Week Two in Review: North West

March 18, 2013

Dan Hollingsworth

To jump up or not to jump, that is the question that was debated throughout the North West as athletes strategized Open workout 13.2.

 

To jump up or not to jump, that is the question that was debated throughout the North West as athletes strategized Open workout 13.2. The second workout of the 2013 Open season proved to be a leg- and lung-blasting flurry of activity where the top-scoring athletes cranked out reps at a blistering pace of one every 1.5 seconds. The buzz on social media circles showed that the best results came from all available box jump options to include only jumping, only stepping and a mix of the two. When the timers finally buzzed after a 10 long minutes and the quads stopped burning, this is how the North West’s top athletes fared.

Women

For the second week in a row it was the ladies who put up the highest scores in the worldwide competition. Morgan Junction CrossFit athlete, Marissa Luchau, posted the highest number for the ladies with an astonishing 380 reps. Luchau’s score was the eighth-highest score in the world on this workout. Ashleigh Moe, of CrossFit Skagit, followed closely behind with 375 reps and right on her heels was Annie Olson, of Jet City CrossFit.

In the overall standings, Emily Carothers moved up one spot in the top three claiming the No. 1 position. Moe’s 13.2 score, which was 17th best in the world, moved her up four spots to number two. Rory Zambard of CrossFit Bellevue clung tightly to her third-place position from last week with a 359 rep effort on 13.2.

Men

The men of Cascade CrossFit continue to put their mark on the men’s race in the North West. For the second week in a row, a Cascade CrossFit athlete finds himself with the best score of the week. Nick Martindale jumped his way to 369 reps which was not only best in the region but good enough to claim eighth in the world. When asked about his performance, Martindale credited his fellow Cascade CrossFit members.

“I have to thank my gym the most for this workout. It is nearly impossible to stop when you have 40 people screaming in your face to keep going. That was the most motivating experience I think I have had so far.”

Richard Saunders, of CrossFit Spokane, and David Schroeder, of Lat 45 CrossFit, had the second and third best scores of the week with 360 and 358 reps, respectively.

Martindale’s monster score jumped him up in the overall race from 30th to a three-way tie for second place with CrossFit Tulalip Bay’s, Apollo Lewis, and CrossFit Intensify’s, Ben Stoneberg. Chris Benesch of CrossFit Spokane claimed the top overall spot in the Region, moving up from 10th place.

Teams

The teams race proved to be more stable than the Individual competition. The same two teams occupy the top overall positions in the Region, but have swapped spots. CrossFit Intensify A now holds the top position in the Region and moved up from 30th in the world to now 13th. CrossFit Fort Vancouver sits just three points behind Intensify A in second place in the Region. Cascade CrossFit and CrossFit X-Factor are currently tied for fourth place.

Masters

The North West Masters continue to shine through the second week of the Open. Big numbers came out of the men’s 40-44 category with Chris Exarhos, of Kitsap CrossFit, vaulting up to 10th place overall from last week’s 39th, with a 338 rep performance. His score was the third-highest in the world in that age group.

Nathen Loren continues to be the highest ranking 40-44 year-old North West male sitting in the seventh place spot in the world. On the ladies side of that age group, three-time CrossFit Games competitor, Cheryl Brost, currently sits in sixth place in the world after a 346-rep effort.

Two men from the North West find themselves in the top 10 of the 45-49 year-old competition. Cascade CrossFit’s, Pat Sprague, currently occupies third place in the Division, having moved up from 11th. Mike Ford, of Beaverton CrossFit, is in a four-way tie for fifth place after completing 310 reps.

Two top-competitors from 2012 find themselves in top positions after two weeks of Open competition in the 50-54 age group. Tony Kubitschek, of CrossFit Station, who placed fifth at the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games is currently in fourth position. Joy Bruenig finished the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games in fourth place but now currently finds herself in the No. 1 spot after coming just four reps shy of 10 full rounds on 13.2.

We’re only 40 percent of the way through the Open. Athletes will continue to scrape and claw their way up the Leaderboards as other cling desperately to top spots. The competition is sure to remain red hot as we await the live announcement of 13.3 this week from CrossFit Roots. Be sure to tune in at 5 p.m., PST.