Week One in Review: North West

February 28, 2012

Dan & Amy Hollingsworth

Rest assured, these athletes will not be resting on their laurels.

The first week of the 2012 CrossFit Games Open appears to have favored the unknown athlete.  In the North West Region, athletes who did not compete in last year’s Regional competition are leading in nearly all categories. North West Masters competitors have also established themselves as an early threat.  Here’s a recap of how things shook out.

In the Men’s Division, 27-year-old Nikoli Martindale of Cascade CrossFit leads the region with a very impressive 145 burpees.  His score not only leads the North West Region, but also places him in a tie for 8th place worldwide. Not far behind Martindale is Bryan Weed, another 27-year-old from CrossFit Untamed. Weed cranked out 143 burpees, which finds him in a four-way tie for 24th place in the world.

On the Women’s side of 12.1, Emily Carothers from Maple Valley CrossFit relied on her background as a collegiate gymnast at the University of Washington, to jump to an early regional lead in the Open. In her first ever CrossFit Games Open workout, Carothers completed 128 burpees, which lands her in 42nd place worldwide.

Easily, one of the most impressive performances of the week came out of CrossFit Bellevue. Forty-five year-old Janice Spray, last year’s 4th place finisher in the 45-49 age division at the Games, showed that she can still hang with the young gals. Spray put up an astonishing 132 burpees, which places her on top of the world ranking for her age group. In the Open Division, Janice’s effort would have her sitting in 1st place in the North West Region and in 28th place worldwide.

Other Masters competitors who have established themselves early in the race include last year’s Women’s 45-49 year-old champion, Susan Habbe of CrossFit Emergence, now competing in the 50-54 age bracket. Habbe’s score of 105 burpees secures a 13th place worldwide placing after the first workout. In the Men’s 60-plus Division, 60-year-old Jim McCarry, representing Rainier CrossFit finished Week 1 in 7th place worldwide with 95 burpees.

In the Team’s race, Cascade CrossFit, bolstered by Martindale’s 145 burpees, finds themselves on top of the Leaderboard. In their first year of Affiliate Cup competition, Cascade CrossFit now sits just ahead of 2010 Affiliate Cup Champions CrossFit Fort Vancouver. Adam Neiffer’s Fort Vancouver team is looking to return to the podium in Carson, Calif., in 2012 and currently sits in 18th place worldwide. Rounding out the top three teams in the North West is CrossFit Bellevue, benefitting from Janice Spray’s big time performance, as well as solid numbers from their other top members.

Rest assured that none of these athletes will be resting on their laurels despite their current status on top of the Leaderboard. They are celebrating, but also preparing and waiting on pins and needles just like the rest of us for the release of Open Workout 12.2.

*The scores and rankings are unofficial until Tuesdays at 5 p.m., PT.