Week Four in Review: Northern California

March 29, 2013

Sam Radetsky

For the first time this year, NorCal fielded the top score in the world with Jason Khalipa, owner of NorCal CrossFit, dominating 13.4 with 129 reps.

The fourth workout of the 2013 Open proved to be a classic CrossFit couplet. The ascending ladder of clean and jerks and toes-to-bars showed that power output is king. Gone were specialist movements, and the NorCal Leaderboard responded to the traditional workout with stunning scores and familiar names.

For the first time this year, NorCal fielded the top score in the world with Jason Khalipa, owner of NorCal CrossFit, dominating 13.4 with 129 reps.

Men

In the Men’s Division, the story this week is all Khalipa. He sits on top of both the NorCal and the worldwide Leaderboard for 13.4. Second place belongs to CrossFit West ace, David Millar, with 124 reps and Neal Maddox, of CrossFit Xtreme Athletics, takes third with a score of 121.

The NorCal Men’s overall lead stays with Maddox (12 points), two mere points ahead of second-placed Khalipa (14 points). Three athletes share third place with 43 points — Millar and NorCal CrossFit’s Garret Fisher and Pat Barber. As only two points separate the front runners and the rest of the field is at least 27 points away from the three-way tie in third, the battles to watch as the Open enters its final week are Maddox and Khalipa for first place and Millar, Fisher and Barber for third. It will come down to one workout.

Women

The top 13.4 honors in the NorCal Women’s Division go to West Bay CrossFit’s, Lakeeja Roberts. In a stunning performance, the 34-year old garnered 118 reps for the win. Roberts’ 13.4 score put her in fourth place worldwide, sandwiched between Camille Leblanc-Bazinet and 2010 Games champion Kristan Clever.

It is no surprise that Sarah Hopping, the owner of Arena Ready CrossFit and a former national star in the hammer throw, would dominate 13.4 and her 112 reps put her in second place. Sarah Pierce, co-owner of CrossFit Sonoma County, earns third place with 109 reps.

The NorCal Women’s Division overall standings are as equally exciting as the Men’s. One final workout will decide the top spot. Currently, Pierce and Diablo CrossFit’s, Alessandra Pichelli, are tied for first place with 21 points each. CrossFit 808’s heavy hitter, Brandy Richardson, has a virtual lock on third with 27 points.

Team

The NorCal Team Division is full of fireworks this week. The Regional is shaping up to be a nail-biting event. On 13.4, only eight reps separated the top four teams. Rocklin CrossFit, led by firefighter Chad Augustin, took first with 631 reps. NorCal and Diablo Anejo are right behind with scores of 628 and 625, respectively.

Overall, there is another tie for first between NorCal CrossFit and Diablo CrossFit Anejo, both with eight points. The two are also second and fourth worldwide. Third place overall in the region belongs to Rocklin CrossFit (15 points), but 808 (17 points) and West (20 points) are in close pursuit in fourth and fifth places.

As in the previous three weeks, NorCal is strongly represented in the Masters Divisions. Only 20 athletes in each age division continue to the Games come July and NorCal boasts 27 athletes currently in the top 20 of their respective age divisions, including seven in the Men’s 60+ Division alone. Matt Beals, 45-49, and Marnel King, 55-59, are both in second place in their divisions, making them NorCal’s current top seeds.

The CrossFit world comes to Santa Cruz, Calif., this week for the 13.5 live announcement from Santa Cruz’s venerable Civic Auditorium. On the same stage that once played host to the Dalai Lama, four of CrossFit’s top competitors will go head-to-head on the last workout of the 2013 Open. The under card features Samantha Briggs out of England, currently dominating the Open, and Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, currently in second place.

In the main event, two-time defending champion Rich Froning takes on 2008 champ, Jason Khalipa. The competitors will hear the workout just minutes before they throw down in front of a sold out crowd of several thousand rabid CrossFitters.

Let’s get ready to rumble!