thing is making it to the CrossFit Games.
BACK TO INDIVIDUAL: MADDY MYERS
It’s hard to believe Maddy Myers is just 20 years old. In 2015, a then 18-year-old Myers qualified as an individual for her very first CrossFit Games. She immediately became one of the young stars to watch in the sport, but her first trip to Carson ended prematurely when Myers had to withdraw after just four events due to injury.
The following season brought a surprising switch after Myers moved to California for school. She chose to forgo competing as an individual, and instead opted to spend the 2016 season competing for the powerhouse affiliate team from CrossFit Invictus.
Balancing training, school, and competing in both CrossFit and weightlifting was a decision that Myers' coach CJ Martin insisted was in the best interest for her development in all areas, and one that would see her return to the individual competition in the future.
A year later, Myers is back in the California Regional as an individual, ready to pick up where 2015 left off. Now we’ll get to see how Myers’ team training has helped her grow as she takes on a California women’s field that includes eight other individual Games qualifiers. Myers’ futures is bright and qualification or not, time is on her side.
NEXT MAN UP FOR NORCAL
The Northern California men need to step up big this weekend. Gone are the days of Neal Maddox and Jason Khalipa holding down the fort for the NorCal men and keeping them as a premier region in competition. In recent years, the Southern California men have had the upper hand on the Regional floor.
Of the 10 qualifying spots awarded since the adoption of the new Regional format, SoCal men have claimed eight of them. Beyond that, SoCal has had a stranglehold on the top 10 as well. The region took seven of the 10 spots in 2015, and eight of the 10 spots in 2016.
Both of the qualifiers from Northern California are gone in 2017. Maddox has transitioned to the Masters Men 35-39 Division, and Marcus Filly has taken the year off to focus on supporting his wife and newborn baby daughter.
There is an opportunity for a new batch of Northern California male athletes to make a name for themselves by working their way up into the top five this weekend. Jeff Patzer and Kyle Zozaya both went to the Games in 2016 on CrossFit Davis’ and Diablo CrossFit’s teams.
Ryan Hignell, and Lorin Adams are Regional vets, but both have had seasons marred by injuries. Wes Piatt, is the lone athlete in the field from NorCal with individual Games experience. He last qualified in 2013, but has yet to make it back. He’ll be an athlete worth watching this weekend, and would be a perfect example of patience in a sport that is often so fickle.
DIABLO CHANGES GEARS
Diablo CrossFit has been a fixture in the competitive landscape of the Affiliate Cup. The affiliate has sent a team to the Games for five of the six years since programming was standardized for the 2011 season and beyond.
The team has finished inside the top 10 an impressive four times, including a third-place podium finish in 2012. The team has always sat at the forefront, but along the way has turned Alessandra Pichelli into a multi-year individual Games athlete and perennial top-10 contender.
This year marks a big shift for Diablo, as many of their former team members have a go at the individual competition. Team mainstay Whitney Heuser moves over to the individual side for the second time after previously going individual in 2015.
Zozaya, and Kyle Kleinschmidt were both on Diablo’s 2016 Games team, but will line up as individuals after finishing the Open in fifth (Zozaya) and 24th (Kleinschmidt). The team as a result has predictably taken a hit, but will still be on the Regional floor.
The team finished 11th in the Open, and will feature a completely new roster from 2016. It’s certainly not the end for such a storied affiliate, but I’m definitely interested to see how its former team competitors fare as individuals.
CHELSEY GRIGSBY AND JASON CARROLL
Two athletes I’ll be watching this weekend are Chelsey Grigsby and Jason Carroll—both are seasoned Regional Competitors, and both have a great chance at finally breaking through in 2017.
Grigsby has come painstakingly close to making it to the Games each of the last two years. In 2015, she went into the final event in a qualifying spot, before a 25th-place finish dropped her down into sixth place overall. She was just 12 points back of fifth-place finisher, Voigt.
Carroll finished the 2015 California Regional in a ho-hum 31st place before showcasing some massive improvements and finishing in sixth place in 2016. He torched the final event, taking home the event win, and leaving himself just 6 points away from fifth place.
Both athletes typically haven’t done well with the heavy barbells at Regionals, which makes 2017 even more interesting. Perhaps the shift to dumbbells and sandbags will be just enough of a confidence booster for both athletes to finally get the monkey off of their backs and get to the Games.
