Week One in Review: South West

March 11, 2013

Neal Leitereg


As we have learned time and time again, there is more to CrossFit than just preparation.
 

The kickoff to the 2013 season looked similar to 2012. Open Workout 13.1 proved to be just as grueling with a roundabout of burpees and snatches to be completed in 17 minutes.

 

Men

As we have learned time and time again, there is more to CrossFit than just preparation. So many variables can and do come into play during the five-week foray. No one knows this more than CrossFit Unbroken's, Kevin Ogar, who thought his season might be over before it ever began.

 

“When 13.1 popped up on Wednesday, I was pretty stoked because it was my kind of workout,” Ogar says, who finished sixth overall at the 2012 Regional.

 

“It was one of those workouts you look at and think, ‘I'm going to fucking crush this!’”

 

However, as fate would have it, Ogar had to overcome more than just a round of burpees and snatches. Ogar woke up Thursday with a bout of the flu, and by Saturday morning found himself in an Urgent Care Center.

 

“To be honest at this point, I thought my chance at 2013 Regionals was over,” he admits. “I could barely stand up straight without getting dizzy, so there was no way I was going to do a bunch of burpees and snatches."

 

But he still did the workout, completing 158 reps.

 

Looking at the rest of the South West Leaderboard following Week 1, Jacob Hutton and Jake Holmberg paced the way with 190 each, while Hack's Pack UTE ringmaster Tommy Hackenbruck and Tim Galloway each notched 184 reps.

 

Newcomer to the region Danny Nichols put up 176 reps, good for 13th. Matt Hathcock was nipping at his heels with 175. Another newcomer to the South West, 20-year-old Moses Cordova, did little to dissuade the hype, coming in 27th with a score of 172.

 

Of the three male athletes who represented the South West at the 2012 Games, Chris Spealler fared best, finishing 24th overall, while Matt Chan, who is recovering from knee surgery, registered a 49th-place finish. Patrick Burke came in at 65th overall.

 

Women

There is no question South West women are in a class of their own. Glancing at the Leaderboard, there is a list of top athletes, who have already put their stamp on the 2013 Open competition. And the fun has just begun.

 

Once again, the women of Front Range CrossFit looked poised for greatness, as Kristen Olson, Jasmine Dever and 18-year-old phenom, Colleen Maher, each started strong with a top-five finish for Workout 13.1. Maher and Dever both represented the South West at the Games last year, as did fellow Front Range athlete, Becky Conzelman, who put up 190 reps to finish 12th overall.

 

However, while Front Range's prowess was on full display, it was emerging athlete, Lindsey Kirschman, who really stood out. The 25-year-old CrossFit North Fort Collins athlete powered through the opening round to best Olson and Maher by a single rep, finishing with 194 to earn a spot atop the Leaderboard.

 

Of the top competitors from the 2012 Regional, fourth and fifth-place finishers, Emmalee Moree and Tiffany Hendrickson finished 75th and 19th, respectively.

 

Formerly of South Central, Azadeh Boroumand finished 14th overall in the South West with 190 reps.

 

Masters

Putting everyone to shame in the South West was Masters athlete, Tony Brown, of CrossFit Purgatory. Competing in a brand new 40-44 Division, the 40-year-old managed just 70 reps in Week 1. That doesn't sound all that impressive, but he did so with a broken leg.

 

Chris Dozois of Front Range CrossFit took command of the 40-44 men's bracket with 182 reps, 15 better than second- and third-place finishers, Jason Fine and Bill Robbs, respectively.

 

On the women's side, Bladium CrossFit's, Cynthia Ackerman, and Front Range CrossFit's, Becky Conzelman, sit at the top of the Leaderboard after registering 190 reps each.

 

In the 45-49 Division, a pair of RedRocks CrossFit athletes, Gene LaMonica and Tracy Maceachern, paved the way for the Masters competition. Both are currently in first place after 13.1.

 

Steve Parsoneault, of Flatirons CrossFit, and CrossFit WestCo veteran, Mary Beth Litsheim, handled business in the 50-54 category, and University of Nevada CrossFit's, John Mariotti, and CrossFit Roots,' Alice Phinney did the same in the 55-59 Division.

 

Last, but certainly not least, Front Range CrossFit's, Scott Olson put up 190 reps, tied for best in the world for Masters Men 60+, and CrossFit Northwest Tucson athlete, Lisa Fullerton, and D-Town CrossFit's, Janet Horvath, bested the rest of the 60+ women with 150 reps each.

 

Teams

Workout 13.1 brought out the usual suspects in the Team competition. Hack's Pack UTE is at the top with 1,099 reps. But Front Range CrossFit was not far behind, finishing with a score of 1,096.

 

Urban WarFit CrossFit gave a strong performance with a score of 1,046, good for third overall, followed by CrossFit The Club and Salt Lake City CrossFit 1, tied with 1,028.

 

Bomb Squad, which had an incredible showing at last year's Regional, finished 27th overall.