Week Two in Review: Central East

March 5, 2012

Josh Bunch

Top Games athletes gathered at the Arnold Sports Festival to complete Open Workout 12.2. 

If seven minutes of burpees wasn’t enough for Central East athletes in Week 1, 10 minutes of snatching did the trick.

Logically, it makes perfect sense to release 12.2 with a big weightlifting bow. Barbell lovers forced to burpees their hearts out for seven minutes smiled as burpee kings and queens were made to raise the bar for 10 minutes.

ARNOLD SPORTS FESTIVAL

The buzz of the Central East was easily The Open at The Arnold. More than 14 packed heats gathered under the Arnold Sports Festival tent Saturday, March 3. Rookie CrossFitters did the Open Workout with Graham Holmberg, Rich Froning, Kristan Clever, Julie Foucher, Christy Phillips, and Nick Urankar to name a few Games competitors arriving on the scene.

Resembling the demo for 12.2, Bailey and Froning did the workout facing each other for battle. The enormous crowd awarded every single rep from these two athletes. Although both Froning and Bailey failed to better their previous scores, they both sit comfortably within the Central East ranking. In fact, both Froning (1st) and Bailey (2nd) are two of less than 20 men worldwide who made the fourth weight change and performed reps at 210 pounds.

Foucher pulled rep for rep with 2010 CrossFit Games winner, Clever. Foucher’s elegance with a barbell kept her in the run ending with 100 reps, just two reps shy of Clever.

BOXES AND GARAGES

Foucher was not the only Central East female besting their male counterparts with 100-plus reps. CrossFit Games champion 2008 Caity Matter Henniger managed 100 reps even. Lindsey Smith also managed the “100-rep club” besting the Central East field with 101 reps.

With 520 snatches, CrossFit Faith wins this Open Workout with 13 reps, followed by SPC CrossFit at 507, and Rogue Gahanna at 492 reps.

A well played Open season thus far has left SPC CrossFit 1st overall. However, The Afterburners remain a close 2nd overall after a 10th pace Week 2 finish.

With two Open Workouts down and three left to be announced, athletes have begun to separate. From here, the 2012 season only gets hotter. The elite will continue to rise to the top. 

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