South West Regional Report: Quick and Painful

June 2, 2013

Neal Leitereg, Melissa Angelone and Sunny Larson

"This is what I wanted. I know I have to fight with all my heart to earn a spot and I'm ready for it." ~Peter Egyed


 

Dexterity, power and speed were the name of the game for Event 5. Individuals and teams completed a 21-15-9 rep scheme of deadlifts and box jumps. The pace was hectic. 

"I have nothing to lose on this next WOD," Colleen Maher said prior to the event. "I'm just going to go out there and get after it."

Women

Lindsey Cascarina hit her stride on Day 2.

Cascarina jumped into the top three with her second big win of the day, besting top dog Tiffany Hendrickson with another stellar performance. The two athletes hit their final box jumps in stride, but it was Cascarina who nudged ahead in the waning moments.

"I'm amazed. I'm excited. It's definitely a lot of adrenaline," said Cascarina, who credits her competition with giving her an added boost.

"Honestly, you want to come to the table every day, full of intensity. But it's easier to do that when you know you're in the mix. I'm excited to know I'm in the mix and to bring everything I have, because I have nothing to lose tomorrow and everything to gain. It's going to be fun."

Still, Cascarina will need to leave it all on the table on Day 3 — a mere   one point separates third and fourth place.

Despite falling just short of Cascarina, Hendrickson sees her performance in Event 5 as a source of redemption. Rather than focusing on her competition, the South West's top female athlete zeroed in on hitting her own numbers, and walked away feeling good about the results.

“Hundreds was kind of defeating a little bit," Hendrickson said. "I felt like I was having a hard time picking myself up and pushing. It was hard to walk away from that one. This one I felt like, regardless of the finish, I was able to stay on top of myself and not let that overwhelming feeling of exhaustion take over."

The 32-year-old former collegiate gymnast credits her programming and strength training with helping her excel at heavy workouts.

She heads into Day 3 with an 18-point lead.

Event 5
1. Lindsey Cascarina
2. Tiffany Hendrickson
3. Loree Smith

Men

"This is what I wanted. I know I have to fight with all my heart to earn a spot and I'm ready for it,” Peter Egyed said.

He brought the fight to the final event of Day 2 and has a chance to make a play on the final day of the 2013 South West Regional.

In the final heat, Egyed showcased proficiency in box jumps that allowed him to move within striking distance of a spot at the Games.

"It was all box jumps for me," explained Egyed, who finished with a time of 4:07. "The deadlift is not that big of a deal, it’s being able to cycle that box jump. Get done with the deadlifts, and be as cool and calm as I could on those box jumps and cycle them. That saves your legs — It’s more efficient."

Matt Chan and Chris Spealler's struggles in Event 5 have opened the door for Egyed and a surging Zach Forrest, who finished with the second-best time of 4:26.

The shakeup in Event 5 allowed Forrest to leap over both Matt Hathcock, who remains in third overall, and Spealler, who fell to fourth overall. If Day 2 was any indication, it's not over yet — Chan holds a six-point lead over both Forrest and Hathcock, and a nine-point lead over Spealler. Egyed is just 14 points shy of third place, while Chris Hoppe sits in sixth.

"Today’s done," a thoughtful Spealler said. "Two more. Just one at a time.”

Event 5
1. Peter Egyed 
2. Zach Forrest 
3. Jacob Hutton 

Team

Another event, another record for Hack's Pack UTE. The premier team in the South West notched their second record-setting performance of the day and put the CrossFit world on notice with a relentless effort by Tommy Hackenbruck and Mary Lampas.

Both Hackenbruck and Lampas were machine-like in their approach to Event 5, moving seamlessly through the tri-pack of deadlifts and box jumps to finish with a time of 6:44.

"Mary and I knew we could do the workout pretty fast," Hackenbruck said. “It's one of those workouts that makes you pretty sore the next day, so we've done a lot of box jumps and deadlifts, just not in that combination, but we were confident about it."

For some, the success of Hack’s Pack UTE is motivating.

“That’s all I could hear — ‘Mary’ — and I told myself to try and catch her," said CrossFit The Club's Chris Perrins, whose team finished second in the event. "I did my best. If I could even come close, I’d be happy. They [Lampas and Hackenbruck] are both amazing athletes.”

Event 5
1. Hack's Pack UTE 
2. CrossFit The Club 
3. Front Range CrossFit