Legless rope climbs dashed the dreams of more Games hopefuls today in the West. Tia Wright started the weekend in the first heat—the lowest seeding for Regionals—and after day one, held a qualifying spot for Carson throughout the entire weekend. Going into Event 7, Wright was in fourth and poised to make her first trip to the Games, but a 32nd-place finish in the legless rope climb event dropped her to a disappointing seventh place overall. Another Games hopeful, Jenna Gracey, was a mere two points out from securing a qualifying spot before she also found herself on the outside looking in after a no-rep in the final round of rope climbs sealed her fate.

On the flip side, Carly Fuhrer, who was on the bubble at the start of the final day, managed to secure her trip to Carson with a commanding fifth-place finish on Event 7. Carleen Mathews, Emily Abbott and Margeaux Alvarez had no trouble conquering the legless rope climbs and all enjoyed top-10 finishes that solidified their strongholds on the top three spots on the leaderboard. Rounding out the top five is Christina Verhagen, who performed well, but inconsistently all weekend. Her 16th place finish on Event 7 was just enough to keep her in a qualifying spot.

The most surprising performance of the weekend could go to Joey Kimdon. The 38-year-old finished out the weekend in ninth place, which bested athletes like Courtney Walker and Regan Huckaby. Kimdon’s scores this weekend reveal some glaring holes in her game, but if she can use those finishes to work on her weaknesses, she may be one to watch as she makes her way into the master’s division.

5 Games Qualifiers:

1. Carleen Mathews
2. Emily Abbott
   
3. Margaux Alvarez
   
4. Carly Fuhrer
   
5. Christina Verhagen
   

By Leah Kay
Photo Credit: CrossFit Inc.