Week Four in Review: Northern California

March 19, 2012

Leah Lutz

Neal Maddox has established himself as the man to beat in NorCal and the world.
 

Open Workout 12.4 brought many face to face with the dreaded Karen, then gave us even more to look forward to with the 90 double-unders and 30 muscle-ups. Athletes of all experience and skill level met new goals and set new records again this week, some doing Karen for the first time ever, some getting their first double-under, some getting more muscle-ups than they first thought possible, and every other achievement in between. Even Jenny LaBaw, one of our NorCal leaders had some firsts this week. She had “never done Karen or 30 muscle ups for time so it was fun to do them both in the same workout.”  

At the close of 12.4, Neal Maddox (CrossFit X-treme) has established himself as the man to beat in NorCal and the world. His 1st place finishes in the last three workouts have left no doubt of his readiness for the NorCal Regional. Right behind Maddox, Jason Kahlipa (NorCal CrossFit) finished this grueling workout well into the second round. Pat Barber (NorCal CrossFit) rounds out the top three men in the region for this workout.

Annie Sakamoto (CrossFit Santa Cruz Central) and Chyna Cho (CrossFit One World), sharing a common dislike for wall balls, proved their athleticism and determination, both completing 19 muscle-ups, giving them a tie for 1st place in 12.4. Placing 3rd in this workout, Ashley Carriveau (CrossFit San Jose), was only one muscle-up shy of making this a three-way tie for 1st.

As we look forward to the final Open workout, the unknown 12.5, many NorCal competitors appear to have a place in the top five firmly established. In the men’s rankings, our top three are also ranked in the top 10 in the world: Neal Maddox (CrossFit X-treme) 7th worldwide, Joey Warren (CrossFit Cadence)  8th worldwide, and Jason Khalipa (NorCal CrossFit) 10th worldwide. Following right behind these top three are Pat Barber (NorCal CrossFit) and Chad Augustin (Rocklin CrossFit). 

Currently, one NorCal woman is ranked in the top 10 of the world, our current region leader, Ashley Carriveau (CrossFit San Jose). Second place in the region is held again this week by Elyse Umeda (CrossFit 808), 3rd remains solidly in the hands of Whitney Heuser (Diablo CrossFit), and Laurie Galassi (CrossFit Santa Cruz) and Jenny LaBaw continue to vie for 4th and 5th positions, respectively. 

Each week, several of our Masters have proven themselves as the top competitors in the world, holding their high rankings over the broad range of workouts seen thus far. In the Women 55-59, Marilou Seiff (CrossFit San Mateo) is again 1st worldwide followed by  Marnel King (CrossFit San Jose) in 3rd. The women in the 60-plus Division are just as tenacious, with Kristine Sessions (CrossFit Maxim) in 2nd place worldwide, and Mary Schwing (CrossFit 808) at 5th. Clarke Holland of Tamalpais CrossFit, in the Men 60-plus Division, stays at the top with 2nd place.

Once again the battle for the team finishing the workout in 1st place was fought primarily among NorCal CrossFit, Diablo CrossFit Anejo and the Rocklin CrossFit Honey Badgers. NorCal CrossFit emerged the victors, but the win wasn’t quite enough to move them up in the overall rankings. NorCal continues to hold 3rd, with Diablo CrossFit Anejo in 1st and the Rocklin CrossFit Honey Badgers in 2nd. All three teams not only dominate the NorCal scene, they are contenders in the world rankings with their 5th, 6th, and 7th places, respectively. Remaining in the top five for the third week in a row is CrossFit 808 in 4th place in NorCal. The top five teams are rounded out this week with CrossFit Santa Cruz.