2015 Atlantic Regional Recap: Day 2

May 17, 2015 by Kati Breazeal

Photo by: CrossFit HQ

Written by: Eddit Malone

TEAM

Event 3

For time, each athlete moves through stations of:

Female Athlete 1:

0.5-mile run

50 wall-ball shots

Male Athlete 1:

0.5-mile run

50 wall-ball shots

Female Athlete 2:

0.4-mile run

40 wall-ball shots

Male Athlete 2:

0.4-mile run

40 wall-ball shots

Female Athlete 3:

0.3-mile run

30 wall-ball shots

Male Athlete 3:

0.3-mile run

30 wall-ball shots

M 20-lb. ball to 10 ft.

F 14-lb. ball to 10 ft.

Time cap: 20 minutes

The True Form treadmill was a new element to CrossFit competition, and athletes were

dependent on their own momentum to move the device. After the challenge of the

treadmill, it wasn’t easy moving to the wall ball shots, and in early heats a few female

athletes struggled to hit the 10 ft. target, earning several no reps. Several teams found

themselves with athletes off the treadmill but waiting for the athlete ahead of them to

complete their wall ball shots, a frustrating affair for all involved. CrossFit Ybor was in

command for much of the first heat, but their third female athlete struggled on the wall

ball shots, enabling CrossFit Unrivalled to make up ground. In the end, CrossFit Ybor

was able to hold them off with a finishing time of 18:35. As the only other team to beat

the 20-minute time cap, CrossFit Unrivalled finished at 19:18. In heat 2, four teams

completed the workout, and Team FYF took over the top spot with a time of 18:22. 12

Labours CrossFit Columbia had a great day 1, sitting atop the leaderboard, but one of

their female athletes Teresa Luz aggravated a back injury and was moved from female

athlete number one to number three in Event 3. Rising Orange was the first team to the

wall balls and maintained their lead through the first male athlete. But RAW Training

took over the lead with their second male athlete reaching the wall balls before anyone

else. Their athletes by and large were fast and smooth on the wall ball shots, and they

smashed the previous best time with a 17:43. CrossFit Bound and Rising Orange were on

the finishing mats roughly 45 seconds later, and 12 Labours CrossFit Columbia, in spite

of their injured athlete, came in fourth in the heat and sixth overall in the event.

Results

1. RAW Training (17:43)

2. Team FYF (18:22)

3. CrossFit Bound (18:26)

4. Rising Orange (18:30)

5. CrossFit Ybor (18:35)

Event 4

1-rep-max snatch

Time cap: 6 minutes (1 minute for each athlete)*

Athlete order: Any

Event 5 begins 2 minutes after this event ends.

The challenge of Event 4 was self-evident to anyone with snatch experience: hitting a

heavy snatch with only a minute to do so is a challenging feat due to the technique and

weight involved. For the women, the fact that each team had to share a men’s 45-lbs. bar

was an additional factor to contend with, since many women are used to training with a

35-lbs. barbell. One of the questions the teams had to address strategically: is it best to

start with a light barbell and go with the women first or the other way around? There was

no clear consensus here. Some teams started with their female athletes while others

started with their men. In terms of technique, some athletes chose the power snatch;

others dropped to a full squat. With the men especially, time was lost as they built up the

weight on the barbell. Some athletes managed two lifts with others lifting once then

setting up the barbell for the next athlete to come. Some teams simply failed to manage

the time. In heat 2, CrossFit Balance’s second male athlete hit a 245 lbs. squat snatch. In

heat 3, RAW Training followed up their Event 4 win with their first male athlete

snatching 247 lbs. CrossFit Bound’s Jessica Phillips looked strong and solid on a 175 lbs.

snatch. Competitive EDGE Wilmington’s male athlete successfully lifted 255 lbs. Games

veteran Brandon Phillips of CrossFit Bound smiled at the applause as he hit 265, the

heaviest lift so far of the day. His teammate was also able to lift 265 with aplomb, and the

gym from Kennesaw, Georgia comfortably clinched the event with a 1,230-lbs. total.

Results

1. CrossFit Bound (1,230 lbs.)

2. CrossFit Terminus (1,141 lbs.)

3. HustleHard CrossFit CrossFit Unmatched (1,137 lbs.)

4. Competitive EDGE Wilmington (1,130 lbs.)

5. CrossFit Greensboro (1,120 lbs.)

Event 5

Relay for time of:

6 x 100-ft. handstand walk

Time cap: 7 minutes

Athlete order: any

There was little time to rest, with the team handstand walk coming just two minutes after

the completion of Event 4. Though their shoulders might have been feeling it from the

snatch, most athletes walked proficiently on their hands. In heat 2, CrossFit Balance’s

first athlete, a female, covered the ground in just 33 seconds, but it was CrossFit Love

and CrossFit Unmatched in a foot race at the end for the top spot. The latter took it in

6:08. The majority of teams would find it impossible to get all six athletes to the finishing

mat under the 7-minute time cap. In heat 3, CrossFit Terminus was through three of their

six athletes just a 1:51 into the event. Their lead, however, dwindled thanks to the

challenge of CrossFit Spartanburg whose final athlete stepped on the finishing mat at

4:49 to take the heat and the event.

Results

1. CrossFit Spartanburg (4:49)

2. Team CrossFit Love (6:08)

2. CrossFit CrossFit Unmatched (6:08)

4. CrossFit Terminus (6:08)

5. CrossFit Balance (CAP +1)

5. PEAK 360 (CAP + 1)

Overall Standings

1. Competitive EDGE Wilmington (407 pts)

2. CrossFit Terminus (406 pts)

3. CrossFit Bound (397 pts)

4. RAW Training (376 pts)

5. Rising Orange (374 pts)

INDIVIDUAL MEN

Event 3

For time:

1-mile run

50 overhead squats (135 / 95 lb.)

100 GHD sit-ups

150 double-unders

50 sumo deadlift high pulls (135 / 95 lb.)

100 box jump overs (24 / 18 in.)

Time cap: 26 minutes

Seven-time Games veteran Ben Smith celebrated his 25th birthday by first grinding things

out in Event 3 then pulling away from the likes of Noah Ohlsen and Travis Mayer on the

box jump overs at the end. He fell just short of finishing the workout, but he was likely

less concerned with that than his overall placement in the aftermath. After a 12th place

stumble in Event 1, he started the climb up the leaderboard with a 4th place finish in Event

2. After Event 3, he was in familiar territory: 2nd place overall.

Event 3 was all about volume, core strength, shoulders and heart. The pain quotient was

high and given the high number of reps the athletes were required to complete it was easy

to take breaks. It was easy to let the negative self-talk begin.

In general, the men were spending around 8-9 minutes on the True Form treadmill

Brandon Massie from Mako CrossFit got the farthest in heat 1, with 40 box jump overs.

Heading into heat 3, only seven male athletes total had made it as far as that last

movement. In heat 3, Games veteran Jordan Troyan was the first to the GHDs then the

double unders, but he was caught by both Gerald Sasser and Steven Pinkerton. Sasser

would end up establishing the new score to beat with 44 box jump overs. Pinkerton got

41. The final heat saw Noah Ohlsen off the True Form treadmill at 7:26. Then he banged

out 25 straight overhead squats before resting the barbell on his back and walking calmly

to the 50-rep mark before resuming the movement. Ohlsen was first to the GHD and

actually came off the machine a few times to stretch his legs and give his abdominals a

break. He continued to lead as he got to the double unders, but Ben Smith was right

behind him followed by Travis Mayer. Ohlsen was stringing together high pulls as Smith

took a slower approach, doing singles. Mayer’s aggression on the high pulls actually saw

him assume the lead, but he was caught by both Smith and Ohlsen on the box jump overs.

In the end, Smith sped up and emptied the tank as the clock ran out, pulling away from

the competition through the use of a lightning fast lateral step and jump. He was just five

reps shy of finishing the box jump overs and the entire workout.

The overhead squats were the most difficult part of the workout for Smith who admitted

he hadn’t practiced Event 3 in the lead up to regionals weekend. “After the overhead

squats, you just keep moving,” he said. “The high pulls were hard too but I knew that I

could give a little more on the box jumps so I saved a little bit for that.”

Results

1. Ben Smith (CAP + 5)

2. Noah Ohlsen (CAP + 17)

3. Travis Mayer (CAP + 36)

4. Nathan Bramblett (CAP + 50)

5. Elijah Muhammad (CAP + 55)

Event 4

For time:

Handstand walk 250 ft.

Time cap: 3 minutes

Event 5 begins 1 minute and 40 seconds after this event ends.

Alec Smith had the fastest time of the day but it was Aaron Hanna who benefitted the

most. His second place finish in Event 4 kept him in the hunt for a spot to Carson while

Noah Ohlsen, the overall points leader, excelled on his hands as well to maintain his grip

on the top spot.

In the early heats, Smith and Vinny Casey set the pace with times of 1:32 and 1:36

respectively. Julian Serna in heat 3 was far off the lead with his time of 2:02, and so it

was left to the top dogs in heat 4 to try and reign in Smith, younger brother to Ben. Noah

Ohlsen, Nathan Bramblett and Aaron Hanna were all fast out of the gate and not far off

the pace set by Smith. Then it was Hanna and Ohlsen jockeying for top position, with

both athletes coming down from their handstands near the midway point on the second

leg. They were racing for the finish when Ohlsen was forced to come down again,

allowing Hanna to complete the course and sprint to the finish mat for a time of 1:33, just

a second behind Smith. Ohlsen finished in 1:38, earning 4th in the event.

Results

1. Alec Smith (1:32)

2. Aaron Hanna (1:33)

3. Vinny Casey (1:36)

4. Noah Ohlsen (1:38)

5. Nathan Bramblett (1:42)

Event 5

1-rep-max snatch

Each athlete will have two 20-second windows to attempt the lift with 80 seconds rest

between windows.

Garrett Fisher landed the heaviest snatch at 276 lbs. to continue his climb up the

leaderboard, with Elijah Muhammad just behind him, while those near the top of the

leaderboard did enough to maintain their overall position.

Athletes had less than 20 seconds rest after Event 4 before they had to tackle arguably the

most technical lift, the snatch, which calls upon the shoulders, which were just taxed with

the handstand walk. What’s more, the pressure was on to lift heavy from the start. On the

plus side, athletes had time to load their plates on the barbell before their initial lift.

Casey Haines set the bar high in heat 1, with a lift of 275 lbs. In heat 2, Jacob Anderson looked to have lifted 275, but his judge no repped him, forcing him to settle for his first

lift of 255 lbs. Garrett Fisher missed on 276 lbs. but gathered himself and seconds later

succeeded on the second attempt, just as time was expiring. In heat 3, Gerald Sasser hit

271 to take 4th in the event and 7th in the overall standings, pressing his claim for one of

the tickets to Carson. In heat 4, Elijah Muhammed went big from the start, but his 280

lbs. attempt was no good. What’s more, the barbell crashed onto the back of his neck but

he appeared to be okay. Facing immense pressure, with his Games hopes on the line, he

nailed his second and last attempt at 275 lbs., which tied him for second place in the

event. Ben Smith, whose listed PR is 300 lbs., went conservative on his first lift of 260

lbs., but it wasn’t easy for him. He got stuck in the squat and rocked back and forth for a

moment before steadying himself and rising out of the bottom. After Muhammed’s

successful lift at 275, Smith attempted to go one pound better to close out his day and tie

Fisher’s top score. But like before he got stuck in the bottom and ended up falling

backwards. Joe Kearney’s lift of 266 was good enough to tie for sixth in the event and

keep him in the hunt for a Games spot. Noah Ohlsen’s 261 put him in a tie for 11th place

in the event. Overall, he was exactly where he wanted to be, a good 21 points ahead of

his closest rival.

Results

1. Garrett Fisher (276 lbs.)

2. Elijah Muhammad (275 lbs.)

2. Casey Haines (275 lbs.)

4. Gerald Sasser (271 lbs.)

4. Adam Vinson (271 lbs.)

Overall Standings

1. Noah Ohlsen (420 pts)

2. Elijah Muhammad (399 pts)

3. Aaron Hanna (384 pts)

4. Ben Smith (382 pts)

5. Nathan Bramblett (364 pts)

INDIVIDUAL WOMEN

Event 3

For time:

1-mile run

50 overhead squats (135 / 95 lb.)

100 GHD sit-ups

150 double-unders

50 sumo deadlift high pulls (135 / 95 lb.)

100 box jump overs (24 / 18 in.)

Time cap: 26 minutes

Samantha Briggs and Anna Tunnicliffe found themselves tied at the top of the

leaderboard at the conclusion of Event 3 while Emily Bridgers continued to recover from

Event 1 disappointment by becoming the first woman in the world to complete this

devastating chipper.

When it was all over, many athletes claimed the 100 sit ups were the most taxing part of a

devastating workout. No athlete seemed happy to spend a mile on the True Form

treadmill. Through three heats, the women were spending 9-10 minutes on the run. No

athletes got beyond the sumo deadlift high pulls in heat 1. In heat 2, Caroline Dardini

made it through 43 reps of the box jump overs, and in heat 3 Kim Cocce established a

lead after moving quickly through the overhead squats. Lindsay Eder joined her in the

race, but in the end Cocce bested Eder by 9 reps on the box jumps. The final heat, full of

the leaders, was a dramatic affair. A former triathlete, Samantha Briggs was the first off

the treadmill in just under eight minutes. But Anna Tunnicliffe caught the Brit quickly on

the overhead squats. She was onto the GHD machine at the 11-minute mark and was the

first done with 100 sit ups, but Emily Bridgers was quicker to the jump rope and grabbed

a narrow lead on the double unders. Bridgers and Tunnicliffe went neck and neck on the

sumo deadlift high pulls, with the former opting for fast singles, the latter for small sets

of consecutive reps. The two continued their head-to-head battle on the box jumps, with

Bridgers slightly ahead and neither athlete resting at all except to move the box forward

after every 20 reps. Tunnicliffe’s technique, involving a lateral step and hop onto and off

the box, enabled her to make up ground, but Bridgers became the first woman in the

world to complete the event and what’s more had over a minute to spare at 24:54.

Tunnicliffe finished four seconds later with Briggs taking third but 40 reps shy of

finishing the event.

Bridgers said, “I knew I wasn’t going to be the first off the treadmill so I just tried to

control my breathing and go as fast as I could. I knew I needed to make up ground on

overhead squats so I did as big a sets as I could without totally fatiguing my legs for the

sumos. Really the GHDs is where I was able to pull ahead a little.”

Results

1. Emily Bridgers (24:53)

2. Anna Tunnicliffe (24:58)

3. Samantha Briggs (CAP + 40)

4. Christy Adkins (CAP + 53)

5. Kim Cocce (CAP + 54)

Event 4

For time:

Handstand walk 250 ft.

Time cap: 3 minutes

Event 5 begins 1 minute and 40 seconds after this event ends.

Emily Bridgers took her second 1st place in a row by attacking the handstand walk, and

Samantha Briggs avoided a repeat of last year’s disaster.

In the early heats, Hannah Richards and Elizabeth Parry distinguished themselves,

walking the 250 ft. in 2:03 and 2:16 respectively. In heat 3, Nicole Corey led the entire

way but couldn’t overcome Richards’ early time, finishing in 2:05. Just 4 of 10 athletes in

this heat finished under the time cap. Heat 4 played host to a bevy of former collegiate

gymnasts just itching to get inverted. Emily Bridgers got out to the fastest start of the day,

reaching the halfway point in under 50 seconds. Jessica Carillon, however, was right

behind her but lost her balance and had to come down with just over 10 feet to go.

Bridgers raced ahead and finished at 1:47 with Carillon taking second with a 1:58.

Cassidy Lance was just a handful of seconds behind, taking the third spot in the event

with a time of 2:02. Anna Tunnicliffe completed the course in 2:23 to solidify her

position at the top of the leaderboard. Samantha Briggs, whose lack of proficiency with

handstand walking kept her out of the Games last year, redeemed herself somewhat by

walking well enough to tie for 14th place. With seconds to go, she was racing for the

finish mat when her judge called her back and informed her that she’d come down too

early from her handstand, a miscue that cost her the satisfaction of finishing the event.

Results

1. Emily Bridgers (1:47)

2. Jessica Carillon (1:58)

3. Cassidy Lance (2:02)

4. Hannah Richards (2:03)

5. Nicole Corey (2:05)

Event 5

1-rep-max snatch

Each athlete will have two 20-second windows to attempt the lift with 80 seconds rest

between windows.

Cassidy Lance continued to impress with another top 3 showing. Her tie for first in the

snatch put her in prime position to qualify again for the Games. Both Emily Bridgers and

Anna Tunnicliffe scored top 10 performances in Event 5 to lead the pack going in to Day

In the early heats, Caroline Dardini landed 162 lbs. and was close to securing 172 but lost

the barbell behind her. Corinna Benz had the lead going into heat 3 with a lift of 166 lbs.

Nicole Corey then hit 166 with Gretchen Kittelberger going one pound better. Neither

Corey nor Kittelberger was through throwing up heavy weight either. Sarabeth Phillips

power snatched 165 with ease before Corey and Kittelberger continued with their show,

the latter lifting 172 lbs. Corey, however, went four pounds better to make her the event

leader. In heat 4, Emily Bridgers pumped her fist after confidently snatching 162 in her

first attempt while at the same moment Cassidy Lance was snatching 165. The Lance and

Bridgers show continued in the second window, with Lance hitting 176 and Bridgers 172.

But Whitney Gelin showed she could put up some big weight as well: her 175 lbs. was

good enough for third in the event. The 176 lbs. lifted by both Lance and Corey,

however, would not be beaten. For her part, Samantha Briggs’ 160 lbs. tied her for 11th

place.

Results

1. Cassidy Lance (176 lbs.)

1. Nicole Corey (176 lbs.)

3. Whitney Gelin (175 lbs.)

4. Emily Bridgers (172 lbs.)

4. Gretchen Kittelberger (172 lbs.)

Overall Standings

1. Anna Tunnicliffe (429 pts)

2. Emily Bridgers (417 pts)

3. Samantha Briggs (409 pts)

4. Cassidy Lance (385 pts)

5. Whitney Gelin (363 pts)

Related Articles:
2015 Atlantic Regional Recap: Day 1
2015 South Regional Recap: Day 1
2015 South Regional Recap: Day 2