Week Five in Review: South East

April 8, 2013

Dawn South

For most of us, our Games season has come to a close.
 

For most of us, our Games season has come to a close. But for the top men and women around the world, the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games Open was just the first step on the road to the Games. 

The anticipation for the last workout of the season was high once again. We all knew it was coming, and what better way to close the season than with Workout 13.5’s chest-to-bar Fran AMRAP.

First in the South East and 10th worldwide, Matt Baird, of CrossFit North Atlanta summed up the workout perfectly.

“Thrusters and pull-ups — it’s what CrossFit was built on in many ways,” he says.

This past week’s workout proved to be so much more than just moving heavy loads fast and efficiently. 

“For the guys topping the Leaderboard, everyone has a good Fran time,” Baird says. “But what this really was … it was a test of the heart.”

Men

Three familiar names topped the Leaderboard once again this week, but with changes in the final placement. Baird’s score of 225 reps on 13.5 took him back to first place.

“Mentally, I was prepared,” he says. “I knew this was going to hurt. I didn’t look at this as a four-minute AMRAP. I was going six rounds for time as fast as I could go.” 

Dominick Maurici, of Caution CrossFit, finishes the Open in second place, while Baird’s training partner and friend, Zachary Anderson, of CrossFit Paragon, finishes in third.

“I'm ready, and I'm excited,” Maurici says. “Regionals will determine lots of truths. I am happy to be here for the third year and inspired to give a great effort on a weekend of workouts.”

Irving Hernandez, of CrossFit Paragon, had a first-place finish on 13.5 with an impressive score of 242 reps, placing him in eighth place overall. Also among the top 48 who will be heading to Regionals are Elijah Muhammad, of CrossFit Shoals, in 11th, Brandon Phillips in 13th, Travis Mayer, of CrossFit Silos, in 15th and Chase Daniels in 24th.

Women

Lindsay Bourdon of CrossFit Adrenaline finishes the Open in first place in the South East and third place worldwide with her phenomenal performance on 13.5, beating Camille Leblanc-Bazinet by 12 reps. Bourdon says when the workout was announced, she knew she would be comfortable with the two movements.

“Was I going for the top score in the world? No. There are so many amazing athletes out there that I usually don't even think I can come close to that No. 1 score,” she says. “My goal was to get a big score that would contribute to our team total. The last 15 reps I thought I was going to faint with barbell in hand.”

The South East female individuals can all breathe a sigh of relief because Bourdon will be going team once again with CrossFit Adrenaline.

“My team (and I) cannot wait for the South East Regionals in West Palm Beach, mostly because the atmosphere was so amped up last year that the energy inside the arena was amazing,” Bourdon says. “We can't wait for another experience like that.”

Emily Bridgers, of CrossFit RX, takes second place in the South East and Cheryl Nasso, of CrossFit Tuckpoint, takes third.

“(Workout) 13.5 was an exciting finale to the Open,” Bridgers says. “After watching Froning and then lots of others at my own gym go first, I knew this was not going to be easy. The Fran ladder in years past was never my strongest (workout), but I didn’t let that affect me.”

Bridgers, who scored 150 reps on 13.5, is already moving forward into “Regionals training mode.” After placing fourth at last year’s South East Regional, she is hungry to make it to the Games.

“I move forward from the Open with confidence knowing that I’m still able to hang with some of the top females,” she says. “But now is where I really get focused and prepare for what is to come. The road ahead excites me, and I’m so blessed to have so much support surrounding me everyday. I never want to look back and feel that I took any of my gifts for granted. It’s the year of realization, and my time to shine.”

Also among the top women moving on to Regionals are Jaime Gold, of CrossFit Conquest, in fourth, Talayna Fortunato, of CrossFit Real Fitness, in fifth, Sarabeth Phillips, of CrossFit Tuscaloosa, in 14th, Elise Trexler, of Panhandle CrossFit, in 23rd and Shana Alverson, of CrossFit East Decatur, in 38th.

Masters

The top 20 men and women Masters worldwide in each age division have now earned a ticket straight to the Games, and the South East will be well represented in California this July.

In the Men’s 40-44 Division, Rob Labar, from CrossFit Boynton Beach, scored 136 reps on 13.5, holding his ninth place worldwide. Firefighter and former pro baseball player, Danny Rios, of Iron Temple CrossFit, moves into 14th place worldwide with a score of 141 reps, and Cory Dague, of CrossFit Spike is in 18th place with a score of 135 reps.

“I knew this was going to hurt,” Rios says. “At some point, everyone dies in this workout, it was just a matter (of) to who would die last.”

In the Women’s 40-44 Division, Fortune Santos, of CrossFit Port Saint Lucie, completes the Open in 16th place worldwide and in 28th place in the South East Individual division after completing 152 reps. After competing as an individual at the South East Regional the past three years, Santos is ready to take on the Masters.

“It feels like I can now go to work and not let myself down,” she says. “I am going to finally test myself as never before.”

In the Men’s 45-49 Division, Ron Ortiz takes eighth place worldwide, while John McLaughlin, of CrossFit BGI-West Palm Beach, finishes in 11th place with his fourth-place score of 140 reps on 13.5. Mike Egan, of Harbor City CrossFit, finishes the Open in 18th.

For the Men’s 50-54 Division, Brian “Brig” Edwards takes second place worldwide with his score of 126 reps, and Bob LeFavi, of Rincon Athletic CrossFit, holds fourth place worldwide with 136 reps, the most reps scored worldwide in this division.

In the Women’s 50-54 Division, Colleen Fahey, of CrossFit Black Box, finishes in fifth place to earn her first trip to the Games. Kelli Dean, of Lightning CrossFit, who qualified for the Games last year but withdrew due to injury, gets a second chance as she finishes in eighth place.

The South East will have many athletes to cheer for in the Men’s 55-59 Division. Six of the top 20 going to the Games are from the region. Charlie Clendening, of CrossFit Vero Beach, takes fifth place with a score of 161 reps. Charles Sullivan, also of CrossFit Vero Beach, is in eighth place with his amazing score of 171 reps. Tony Rogers, of CrossFit Impluse, is in 15th place, while Greg Budde, also from CrossFit Vero Beach, moves into 17th place with his score of 165 reps. Tom Bourdon, of CrossFit Adrenaline, finishes in 19th place, and rounding out the top 20 is Daniel Sharkey of CrossFit Port Saint Lucie.

Gabriele Schlicht of CrossFit Deerfield Beach continues her domination in the Women’s 55-59 Division, holding onto her first-place finish worldwide. Christi Warren moves up into 10th place with her score of 147 reps.

In the Men’s 60+ Division, Jim Lanier, of CrossFit West Jax, finishes in 13th place and will be making his second trip to the Games. Susan Wallis, of CrossFit Duval, finishes in 12th place worldwide in the Women’s 60+ Division.

Teams

CrossFit RX holds onto the first-place spot once again putting them in 10th place worldwide. CrossFit Paragon finishes in second place, with CrossFit Adrenaline in third.

Other teams among the top 30 heading to Regionals are CFNA Cockdiesel, CrossFit HardCore, Real Fitness, Team Iron Temple and CrossFit Embrace.

This marks the end of five exciting weeks of competition in the CrossFit Games Open. For the athletes heading to Regionals and the Masters heading to the Games, this is the time for them to ramp up their training. Regional athletes have just over a month to work on their weaknesses and prepare for the greatest test of their fitness at the South East Regional in West Palm Beach, Fla.