A few athletes to watch from Southern California.
Ryan Fischer
Melissa Popovich
Shanon Humphrey
The Southern California Region has bred some of the most recognizable names in CrossFit.
However, recent unsanctioned local competitions taking place throughout Southern California may help predict the CrossFit stars of tomorrow. With the arrival of the 2012 Open, these SoCal athletes prepare for competition season in hopes of climbing to the top of the Leaderboard. We take a look at a few names that have echoed throughout the region in the past year as ones to watch. We will see if they have what it takes to stand alongside some of CrossFit’s most powerful players.
MEN
Ryan Fischer
Ryan Fischer, 25, has an eclectic background, from flying helicopters to competing at the Olympic trials for skeleton and bobsled. He wandered into Ute CrossFit, Tommy Hackenbruck’s gym, after a slew of injuries at the hands of the skeleton, but took to CrossFit quickly. It wasn’t long before he was training and coaching at the gym.
Fischer took 38th in the South West in the 2011 CrossFit Games Open and 31st at the 2011 South West Regional. He told the CrossFit Journal that his nerves got the best of him at “the big stage” and he lost his game plan. This time around he is going into the Open with some real big stage practice. Fischer took 2nd in the OC Throwdown Elite Division, beating out the likes of Blair Morrison, Nate Schrader, and Gabe Subry. He is now a trainer at CrossFit Mean Streets in Downtown Los Angeles.
Stats
Age: 25
Height: 5'5”
Weight: 170
Fran - 1:57
Helen - 6:50
Grace - 1:05
Snatch - 255
Deadlift - 555
Back Squat - 500
Clean and Jerk - 315
Craig Avera
Craig Avera found out about CrossFit at a L.A. Fitness gym. It was an unlikely spot for the former high school soccer star to find his foray into the sport, but after months of dabbling he finally committed. Avera finished 98th in Southern California at the end of the 2011 Open after just four months of training and hopes to be within the top 60 this time around.
Local competitions give him something “to train for,” and it shows. He recently took 1st place in the advanced division of the opening event in the three-event Next Level Invitational Summer Series and competed in the elite division at the OC Throwdown. Avera currently coaches at Brick CrossFit in West Hollywood. He has been working on getting stronger and perfecting his Olympic lifting form, which shouldn’t be too hard since you can find him at any given time training with some of SoCal’s top athletes.
Stats
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 165
Fran - 3:00
Diane - 3:45
Mary - 17 rounds
Fight Gone Bad - 413
Murph - 28:38
Deadlift - 425
Back Squat - 325
Front Squat - 265
Clean and Jerk - 245
Wayne Willette
After beginning his CrossFit journey in 2009, Wayne Willette, 32, has
come a long way and has turned his passion for the sport into his career. He opened CrossFit CrownTown in Corona, Calif., in August of 2011, allowing his training to become much more consistent. His unmistakable talent can be traced back to his involvement in baseball, hockey, and bodybuilding when he was younger. He first entered the competitive CrossFit arena at the Southern California Sectionals in March of 2010. He missed qualifying for Regionals by four spots, which has proved to keep him motivated. He placed 1st at the Southern California Regional in 2011 in the Thruster Ladder Event, which also tied him for 2nd in the world for individual competitors. He has also finished within the top 10 in multiple local competitions, with the highest being two 4th place finishes.
His biggest inspirations are his wife and twins on the way. “Everything I do in life, I give 100 percent effort,” Willette says. “I'm proud to be a great husband and look forward to being a role model to my twins.”
Stats
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 208
Fran - 2:26
Helen - 7:47
Grace - 1:23
Filthy 50 - 19:58
Fight Gone Bad - 394
Sprint 400m - 1:08
Run 5k - 22:00
Clean & Jerk - 315lb
Snatch - 235lb
Deadlift - 505lb
Back Squat - 405lb
Max Pull Up - 47
WOMEN
Melissa Popovich
Melissa Popovich’s extensive background in competitive gymnastics has helped her become a sound CrossFit competitor and one to watch in 2012. She competed at the collegiate level at Bowling Green State University in Ohio where she competed in all four events (all around). She was also captain of the team and named Mid American Conference Gymnast of the Year amongst other honors. She is currently a coach at CrossFit Surf City where she trains daily alongside her members and says they are the source of her inspiration.
Popovich, 30, finished 15th in the 2011 Open and 14th at Regionals. She has since put forth strong performances at several unsanctioned CrossFit events, finishing top 10 at the 2012 OC Throwdown in Costa Mesa, Calif., in January. She enters the 2012 Open with a changed diet, a focus on her mental toughness, and mindful training.
Stats
Height: 5’3”
Weight: 118
Grace - 3:48
Annie - 5:19
FGB - 351
Filthy 50 - 19:52
Fran - 3:21
30 Muscle ups - 7:56
5K run - 23:57
400m run - 1:11
Overhead Squat - 160
Deadlift - 250
Back Squat - 230
Clean and Jerk -165
Split Jerk - 185
Shanon Humphrey
Last year’s dark horse, Shanon Humphrey, 27, had all eyes on her during the 2011 Regional. She was seated alongside the ladies of Valley CrossFit as she entered the weekend in 3rd place. Due to reasons still unknown, Humphrey was suddenly unable to move both her arms and she was taken to the hospital shortly after the 100s workout on Day 2. Having regained her mobility she finds herself in the midst of a comeback.
Humphrey’s CrossFit success comes from her lifelong achievements
as an athlete. She earned a scholarship at San Diego State University as a pole vaulter and heptathlete. She currently coaches at CrossFit Temporary Insanity and substitute teaches, while caring for her three young sons. This year, with her husband as her coach, Humphrey continues to put up impressive stats. Look for Humphrey to once again be ranking among the top.
Stats
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 158
Fran - 2:16
Helen - 8:03
Grace - 1:52
Sprint 400m - 0:58
Run 5K - 21:53
Clean & Jerk - 175
Snatch - 135
Deadlift - 381
Back Squat - 255
Max Pull-ups - 48
Allison Truscheit
Allison Truscheit, 25, discovered CrossFit in September 2010, but became a serious competitor last summer. Truscheit received her first accolades as a gymnast in 1996 when she won the all-around competition at the Level 6 Snowman Classic at Richardson Gymnastics.
Outside of CrossFit, she works extensively with the cheerleading community, serving as a Camp and Competition Manager with Varsity Brands and Head Coach with Viewpoint School. Truscheit enjoys serving as a role model for her students through CrossFit. “The mental fortitude required to be a CrossFit athlete is more challenging and rewarding than anything I've done since leaving gymnastics, and I truly endorse the power of believing.”
Tenacious and driven, Truscheit finished in the top 10 at this year’s OC Throwdown just behind the women of Valley CrossFit and one place from Andrea Ager. Now a coach and competitor for CrossFit Synapse, she is an aggressive and calculated athlete to watch.
Stats
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 140
Grace: 3:05
Angie: 17:00
Squat Clean: 150
Deadlift: 250
Snatch: 110
Jerk: 165
