Whereas 13.1 proved to be an exercise in endurance, 13.2’s trio of shoulder-to-overheads, deadlifts and box jumps illustrated the importance of approach and tactic ...
"As CrossFit (athletes), we all get to that point of exhaustion,” Tiffany Hendrickson says. “Our muscles ache, hands are throbbing, perhaps you are battling an injury and your mind is screaming, ‘Stop, catch your breath, take a break.’ And the more we fuel those thoughts, the more we get in the way of what our bodies are capable of achieving.”
Whereas 13.1 proved to be an exercise in endurance, 13.2’s trio of shoulder-to-overheads, deadlifts and box jumps illustrated the importance of approach and tactic, two variables that hold just as much weight as strength training and endurance in the world of CrossFit.
Men
Strategy can be paramount in workouts such as 13.2, and no one knows this better than CrossFit Fury's, Peter Egyed. The 26-year-old athlete sits at 14th overall following 13.2, an achievement he says had as much to do with timing as it did with skill and physical endurance.
“The only thing going through my head was just the importance of every second in every round,” Egyed says, whose 330 reps in 13.2 had him tied for 17th in the South West. “With such high volume and 'easy' reps, saving four to five seconds each round gets you an extra round or so and obviously not stepping up on the box ... I'd say the only reason I am doing better this year, is we didn't start things off with the seven minutes of burpees.”
Despite his second solid performance in as many weeks, Egyed knows there is much to be improved as we continue to march towards the 2013 Regional.
"I still need to Olympic lift more if I want to really be competitive."
CrossFit Infernal's Tim Galloway followed up on his strong start to the 2013 season. Already on the map after putting up 184 reps on 13.1, the 31-year-old paced the way for the South West Men’s Division in 13.2, leading the pack by stringing together 11 rounds that included five shoulder-to-overheads, 10 deadlifts and 11 box jumps. Galloway’s 356 reps were best in the South West, and he now sits atop the Leaderboard, as we head into 13.3.
Similar to Galloway, Front Range CrossFit's, Chris Dozois, gave another strong performance, putting up a total of 352 reps on 13.2. Raymond Bryant and Anthony Landron each had 347 reps apiece to finish third and fourth in 13.2, while Jon Lipp and Derek Kneadler rounded out the region with 346 reps each.
As a result of their 13.2 performances, Galloway and Dozois head into 13.3 ranked first and second in the South West, respectively, followed by Ute CrossFit’s Tommy Hackenbruck, Moses Cordova and MBS CrossFit athlete, Nick Beghtol.
Women
Although the Men’s division finished strong, it was the women who ultimately flexed some serious muscle worldwide for the South West.
CrossFit Black and Blue's, Ashley Miller, was one of the first to shake things up, powering through the many facets of Workout 13.2 to put up 366 total reps — a score that placed her atop the Leaderboard for much of the day and ahead of some of the world’s fiercest competition.
“I had no idea that I would beat the great Iceland Annie,” Miller says, whose 366 reps bested the 2011 and 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games champion by five reps. "Fortunately, I love push presses, deadlifts and box jumps, so this workout played to my strengths. I felt that the 75 (lb.) number was a manageable weight and the number of reps wasn't too high, so I knew that I would be able to go unbroken. It was an amazing feeling knowing I had surpassed my goal. I never could have done it without the support of my team.”
While Miller’s performance was impressive, as we have seen time and time again with the competitive South West Women's competition, where one athlete rises, others are quick to follow.
Proving her division-leading 13.1 performance was no fluke, CrossFit North Fort Collins,’ Lindsey Kirschman strung together her second awe-inspiring performance. In 13.2, the 25-year-old mustered a total of 389 reps in 12 rounds, a score that leads the way in the South West.
Coming in behind Kirschman was Wasatch CrossFit's, Tiffany Hendrickson. The former collegiate gymnast, who, as many recall, battled through several dislocated ribs at last year's Regional, followed up a strong 13.1 performance to finish 15th worldwide and second in the South West with 376 reps.
“I have learned that as strong as our bodies are, our minds are even more powerful," Hendrickson says on working through injury. "Once we have set our mind to do something, our bodies will find a way to achieve it; where there is a will there is a way."
Kirschman’s and Hendrickson’s scores put both athletes ahead of Miller, while Ute CrossFit Sugarhouse's, Mandi Janowitz and Taylor Richards-Lindsay rounded out the top-five on 13.2 with 363 and 358 reps, respectively.
Looking at the lay of the land heading into 13.3, Kirschman and Richards-Lindsay have the top-two slots locked down in the South West, followed by CrossFit Venture's, Natalie McLain, SLC CrossFit East's, Dana Howell and Front Range CrossFit athlete and 2012 Games qualifier, Colleen Maher.
Teams
If two weeks of Open competition have given any indication as to what is to come, it appears as though the usual suspects are looking to have the Team competition locked up in the South West.
Stringing together their second consecutive strong performance was perennial Team challenger Hack’s Pack UTE — a team consisting of Taylor Richards-Lindsay, Mary Lampas, Erin Bennion, Michael Cazayoux, Adrian Conway and Tommy Hackenbruck. Hack’s Pack UTE's 2,003 reps put them atop the South West Leaderboard for the second consecutive week and ahead of another always-competitive outfit, Front Range CrossFit.
After falling short of Hack’s Pack by a mere three reps in 13.1, Front Range CrossFit found themselves 50 reps shy. Still, 1,953 reps is a very strong showing and Front Range heads into 13.3 ranked second best in the South West, followed by CrossFit The Club, Urban WarFit CrossFit and Salt Lake City CrossFit 1.
Team CVSC, who completed an impressive 1,904 reps to finish behind Hack’s Pack and Front Range in 13.2, sits within striking distance at seventh overall.
Masters
The new Masters 40-44 Division may be one of the more interesting storylines of the 2013 season, especially as athletes such as Dozios and Becky Conzelman continue to wreak havoc in the division.
Dozios, mentioned earlier as having locked down the second-overall position heading into 13.3, also qualifies for the new Masters Division. And, as one might have expected, he has absolutely crushed it. Furthering the point is Conzelman, who has also started strong out of the gates and currently ranks sixth in the Women’s Division, while also qualifying for and leading the Masters 40-44 Division.
Last year, we saw numerous top athletes take to Team in order to better their shot at making the Games. This year, the new Masters category could provide a new outlet for South West athletes to reach the Games.
Over in the 45-49 Division, Daren Povar of CrossFit Desert Valley paved the way with 300 reps, as did Tracy Maceachern, who achieved her second straight top-showing with 314 reps.
In the 50-54 Division, Steve Parsoneault once again led the pack for the men with 272 reps; and, in similar fashion, Mary Beth Litsheim did the same in the women’s division with a 278-rep showing.
Brian Ritchey edged ahead of the pack in the 55-59 competition following 13.2 with a whopping 328 reps. Becca Hartley and Ronda Cope-Woodard each had 287 reps to lead the way for the Women Masters 55-59 Division.
Last, but certainly not least, it was Scott Olson who reigned supreme for a second straight week for Men's 60+ by putting up 300 reps in 13.2. On the Women’s side, Janet Horvath leapfrogged Lisa Fullerton with 260 reps to her counterpart's 249 to round out 13.2.
