Northwest Regional

Northwest Regional Weekend Wrap-up

An action packed weekend comes to a close.

The dust has settled on the Puyallup FairGrounds and 6 individuals and teams have earned the right to compete at the Home Depot Center in July. Day two of competition was packed with all the elements expected of a CrossFit competition. Kurtis Bowler checked in with the following report.

Day two kicked off with a 5 mile run that included an ugly hill for competitors to surmount - twice. Chris Spealler took the overall lead when he came in first place with a time of 33:35. Dave Buckles came in on his heels with a time of 33:43. Chris Perrins was the first female to cross the line at 34:57, almost a full minute ahead of the next female competitor.

The Affiliate Teams competed in their last event - the team clean and jerk. First the ladies and then the men worked together with all 4 hands on the bar get as many reps as possible in 90 seconds. Females lifted 185 pounds and males lifted 275. The event was short but surprisingly hard. Timing issues and cooperation were compulsory for success. The most successful teams were the ones who worked and communicated best together. Needless to say, there were lots of failed reps. CrossFit 801 - from Utah - got 35 reps total to take first place.

The Masters chest to bar Cindy was a nail-biter. Laurie Carver cleaned up with 13 rounds and Larry Silber got in 15 rounds. Master's competitors will have to watch how the final Regions play out over the next two weeks before they know how they stack up on the world stage.

The final event for the individuals proved to be much tougher than expected. The metabolic toll of rowing and kettlebell swings coupled with the pure strength needed for heavy thrusters and rope climbs was devestating. Most athletes were in accord that it was the hardest physical challenge of their lives. Mary Lampas clocked the course record for the females at 15:04 and Chris Spealler led the males with a time of 14:12.

Moe Kelsey, who finished third in the 2009 CrossFit Games, unofficially placed 7th overall in the event. Moe is pre-qualified for this year's final in Los Angeles which made his scores irrelevant to the finishing order. This is the reason for his scores appearing as DNFs. Moe turned in the following results: he placed 4th in event one with a time of 3:18. He entered a 5 way tie for 8th in the second event, pulling 35 reps with 263 pounds. He was 16th in the run with 36:19. He finished 29th in the final event with 20:54.

The entire weekend went smoothly thanks to the huge supporting cast who donated their time. Here's a look at the amazing athletes who will go on to compete in the CrossFit Games Finals in July.

Master's - Top Females
1. Laurie Carver
2. Terri Law
3. Judy Ferry

Master's - Top Males
1. Larry Silber
2. Rick Sinclair
3. Brett Wilson

Qualifying Affiliates
1. CrossFit Fort Vancouver
2. Iron Utes
3. CrossFit 801
4. Kirkland CrossFit
5. Oregon CrossFit Dragons
6. CrossFit Refinery

Individual Competition - Top Males
1. Chris Spealler
2. Jerome Perryman
3. Eric O'Conner

Individual Competition - Top Females
1. Ashleigh Moe
2. Cheryl Brost
3. Mary Lampas

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51 comments on this entry

1. DORIAN wrote...

Yay, I love 801!!! What a great experience!!!

2. pat wrote...

What happened to Moe Kelsey. He was in 2nd after Day 1, and then it showed DNF for all events later on?

3. ken c wrote...

moe kelsey already qualified for games. his points didn't count.

4. Daniel Tyminski wrote...

What was the final WOD?

5. justin wrote...

It was

For Time:
30 calories on the Concept 2 Rower
30 Thrusters with 95/65
3 Rope Climbs 20'/15'
30 Kettlebell Swings 1.5 pood/1 pood

20 calories on the Concept 2 Rower
20 Thrusters with 115/75
2 Rope Climbs 20'/15'
20 Kettlebell Swings 1.5 pood/1 pood

10 calories on the Concept 2 Rower
10 Thrusters with 135/95
1 Rope Climbs 20'/15'
10 Kettlebell Swings 1.5 pood/1 pood

6. ken c wrote...

20 women dnf the first workout and were out of contention yet their points on the other workouts continued to be counted against those still in contention for a games slot. this seems way unfair to me. not saying those who dnf can't keep participating in the workouts but their points shouldn't count against those who still have a shot to qualify. just my opinion.

7. Matt wrote...

Will there be video posted?

8. Rashmi Cole wrote...

Sri Ram Ashram Congratulates Coach Spealler! What an amazing performance.

9. Steve H wrote...

First time attending a regional and it was an amazing time. Seemed to go off without a hitch, save for a few injuries (hope the woman who dropped on WOD4 Sunday was okay) and a little rain. The crowd was very supportive of the athletes and everyone was very friendly.

Spealler did not disappoint, as did all the elite competitors. Best of all, the athletes seemed very friendly and talkative with those of us in the crowd and they seemed supportive of each other.

Big grats to the organizers and the judges/volunteers who obviously worked quite hard to put on a great event!

10. Jesse Ward wrote...

Kurtis, Laurie and the Rainier Crew, unbelievable undertaking done with ease and grace!! Big thanks to all the volunteers, parking and check in up to judges and weight loaders! Thanks for creating a time and place for athletes to really do their 100% best. Great programming, a testament to what RCF does every single day!

11. Scott Rodriguez wrote...

Outstanding weekend! Felt proud to be apart of it and to be in the arena with so many amazing athletes.

12. Steve wrote...

To the judges, volunteers and of course Kurtis and Laurie, a big thank you for your work and hospitality. The community up here is fantastic. Your athletes had a great competition. Best of luck to all at the Games!

13. Larry Silber wrote...

it was an outstanding weekend. everything went off without a hitch, the judges were great, the crowd great and the competition was intense. i especially appreciated the chiropractic and massage! what a bonus. my first time competing at an event and i''m hooked! much thanks to kurtis and laurie and thanks coach for crossfit!

14. Tom Nugent wrote...

Congrats to Kurtis and Laurie who staged a Regional that felt like everyone there was at Aromas! Everything went smooth; the organization, setup, volunteers, vendors, judging and execution was crisp. The Affiliate events were fun and hard and the Master's was inspiring to watch.

It was a humbling and extremely challenging weekend and that final WOD was indeed the toughest I've ever done. Amazing programming from RCF that truly tested our bodies AND our minds. Thanks to everyone involved!

15. Erin S wrote...

I agree with Ken C about the scoring. I am sure all the athletes would agree. Looks like a fun event non the less.

16. Andy wrote...

Ken: Even though some atheletes had a DNF on various wods their progress was still counted. Every rep completed was recorded and they were ranked according to who finished fastest, and then by who got the closest to finishing. The time cap was simply there to keep the day moving and on schedule. A DNF didn't mean a DQ, only that you were going to have a worse placing in that event.

17. Jennifer Kellams wrote...

Incredible performance by everyone!

Jerome - way to rock it out! Hard training and total dedication pays off! Games!!

18. Alicia Staton wrote...

A huge thank you to CrossFit Rainier for the amazing weekend. The event could not have been more organized. Thank you to all of the judges and volunteers who made this possible. There is no doubt that the most deserving athletes qualified this weekend. I can't wait to watch our Northwest athletes dominate at the games. Good luck with your training.

19. The Mrs. wrote...

Wow! From a fellow CF'r ,spectator view: What an amazing event, super organization, incredible athletes, outstanding support & encouragement from start to finish ....very impressive and intense round of wods to test the whole athlete!
Took until WOD #4 to see some dents in that armour, all athletes were so inspiring! That dedication and hardwork in the Box definately made statements, loud & clear!

Kudos to The Masters, YOU ROCK! and thanks to the DJ, nice job...well, except for playing Happy Days during the Masters WOD #1...really...and to the Judges, thank you for being so encouraging to the athletes...and Volunteers, know it couldnt have been done without you!

All athletes, amazing! Best to all of those going on to the Games, you certainly deserve to be there and we'll be cheering you all the way!

20. Chris McDonald wrote...

Thanks so much Kurtis and Laurie, what an amazing event! To all of the competitors, great work. It was really something to watch. Loved the 2 man clean and jerk, one of the funniest events I've watched. Good luck to all of those who qualified. I look forward to seeing you at the Games.

21. Rick Sinclair wrote...

An amazing weekend! Professionally run without a hitch, thank you Kurtis and all volunteers and judges. Judges were consistent, encouraging and fair, helping us succeed (for some of us) beyond what we might have on our own. Thank you for allowing the Masters to participate in the same venue rather than a remote site. Made us feel like "real" competitors not an after thought. Can't wait for next year!

22. Ron wrote...

The games were insane. There wasn't a weak person in the field. I think the games were ran really well, they picked a good mix of WOD's to show the diversity and how well balanced you need to be in crossfit.

I had a great time. Good job I can't wait for more.

Ron
www.crossfit50states.blogspot.com

23. abigail Grove wrote...

Congrats to all the athletes, judges, volunteers, and especially to Kurtis and Laurie and RCF; everything you guys touch turns out gold! THe Northwest is so lucky to have you guys leading out of our corner! Fantastic events all of them and you pulled it all off far more gracefully than most of us can tandem clean and jerk! Laurie cant wait for more of our girl gossip this time in LA!

24. Alena wrote...

First off thank you to Kurtis and Laurie, what an amazing event! The vibe and overall feeling at this event was intense but supportive, and that makes for a great time!
Andy thanks for the quote in regards to the DNF. I was one of those, and I know how hard I worked on not only that WOD, but all the others!
Looking forward to watching the games this year, and competing again next year!

BattleBorn CrossFit - Reno NV

25. Clay Hamilton wrote...

What an amazing and humblimg event. Great organization and the events tested my body beyond its limits. Ind. WOD #4 was the first workout in my life I was unable to finish. The cramps were to much to overcome. We brought about a dozen people down from CrossFit Alaska and it was well worth the trip, we are already looking forward to next year.

26. Johnathon wrote...

I thought the weekend went really well. All the events were great, affiliate events were great. The weekend went really smoothly.

The only thing I think needs to be changed is that athletes who have pre-qualified for the games by placing in the top 5 from the previous year should NOT be allowed to compete on their affiliate team when they are going to compete in the games as an individual. Props to Moe Kelsey for competing as an individual. He continues to prove himself as a top competitor. Not props to the guy that competed for his affiliate team in all 3 events to get them to the games when he is going to be competing as an individual because he pre-qualified. That is a loop hole that needs to be closed.

27. Jill Peterson wrote...

Huge thanks to Kurtis and Laurie..you guys are the best! It was such a privilege to be able to participate as a judge! This weekend I got to witness some pretty epic moments, I thought I would share one with everybody. One of the best was when Locals Gym Affiliate team was at the end of their OHS on the workout, the mens weight at 95 was on the bar, the men were gassed and they only had 20 left to do, Abi one of the female team members, grabs the bar and cleans it up, I said Abi you know thats mens weight? She says "yes will it still count?" UM YEAH..lol and she busted out the final OHS for her team with 95lbs on the bar! She then went on and did about half the MU's too! Just one of the outstanding displays of strengh and courage all weekend! And yes the girl who passed out is sore but fine today! That is pretty bad a** to go until you pass out!

28. Tim Ufkes wrote...

Congratulations to all of the athletes on an amazing weekend! My hat's off to Kurtis, Laurie, all at Rainier CF, Judges and Volunteers! It was an unbelievable weekend and I can't wait to be back next year!

I don't know who posted the statistics above, but I was the 3rd place finisher in the Men's Masters. I finished 3rd in the event and 43 overall and Wayne Bailey finished 4th in the event and 44th overall!

Great job by all, but huge congratulations to Laurie Carver, Larry Silber and Rick Sinclair!

29. Nick Branting wrote...

Amazing weekend, great programming and definitely humbling events. Thanks to Kurtis and Laurie, and the volunteers and judges who did such a great job all weekend long. I don't think that I have ever felt such grip failure as on that last rope climb!

30. Chuck Gonzales wrote...

I can't believe I didn't place. Afterall, I was only 5 minutes behind Chris on the fun-run, and I [big deal] I cramped up and got a DNF on the last event.

I think it would be fair for the rest of us next year if Chris was only allowed to run while wearing a chute and a 20lb vest and climb 40' instead of 20.

And btw, probably the hardest wod I ever suffered through. Thank you Kurits for toasting every myofibril and sarcomere in my body. I should be fully recoved in time for the next sectionals.

31. waderpro wrote...

Had a great time,

What an amazing array of human specimens (spectators and athletes) all in one place.

One minor request for next year: at least one big clock.

32. Phil wrote...

What an awesome event! Unfortunately, I was only able to attend Saturday, but what I did get to catch was very inspiring! Thanks for all the hard work that went into putting on such a great event! Great Job!

33. ken c wrote...

andy

okay first i'll say i'm sure the event was fantastic. everyone i've spoken to says it was great. now on to the deadhorse that i'm going to beat. the point is moot because continuing to score those who dnf didn't impact the top 3 men or women...but it could have.

lets say 25 (instead of 20) women had dnf the first workout but the one who did the best out of those who dnf gets 26 points. that woman goes on to come in first in the other 3 events giving her 29 total points and places 3 overall. are you really saying that woman would qualify for the games?? even with a dnf? (not an unlikely scenario btw. look at speal. 3 1st places and a 25th.)

i think a dnf does dq you from qualifying. i think those are actually the rules set out by crossfit hq. if so, their scores shouldn't count against those who didn't dnf. again, just one guy talking here.

34. Ron wrote...

The scoring system is set up to put athletes with a DNF below athletes who compete all workouts as RXd, regardless of score. There is a rank associated with DNFs when there are partial workouts completed, but this only comes into affect in determining the standings between two athletes both with a DNF.

Regarding whether athletes who have a DNF should be considered DQ and have the rest of their results removed from consideration, I've argued that in the past. I will admit it does get somewhat confusing when the points for a previous event shift because of a subsequent DNF.

35. Laurie Bower wrote...

I'm so glad to hear that everyone went home feeling like they had a great weekend. That was my job and its nice to know I didn't DNF that one.

As for scoring, we used a simple point system, as you all saw. 1st place gets one point, 2nd get two and at the end the person with the least points wins. The scoring system is designed by CrossFit and used consitently at these contests.

A person with a DNF was given credit for the work that they did. A DNF was different from a "no score"

The problem with automatically taking people who DNF's the first workout and keeping them 1) at the bottom of the pile indefinetly or 2) not allowing them to rank in the top finishers in the later workouts is that that makes workout one more important (more heavily weighted if you will) that WODs 2,3,and 4. The WOD 2 is more important that 3 and 4, etc. We wanted all of the events to weigh evenly regarless of their order. The OHS/DBL under workourt wasn't more important than the run, for example. All 4 workouts were evenly weighed.

The people who DNF'd any workout still got to fight their way out of the bottom to a better placing (think Khalipa, here, although he didn't DNF he did fight back from a pretty low placing!)

While its unlikely that anyone with a DNF would be in the top 3 points wise, they still deserve to work hard all weekend and get a correct indication of their placing. I know we are all concerned with who finished 1-2-3 but for the person who finished 26th, their place is just as important to them. It would be a real shame to place importance on say the top 10 and tell the rest of the field, "well you weren't at the top so your ranking doesn't matter". Yes it does. To them, their friends, and to all of us.

The DNFers need to get some credit for the work they did, and be ranked according to their performance in ALL workouts.

Tim, we'll take another look at the Masters placings and get this post changed to the correct information.

Laurie

36. Laurie Bower wrote...

Ron, thanks for jumping in and thanks for your help this weekend!

I wanted to thank everyone for your kind comments. We had a huge, awesome crew of local CrossFitters who pulled this off for you. Our volunteer staff was over 150 people who worked all weekend and made this happen.

Thank you all for coming, being fantastic ______ (insert role here: athletes, spectators, cheering squads, judges, gate crew, vendors, cat jugglers...) YOU made this past weekend fun. Thanks!

Laurie

37. James Sjostrom wrote...

Thanks to all for a great weekend. I am smoked! There is no doubt in my mind that the fittest win and move on.

38. samantha petersen wrote...

What a great weekend!!!

39. Brian wrote...

Does anyone know what brand/model of jump rope Spealler is using in the Regionals? He's getting great rope rotation speed, requiring only a minimal power-jump for his double-unders. I'd like to get a rope like that!

40. Robin wrote...

It was an awsome weekend! Thanks to everyone who made it possible...BUT regarding the scoring...although all events are weighed equal, in WOD 1 there were women who couldn't even overhead squat 95Lbs...therefore scoring a DNF.
On Sunday they were able to score in the run and take points from others who could completed the wods as Rx'd on Saturday. Finishing in last place and a taking a DNF are totally different performances in my opinion.
I feel it was odd that they had the opprotunity to take points on Sunday, and believe it actually washed out the competition for those competing as Rx'd.
Did those who had to do pull ups instead of the rope climb score too??....I am not taking away from everyones efforts BUT if you cant FINISH a WOD then you need to improve in that area.....and those who do finish should be scored and ranked together not with DNF's. Any comments would be much appreciated!!

41. ken c wrote...

hey i think robin is on to something here. i'm with robin on this one.

laurie

as i read what you've written, you're saying that theoretically a person who dnf a workout could still qualify if they made a khalipa like comeback. if so, i'll just have to respectfully disagree.

and khalipa didn't dnf the run. if he had there would have been no comeback. he would have been out.

42. Laurie Bower wrote...

Hey guys, Ron made it clear above that "The scoring system is set up to put athletes with a DNF below athletes who compete all workouts as RXd, regardless of score"

Laurie

43. Cameron wrote...

Personally, I don't care much how it's scored, but there seems to be a bit of "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" going on regarding the objections to the scoring.

Had the Event 1 DNF ladies been segregated from the scoring for the run (Event 3), it's quite possible that it would've swapped the finish order of the women that finished 3rd and 4th under the current scoring. The DNFers in event #3 accounted for 7 point of differential between those two athletes.

So again, removing the DNFers in event 1 from the scoring for subsequent events would have materially changed the outcome. That doesn't mean that one way is right and the other way is wrong.

44. Jeff Duncan wrote...

A huge thanks to everyone who helped make this event possible! From the venue, to the consistency of the judging, I thought that this was the best run CrossFit event that I have had a chance to be part of.

Since some other people have brought up the subject of DNF's, and since I was one of them, I thought I'd just throw in my perspective...

My only disappointment on the whole weekend was that I wasn't able to finish the last workout. I felt that physically I able to do so, but just didn't quite have enough time (I ran out of time right as grabbed hold of the rope for what I had hoped was the last time).

In contrast, I don't believe there was a time cap on the run, in which case unless someone decided to quit, they could finish.

Unintentionally, I believe this starts to skew the importance of each of the WOD's. Simply (ok, maybe not so simply) being able to complete the WOD's in each of the time limits would have placed a male competitor 43rd or higher. From that standpoint, a competitors time on the run, or even the number of reps pulled in the deadlift WOD, carried no weight.

Example: someone could have pulled one rep in the deadlift, walked the 5 miles, and as long as they finished the first and last WOD in time, would have placed 43rd in the Men's division.

Now, to play my own Devil's Advocate, in the unknown and unknowable world, sometimes there is going to be a time limit on what you do, and sometimes there won't. Sometimes, not finishing something in time could lead to getting absolutely no credit for the work that was performed. Such is the nature of life, and we just have to deal with it as best we can.

To be honest, given the company i was in, I would have loved to have placed 43rd (up from my 57th place finish), but in no way would I have wanted to do so without giving it my all on each and every workout.

While I don't think DNF "issue" had any bearing on the amazing athletes that the NW region will be sending to the games, a little (selfish) part of me can't help but wish that the few extra seconds I fought for at the end of the run was reflected in the final overall standings.

Anyways, I hope I don't come off wrong here, as I really am thankful for the amazing amount of time and effort that was put into running the event. Thanks again to everyone who showed up to cheer, volunteer, and compete this last weekend. I hope to see you all next year!

45. Andrew Bueno wrote...

Where are all the videos?!

46. Jason wrote...

You people are killing me! A DNF is ranked against a DNF and would not have the chance to win. Or maybe we should just have them pay 100 dollars and cut them as soon as they DNF so they can't "stage a comeback and pull points from other athletes". Or just let the system work and move on with your life.

47. Robin wrote...

Laurie

Equalizing the events in theory is ideal...but in reality its impossible. As soon as you put events in an order you have established the importance of each event. Putting a time cap on events also emphasizes the importance of completing that workout in the specified time domain. Time caps also emphasize performance standards for that type of met con (ex: Fran vs Filthy 50's) The OHS/DBL Wod shouldn't take a top crossfitter over 10 min period...

20 women couldn't complete the 1st WOD...I assumed these women were no longer in contention to compete for points. That was my misunderstanding heading into the second day of competition and knowing who I was up against. Although I respect their opportunity to continue to compete, allowing DNFrs to continue to accumulate points with this scoring system dilutes the competition among the athletes who are completing workouts as prescribed.

Again, correct me if I am wrong BUT a DNF and a Last Place Finish are different performances....right?

Overall I had a great time...just wish the scoring system was more clear at the outset.

48. Lincoln wrote...

Not all DNFs were last place finishers. There was a ranking within the DNFs. The judge's scorecards quite explicitly required that the judges keep track of reps/rounds for DNF ranking purposes. All DNFs finished behind those who completed the workout, however.

Crossfit Games scoring is supposed to punish holes in someone's fitness and reward their competencies. How do you find holes in someone's fitness? By comparing them to other athletes. Does eliminating the endurance-oriented athletes who did poorly in a strength event help us better judge performance in endurance events? I personally don't think it does. If you start doing that, then you go down the slippery slope towards bragging about someone's bad-ass 23-min 5k run and their 275 lb. deadlift.

What made Speal's performance in the run so great is that he beat everyone - including everyone with an endurance background. Would that be possible to say if, for example, everyone with less than 30 reps in the deadlift event had been DQ'd?

49. Matt P. wrote...

The top 3 athletes had high scores all weekend and are going to the games. Please let’s get over the DNF’S. As we know crossfit is about overall strength and endurance. Some of had it this last weekend and some of us did not! I think we have to give it to the big man who took 2nd and was a beast out there in all three of his workouts. The man placed 17th at the games last year and came back to regionals this year looking big, bad and strong! He went balls to the wall in his workouts and will represent the NW Region in Carson, CA as he did last year. Congratulations to the top 3 strongest athletes. Represent us well!

50. Steve H. wrote...

All thru word of mouth, but there are some great pictures found at http://www.picturepreviewpro.com/pro/index.jsp -
Type"NWRegional" for event name (no password).

Also, 2 clips of the men's final heat have found their way to YouTube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM_itOFFPLA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXMkSPGZBNg&feature=related

51. tabata timer wrote...

Congratz to Laurie Carver nice work :) !

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