While Day 1 was an exercise in strength and stamina, today checked the athletes' level of overall fitness.
The sun shined again as Day 2 got under way in the North West Region. At 8 a.m., as the athletes gathered, crowds swarmed to the bleachers with their home box colors blazing. The energy kicked up a notch as the competitors and the fans anticipated an exciting day of workouts ahead.
While yesterday proved to be an exercise in strength and stamina, today checked the athletes’ level of overall fitness – starting with a series of one-arm dumbbell snatches (and sprints. The team Event 3 alternated between one man and one woman, while the Individual Event 3 had the CrossFitters do four rounds for time of sprints and snatches.
TEAM
First up, the teams took center stage. Going into the first team event of the day, CrossFit Fort Vancouver, CrossFit Intensify and Cascade CrossFit led the pack. It was ‘ladies first’ as the women athletes’ dumbbell snatches were the determining factor in team Event 3.
Crossfit Interbay set the pace in heat one with the team of Megan Luk and Joey Fentruss. Luk was the first woman off the line to sprint, which proved to be the determining factor for the teams throughout each heat.
In Heat 2, CrossFit Spokane posted a time of 5:50. Again, Abigail Ranki was explosive off the snatch to finish first in the heat with team member Tyler Galloway. CrossFit Spokane finished second overall for Event 3.
But it was Heat 3 that brought the top teams to the line. CrossFit Intensify team of Kendal Burnham and Jered Souderr lived up to their box name as they commanded the snatches and outpaced the field with a time of 5:10.
As the dumbbell snatches defined the winners – it also defined and sorted out the athletes throughout the event. It kept many teams from advancing to the second and third sprints. Three teams did not finish.
Team Event 3
1. CrossFit Intensify: 5:13
2. CrossFit Spokane: 5:50
3. CrossFit Bellevue: 6:03
Overall Standings
1. CrossFit Intensify (6 points)
2. CrossFit Fort Vancouver (7 points)
3. Jet City (16 points)
MEN
Men’s Event 3 shook up the overall Leaderboard and the opportunity to compete in the CrossFit Games became anybody’s game.
The first head saw many competitors struggling to get under the 100-pound dumbbell and falling over the dumbbell at the finish. Will Brindza from CrossFit Wilsonville led the heat and won with a time of 5:21. Skylar Pond from CrossFit West Seattle finished second at 5:32. Stephen Hitt from CrossFit Industrious finished third in the first heat with 6:26.
In the second heat, unaffiliated Joshua Rempel muscle snatched the dumbbell and led the heat with 3:46. Robert Allaire of Ascent CrossFit finished second at 4:41. Connor Nelson of CrossFit X finished third with a time of 5:35.
The third heat saw a true sprint to the finish, as Paul Zavaglia of Lynnwood CrossFit led through most of the event. But it was Mike Wild from High Desert CrossFit who sprinted faster in the final round and beat Zavaglia by a second, with Wild at 3:52 and Zavaglia at 3:53.
The top men in the final heat knew the competition was close. Whenever many of the top men sprinted, they also looked around to find their competition. Bryan Miller from Beaverton CrossFit led for much of the final heat, with Jordan Holland of Xplore CrossFit close behind.
Holland muscle snatched his way to finish the heat and the event in first place at 3:38. Apollo Lewis of Tulalip Bay CrossFit finished second in the heat at 3:53. Bill Pappas of Lane 5 CrossFit finished third at 4:00.
After event three, Holland sits on top of the men’s leaderboard with 13 total points. Austin Stack of CrossFit The Den is in second with 16 points. Kevin Simons of CrossFit Basic has dropped down to third with 17 points. With only 10 points separating the top 6 men, the fight to get to the CrossFit Games will intensify over the weekend.
Men’s Event 3
1. Jordan Holland: 3:38
2. Joshua Rempel: 3:46
3. Mike Wild: 3:52
Overall Standings
1. Jordan Holland (13 points)
2. Austin Stack (16 points)
3. Kevin Simons (17 points)
WOMEN
A missed dumbbell touch at the end of Heat 3 added drama to this first women’s event of the day.
In Heat 1, despite a strong start to the event, only two – Genevieve Girdner of CrossFit Finish First and Samantha Fonoti of CrossFit Fairbanks – finished their dumbbell snatches with times of 7:14 and 9:08 respectively.
In Heat 2, only five finished, including Briana Sands from CrossFit Billings, who came in first with a time of 5:58; Molly Hunsinger of CrossFit Industrious, who came in second with a time of 6:08; and third-place finisher Andrea Roozen of CrossFit Pearl District with a time of 7:19.
The top women took the floor for Heat 3. In lanes 1 and 2, Cheryl Brost of Eugene CrossFit and Samantha Petersen of CrossFit Whidbey Island slapped a high five before the competition commenced. After the 3, 2, 1 … Go, the women moved quickly to the 70-pound dumbbells. They all looked strong as they threw the weight overhead. Petersen was the first woman to complete the first 10 snatches, and she sprinted steadily to the opposite end of the arena, touched the mat and dashed back to her station. Unaffiliated athlete Alexandra Seal, lane 7, was second out, followed by Brost.
As the women pushed through the second set of snatches, Petersen and Brost continued to show strong and steady reps. Brost’s form looked excellent, while Petersen effortlessly pulled the dumbbells overhead, despite her tall frame. Seal, however, completed her reps before the leading women and sprinted back and forth quickly, securing her first-place lead.
In the third round, Seal continued to push through the snatches, taking brief breathers between each rep. Petersen continued to hammer them out, while Brost’s split snatches helped her heft the heavy weight overhead. The top three women showed signs of fatigue.
The last round brought the bleacher-packed crowd to its feet. Seal stayed in the lead, finishing her lifts first as onlookers cheered. Petersen pushed hard and hammered out her reps while Brost struggled with some no-reps from the judge.
Seal dashed down the concourse and back, finishing in first place with a time of 5:28. Petersen followed behind, seeming to be the second place winner, but she failed to touch the dumbbell after her sprint. That cost her second-place spot as Allison King of Kirkland CrossFit came out of nowhere, finishing in 5:38. After Petersen ran back and touched the weight, she finished in third place with a time of 5:48. Brost finished fourth with a time of 5:54.
Women’s Event Three Results
1. Alexandra Seal: 5:27
2. Allison King: 5:34
3. Samantha Petersen: 5:42
Overall Standings
1. Cheryl Brost (9 points)
2. Samantha Petersen (11 points)
3. Alexandra Seal (21 points)
