TEAMS

Photo by: CrossFit HQ
 

Event 1

 

410-lb. partner deadlifts

Synchronized chest-to-bar pull-ups

 

MF pair 1 completes 45 reps

MF pair 2 completes 27-18 reps

MF pair 3 completes 21-15-9 reps

 

Time cap: 20 minutes

 

The experienced and top-seeded teams did what they needed to do to start off their competition weekend with a bang, with Southern CrossFit, Schwartzs CrossFit Melbourne and CrossFit Athletic taking the top spots in Event 1. 

 

Heat 1 illustrated that the Pacific Regional was truly an international affair this year with teams from Malaysia, Russia, Japan and Thailand, among others. CrossFit Bagus from Okinawa, Japan, wasn’t the best on the deadlifts but their pairs were all proficient on the pull-ups, which allowed them to take heat 1 in 19:15. In heat 2, CrossFit Loaded seized an early lead en route to smashing the previous heat’s best time by nearly three minutes. In the third heat, many teams were confident doing butterfly pull ups whereas in earlier heats none of the teams did so. However, this didn’t keep these heat 3 teams from collecting a lot of no reps along the way for failing to synchronize. Schwartzs CrossFit Melbourne’s first pair of athletes was no repped several times on the pull ups but their speed ensured they were the first pair done with the 45 set in under four minutes. Their second pair had far less of a problem on the pull ups: they were fast and smooth and their sets were big.  Though behind in the race for first, Southern CrossFit’s second pair did enough good work to cut the margin. With their third pairs on the floor, Schwartzs CrossFit Melbourne and Southern CrossFit were the two teams to beat. The latter team caught the former team on the 15 set of deadlifts and used a proficient butterfly kip to maintain that lead through the pull ups. They took the top spot and the event win with a time of 14:30. CrossFit Athletic, quick on the deadlifts, actually overtook Schwartzs for that second spot going into the last set of pull ups but their female athlete couldn’t get her chest to the bar for several reps and they couldn’t hold on. They finished third with Schwartzs in second. 

Results

 

1. Southern CrossFit (14:30)

2. Schwartzs CrossFit Melbourne (14:59)

3. CrossFit Athletic (15:15)

4. CrossFit Loaded (16:00)

5. CrossFit Active (17:30)

 

Event 2

 

175 snatches (75 / 55 lb.)

25 rope climbs

115 thrusters (115 / 75 lb.)

 

Time cap: 25 minutes

Athlete order: MMM then FFF

 

Schwartzs CrossFit Melbourne, a favorite coming in, led all the way through Event 2 to cap off an impressive first day in the Pacific regional. The team scored first and second place finishes to sit atop the leaderboard while Zaks Pack East Tamaki, the Open champion for the region, cruised to second place in Event 2 and third overall. 

 

The Siberian Bears have the best name in the team competition, and the athletes from Russia took heat 1 with a time of 24:20. The next heat was noticeably faster with CrossFit Boss’s men establishing a lead. But the women of RAW Commando were fast on the thrusters and stole the heat with a time of 20:26. The men of heat 3 flew through the snatches, with Schwartzs CrossFit Melbourne in the lead. Their women were able to keep the pace, but the ladies from other teams, such as CrossFit Athletic, were not as speedy. Schwartzs CrossFit Melbourne took the heat and event win with a time of 19:44     with Zaks Pack East Tamaki, the number one team coming out of the Open, securing second with a time of 19:55. Tropic Thunder caught up to edge out CrossFit HPU by a matter of seconds to take the third spot. 

 

Results

 

1. Schwartzs CrossFit Melbourne (19:44)

2. Zaks Pack East Tamaki (19:55)

3. Tropic Thunder (20:04)

4. CrossFit HPU (20:16)

5. Team Creature (20:25)

 

Overall Standings

 

1. Schwartzs CrossFit Melbourne (195 pts)

2. Southern CrossFit (169 pts)

3. Zaks Pack East Tamaki (166 pts)

4. CrossFit Athletic (163 pts)

5. CrossFit Loaded (150 pts)

 

INDIVIDUAL MEN


Photo by: CrossFit HQ

Event 1

 

Randy

For time:

75 snatches (75 / 55 lb.)

 

Time cap: 6 minutes

 

The men got close to an event record, with heat 3’s Alex Ranieri’s 2:37 just three seconds slower than Dominick Maurici’s 2:34 set in the Atlantic region last weekend. The big names performed well in the last heat, with Games veterans Rob Forte and Chad Mackay tying for third in the event, though both were outsprinted by Khan Porter in the end.  

 

The muscle snatch was the way to go, as it was faster than the power snatch, but how long could you sustain it?  This hero WOD was all about grip, mental toughness, lungs and legs, especially in that last 25 reps. The fastest athletes fought through the burn and fatigue. The toll on the legs could be seen as athletes “sprinted” to the finish mat. Michael Mogard set the bar high with a time of 2:48 in the first heat. James Newbury was fast and smooth with the muscle snatch in heat 2, moving to the power snatch with 25 reps to go. He refused to break on those last 25 and easily took the heat at 2:43. Alex Ranieri, a tall athlete, displayed a big engine as he hobbled to the finish mat with a blistering time of 2:37 in heat 3. It was an impressive performance made all the more impressive by the distance the barbell had to travel to get overhead. The favorites in heat 4, led by Games veterans Chad Mackay and Rob Forte, couldn’t catch Ranieri, though the top times were very close. Mackay and Forte actually stepped on the finish mat at the same time to take third overall in the event. Khan Porter outsprinted the others to take the head in 2:39. 

 

Ben Garard, the 2nd place finisher in the Open, looked to have beaten Porter for that second spot in a photo finish, but a miscommunication with his judge forced him back to the snatches. The mishap cost him dearly, putting him in a tie for 27th place.  

 

Porter said that going in he didn’t really have a plan. “I wanted to go 25, then 25 then 25 again if I could, which I couldn’t. But I think I just moved the bar quick enough in the end,” he said. 

    

Results

 

1. Alex Ranieri (2:37)

2. Khan Porter (2:39)

3. Chad Mackay (2:41)

3. Rob Forte (2:41)

5. Dean Linder-Leighton (2:42)

 

Event 2

 

Tommy V

 

For time:

21 thrusters

12 rope climbs

15 thrusters

9 rope climbs

9 thrusters

6 rope climbs

 

M 115-lb. thrusters, 15-ft. rope

F 75-lb. thrusters, 15-ft. rope

 

Time cap: 16 minutes

 

Games veteran Rob Forte’s mastery on the rope propelled him to an Event 2 win and gave him a 30-point cushion at the top of the leaderboard after Day 1. Kyle Frankenfeld took second in the event to cap off a solid start to the weekend. He now sits in second overall. 

 

The rope climbs devastated a few athletes in heat 1, with a few not finishing under the time cap. Kieran Hogan’s 10-minute time was the fastest in heat 1. In heat 2, using gloves and a fast cycle time on the rope, Sean Brickwood earned a time of 9:04, which was good enough for 4th in the event. Rory Boyden and Matt Reilly dueled it out in heat 3, separating from the pack on the 9-set of thrusters, with the former coming in at 8:53 and the latter at 8:55. In heat 4, Rob Forte was efficient on the rope climbs, using two pulls and a small kip with the hips to get to the top of the rig. He would slide down the rope and catch himself at the last second to ensure a good rep. His strategy put him in the lead after the first set of thrusters and rope climbs. Kyle Frankenfeld, a long athlete, proved himself just as proficient on the rope and joined Forte on the final set of thrusters.  But it was Forte, a portrait of calmness, who jogged in well ahead of everyone else to take the heat and event with a time of 7:44. Frankenfeld and 20-year-old Luke McMahon raced to 2nd and 3rd respectively in the heat and in the event. 

 

Forte spoke of recovery and how to prepare for Saturday after a successful but tough day of Hero WODs. “What I’ll do is jump on the bike or rower for about 20 minutes or half an hour, just flush the body a little bit. Then I’ll get some floss bands and massage into my forearms and the rest of the body that needs attention.”

 

Results

 

1. Rob Forte (7:44)

2. Kyle Frankenfeld (8:00)

3. Luke McMahon (8:02)

4. Sean Brickwood (8:15)

5. Rory Boyden (8:53)

 

Overall Standings

 

1. Rob Forte (190 pts)

2. Kyle Frankenfeld (160 pts)

3. Khan Porter (154 pts)

4. James Newbury (146 pts)

5. Sean Brickwood (138 pts)

 

INDIVIDUAL WOMEN

Photo by: CrossFit HQ
 

Event 1

 

Randy

For time:

75 snatches (75 / 55 lb.)

 

Time cap: 6 minutes

 

Kara Webb, one of the favorites to podium in Carson, didn’t disappoint in Event 1 as she outclassed the competition with a performance full of confidence, poise and power. 

 

Crystal Sullivan was the fastest athlete in heat 1 with a time of 3:49. Joelene Neville put the barbell down a couple of times on the last 25, but she was still able to win heat 2 and earn 4th overall with a time of 2:55. Heat 3 was all about Games veteran and two-time Masters champion Amanda Allen. Clad all in pink, Allen muscled the barbell overhead in a smooth and consistent manner. Her 2:58 was good for 5th in Event 1. If Allen was dominant in heat 3, overall favorite Kara Webb lorded over heat 4 and the competition as a whole. Webb looked as if she were moving PVC. In her transitions, she carried the bar overhead a couple of steps before resuming with the muscle snatch, which did not abandon for the entire workout. Her time of 2:33 was five seconds slower than the event record set by Samantha Briggs the week prior, but none of that was on Webb’s mind as she finished the workout with a smile, well ahead of her fellow competitors on the floor.   Alethea Boon and Stephanie Ortiz followed her at 2:45 and 2:50 respectively to take the second and third spots overall. 

 

Webb spoke of the boost she got from the crowd during the event. “Honestly, that’s just why I’m proud to be an Aussie,” she said. “It sucks I can’t bring everyone from here to the Games when I’ve been there. That’s the Aussie spirit.”

 

Results

 

1. Kara Webb (2:33)

2. Alethea Boon (2:45)

3. Stephanie Ortiz (2:50)

4. Joelene Neville (2:55)

5. Amanda Allen (2:58)

 

Event 2

 

Tommy V

 

For time:

21 thrusters

12 rope climbs

15 thrusters

9 rope climbs

9 thrusters

6 rope climbs

 

M 115-lb. thrusters, 15-ft. rope

F 75-lb. thrusters, 15-ft. rope

 

Time cap: 16 minutes

 

Kara Webb set a world record on Event 2 and looked unstoppable while after consecutive third-place event finishes, Stephanie Ortiz sent a message that in her second try at regionals she’s aiming for Carson. 

 

Christine Knieff won heat 1 with a time of 12:25. Christie Jenkins’s fast start in heat 2 gave her the event lead with a time of 10:47, but nine athletes would end up finishing ahead of her in heats 3 and 4. In heat 3, Sammy Wood used an interesting technique to seize the lead: with one hand she would hold on to the top of the rig for a second before sliding down the rope with both hands. The move might have been a way to stretch and flush her biceps.  She stepped on the finish mat at 9:44, good enough for fifth overall, with Ashley Higgins arriving just two seconds later. Denae Brown went out fast in heat 4, but it was Stephanie Ortiz, followed closely by Kara Webb, who made it back to the thrusters first after that first, long set of rope climbs. Webb would rest only a second or two before jumping back onto the rope, and this made all the difference. She finally put some distance between herself and Ortiz after finishing her nine rope climbs, but this fact didn’t cause her to slow down. Her steadiness on the rope was the key to her workout as she sprinted to the finish mat to set a new world record on Event 2. Her 8:17 was seven seconds faster than the time established by Anna Tunnicliffe last weekend at the Atlantic regional. Brown finished the event as strong as she started it, sprinting past Ortiz to take second place with a time of 8:54. 

 

Webb said, “That was fun. It was a little different from the first one, going from a crazy redline kind of workout into something that you’ve obviously got to run your own race and focus on the fatigue level. You kind of get that grip fatigue. It was a nice little black and white feeling. I really enjoyed it.”

 

Results

 

1. Kara Webb (8:17 WR)

2. Denae Brown (8:54)

3. Stephanie Ortiz (8:56)

4. Tia-Clair Toomey (9:23)

5. Sammy Wood (9:44)

 

Overall Standings

 

1. Kara Webb (200 pts)

2. Stephanie Ortiz (180 pts)

3. Alethea Boon (166 pts)

4. Tia-Clair Toomey (160 pts)

5. Denae Brown (156 pts)