It's moving day in the Mid Atlantic.
It’s moving day in the Mid Atlantic.
The Leaderboard had some surprising shifts throughout Day 2 and the podium placement is still uncertain.
Men
Fans in the Mid Atlantic region have high competition expectations.
They must have known the men of the Mid Atlantic were going to put on a show.
Even before the men took the floor for the final heat, the crowd was ready. As the signage crew replaced the name placards, every person in the stands rose to their feet and began a rhythmic clap.
Initially, it was Games veterans Ben Smith and Nate Schrader who performed almost every rep in unison in an attempt to take first and stay ahead of the men in Heat 3. Then at the round of 15, Jordan Troyan decided to join the party.
Troyan had a strategy in mind for the triplet of movements.
“My plan was to save the shoulders for the handstand push-ups ‘cause I know this workout is won on the handstand push-ups,” Troyan said. “I knew it would be best to come up one foot at a time on the burpees, instead of pressing with my upper body.”
As Smith and Troyan stayed on pace with one another, Smith began to purse his lips and close his eyes during the 195-lb. front squats. It was clear he was recalculating his strategy on the spot, in the midst of one of the most exciting heats of the day.
Smith had good reason to close his eyes and collect his thoughts.
“I hadn’t practiced the event,” Smith admitted. “I didn’t know what it was going to feel like, but I’ve done plenty of squats, handstand push-ups and burpees before.”
Despite Smith’s inexperience in the event, he stayed the consistent leader throughout the heat. During the set of six, the party shifted and Nathan Bramblett joined Smith and Troyan to engage the final two sets of the event.
Camaraderie is not lost on the regional floor. In the midst of complete excitement and en route to the bar, Bramblett and Troyan did a fist bump. Perhaps it was Troyan’s way of encouraging the regional newbie.
“This is my learning year,” Bramblett said. “I’m just here to learn from more experienced people. I was right there with Ben and Jordan until the end, but this is my first time here and I’ve gotta keep the nerves calm. There’s three more events and I have a lot more to learn this weekend.”
Troyan was ahead of Smith going into the final set of three and was so eager to get to the handstand push-ups before Smith that he tripped on the mat.
Smith barely edged out Troyan to take the win in a time of 10:27. “I thought I could hold on,” Troyan said, “but Ben caught me at the last second.”
Schrader did not do as well as predicted, however he still maintained a 12-point lead over Troyan.
“I don’t like it,” Schrader commented. “But, I’ve got to deal with it and move on.”
Event 4 Results
1. Ben Smith (10:27)
2. Jordan Troyan (10:30)
3. Nathan Bramblett (10:56)
After the first appearance of legless rope climbs in the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games, several regional athletes have been preparing for their return to competition.
Event 5 definitely played to the strengths of the most elite male athletes on the floor.
Knowing the rope climbs would require stellar upper body strength and the recovery would come during the sprints, athletes planned accordingly.
Former Green Beret Nate Schrader was rumored to have his eye on first place in the event. However, coming off of a close second-place finish on Event 4, Troyan made the attempt to close the gap on third place overall.
“Today was a great day for me,” Troyan said, “The two events played in my favor, so to end the day with a first place ain’t too shabby.”
With the best time in Heat 3 and one event record under his belt, Kohut felt confident about his second-place finish in Event 5.
“In practice, it was a bit faster,” Kohut mentioned. “I didn’t know exactly how far the 200-foot sprint would be. I knew it was going to vary a little bit but I’m happy with the time overall.”
As for the chipper tomorrow, most athletes are adopting a survival strategy for a solid performance.
Troyan, with his eye on returning to Carson, California, said, “I don’t feel too bad about that event. I just need to get through it and be consistent.”
“I’m in a good position for tomorrow,” Schrader said. He hopes to maintain his placement and finish on the podium.
With Smith’s 14th-place finish on Event 5 and Schrader’s 3rd place, only two points separate Smith and Schrader for first place in the Mid Atlantic Region.
“My strategy is nice and smooth for tomorrow and battle Ben,” Schrader said. “That’s my goal always.”
Event 5 Results
1. Jordan Troyan (3:43)
2. Clifford Kohut (3:46)
3. Nate Schrader (3:47)
Overall Standings
1. Beth Smith (27)
2. Nate Schrader (29)
3. Jordan Troyan (39)
4. Nathan Bramblett (55)
5. CJ Jacobsen (56)
6. Clifford Kohut (58)
7. Sonny Zickefoose (69)
8. Nathan Keil (71)
9. John Zvejnieks (73)
10. Nicky Hoberman (73)
Women
Things don’t always go as planned.
In the opening event for the women, they performed a descending triplet with strict handstand push-ups, front squats and burpees.
An early favorite for the final heat of Event 4, Gretchen Kittelberger completed all of the handstand push-ups unbroken with the exception of her round of 15.
A returning regional athlete made a big commotion in the final heat.
Lisa Mealey of CrossFit Salisbury captured first place in the handstand walk yesterday and returned on Day 2 ready to move up the Leaderboard. The 33-year-old was a NCAA Division I gymnast, which proved to be an advantage in the handstand push-ups and throughout the event.
“I do most of my handstand push-ups strict anyway, so this workout didn’t make me nervous at all,” Mealey said feeling confident. “When Diane shows up as a workout, I have always done them strict. So when I saw this workout come out, I wasn’t terrified.”
Christy Adkins finished third, but feels confident about the legless climbs coming up in Event 5. She is not easily deterred.
“I had so much adrenaline I burned myself out a little. I ended up being 1:15 slower than in practice,” Adkins said. “But, I’m happy with my placement overall.”
Event 4 Results
1. Lisa Mealey (11:38)
2. Dara Ching (12:13)
3. Christy Adkins (12:14)
The legless rope climbs in Event 5 had the potential to put pressure on the women’s Leaderboard. Knowing that Adkins finished second in Legless at the 2013 Games, fans were hopeful to see a repeat performance.
During the announcement of the women’s entrance to the floor, fans began chanting her name and for several minutes: “Christy, Christy, Christy,” echoed throughout The Patriot Center.
At first, Adkins did not disappoint.
For the first five rounds Adkins shared the lead with Alicia McKenzie. McKenzie has struggled to stay toward the top of the Leaderboard, and this event had the potential to help her gain some momentum. But on her attempt at the sixth rope climb, McKenzie failed to make the rep and dropped to the floor.
This left Adkins with a solo lead ahead of the other women in their final heat of the day, but the lead didn’t last for long.
Along came Emily Friedman with a move to pass Adkins for the win.
Once Adkins realized Friedman was approaching her last rep, Adkins made a move.
“I did something uncharacteristic,” Adkins said “I took a risk because I wanted to beat her and I sped up a little. I timed my jump well, but I didn’t have that little bit of extra recovery I needed to hit the beam at the top.”
Without a moment to recover Adkins, who was in position to break the event record, failed her first attempt at the last rope climb.
“I needed to hit the beam at the top, but I failed that climb,” Adkins recounted. “It cost me the win, but luckily it didn’t cost me my placement. You never know until you take that risk. I can still walk away from this event with a smile on my face.”
Anticipating that Adkins would be her biggest competition on the rope, Friedman is thankful for the win.
“It was a race in the end,” Friedman said. “I think we were both taking a risk and trying to push it a little faster. I had a good feeling I could be there with her and I could take first but it was a definite race.”
With a seven-point spread between second and fifth to end the day, Anna Tunnicliffe needed a solid performance in this event. Tunnicliffe finished with a time of 6:28, which was good enough to beat Kittleberger who currently sits in first place overall.
Event 5 Results
1. Emily Friedman (4:54)
2. Christy Adkins (6:00)
3. Anna Tunnicliffe (6:28)
Overall Standings
1. Gretchen Kittelberger (20)
2. Christy Adkins (30)
3. Emily Friedman (30)
4. Shanna Duvall (35)
5. Anna Tunnicliffe (37)
6. Dara Ching (40)
7. Lisa Mealey (50)
8. Alea Helmick (52)
9. Teresa Luz (53)
10. Kimberly Klopp (55)
What makes a CrossFit Games level athlete?
Perhaps it’s a combination of strategy, consistency, and a whole lot of heart. Although some athletes were disappointed with their placement after the first event of the day the Leaderboard appears to have settled for today.
Tomorrow is another story. The winner of the chipper may determine who travels to the CrossFit Games.
