Annie Thorisdottir

2010 CrossFit Games Finals

Final Results: Individual Competition

Fittest on earth have been found.

The 2010 CrossFit Games finished with a flurry of events and a test of the athletes’ abilities to adapt to any task they might face.

With the competitors sequestered away beneath the stands since 1 p.m., Dave Castro brought them out heat by heat and gave them a series of tasks to perform. Each athlete had less than a minute to prepare for the three individual tasks.
 
Event 6a
3 rounds of:
30 push-ups
21 overhead squats (65/95 lb.)
Wall rope climb between each element
(7-minute cap)
 
Event 6b
3 rounds of:
30 toes-to-bar
21 ground-to-overhead (95/65 lb.)
(7-minute cap)
 
Event 6c
3 rounds of:
5 burpee wall jumps
20-foot rope climbs (3/2)
(12-minute cap)
 
No women completed any of the events in the first heat, but Lindsey Smith completed more of Event 6c than any other competitor in Heat 1.

“It was extremely tiring coming one after another … .” an exhausted Smith said of the final event series. “I wanted rope climbs, so I got what I wanted, I guess.”

No male or female competitors finished all three of the workouts, though Patrick Burke was the first to complete Event 6c under the time cap. As a former Marine, Burke used a foot lock to save his upper body during the rope climb. Burke didn’t have a much trouble with the climbs until Round 3, but he managed to recover after a failed attempt to finish the event in 10:41. Tommy Hackenbruck and Peter Egyed also finished the final event (6c).

In the final women’s heat, not even Games veteran Kristan Clever could finish Event 6a, though she made it further than any other competitor, which all but assured her of an overall win.

She continued her push to the title in Event 6b, which featured yet another race between the SoCal athlete and Iceland’s Annie Thorisdottir. Valerie MacKenzie Voboril was also very close to Clever’s time.

Event 6c saw Thorisdottir pull away from Clever. The tall redhead was the first female athlete to finish the last workout, using impressive climbing skills to beat Clever by a large margin. Julie Foucher and Valerie MacKenzie Voboril also finished their tasks.

Clever’s lead, however, was insurmountable, and the powerful SoCal athlete claimed the overall title. Thorisdottir was second, and Valerie MacKenzie Voboril was third.

If anyone was going to finish the first part of the final, it was going to be someone from the top 6 men. Not even Chris Spealler could best the workout, but he did win it.

With the overall title on the line, the athletes raced through the rest of the movements to a showdown on the rope climb. As expected, Spealler was almost two minutes faster than the best time of the day, leaving the others to find their places in the overall standings.

Graham Holmberg was slower on the rope climbs but chipped away, while overall leader Rich Froning Jr. chose to do most of his rope climbs with no legs at all.

Spealler and Holmberg were the only final-heat men to finish the workout, and Holmberg’s effort was enough to overtake Froning’s lead.

Holmberg, from New Albany, Ohio, won the CrossFit Games by only three points. Froning Jr. was second, and Spealler finally made the podium in his fourth CrossFit Games.

"It's just been a heck of a weekend ... ," Holmberg said. "There's just so mnay good guys out here, and that showed in how tight a race it was."

Holmberg isn't sure how he'll spend the $25,000, but he recently got engaged, so a little extra cash won't hurt at all.

Final results after six events:

Top 10 Men
1. Graham Holmberg (48)
2. Rich Froning Jr. (51)
3. Chris Spealler (69)
4. Matt Chan (73)
5. Mikko Salo (77)
6. Austin Malleolo (84)
7. Pat Burke (91)
8. Ben Smith (93)
9. Tommy Hackenbruck (111)
10. Peter Egyed (117)

Top 10 Women
1. Kristan Clever (31)
2. Annie Thorisdottir (43)
3. Valerie MacKenzie Voboril (51)
4. Jessica Pamanian (72)
5. Julie Foucher (72)
6. Christy Phillips (75)
7. Rebecca Voigt (77)
8. Heather Bergeron (84)
9. Camille Leblanc-Bazinet (94)
10. Michelle Kinney (99)

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224 comments on this entry

1. steve wrote...

Congrats to all the winners, you were an inspiration to us all! What a fantastic event and the WODs were SICK!

Long Live CrossFit!!!

2. Dominic Sirianni wrote...

Awesome event! Where is Coach? I was hoping he would say a few words at the end! Also I can't find the archives from Friday; are they gone?

Overall great coverage and great work. Awesome comments from the panel of experts. I watched all weekend.

3. Jace Cain wrote...

SPEAL-WORLDS FITTEST MAN

4. Preston wrote...

The games this year encompassed what the Definition of Crossfit is. I loved the mixture of work involved including the sandbag event which brought on a true "work" WOD. The athlete that won this year earned the fittest man on the planet title. I was pulling for Hackenbruck, but I'm glad to see Froning take second. Can't wait to best him next year in SE regionals.

5. London wrote...

Is there a place we can find videos of the events yet?

6. Tom wrote...

The competitors were inspirational! The event was unreal! The coverage was top-shelf! Awesome work! I loved it all!

7. Matt wrote...

WooHOO Val!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Way to kill em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!unbelievabe!!!

Go DogTown Crossift!!!!

8. zach wrote...

Better check those results again #3, Graham Holmberg is the world's fittest man.

9. Sarah Dewberry wrote...

Graham Holmberg ...You Rock!!!

10. Michal wrote...

From what i saw live, the games this year pushed every single athlete to the limit, in every event. Some people finished well, some may be disappointed, but i say hold your heads high! You have all shown what dedication, hard training, mental toughness and a hardy spirit can do for you. Thanks to all who provided the world with the live feeds and reports. This was an event to remember, and believe me, it wont be forgotten anytime soon. Congrats to all participants and winners of the 2010 CrossFit Games.
You are all a true inspiration to alot of people!

11. Alex wrote...

Watching the games was one of the most inspirational things i've seen. Great coverage all around! Excellent all around!

I'm psyched to kill my WOD tomorrow morning

12. Ron Smith wrote...

Where in the world can I get one of those "Rogue International" t-shirts!
I've been searching the web for an hour!

BTW..... I've been glued to my computer screen since the Games started..... AWESOME!

13. Emmanuel A Simon wrote...

Awesome Job To everyone form competitors to organizers. This was an amazing event. I hope we can get it in 3D next yr. In fact I'll just come and watch it in 3D live.

I'm inspired to get back out there and do my best to join the ranks of you all one day.

Enjoy your rest ... you've earned it. Champions of the Planet.
-EAS

14. Mr. Moody wrote...

Speal- well done brother!! Definitely deserving of the podium, and a bit past due! See you back in PC! Congrats!!

15. e wrote...

Incredible. I was glued to my computer all weekend.

To all competitors: Fantastic!

16. Tanya wrote...

This is the most "tv" I've watched in a year . . . amazing, amazing stuff and some completely ridiculous WODs. Sick!! What heart in these athletes . . . PAT BURKE especially. Can't wait to hit the gym hard this week . . .thanks for the inspiration and way to go Pat!

17. Ryan wrote...

can anyone else not get the archives from this afternoon to work?

18. Minh wrote...

Ya, I haven't been able to get the final events in the archives. I suspect that they're organizing it so we can view them all.

19. Casey wrote...

Graham is one of my trainers at Rogue Fitness in New Albany! GO GRAHAM!!!!!! Fittest man in the world!!!

20. tater wrote...

I didn't get to watch the last series of events, but i followed the games closely all weekend. I was wondering, how did they score the last series of events?

21. mike wrote...

great event!!!!!!!!!!1

22. Dave wrote...

Didn't Froning finish (and win) the first part of the final?

Article says Speal

23. bob wrote...

how does annie get a DNF on a wod in the "games" and get second fittest on planet...?? while other actually finished that wod, therefore are more fit!

24. Dan wrote...

Can't wait to get home and watch the footage! I've been checking the games page like crazy with a phone looking for updates while stuck out fishing here in New Zealand.
Thanks crossfit,
Mikko is still the man!

25. MItch wrote...

This is my first, and perhaps only, post here. I usually stay out of the chat/comment world, but as a long time follower of the site and journal subscriber I wanted to make a quick point:

Spealler is ridiculous.

If the weights were scaled to a percentage of body weight no one else would stand a chance. Pound for pound he is head and shoulders beyond the rest. All the competitors are amazing athletes, but Speal consistently leaves me speechless.

26. Derek R. wrote...

I usually don't comment either Mitch, but I have to agree with you. Spealler is unreal. Congrats to everyone who competed!

27. Janice Marie Ferguson wrote...

@#23 (Bob). There were many competitors that did not finish WODs 6a-6c, men included. I would say most of the women did not finish. The time cap was a limiting factor. Annie was actually in the top 3 for each of those WODs. (2nd in 6a, 3rd in 6b, and 1st in 6c) The scoring must have been based around how many reps were actually completed-I'm just guessing on that, though. I also noticed this in WOD 5 as well. Several athletes struggled with the HSPU and did not finish, but were still scored.

28. CHUCK wrote...

I'm new to the Crossfit world,only two weeks in, but Chris Spealler is a beast. To be 140lbs if that and lift the weight like he did,inspriing to say the least!!!!

Congrats to the winners. Ready for the W.O.D in the morning

29. Marc wrote...

I'm a lurker, but I've been glued to my computer screen this weekend. It's time to come out and comment.

There were some AMAZING performances this year, and the calibre of contenders is unmatched in the history of Crossfit. I have to agree with #25, Speal, you are amazing. Pound for pound, you are the most amazing athlete I've ever seen in terms of GPP and mental toughness.

Congratulations to all the winners, male, female, and affiliate, and thanks for a weekend of amazing athletics!

30. Aussie wrote...

Thanks to the competitors for their great performances.

I'm sorry the event was such a fizzer in terms of crowd numbers. It lacked the atmosphere of Aromas. It all looked a bit lame.

31. Scott Williams wrote...

Absoulutely awesome weekend. Thanks soo much for live streaming the event. It made for a lot of early mornings for me.. 1am here in Australia, but well worth it.
Maybe next year you could get it televised on Fox?? I will be there in the flesh next year though..
Spel you were amazing at your bodyweight. Without a doubt the fittest man on earth.
Mikko put up a great effort as defending champ...
Well done to all competitors..

32. Scott Williams wrote...

P.S. Very disapointing crowd numbers compared to Aromas in 2009!!! Maybe the wrong venue this year??

33. Megan wrote...

The Games were absolutely amazing this year. The wods were so well designed and appropriately varied. I really felt like the top 3 men and top 3 women were truly the best and most consistent performers. Congratulations to Graham, Rich, Chris, Kristan, Annie, and Valerie. All of the competitors were inspiring, but you guys were unbelievable! And the Masters competition was so cool. What an inspirational group of men and women. Thank you to all the competitors and the organizers.

34. joe wrote...

The crowd was 3x Aromas. Just looked smaller since the stands were bigger.

35. Nick wrote...

A few comments:

1) I agree with everybody re: Speal. A true beast, no doubt about that, and a great individual. NObody deserved that Spirit of the Games Award more, and it almost made me like Dave Castro to see him show some human emotion when talking about Chris.

2) Somebody earlier said b/c Annie DNF the first WOD, she did not deserve that title. Well, she did well enough in the other WODs to bounce back, so her rank should not be taken from her. Also, I don't think Clever finished two the final three WODs, but nobody challenges her title. DNF (or "every rep counts" as is the case now) is all part of the game. Nobody who consistently does not complete the WOD will win, or come close. But that is why its now a three day event. Things can change WOD to WOD.

3) Overall, a very inspiring weekend. if watching that doesn't make you wanna clean out the cupboards and fridge, start over, and go try the pyramid helen tomorrow, you are in the wrong business

36. Nick wrote...

@Megan33-
That is the smartest thing anybody has said all day. Another thread was 200 comments bitching about the scoring system. Score it how you want, but these 6 individuals were the most consistent the entire weekend

37. Dave wrote...

The on-line streaming coverage was fantastic! Watched it all weekend long. I hope it happens again next year!

38. Nick wrote...

Mike at 38-

Dude, that is an unacceptable post. Are you pissed cause she could kick you a**? "People" like her? who are you dude, some troll who does bicep curls at Gold's with his frat bros then flexes in the mirror?
If your lot in life is to hate on Crossfitters, you are a sad individual

39. Nick wrote...

It appears Mike has disappeared. Good riddance

40. Josh wrote...

Why distinguish between sexes but not weight/height classes? Hopefully our community will be large enough one day!

41. Allie wrote...

It's sad when guys like Mike are so intimidated by the sheer athleticism of a woman such as Kristan that they feel the need to question her sex. Women can cut their hair however they wish, and last time I checked lots of CF chicks (hot or not) didn't have much in the boob department.

42. Derrick wrote...

Rogue does it again!!!!! Nice job Graham!!!!!!!

43. RL wrote...

Incredibly awesome to watch on livesstream. That last workout was just totally nuts.

On a side note to that, the scoring system needs to be adjusted a bit. The way the scoring system worked you really suffered from placing poorly early on in the competition (where there were so many more people entered hence giving you a bigger raw number) then if you placed poorly at the end of the competition with less people. This means that the order of the workouts in the scheme of the weekend alone has a huge effect on the competition.

It doesn't seem to make sense to keep the same point system when you are halving the field and then making another big cut. I hope that reads coherently.

A solution would be to possibly drop the low score of each individual, drop the high and the low score of the individual, or do to cuts in a mathematically consistent manner and then multiply the score. So if you went from 48 to 24, that score in the round of 24 is x2, and from 24 to 12, x4.

44. Scarlett wrote...

Wow. What a weekend! So inspirational and amazing!

On a different note, I'm curious as to why there was no safety mat underneath those ropes during the affiliate and individual WODs today. Really? Multiple rope climbs 20 feet in the air during the very last WOD after a grueling weekend, and NO SAFETY MAT? Bad call headquarters. I truly hope in the future you show more respect for the safety of your athletes.

45. Crossfit Competitor wrote...

The final heats in both the mens and women's individual events were amazing. These athletes were phenomenal to see and deserve a great deal of recognition. They demonstrated that they were completely prepared for anything and everything to be thrown their way.

However, the safety of the first two heats of this final workout in both the men's and women's division were not taken into account. Watching it live in the stadium was sickening and dangerous to see because the competitor's were struggling so badly. Some people have commented that the number of spectators was down compared to previous years. That could be because many of us were getting up and leaving the stadium in pure disgust. It was NOT inspirational to watch this final workout like it has been at other crossfit game events. Did HQ take into account the risk of serious injury or possible death if a fall had been taken from 20 feet on the rope climb? They didn't even have water out on the blacktop for these athletes that were competing in the heat of the day. Although the final heat of both the men and the women showcased enormous heart and determination this event could have ended very badly. This is not what crossfit is about.

46. Scarlett wrote...

Amen Crossfit Competitor! Many of us watching from the stands were saying the exact same thing. All I could think about was, "Who on earth thought not having a mat would be a good idea and why?" And, "If Crossfit doesn't have safety standards for it's competitors the Home Friggin Depot Center sure as hell should have them."

-that nonesense was a funeral, a wheelchair or a lawsuit waiting to happen.

47. Crossfit Competitor wrote...

I absolutely agree. It was scary-not inspirational!

48. RL wrote...

Jerry-

It actually doesn't. Chris won more events, and took more seconds. It pays to get the workouts in a good order apparently. Not that Graham and Rich weren't amazing.

49. cr wrote...

Come on. Where was the longer endurance WOD that tested these athletes aerobic stamina (rather then ALL anaerobic)? The title "fittest man/woman in the world has no credibilty when we have no idea whether these athletes can run or sustain any strenuous activity longer then 10 minutes.

Amazing athletes? Yes. Fittest Man/woman in the world? We really have no idea. That being said, had they included some of these much needed WOD's, my bet would be Kristan and Speal.

50. Aussie Crossfitter wrote...

WOW !! What a show case of physical skill and determination. It is without doubt that the GPP of all athletes was tested and tried. Some faulterd as they found holes in their game. Who would have thought a DU could have slowed Mikko down. Spealler was amazing, He was squat snatching nearly his body weight and still dominated. Great Effort. I think we all need to ensure that our voices to HQ are heard with regards to safty. I know at our sectionals and regionals, all box owners and event organisers, did stress about safty. With such a physically demanding test, there will obviously be failure at some point, and HQ really need to look at what could have occured if that had happened. SOme athletes did take a large fall, however got back up. What would happen, these athletes are HQ biggest ambassodors, and their for there safety should be paramount. As the Games thrives and develops a greater need for this should be noted and taken on board. However we as a community still need to voice our objection. However ensure you articulate you objection so it is sound and reasonable. Dont just jump on a Band wagon speak logically and retionally. Great effort HQ, and to all the athletes for that amazing demonstration of phyical ability. Just remember look after your athletes.

51. Fan who worked today and missed the final heats wrote...

Where are the archives for the after 2pm events????

52. Dusty Hyland wrote...

The women's final was incredible! Kristan, Annie and Val, you all were awesome! Val, teacjer of the year and the thiird fittest woman in the world! Congrats!

Dust

53. Manny Garcia wrote...

three things that really bugs me.

1. The programing. This year, we know WHO is best at killing metcons. Not more, not less. A 1 rm and a longer endurance event would have left me with a feeling that the winner is the worldst fittest. Instead, we got metcon mania 2010. Worthless.

2. The scoring. Will not get into this again, but I hope HQ reads this and other threads

54. Matt wrote...

This final event today was certainly a test of extreme mental and physical strength. I applaud every one of those athletes who even attempted it!!! However, as some people have stated, safety for the athletes should have been a concern and it simply wasn't.

While I do believe that the games should be an ultimate test, HQ is walking a VERY thin line with workouts like this last one. Does someone need to die or become physically handicapped before HQ realizes how much is too much? At what point did AMRAP, total strength, aerobic, and anaerobic endurance stop counting for much. It seems like the games are now coming down to "if you can just complete the workout without dying" you're a top ten finisher.

55. Concerned CrossFit Affiliate wrote...

Safety has to be TOP priority! I kept thinking to myself what if someone falls to their death out here, it will KILL CrossFit. Who came up with this event without saferty mats. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE NEVER do this again. We were all Lucky today that it didn't end in a tragedy! Conrgatulations to all the competitors and volunteers. Awesome Event!

56. Doug wrote...

Chris Spealler will get his fair chance at the USAW CrossFit event coming up because that event will have weight classes.

57. Tami wrote...

Congrats to all of this years winners! The games were great to watch...I can only hope this years winners are as humble and hard working as Mikko was after the 2009 games, he set a great example of the kind of athlete's that crossfit represents.

58. Pat Sherwood wrote...

Wow! What a great event from start to finish! Congrats to everyone that competed. You all were inspirational. Thanks to all the volunteers, judges, media guys, and the tons of other people that made this event a reality. The Home Depot Center was awesome and it felt just as intimate as Aromas.

And the programming was top notch! I can't wait to see what comes up next year.......

59. Doug wrote...

I strongly agree that failing to provide a landing mat for the competitors in the rope climb event was a big oversight.

I can't imagine that it was actually discussed and anyone decided not to use a mat, I'm sure they just failed to consider it.

I was also fearful that we were going to see a serious injury, I saw several of them land hard and take a long time to get back up. Rich Froning did get hurt and limped to the podium.

However I'm sure HQ will learn lessons and take steps to ensure the competitors safety in future Games.

60. John D wrote...

I had a great time this weekend and was so inspired once again after watching this amazing competition!!! Even took my 14 yo son, who is now motivated it appears! On another note I would like to say congratulations to all the athletes, and volunteers and Crossfit for such a good show. I am sure that we all learned where improvement is needed for next years competition, safety, and scoring are in the forefront of my mind at the moment. There has been enough comments about lack of mats for the rope event, I would like to see a simple scoring system that is posted so that us fans will know what is needed and how points are scored or deducted. Overall, I am truly inspired and will be back next year!!!!! Thanks for the inspiration! almost forgot about the Masters competition... oh my goodness.... so awesome!!! Congratulations once again to the top 3 men and women!!! the last 3 events were absolutely amazing!!!!!

61. Jay wrote...

Speal is in my mind the best athlete of the whole games. That guy is pound for pound stronger than any competitor we have seen yet. Even though some of those weights were way over his bodyweight he still owned it, and when it comes to any metcon or gymnastic exercises he outshines anybody. If there was a weight class, which one day there will need to be, he will be unstoppable. I am getting to the point now though where I feel it is ridiculous not to take into consideration the relative strength of one athlete against the relative strength of another. Weights need to be a percentage of bodyweight, not a blanket number, for a truer test of strength. You can't suddenly decide one day you will grow six inches and pack on another 50lbs of muscle. You can only put so much on the frame you were given and that needs to be addressed.

62. Adam wrote...

@ Jay :

I think you are missing the point of CROSSfit. There should never be a weight class as this completely misses the point of everything about the sport it has now become. Yes agreed, Speal is an absoloute beast and deserves all the credit he is getting. Is anyone talking about how unfair it was for people like Orlando and Kelsey doing "Pyramid Helen"? No!! Its looking for the ALL ROUND best athlete and dividing it up into weight categories will be the worst thing you could ever do to CrossFit.
Speal knew his weaknesses, worked on strength all year and was so close. Orlanda et al worked on there running as that was their weakness. the "Unknown and the Uknowable" doesnt care about how much you weigh or how tall you are, just get the task done! My 2 cents/

63. Anton wrote...

@ Jay

I agree with you Jay that Spealler might be the best pound-by-bound Crossfitter, and I also agree that a change is needed. But changing into weight classes won't do it. I think that the problem lies in the programming, and that every aspect of Crossfit neads to be considered when programming a test for "the worlds fittest". They have to consider athletes genetic differences and use the most basic exercises that the human body was designed to do. Then it all would have been more fair I suppose.

Btw. If there would have been a "world ranking" in CrossFit, I still believe that Mikko would have peaked at nr 1.

64. Wolf wrote...

This was a great weekend. Congratulations to all the competitors. I'm glad that Chris Spealler made the podium this year. He is a legend and deserves it.

As for the programming. I think that one more pure strength event (like CrossFit Total) would have brought more balance to the whole thing. But overall a great test of fitness.

Thanks to HQ for the live broadcast. We watched it for free and we should not take this for granted. This was really generous to the community.

65. Chris wrote...

You Spealler fans are rediculous. Become true fans of the sport. Embrace your champions and realize that Spealler although a great competitor was not and is not the champion this year.

Congratulations both mens and womens competitors.

66. John mc evoy wrote...

Awesome event to watch!!!!! I pretty much didn't leave my apartment all weekend long!!!
Can HQ plz update the archives to show all of the events as it stops in the women's 2nd to last heat I think. Also the muscle up snatch WOD from fri night is not available on the site ????

I love xfit

67. Horse wrote...

uuhm how come the last few heats of the live screening havent been archived!!

it was 1am in NZ so i missed it...

AND NOW IM FREAKIN OUT!!!!!

huge congrats to all competitors,
and big ups to the champs :)

68. Robert wrote...

Way to go Annie and Sveinbjorn! Thanks for making us wake up until 5am the entire weekend to see you give it your all! We are really proud of you guys and look forward to seeing you back in action in Boot Camp Iceland!

Við sjáumst! Þið eruð best!

69. Raphael wrote...

In climbing I took a similar fall like that of rich froning on the ropes, got a hair fissue in my tibia which caused half a year of pain. Watching the final 3 workouts was incredibly intense but the last one was disaster waiting to happen. The blatant and completely avoidable dangers of injury were just mind-boggling. That's not hardcore, it's plain ignorant and HQ got really lucky.

On a lighter note, the games were awesome all around with the live coverage, commentary and programming. Anyone complaining about a missing aerobic/endurance event must've missed the final event that took almost 30 minutes of non stop moving.

70. pete wrote...

Chris, I actually agree. If Speal is the fittest man on the planet HE WOULD HAVE WON! And lets face it, these games were made for him. No maximal strength and all metcon will not find you the fittest person on the planet, rather the fittest crossfitter.

71. Eric wrote...

My suggestions for next year's Games in case the Crossfit people are reading these comments:

1. Put a mat under the rope climbs or at least do them over sand

2. Make sure the commentators know ALL of the competitors names

3. Better use of the split screen during dramatic head to head between athletes and get a producer who knows which camera to stick with so you don't pan away from an epic performance to a less than epic performance

4. A color commentator to go along with the play-by-play announcer

Otherwise, great stuff, especially the efficient use of twitter.

72. John wrote...

First off, I think those individuals who are stating their explicit support for Spealler are in no way discounting the accomplishments of either Holmberg or Froning. As one of the announcers said throughout the weekend, "Chris is a CrossFit hero." I think as CrossFit athletes we can all agree we have our own personal heroes and favorites; we can also agree that all of the competitors are worthy of praise.

Second, in my personal opinion I thought the programming was brilliant from a CrossFit perspective. However, I can understand the logic behind those who would have preferred to have seen a dedicated single-modality event such as a 1RM or longer endurance event. However, would such events have truly been indicative of overall fitness? Or would they have simply biased the results, more so immediately after such an event, towards the specialist to too great a degree? It is interesting; Holmberg won the Pyramid Helen and outperformed traditionally larger athletes in the max overhead attempt that immediately followed it.

Finally, some have raised questions and/or concerns about the scoring system and/or the order of events. I personally think it would be intriguing and extremely rewarding for the CrossFit community if the Games evolved to a "CrossFit Games Series" where athletes competed throughout the year culminating with a championship. NASCAR, professional tennis, and professional golf all use some sort of point-based series to determine rankings. Imagine if there was a "Grand Slam" of CrossFit, providing a method for measuring who is the fittest athlete across years as well.

All in all, the CrossFit community continues to evolve. At the same time, the CrossFit Games continue to evolve as well, but let us keep in mind the Games are only a part of what is CrossFit. I think what we saw this weekend from the individual athletes, affiliates, and Masters athletes demonstrate what CrossFit really is.

73. Dave wrote...

I agree with all the posts re: the irresponsibility of HQ putting these athletes in unnecessary danger on the final WOD. There was a real threat of a horrific injury put on the table and it was unnecessary. Unlike a sport like downhill skiing where the risk is inherent within the sport, the sport of fitness can achieve its goal of finding the fittest, without this unnecessary element of danger. Having people climb at 20 ft rope when completely spent was simply uncalled for. I was watching it at HD Center and was very uneasy witnessing it.

Also, while Spealler is a freak of nature, and is inspirational, I am equally amazed by how incredible guys like Khalipa and Moe K are for doing all the gymnastic movements at their respective bodyweights. WHen Khalipa had to do 72 pullups and run a total of 1.5 miles in the Sat morn WOD, he was basically doing it with a sandbag on his back. I'm AS impressed by the big guys doing what they're not built for as I am by Spealler moving lots of weight relative to his size. These guys are all pretty incredible.

74. Tanner wrote...

Look at Mikko's stats compared to everyone else. He is not only one of the strongest competitors, but the fastest at metcons and he can also run a %k in 17:34, faster than any competitor including Spealer. Chan and Holmberg proved last year that they can't run at all placing 58 and 56 in the long distance run. Yet they were able to sneak by this year with the longest run being 1200m. It's disappointing to see how the programming didn't really provide proof for a test of overall fitness. Mikko's OVERALL stats prove to show that he is the still the fittest man alive.

75. Sam wrote...

Agreed. We shouldn't even have a competition, everyone should just submit their stats and then we'll have a winner like Tanner suggests. Or better yet, let's just continue to do the 2009 Games programming every year, the KNOWN AND THE KNOWABLE.

Crossfit exposes weaknesses. Killer Fran times are great, but is Annie (double unders and sit ups) less of a test of fitness. What's Mikko's time on that WOD? What's his Tommy V time (multiple rope climbs)? They're different for sure, but still important.

Are gymnastics less of a test of fitness than weightlifting? What if a WOD were max chest to bar pull ups in 2 minutes. Does that NOT test strength?

Programming is more art than science. If you haven't accepted that by now, then Crossfit is not for you. Go back to predictable routines and only do exercises and movements you like.

76. jake wrote...

@ tanner

you don't think it was proven who the fittest overall is because there wasn't a long run event?? what about a straight line long run will tell you who the fittest is? the pyramid helen was a great event for those who are strong runners to excel. mixing in kettlebell swings and pullups shouldn't have hurt the runners too much because those are basic crossfit movements that everyone of these competitors should excel at.

overall i thought the programming was spot on. i think i liked it better than 2009 because i feel each event was more well rounded. there was more skill involved this year, but there should be. these were the best in the world so make them do the most skillful movments.

i agree with the safety concerns for the last event. something really back could have happened. i hope safety is taken into account more in the future.

77. Bart wrote...

The games were amazing but while everyone is complaining about scoring or safety, I think the stacking of WODs is what really biased the competition.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO STACK WODS THERE HAS TO BE AN OVERALL SCORE GIVEN AS WELL.

I was watching Rich give everything he had to complete WOD 6a and all I was thinking was, he is losing the championship by doing so.

He didn't have any idea what was coming next and he spent WOD 6b "recovering" by doing a few less reps then GH.

But while going over that wall again in 6a got him nothing - doing a handful less reps in 6b cost him 7 points.

There should have been an overall score as well, that considered how much total work each athlete did. Otherwise, what was the point.

At the beginning of WOD 6c every single one of those athletes had done different amounts of work over the last 14 minutes. And that was not reflected in the scores in any way.

78. Dave wrote...

Great point Bart.

79. Kenzie wrote...

68 and 73: I will not apologize for cheering and supporting Spealler as he is one of the best trainers CrossFit HQ has well as personal trainer at CrossFit Park City. He is humble and takes his role as one of the faces of CrossFit seriously. And your right 73, he is the fittest CrossFitter.

80. Mike wrote...

My comments are as follows:

The Athletes:

Outstanding, all of them, and particularly those in the Final 16 groupings. Some truly epic performances were delivered. I was duly amazed and inspired.

The Programming:

For the most part, an excellent mix of movements, and a fair & balanced way to determine the “world’s fittest” athletes.

The Broadcast:

Surprisingly good. Like many others, I was glued to my computer the entire weekend. Had the production been of lesser quality, I suspect my interest would have eventually waned. Well done.

The (Safety-less) Rope Climb:

At best sloppy...at worst borderline negligent.

To have provided some level of protection in the event of a fall -- one that could very easily have resulted in serious injury, or worse -- would have in no way made the rope climb any easier, or any less of a test of strength (which is the whole point, is it not?). And that the climb was THE last event in what had been a grueling 2+ days of competition makes the organizers’ decision all the more difficult to understand.

Hey, I’m all for taking a bit a risk and pushing things - ‘belt and braces’ I am not. But climbing up a 20 foot rope multiple times whilst completely knackered with nothing but a hard rubber mat to break your fall? C’mon...

81. Ric wrote...

I only have a few brief words:

1. HQ should take seriously the comments posted about safety.

2. I think the scoring system is pretty fair. The way where I can see improving it would be to start from scratch on Sunday when you have your Top 10. What a race to the finish that would be!

3. Making weight classes is a lame idea. It defeats the purpose of what crossfit is.

Great show to all and congrats to Kristan and Graham.

Ric

82. Tanner wrote...

@jake I'm not saying at all a solo long run would prove who the fittest is. What I am saying is that CrossFit by definition includes Cardiovascular endurance in their 10 physical skills test. So why not have an event dedicated to that. Isn't this the point of the games to test who is the best well rounded athlete at all aspects of Fitness? Not to mention the only 1 rep max they did was after a much tougher "Helen".

@Sam No I don't believe that we should just turn in stat sheets. But looking at those, if there was a test of Cardiovascular endurance, which I remind you again that is a component of CrossFit, how many of those top 5 guys would drop out of the top 5, or even 10? The Unknown and Unknowable was to make for more exciting games, but didn't test OVERALL fitness. Look at how many bodyweight exercises were used in the last 3 metcons. AND the lightweight for the OH squats and ground to OH. The WOD's weren't well rounded at all they favored a lighter guy as you can tell the CrossFit strongmen, Orlando and Khalipa ended up taking the last two spots of the final competitors due to the fact there was only one test of pure strength, (after a METCON that is).

83. Frank wrote...

If half the people don't complain and "leave" then it aint CrossFit. Whiners leave, winners stay. That's why I love CrossFit, cause most just can't hang. CrossFit. please keep breaking the rules and pushing the envelope and don't listen to the haters! Those of us who love CrossFIt, love it because it is so raw and so bad ass. Speaking of which - 2010 CrossFit Games set the world record for most nice asses in one place!

84. Frank wrote...

One more thing. I walked up to Dave Castro (great MC) and Pat Sherwood and introduced myself and they were two of the nicest people I met all weekend. Dave very approachable and warm. Even though he was running the Games he stopped and gave me the time of day (and a quick photo).

85. Sharon wrote...

When is the remainder of the last event going to be available for viewing? It currently ends half way through the women's second heat. I had to work so I missed it live.

86. Ferreus wrote...

My thoughts:

1) The overall production was fantastic. Is there room for improvement? Sure, but nothing in this world is perfect. As Pat always says, "Is it better, worse, or the same?" This was definitely better than anything we've seen in previous years. My hats off to everyone that made it happen.

2) Programming: As a whole, I thought the programming was very traditional CrossFit. I would have liked a true 1RM max event and possibly a 50 or 100m sprint, but overall the programming was good.

3) Judging: Better than it's been in the past. I thought there were some pretty big differences in the standards on the ring HSPUs, but no sport has judges that get right 100% of the time.

4) Safety: The lack of some type of crash pad under the ropes in workout 6c is unexcusable. As someone above said, it would only take one person to fall from 20 feet and break their neck to ruin the CF Games.

5) Scoring: I would have liked to see a system that rewards an athlete based on the margin of his/her victory. Kristen won the first workout by almost 2 minutes, but only gets one more point than second place? That doesn't seem right. Same thing with DJ in 2b and Speal in 6c. I'm not a math whiz, so maybe I'm missing something, but are there any major drawbacks to a scoring system that awards points based on the winner's time/reps/rounds/etc?

Thanks again to everyone that made the production possible. The live feed was fantastic!

87. Raphael wrote...

Two mostly overlooked aspects of the greatness in the programming lie 1) in the exposure of weaknesses and 2) in the test of fit-ness/adaptability/athleticism (sp?). I was cheering for Mikko all the way but damn, those double unders cost him. Definitely knowable. Never done pistols? Never climbed a rope? Those are not sledgehammers, they're regular exercises, no excuses.

And for point 2: What we might have seen for the first time in the games was a glimpse of virtuosity in the adaptation needed for all those wallclimbs and the fantastic sandbag-transporting. It's about moving well and efficiently in general, not just lifting or pushing or pulling.

88. Brandon Ecker wrote...

It is amazing to think back to when I first became involved in the CrossFit program I saw Jason knock out the clean and jerks at the end of 2008 and say that though the event was small compared to today, I wished I could be a part of it. I am very proud and excited to see the growth of CrossFit. I thought the Games were well organized and well run.
On the games themselves I thought that the theme of "unkown and unknowable," was well proved. The general physical preparedness (why many armed forces and law inforecement adopt the program) was exhibited well.
All of the movements were functional and performed at a high entensity. There was a variety of movements. The workout tested broad time and modal domains (including the three test of endurance). A fresh one-rep max would not have killed the competition and neither would a long run, but why not put the two together (double helen w/ a 1 rep jerk.)
Nice job from everyone involved.
The community should take pride in the growth of the Sport of Fitness!

89. Sam wrote...

Strength
Endurance
Stamina
Flexibility
Power
Speed
Agility
Coordination
Balance
Accuracy

The 10 general physical skills. Is one of these skills more important than the other? Better yet, which skill on this list would you live the rest of your life without?

All this talk about pure test of strength not being included is risible! There was no PURE test of any of these skills. The WODs were combinations of all of these skills. That's what makes this Crossfit. Specializing in NOT specializing.

Everyone that is whining over not having a PURE test of strength or endurance should also be whining over not having a PURE test of balance, or a PURE test of accuracy. The pistols weren't a pure test of balance because the athletes did deadlifts and double-unders in combination with them. How come no one is complaining about that?

I surmise that many Crossfitters are biased in strength because for some reason, they believe that strength is a more important physical skill. Crossfit's definition of fitness is markedly different.

Maybe read this and see if I'm wrong.

http://journal.crossfit.com/2002/10/what-is-fitness-by-greg-glassm.tpl

90. Crossfit Competitor wrote...

There always has to be one meathead in the group. No one is saying they want to leave crossfit here Frank.

Respect has to be given for these athletes and their bodies.

Respecting their safety while putting them through grueling tests is all we are asking for.

That last event needed a tiger or lion to come out of the wings and chase these guys up the rope to be complete because it looked like a possible end to their day.

That style of workout is executed behind closed doors because the public has no business viewing a training evolution that literally weeds out those who have the balls to jump on a grenade from those who don't. They should have just thrown a hundred pound pack on their backs and a weapon in their hands prior to coming out.

91. Amit Ghate wrote...

Congrats to all the competitors and organizers this weekend (and leading up to it)! It was an inspiring performance. Personally, other than the big oversight of not having safety mats on the last event, I thought the organization and programming were top notch. Maybe next year they can go back to having a bigger 1RM or 3RM strength component, but in the name of "constantly varied and preparing for the unknown", I really liked this year's events.

92. CK wrote...

Congrats Graham! I think had there been more 'pure strength' stuff like people are clamoring for he would have surprised a lot of people as well. He isn't a big guy but, like Spealer is VERY strong for his size. I think many people were surprised that he pushed 275 after the Hellacious Helen.

Regarding his (and Spealer's) running, I KNOW they were very clear that their running cost them last year, and they worked on it. Graham is one of my instructors at Rogue and he worked on it. He was probably bummed that he didn't get the chance to test his improvement!

The events were what they were and they were the same for everyone. People who were shorter had a disadvantage in some areas and vice versa. Froning was a big guy and was right there until the rope climbs. Climbing a rope in Crossfit is a basic skill and he couldn't get it done. I know Graham can climb the rope with no legs too, but he also has a good foothold and it served him well. Mikko sucking on the double unders? That is another basic skill in crossfit.

I agree about the safety issue. When I saw some of those girls go up there in the first heat I got very concerned at their level of fatigue and the potential disasterous outcome.

Re: broadcast--streaming was 99% perfectly clear and really impressive. The announcers need to be better educated on the athletes and there should be more scoreboard type graphics keeping viewers better informed. Eventually I am sure the judges will have a mic to the booth keeping them up to date with the number of reps/rounds the athletes were on as well.

Overall a fantastic weekend. So proud of Graham and all the athletes.

93. Amit Ghate wrote...

Oh, and most inspiring moment? Kristan Clever, at 130 lbs putting 205lb OH! That tied or beat 9 of the men! All the athletes are extraordinary, but Kristan I think is probably the most well-rounded athlete the Games have seen yet. (Other than the wheelbarrow mishap, she finished 1 or 2 in every event.)

94. Jennifer wrote...

Loved watching Kristan, Annie, Valerie, Jessica, and the rest of the women kick ass! I hope this will inspire lots of strong women to get stronger.

I travel a lot and so have been to about 30 different crossfit gyms this past year, which means looking through 100+ affiliate blogs to pick out the box for each city. I've noticed that a *lot* of blogs post nonsense articles trying to assure women that crossfit will not make them "too muscular" or "masculine." What does that even mean?! Women doing crossfit seriously will get fitter in whatever way their particular body adapts to highly varied, extreme physical stress. For most women, that means they will get significantly more muscular as they get stronger, and for some women who have the luck of great genetics, they will get a LOT more muscular as they become more serious crossfitters. I always skip over the gyms spouting"you won't get muscular" nonsense because I know they tend NOT to be the best affiliate in town. Far from it.

Anyway, off my soapbox...just saying the games were amazing to watch and a huge congratulations all the athletes who competed. Sportsmanship and athleticism like nothing else on earth!

95. Owen wrote...

Right on Sam, I couldn't agree more. Crossfit is not all about strength. I thought the programing was good also. They did a good job of mixing in most all those skills in every workout. I especially liked the max overhead lift after the super Helen. If you can not get close to your one rep max after that, well then your not that fit. Too many here are to concerned about 1RM. Crossfit is not about the strongest, or the fastest but the all around athlete.

96. fox wrote...

@ Crossfit Competitor. Well said. There is a difference between extreme fitness and hazing. The rope climb without any safety stuff was not cool. Hope those that burned in are ok. A 20' fall is no joke.

97. Teri wrote...

Like Sharon, #91, I also missed the finals due to work. I will repeat her request as I have been reading other bloggers mention this as well. PLEASE POST THE FINALS! It is not fair to tell us on the website that all "30 hours" are going to shown and then not show it. At least they should have advertised that only the 1st heat of the finals will be shown and well, as to the last heats of the individual finals - if you missed it -- too bad!

98. Zach@CFLV wrote...

They forgot safety mats? OH CRAP!!

A barbell squat snatch with 135# is JUST AS INHERENTLY DANGEROUS as a 20 ft. rope climb.

...I want the barbells to be foam-padded next year in case I drop it on my head mid-lift.

C'mon.

99. Joseph Doughty wrote...

Magnificent performance by the athletes, judges, commentators and CFHQ staff. Plenty of footage to learn more from about performance, sportsman(women)ship, and Crossfit programming.

I agree with many on at least providing more mats under the ropes for athletes safety on the final WOD. But, i also understand what an awesome job CFHQ did under the circumstances-lack of sleep, high heat, high stress, etc. This was oversight, most likely, and was not enough of a safety issue to remove the event entirely. The event provided conditions for Forging not only elite fitness, but elite production/broadcasting.

Great job all, can't wait for next year!

The most inspiring moment for me was watching the Masters competitor, Joel Nessa, pull 490#-30#'s over his previous PR.

100. joey v wrote...

why should there be a 1RM event? It proves nothing on who is the fittest person. There are thousands and thousands of people who can deadlift more than spealler just because they weigh more than him, but that in no way means they are fitter than him

101. Ken Gall wrote...

Congrats to the athletes who competed and gave it their all out there. Especially the winners and top athletes, you were so impressive to watch.

The event was very well run, and the programming was challenging and fun to watch. In my opinion it captured the true essence of crossfit and the crossfit balance of skills.

Sam - awesome post. I agree 100%.

102. Crossfit Competitor wrote...

Zach...There are safety precautions "INHERENTLY" built into lifts...

It's called ditching the weight...you can't just ditch a 20 ft rope climb.

Frank...congrats on getting your picture with Dave Castro, what an achievement, you're such a badass.

103. GD wrote...

Can anyone shed some light on how the final three events (6a, 6b, 6c) were scored? I thought it was being scored as total reps completed if you didn't complete the workout. But, on the scoring page it lists scores way above the rep number for those who didn't complete the workout. Not a big deal, just curious.

Great weekend overall, very exciting.

104. Zac wrote...

Maybe 2011 CF games will consist only of endurance WODs and 1repmax movements? Be prepared... What kind of discussion we would have then?

105. Alex Kelley wrote...

I think the last WOD was genius. Brutal but totally in line with the philosophy of the sport.

I do agree that the rope climb needed more safety though--pads and spotters seem like common sense actually. I also think that event 6c should have gone first so that the athletes wouldn't be doing the more risky event while exhausted. This is part of the reasoning behind the order swim-bike-run in triathlon. You may be more likely to drown after riding and/or running.

I also agree that water needed to be readily available to the athletes and providing towels to insulate them against the hot ground would've have been appropriate. If you aren't going to give them info to prepare (very cool idea BTW) then you need to provide them with some basic supplies.

106. Josh wrote...

The CF community is in between sizes right now; too big for games like 2009-2010, and too small for division by weight classes.

As far as best pound-for-pound, that really doesn't matter, the world is not scaled for anyone person (which is why you shouldn't scale for females either).

So, you can't be pro-sex class, but anti-weight class.

I believe that HQ has a separate class for females so that CF doesn't become a male-only sport; if they don't end up using weight classes, they will eventually exclude people of smaller stature. Eventually, it will end up being nothing but big, diesel men & women; the small people will fade away.

I agree that safety was an afterthought. But hey, they'll learn from their mistakes. That is one thing that is really good about CF, it has the ability to evolve and get better.

I liked a lot of the events and how they divided up the final so that nobody was stuck on one movement for 20 minutes while everyone else finished the chipper.

The dismal turnout made sense to me since they were charging a high price to watch.

107. Chris M wrote...

Incredible event! The event and coverage far exceeded my expectations. Congrats to event organizers and athletes!

108. Stephen Pelcher wrote...

"Hey I got an idea, why don't I make an intelligent comment and repeat what dozens have already said before me." We get the picture. SAFETY MATS. I'm sure every athlete is so appreciative of how vehement "the community" is to protect their well-being; it definitely isn't the only way some of these people will ever get featured on Crossfit.

This community needs to get a grip. Crossfit is Greg Glassman's. He can make event 1 a chess competition. You don't like it, become an entrepreneur and start your own (assumed) million-dollar corporation. Second, there have been no repeat champions in the history of the Games and by the time two years have passed since the Champion's competition year, they are not even in the top 5. So if anyone can win the Games, why not just keep trying? Eventually, Coach will have a Crossfit Games that, by chance, highlights and excentuates all of your strengths and none of your weaknesses.

Too many enthusiasts are emerging with their various means of attaining attention: Big freaking vehicles with Crossfit all over it, the inability to wear clothes within 50 yards of a gym coupled with a profound love for the world of body art, stellar arguments on every possible subject that could be debated, yet they all share a common item of embarassment: unable to compete in the Games.

You find me 10 people, from Men's, Women's, or Master's categories who are complaining about programming and how fearful they were for their lives and about the heat and I will print out this comment and eat it. E-mail if you would like to comment.

109. cody wrote...

The comments dealing with lack of 1RM and/or a long endurance effort is that CrossFit teaches to have as broad of a fitness as possible. At Level 1 certs, you are taught that the ultramiler is not truly fit because he/she lacks strength and the powerlifter is not truly fit because he/she lacks endurance and is typically slower.

The first two events of the 09 games were genius because it coupled the opposite (broad) ends of the spectrum together. Let's just say you were limited to choose two exercises or tasks to find the fittest athlete out of a given group. What would they be?

(CrossFit also teaches to perform any task imaginable so in no way shape or form am I taking away from the programming. I'm just trying to put reason with their comments.)

110. Tanner wrote...

Crossfit teaches that the solely marathon runner isn't fit because he is not strong and the solely powerlifter is not fit because he is slow and has no endurance. How many guys do you know who can run a 5K in 17:34 (averaging under a 6 minute mile) Deadlift 539lbs and do 67 non butterfly pullups? I only know of one...His name is Mikko.

111. Jennifer wrote...

Josh, hard to see how the "small people will fade away" when Spealler at 5'5" is so loved & respected & on the medal stand, and when Kristan at 5'0" managed to dominate the weekend. Kristan had to get those sandbags over the same wall as Laura Demarco and Lindsey Smith, both of them nearly a foot taller than her.

Agree about having faith that crossfit is always evolving and learning from whatever just happened, including safety issues.

112. Kenneth Branaugh wrote...

Owen #97:

But isn't it necessary to test strength and speed to decide who is the best "all around athlete"?

Joey v #102:

But spealler can do more pullups "just because" he weights only 2/3 of their weight, it doesn't mean he is fitter. Right?

I think that Spealler was fed up with the events from previous years and gave Castro a hefty amount of cash before the events were determined. ;) I hope Rob Orlando will do the same next year! ;D

113. Pat Sherwood wrote...

Ok, I just simply cannot resist throwing in my 2 cents on this mild chat about not having mats under the ropes. People have voiced their opinions, I respect each person's point of view, so I will give mine.

I like the fact that we did not place mats under the 20' rope climbs.

Now, allow me to say why I feel that way. Some one previously commented that a squat snatch with 135lbs is inherently dangerous. There are 1,000,000 different things in the "gym" and in real life that are potentially dangerous. What is a large factor in whether some "potentially" dangerous environments or tasks become truly dangerous is the decisions the individual makes.

I was in a pretty bad motorcycle accident on a 1000cc sport bike. It was my fault. I rode at a speed that exceeded my abilities and it cost a trip to the hospital. Was the motorcycle dangerous or was my decision to keep twisting the throttle beyond my experience level the dangerous part? I think it was my fault.

I have tweaked my back before lifting a really heavy dead lift when I was already very fatigued. I should have rested more so I could have kept my technique better. I chose to rush back to the barbell. Are heavy dead lifts dangerous or was my decision to rest less than necessary dangerous? I think it was my fault, not the barbell's fault.

I have climbed hundreds and hundreds of ropes back in my military days. I have fallen off tons of ropes, 20'. It hurts. I realize that. We had some athletes fall off the ropes this year at the Games and some did not. Was it the ropes fault? Every athlete had to make a personal decision about their current level of fatigue. If they were so tired that climbing the rope became dangerous for them, then REST, don't climb it. Other athletes will pass you while you rest, but the choice is yours alone. If you want to roll the dice, then that is your call. Adults make their own decisions. This required thinking and strategy.

I don't blame the dead lift for hurting my back, I don't blame the motorcycle (or the engineer that created such a powerful engine) for putting me in the hospital, and I don't blame all the ropes that I have peeled off of in my life for all my falls back to mother earth.

No analogies are perfect, so I'm sure many people will think they don't apply to the last event at the Games, but I hope you guys get my point.

Will there be mats under the ropes next time? Perhaps, and I'm cool with it if there are. I just don't think it was crazy as some of the comments have portrayed.

I'm currently sitting at breakfast with Matt Chan, who participated in the final men's heat. He informed me of his simple, yet effective strategy........rest until he had the strength to do another climb.

Like I said before, I respect everyone's opinion that expressed a desire that mats should have been provided. The internet can be a harsh place, let's see if my perspective is warmly received.......

114. Sam wrote...

Some athletes in the affiliate competition dumping the barbells on their backs risked serious injury, should the programmers have disallowed behind the neck jerks as a result?

With all the yearning for 1 RM, remember Jeff Leonard almost dumping a 200+ pound bar on his head during the max snatch last year. I guess we shouldn't ever do max snatches because of the potential risk of injury.

115. Brett wrote...

Pat Sherwood:

Does the probability to make the wrong decisions increase while fatigued in a competitive situation? What do you think?

116. Jay wrote...

Pat,

If you really wanted to stir things up, you should have said what you were eating and drinking (maybe a Diet Coke) for breakfast.

117. Abstained wrote...

Pat,

I believe in mitigating risk when you can. Of course there is risk in anything we do. Dying in a car accident is a risk most of us take, however we all have the choice of utilizing a seat-belt, which may or may not increase or chance of survival based on a million variables. However using a seat-belt does not make driving any more dangerous. Same can be said about many safety measures taken in much of what we do including sports.

Would have placing a mat beneath the ropes made the climb any more dangerous? Would it have changed the task at hand?

118. volunteer wrote...

HQ did a great job everything was well ran and did everything they could and busted their butt to make everything run as smooth as possible.

not perfect but they gave every effort and worked late into the next day to do so.

119. mike wrote...

still can't view the final events - please add them :)

120. Christina wrote...

I have to agree with #115. Everything in life is a choice. But more importantly, the athletes that tackled the final wods on Sunday are well trained and know their own capabilities and limits. From what I saw, when the athlete knew he/she could no longer hold on, or go higher on the rope they stopped and descended as best they could.
Had it been a bunch of untrained CF athletes being asked to climb a 20ft rope, no mats would be an issue.....

I would love to know how the athletes that competed feel.....

121. dan thacker wrote...

I do see the point in Pat Sherwood's analogies. As athletes, we make decisions. Some good. Some bad. Keep in mind these athletes were competing for top spots and a healthy check. The pure adrenaline and drive may or may not affect someone's ability to make the best decision. Injury can occur anytime, anywhere, but a 20 ft. fall? While hindsight, a mat would have been a very simple solution. This whole debate about who is fittest (determined by choices of WOD's) was decided. Congrats Graham and Kristan!!!!! Because everyone has a different idea about what is "fit", there is all this argument. Any given set of WOD's may result in different outcomes. The argument is just silly. Come on. On these given days, the results spoke. Period. Great experience this weekend with the exception of the HEAT and no "in and out" parking!!!

122. Emil Jensen wrote...

Sure it's a personal choice to climb up the rope or not - but that's not the point. The last event was a disaster waiting to happen, and nobody is interested in that.

123. Mo wrote...

Why didn't you put pictures of the first place winners on the main page????

124. Speal Wifey wrote...

To everyone who had anything to do with the games this year: Thanks a ton!!! I was behind the scenes more than I wanted to be trying to keep our little one out of the sun. Everyone I met went above and beyond over the weekend! Thanks so much for your time and sleepless nights!

125. Justin wrote...

CF is big on trying to be badasses and not taking safety precautions. I have a much higher risk tolerance than most people, and to some extent I can appreciate the idea that you just have to man up. But, you have to be reasonable with some of this safety stuff. No, I don't think you should get rid of 1rm Snatches because there is a 1 in 10,000 chance that someone will really hurt him/herself. Yes, I do think you should get rid of 20ft rope climbs at the very end of the competition when there's probably a 1 in 20 chance that someone gets critically injured.
At some point, a legit competitor that we all like is going to accept a high degree of risk and he's going to end up getting injured or killed. And at some point that's going to result in a $5mill lawsuit and you guys are going to complain a lot.

I'm very libertarian about accepting risk and all that, but that doesn't change the fact that the laws (especially of California) are not created by libertarians...

126. TD wrote...

I find myself a bit troubled by Pat Sherwood's comments (aside: I thought his commentary was good during the webcast). These comments seem to imply that there was before-the-fact-debate about safety measures on the rope climb and the conclusion was that safety measures were unnecessary.

I understand his argument, I just disagree with it. I don't think we can trust competitors to make reasonable, rational decisions under those circumstances.

I could barely watch the rope climb as it was so dangerous; it was just plain sickening.

Overall a great competition. I loved the Friday workout. I thought the pyramid Hell-en was interesting but a bit over the top. However, I loved testing a strength movement immediately after.

I think I would have liked to see some sort or run in the place of one of the last Metcons. A couple of run suggestions: (a) a 1 mile timed run with a weighted vest. Maybe a weighted vest would even the playing field for bigger competitors? (b) Suicides. How fun would it have been to have them line up on the goal line in the grass at the track and then run suicides to every 10 yards all the way out and back (i.e., 10, 20, 30, 40, midfield, other 40, other 30, other 20, other 10, far goal line, and then pyramid back down)?

Also, a bit surprised that the C2 Rower did not appear even once during the competition.

Finally, a lot of people seem down on Castro. I didn't think he was fantastic, but I didn't see him as being negative or unprofessional.

127. kim wrote...

Pat Sherwood was it ok to not have any saftey measures for the athletes hands when the temp was 129 on the ground for the final event? they were forced to do push ups in the heat, they didnt have a choice. how does this showcase any atheletes talents?

128. fox wrote...

Stephen (110): sorry bro, we must have thought that the blog was for posting comments. I did not realize that qualifying for the Games was a prerequisite to having an opinion and using the comments section to post them.

Sherwood (115): disagree but respect the tenor and intent of your post. No one blames the ropes, just think HQ should provide some safety equipment. It is inevitable that there will be crashes when exhausted people climb ropes at the end of 9 WODs. Watching the constant slow motion replays shown on the live coverage of RF getting whiplash and taking out the chalk bucket was enough to drive the point home for me.

You can ask people to do risky things and they can assume that risk, but it is a different issue from whether you should mitigate known risk with basic precautions - particularly when it does not diminish from the task. That is why people wear helmets when racing a motorcycle or a seat belt while in a car.

Overall, great event, great web coverage, great athletes. A few tweaks makes it better (and safer). I look forward to future competitions.

129. Moose wrote...

EXCELLENT WORK TO EVERYONE!!!

The Games are an evolving process, and it is great to see how they have evolved these past four years. There are lessons to learn every year, and they get incorporated into the next year; that's why this year's Games were as phenominal as they were. I'm sure HQ became acutely aware of some of the safety concerns voiced here probably around the same time everyone else did, so give them a break: they weren't trying to hurt people. By the same token, an athlete also needs to make decisions about whether to perform a movement. I believe there's an abiding rule in Crossfit concerning all movements and all WODs: do your best, but if you can't do it safely, don't do it. Most of the competitors are also trainers, so they likely have a solid grasp of that principle. The points have been made.

But hey: I'm not seeing any criticism of the judging this year, and that's awesome. The judges did an exceptional job, and big big congrats to Adrian for expertly wrangling that awesome crew.

And last but not least, CONGRATS TO OUR KRIS, VAL AND REBECCA IN PARTICULAR: SO CAL REPRESENTS!!!!

130. Bart wrote...

Just want to be clear that my critique above is only to help the Games get better.

I thought the coverage was incredible. I think CF made the jump from a "get together in the country" to a "world class sporting event" extremely well.

When you grow, you spot weaknesses - but you also get better. And that is what happened this weekend. And I have no doubt CF will get better.

I personally can't wait for next year and I want to thank everyone who was involved with this year. (Including Castro who I thought did great.)

131. Adam Stevenson wrote...

I completely agree with Pat and I was hoping that someone would say it before me, but since it hasn't been brought up yet, here goes:

Since when does life give you a crash pad?

We train for real life scenarios!
CrossFit is functional fitness. We train to be able to pull yourself out of a burning building or lift a car off of somebody (Rob Orlando). If you were climbing a rope into a helicopter from a burning building (extreme I know) would life say, "Hey there little buddy, here's a crash pad in case you fall, so you don't land on your bottom."
NO!

When making the claim "fittest man/woman in the world" there have to be some very extreme circumstances that these people must be put through. I'm sure the first time someone tried to slam dunk a basketball there were people that said it was "too dangerous" or that someone might break their ankle or die.

And really, it's only a 20' rope. A fall from that height would be scary, but that's about it. There were a couple people that fell from pretty high up, and they were right back up trying to do it again.

Please...

132. Jason Khalipa wrote...

A huuugggeeeeeeeeeeeee Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! to all of the staff, volunteers, judges, medical (I got to see them a few times) and all other's that helped out at this years Games. I have helped run several events and knowing the work you guys put in is amazing! Thank you very very much for all that you do. I am sure I speak for many other's when I say that I truly appreciate the work you guys put in. The Crossfit Games would not be possible without all of the help that is provided.

Congratulations to Graham and Kristan for your amazing work this weekend.

The 2010 Games were awesome, can't wait for next year.

Jason Khalipa

133. Michele wrote...

Pat--

I think everyone's point about the mats is that, if given the choice, why wouldn't you take every precuation to ensure the athletes' safety?

And even if the athletes arguably assumed the risk of climbing the ropes, it wouldn't have absolved CF from reckless conduct. Just out of sheer curiosity, if one of the ropes had (god forbid) come unknotted or unhooked from the scaffolding, would you have said that the athletes assumed the risk of injury from that as well? An injury occurring from that fall could just as easily have been mitigated by a mat.

As a side note, I can't believe that any attorney advising the CF team would NOT have insisted on the mats if only to decrease the liability on CF's part that may have resulted from an injury occurring from a fall. Whatever waivers you had those athletes sign would not have protected you from any negligence on your part...and I would expect any decent insurance litigation team to point of the absence of mats as a defense to payment in the event that they did have to pay out for an injury that resulted from the lack thereof.

Congrats to all the athletes who braved those ropes this weekend!

134. Johnny Beagle wrote...

Michele, guess you never heard of "assumption of risk" and "contributory negligence"

The climber knows there is no mat when they climb the rope.

They
1) assume the risk and
2) are as negligent as HQ.

They recover zilch

135. dan thacker wrote...

"And really, it's only a 20' rope. A fall from that height would be scary, but that's about it. There were a couple people that fell from pretty high up, and they were right back up trying to do it again."
-This comment takes the cake.

136. Adam Stevenson wrote...

Man pants; awesome!

137. Joe wrote...

Crossfit yields the fittest human beings on the face of the earth, hands down the best fitness program there is not only for this competition but for life as well. These games displayed a massive amount of work being done by phenomenal athletes. Being as fatigued as they were and still being able to make it up that rope over and over again was amazing to watch. They just endure. Crossfit's idea of fitness isn't being good at just one thing but solid in just about everything. These games really showed what it's all about and the athletes ability to adapt to change quickly. The training pretty much prepares you for anything that might come up. Although the rope is mostly technique with some upper body strength and if no technique then a heck of a lot of upper body strength. Rock on! Crossfit rules! Oh and I don't necessarily think Crossfit tries to be badass, I think they try to be realistic and no mat under the 20 foot rope was realistic. I am far from an elite athlete but I am sure these athletes know their bodies and whether or not they can make it up that rope. It involves some strategy just like Pat said. When I do a WOD that involves rope climbing I do the best I can and sometimes I just cannot get up that rope on a given round so I go as high as I can, rest, regain composure and try it again. These athletes had to make decisions while enduring pain and this in my opinion is one of the main themes behind crossfit, high intensity but still able to think whether it be technique or some kind of strategy to get through the WOD. All part of the well rounded athlete. Thanks crossfit!

138. Leeboy wrote...

Outstanding performance to all competitors! You all continue to motivate and inspire by your endless dedication and commitment. Thank you all and thank you CrossFit.

I love reading the blogs and all the crazy arguments. Makes me wiser while I sit quietly and collect it all. Entertaining to say the least.

Let's continue to grow, CrossFIt family!

139. Adam Stevenson wrote...

What if the ferris wheel at the carnival broke and rolled over a school bus and crashed into a puppy pampering school?

140. Eric wrote...

Putting a little padding on outfield walls, football goalposts, and basket supports doesn't mean baseball/football/basketball players are scared of injury or that they're soft--it's just the smart thing to do. It's not like gymnasts perform their ring, balance beam, or uneven bar routines above blacktops. I'm pretty sure they have mats below them. The military uses loose sand or pits of shredded tire mulch under rope climbs because, inevitably, someone will take a dive from high up, and it makes sense to minimize the risks of broken ankles and concussions.

141. Moose wrote...

Adam about the ferris wheel: would that be for time or rounds?

142. Joe wrote...

Everyone has a point but it depends on how you view this. I think we can all agree that crossfit isn't just about the physical aspect but also mental toughness to think in an intense situation. How much rest do they take, what kind of technique do I use sine i have not practiced this much back home at the gym, how fast is the guy over there doing it and what round is he on, can I make it up half way and then go the rest of the way on sheer adrenaline. I guess there's a lot to think about but these thoughts are probably lightning fast and a mile a minute through their heads. Nobody can legitimately argue that mats would not be more safe because it obviously would be. The argument for the most part is what does having mats underneath the ropes do to the outcome. Would you have more guys climbing up and trying one more that they normally wouldn't have tried because they don't have the healthy FEAR of not having the mat down below? Fear being the key word, healthy no kidding fear of what happens if you let go and fall from high up. I think no mats make it more intense and more realistic in relation to a real life situation that calls for someone to kind of take the fear and utilize it in a positive way. If the athletes felt unsafe they will say so and the crossfit HQ will make the changes for next year. I liked the no mats but I wasn't the one climbing out there.

143. James Hobart wrote...

Yes. Athletes, judges, medics, volunteers, media, support staff, fans, Thank you all for your time, commitment, and enthusiasm. Like so many have said, this weekend would not have been so enjoyable without every single one of you.

The magnitude of the event still has left me a little awestruck. I first started Crossfit out of curiosity and stay because of the community. The 2010 Games are a resounding example of our awesome community. It was people helping people in order to provide a stage to represent an amazing fitness program that has continually changed my life for the better. I wouldn't ask for more.

Congratulations to all the top athletes and teams--you guys rock. I can't wait to see what next year will bring.

Best,
Jh

144. Diane wrote...

@Bob #23 and Janice #27 Annie DNF on WOD 1 on Friday and WOD 5.Congratulations to Annie, she did demonstrate her dominance in "work capacity across broad time and modal domains".

My remarks are directed to the organizers - if there is going to be a time cap then I think there should be a penalty for DNF, otherwise don't have the time cap.

To the safety issues: I agree there should some accommodations, mats under the rope climbs and water available during the last WOD would have been advisable.

I also question the length of time the athletes were sequestered away. Did they have water and food available? The last heat waited almost 3 hours. To the food question, to plan to eat at the right time pre-workout the athletes would have needed to be told what time they would be competing.

That being said amazing effort by all the athletes, judges, volunteers and media coverage.

145. Michele wrote...

Johnny Beagle,

I'm a practicing attorney, and so, yes, I've heard of assumption of risk. Assumption of risk, would be a complete bar to recovery. However, MOST states don't operate as strict assumption of risk states. In fact, most states have transitioned to a form of comparative negligence whereby the total amount of fault is apportioned between the actors. I'm not in CA, so I don't purport to know the nuances of California tort law.

Nonetheless, as I said before, the doctrine of assumption of risk WOULD NOT protect CFHQ if they themselves were, for example, negligent in putting up the ropes (e.g., in my example where the ropes just fell rather than an athlete falling off).

As I said before, I don't think the argument about whether the athletes assumed the risk is the crux of the issue for most people on this board. It's about recognizing that even if we expect these phenmoneal athletes to do the extraordinary and climb those ropes safely and without injury (in 100 degree weather after two days of greuling competition), we should still take measures to protect them from those "what ifs"--especially if those measures don't damage the integrity of the workout.

In other words, why choose the mostdangerous route?

146. Justin wrote...

#138 / Johnny - California is not a contributory negligence state. They are a comparative negligence state.

I'm guessing #137/Michele is an attorney since she seems to know what she's talking about. I'm guessing you're not since you brought up contributory negligence when only 5(?) states follow that.

The Assumption of Risk argument is one that CF would need to make, as it's their best defense, but it would almost certainly lose...especially in California. Point being that even if they want to take on this badass kind of attitude, it's pretty stupid since financially it's a horrible business decision and it's going to end up hurting the CF Games in the long run.
---
-110/Stephen or whomever --
Most of the commentary in this thread is from people that like CrossFit a lot. When I encourage people from various sports to give some variation of CrossFit a shot, I want to be able to point to the CrossFit Games and show them how solid the competitors are, and how cool the competition is. I'd also like it to continue to grow, with mainstream TV broadcasts (like World's Strongest Man). And, I'd like to have athletes from various disciplines try it to see how they do. I think most of the other commentators have a similar feeling on this.

Most of the Powerlifting/Strongman/Weightlifting organizations are, as far as I know (and I could be wrong) closely held corporations (or LLCs or whatever). People still comment on them. They want to push the sport in a better direction. The same goes for CF.

147. Grant wrote...

Great blog and GREAT CF Games overall. I competed in the Regional Masters and just love the Crossfit Nation. I took my son and he really liked it. The programming was quite good, IMO, it takes a superior athlete to even get to the Games, let alone be in the top 20.
I thought it could've been run a bit more crisply in terms of event start times but it didn't detract too much.
Can't get over how awesome the Top 20 are; just would blow away pro athletes in any sport in terms of overall fitness...
OK, I have a different slant on the Ropes. We were sitting a couple rows up from there and were very close. I actually get what Pat S was saying.. the raw emotion, physicality and yes, danger - made it, to me anyway, a great, deep human drama. I don't know, I was really affected by it. At the peak of exhaustion, and the athletes desperately wanting to win, mentally tough enough to "try when they shouldn't try"...made for a great event, IMO. And, if I may say so, I just think CF, in a very gutteral sense, may think that mats and padding is a bit pussified , if you will, and frankly, I agree with them.

148. Matt Thacker wrote...

Great show this weekend! The free HD Streaming was awesome and kept me watching all weekend! Thanks to everyone for making this possible!

Regarding the rope safety issue, I have never seen a crash mat under a rope climb at any Crossfit venue. The NC/SC sectionals featured a 20ft rope climb (no 'crash' mat), I have been to several affiliates in NC and have never seen a crash pad used during rope climbs. My personal experience is that folks who cannot climb rope very well do not need a crash pad because they are afraid of falling and will not climb and higher than they are able to. I think often times, the fear of falling keeps beginner rope climbers from exceeding their capabilities.

A rope climb is a pretty simple deal. Climb the rope to the desired heigth without letting go. I understand the concern for safety precautions but I think overall Crossfitters accept the inherent risk of climbing rope. Those who do not accept the risk should not climb a rope.

Certainly any competitor knew of should have known a rope climb was possible or likely. These were in fact the 16 most fit men and women on the planet. We all observed that some competitors were more prepared than others and the competitors that were less prepared spent alot of time looking at the rope or shaking their hands out. and very little time falling. Yes, there were some terrible falls but I bet if you ask the competitors who fell, they would tell you that they voluntarily climber the rope, assumed all risk and liability and will now prepare themselves better for future rope climb events.

Extreme sports generally carry some risk with them. Skydivers, Mountain Climbers, Stock Car racers, motorcycle riders and passenger car operators (and passengers) all assume much greater risks that the 20 ft. rope climber.
Do you folks complaining about the rope climb safety issue actually use a crash mat when you climb rope? Doesn't it get in the way of the rope climbing? Do you perform Oly lifts inside squat racks? Do you wear a helmet on your commute to work?

I think a Wilbur Wright quote is in order:
..."if you are looking for perfect safety, you will do well to sit on a fence and watch the birds; "

Thanks for reading and being a part of this great community.

Matt

149. Justin wrote...

I know what comparative negligence does.
I'm not going to get into a "who knows the law better" (esp. since I'm just a 3L) argument with someone over the internet. Obviously Assumption of Risk is the argument they'd make, but there are plenty of situations where plaintiffs assume some degree of risk, but negligence is not excused. I won't keep talking about this because it's not really the right place for it.

150. mike wrote...

thanks for the live feed - i enjoyed watching the whole thing :)

151. Drekum wrote...

Just want to say thanks for the awesome Live Feed and archives of the events. I would have missed alot of it had it not been for the archives. Awesome.

152. Samuel Langhorne Clemens wrote...

This is judge Judy, you have two ears and one mouth. Shut the mouth and open your ears.
Lawyers AMRAP for a waste of time:
Examine cross Examine...3.2.1. GO!
Guys, really?
You guys are doing this for real?
Lawyers Suck. However, CrossFit lawyers suck a little less than most.
You guys are all smart. Smart and able to work hard for what you want, like being an attorney, but you are all also very silly. Silly because you all feel the need to justify and prove yourselves over a law issue. Insecurity!
Ike Clanton said it best: Law don't go around here Law Dog! Savvy? Just keep thinking that we are laughing with you and not at you and everything will be fine from here on out.

153. jim wrote...

The whole "macho" attitude that safety is for sissies and that in real life you won't have crash pads under your climbing rope is unreasonable. You don't have medical staff standing at ready 15 ft away either in real life, but to not have them around would be a disaster waiting to happen.

On another note, does anyone know if a proper infectious disease protocol was being used to disinfect the equipment between use? It seems like all it would take would be someone with ripped, bleeding hands and a blood borne pathogen such as hepatitis B to be running around out there contaminating the equipment.

154. Adam Stevenson wrote...

I dread the day that crash pads and baby wipes become a requirement for the CrossFit Games.

HQ- You have made warriors out of men, and showed boys what it means to be men.
People around the world now know that strength and beauty can exist simultaneously, as evident by the women of CrossFit.

Being "fit" is increasingly more popular because of your efforts, and you have made fitness a sport that can inspire anyone to better themselves.

You nailed it this year; cant wait for next year.

155. Frosh wrote...

I was at the CrossFit Games this year and I have to say I'm a little confused with people "walking away in disgust" during the final rope climb event. When the 12 minute time cap was completed for the final workout everyone in the stadium was on their feet applauding and cheering for the hard work of all the competitors... at least, that's what I saw.

156. Austin Malleolo wrote...

Just wanted to thank everyone that helped out this weekend, judges, volunteers, medics, media and the entire Crossfit community. The weekend was truly an amazing event.
Congrats to Graham and Kristan, you guys rock. It was an honor to compete with all of the athletes this weekend, can't wait for next year

Austin Malleolo

157. Brian wrote...

Jim,
Rest assured my infectious pathogen disease protocol concerned friend. Bleach was used on the bars between use.
Everyone of you with your concerns and your ideas, I would like to bring you up to speed. CrossFit asks for volunteers to help with the games. There is a link that you can use to sign up. You can commit to helping out then and there in the arena or supporting the goings on of the games. All of you with your epiphanies, your insight, your sharp shooting and arm chair critiques can sign up to support your community. You can voice your concerns there and then in person, loud and proud, Instead of sitting comfortably behind your computer, in the safety of being anonymous on the Internet.
"We the willing, do the unforgiving, for the ungrateful. We have done so much for so long, with so little that we can do anything with nothing. Never above you, never below you, always beside you."
Become one of the willing.

158. Chad wrote...

Did the person who wrote this article even watch the final event?

"She (Clever) continued her push to the title in Event 6b, which featured yet another race between the SoCal athlete and Iceland’s Annie Thorisdottir. Valerie MacKenzie Voboril was also very close to Clever’s time."

Valarie led event 6b the entire time, Clever and Annie were chasing her and it when it came down to the end Valarie and Clever tied for 1st. I'd say Valarie was more than very close. It's about time some people start giving Valarie some well deserved credit, she was absolutely amazing!

159. Vitaly wrote...

@Eric #144 - So well put, that there really is nothing to add. All the arguments of "manning up" are just stupid when you take into account what could've (but thankfully didn't) happen.

160. Jay Guindon wrote...

Just wanted to clear something up about my comment on weight classes. I didn't actually mean to publish that, I thought I had erased it because as I was writing it I realized a weight class would be ridiculous. I do however think percentage of bodyweight to determine weights would be a great idea because it keeps things more relative. Whether your 100lbs or 300lbs when you do a pushup you move about 60% of your weight, so all bodyweight exercises are equal. All this about oh well Khalipa is bigger so it's harder...it is not, he is moving the exact same percentage of his bodyweight as the lighter guys, like Speal who I used as an example because he is the smallest. All bodyweight exercises are equal because they are relative to your body and they are the same percentage for everybody. If the external loads were weighted this way it would be, in my opinion, a fairer test of strength because it keeps things relative, and therefore everyone equal. What a lot of people don't seem to grasp is that guys like Speal can only get so big and guys like Khalipa will never be small, but putting them on a more realtive scale could be a better test, or even just an alternative. Also this is simply my 2 cents and is not meant as a criticism to any of the people who were involved in the games this year.

As far as entertainment, I believe this was the most entertaining games ever. I was glued to my seat the whole weekend and was a little sad when it was over because there really is something special about watching these athletes perform incredible tasks. It is so inspiring and really gives me hope for the world when I see people who are fit, healthy, and posess ridiculous amounts of drive, determination, and spirit. These people know what it means to work for something and I believe that is one of the biggest assets in life. I personally was enthralled by the programming this year and thought the weightlifting, metcon, and gymnastics was well balanced. I also thought having the athletes do real world tasks like the sandbag move, and obstacle course was the best test of fitness yet, because it really did show how well CrossFit translates over to real life.

161. James wrote...

Jerry, my crossfit affiliate has mats under the ropes. Gymnastics places too have mats underneath the ropes. Rock climbing places too have mats underneath bouldering walls. Pretty much anything you have to go up free have mats underneath. Hey, even people who go bouldering outdoor bring mats with them. Its a pretty good idea i think.

162. Horse wrote...

@Tanner

bro i LOLD at your 1st comment,

good stats (e.g. fast 5km, fran, heavy deadlift) dont always = elite fitness or worlds fittest man or woman!!

and your comment about Graham "proving he couldnt run at all" did you not think for a second that after an average performance in the run last year he would have ran a lot more,

and trained like the beast he is to get to where hes at!?!?
because he has obviously done that!

GO GRAHAM HOLMBERG, WORLDS FITTEST MAN!!!!!

not Speal not Mikko it was Graham get over it guys, he earnt it!

163. Horse wrote...

Oh yeah, i hope we have an article on the top 5 male and female athletes training again this year,

last years sparked a lot of debate and it was cool to see exactly how the top athletes train!! :)

164. chad mckay wrote...

Horse,

Totally agree with you about Graham being the fittest person in the world. That was the point of the whole weekend.

They tested fitness across broad time and modal domains, and i would bet that given 10 more tests the results would end up the same. if it was unfair to runners why were miko and speal in the top 5? if it was unfair to strongment how come Graham won and hit 285 after super helen?

that is our definition of the "fittest" people on the planet. Any given set of tasks I truly believe that graham and kristen have the widest and deepest range of work capacity.

165. Don Clarkson wrote...

@ Pat and comment 115

"....rest until he had the strength to do another climb. "

That says it all.

Also, great job doing commentary!

Don

166. Jerry wrote...

How is RFJr's heel doing? With fitness like his, he should consider competing in the Olympics. Spealler too, they would totally clean up.

167. Nick wrote...

@157-Thank you for your comment. As an attorney, I was embarrassed to read this spewing of legal doctrines on the Crossfit site. And you are right, attorney's are insecure, and will take any opportunity to unleash their "knowledge" on the lay world. Attorney's have a bad rep for a reason, as was proven on this blog.

Plus, none of them knew what they were talking about

168. Ben S. wrote...

Loved the event and the coverage. Is there more to come? I would hope to see some in depth photo galleries and video, no?

169. Amanda wrote...

Let me start by saying that overall, I loved the Games. Great job with commentators and streaming. I was glued all weekend. Here comes the whining:

157 and 174 - The legal analysis is absolutely relevant. Everyone hates the lawyers until they need one. Laws are implemented to protect people. Does this mean we have to be a nanny state? No. I believe most lawsuits are frivolous, but had someone gotten hurt, this would not be one of them. It seems that lots of folks in the CF community believe there should have been mats and you know who those people are? Peers, as in a jury of your peers. Think on that. HQ should have taken precautions irrespective of the laws, but they didn't. Ah, if we could all do the right thing all the time, we wouldn't need lawyers, but sadly some people just refuse to do the right thing. If they won't do it of their own volition, then maybe the risk of getting sued will make them do it next time. They ducked a lawsuit on this one and obviously did not have an attorney advising (or at least a very good one). Nick, as for being embarrassed about the conversation, I'm only embarrassed for Justin who obviously doesn't know what he's talking about and got schooled by Michele. Nick, as someone who actually knows the law in CA, Michele's reasoning was accurate so I'm not sure why you're attacking it.
If Rich Froning, Jr. is in fact hurt as has been rumored, CF should do the classy thing and apologize and pay for his medical bills. I'm sure Nick, Justin, and some non-lawyers are thinking to themselves, isn't that admitting liability? Here's the law guys (and yes, it matters): In CA not only are offers to pay medical bills inadmissible in court, so are expressions of sympathy. Do the classy thing HQ.

Lastly, I just can't help making a comment about crash pads at affiliates v. crash pads at the Games. It doesn't matter if an affiliate has a crash pad guys. Clients are not climbing ropes under the same conditions as a the Game competitors. Apples and oranges guys, common on.

170. Nick wrote...

Amanda- Classy response, and thanks for the evidence tutorial.

171. Graham Holmberg wrote...

CrossFit Community,

Thank you so much for such a wonderful weekend of competition and coverage. Greg Glassman for starting all of this, my fiance Savanna, my family, Brandon Couden, my friends, Dave Castro, Tony Budding, Bill and Caity Henniger and the Rogue Crew, judges, volunteers, Crossfit media, the HDC, and all of the fellow competitors.

It was an absolute blast talking with you guys all weekend, warming up, goofing around with Rich, Speal, Mikko, Matt Chan, Rob O, Austin, Ben Smith, Braden Lutz, Eric O'Connor, Pat Burke, Tommy Hack so many of you guys I got a chance to talk to. I am very lucky to be a part of such an awesome event and community of people. It is a blessing to come away from the weekend healthy and unharmed. My thoughts and prayers go out to Rich and the healing of his heel. You are one heck of a person and competitor. It was fun chasing you all weekend and I was extremely scared when i saw you crash down from the rope. Speal, you are one beast of a Crossfitter, you have been a huge inspiration for me since i started doing CrossFit, you trully are a freak (in a great way).

There is more to say, but for now THANKS everyone!!

Graham

172. Nick wrote...

Amanda- I am sorry to attack Michele's legal reasoning, as it is assuredly correct. But there are a lot of things we don't know about that often come into play (i.e. waivers of liability) that I can almost assure you every Crossfitter signed prior to competing. What I meant by "don't know what they are talking about" is that it is easy to look at a situation and assume you know everything about it, but that is never the case. It is better to congratulate the athletes, and hope HQ figures it out next time, and be thankful nobody was injured.

173. chad mckay wrote...

Congrats Graham!

There you have it folks. Fittest man on the planet and a classy competitor.

174. Amanda wrote...

Nick - You're right, we don't know the entire situation or what the waiver looked like. A good waiver can do a lot, but it doesn't always get you out of hot water. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured. Hopefully, it is a lesson learned and better safety precautions will be taken next time. You're also right that we should be congratulating these athletes. What an inspiration! They were out there giving it their all. Graham and Kristan, wow, just wow. You guys are beasts! I hope Journal does a similar series on the winners. I need to see more of these guys!

I also want to acknowledge of inspirational moments that weren't "winning" moments of the games. Lindsey Smith on the last workout. She just wouldn't quit. Amazing. Nelly Fernanda Rodriguez on the DL, D/U, pistol WOD. I think someone said that her DL PR was 205. Maybe she didn't complete a lot of rounds, but she gutted out some DLs where she could only previously do one. It takes a lot guts to come out and compete in a foreign country against a field like that and give it everything you got. I also loved the sandbag event. There were some women struggling with a very heavy sandbag and it was so exciting when they'd finally heave that thing over that wall. I hope Journal showcases some of these amazing moments. Oh and the Masters. These guys not only outperform their peers, many of whom can't even make it up a flight of stairs, they can take on most 20 year olds. There are just too many amazing things to list in this post.

I didn't get anything done all weekend because I was glued to the games, doing every bodyweight movement I could try on my living room floor.

Even though I seriously criticized HQ about the safety and there were other small kinks that I won't get into, overall, I praise HQ for stepping up the Games. The IT staff deserves huge props. Awesome weekend.

175. Joe wrote...

amanda,
Do you see athletes sue ESPN when they get injured in the X Games? The risk these athletes are taking is apparent. That's what you're simply not grasping. If you chose to climb a rope when there is no mat there and you get injured, that is not HQ fault. If the scaffolding breaks and kills someone, fine to blame HQ. But the athlete is at fault 100% if they climb a rope and fall on their head. These athletes have extensive experience with crossfit. they are not new trainees who walked into an affiliate off the street.

You like to lecture people on the law but you're ignoring many rerelevant facts and not presenting a persuasive argument. HQ should not offer to pay for anyone's injury. The guy should have used his feet to climb the rope. He went up it without his feet and fell off due to his own wrecklessness.

176. Dave wrote...

182 Joe,

I respectfully disagree with the analogy.

The issue with your comparison is that the X Games are inherantly a very high risk event. That is the nature of that sport. Agreed, those athletes understand that risk.

The Crossfit Games are supposed to determine who are the fittest athletes on the planet. The question is, can they do it without exposing their athletes to UNNECESSARY danger? I think they blew it by making exhausted athletes climb that rope. Obviously there are inherant dangers in simply participating in high intensity events, Olympic weightlifting etc.... There is no way to achieve the goal of finding the fittest athlete without some inherant danger, whether it be extremely elevated heart rates, heat exhaustion, risk of muscle/joint injuries by lifting too much weight etc.... That is all acceptable..we agree on that . But it just seemed that there was a chance, in this case, for a horrific incident and in my opinion it wasn't necessary assuming the stated goal is finding the "fittest athlete". The final event from last years Games was brutal, and achieved the stated goal without the unnecessary danger. The affiliate event had the athletes climb the ropes first, when fresh. That made more sense... I would have had no problem if they simply reversed the order of the final 3 events.

One thing we should all agree on. Thank God nobody fell from the top. This entire conversation would have a different tone had that happened. Also..HQ is allowed to make mistakes. This competition is only 4 years old. The only thing we can all ask is that they learn from these errors in judgement.

Graham and Kristen were both amazing to watch. Wishing Rich F a speedy recovery from his fractured heel.

177. Frank Booth wrote...

Hey Dave, Ponch called...he wants his hairstyle back LOL

178. Graham Holmberg wrote...

Forgot to send a shout out to Doug Chapman, thanks for being my guardian angel through the regionals and the games. It seemed like everytime I had a slight question or unsure on a lift you were right there to help me. The max overhead was really a huge turning point for me, thank you thank you, would love to get up to Hyperfit sometime and work more with you.

Great work to all the ladies, Kristan Clever = unreal! Awesome performance. Heather Bergeron for rooting me on during the sandbag WOD, that was freakin tough!

The best experience. Thanks for changing my life CrossFit.

Graham

179. Amanda wrote...

Joe- I see your point about the X Games, but with the events in the X Games, the steps taken to mitigate risk often defeats the purpose of the event. X Games competitors also have practiced similar moves under similar conditions many times. They have had time to think about and appreciate the risk well in advance.

Contrast that to CF Games: A mat at the bottom of the rope climb doesn't detract from the task of climbing the rope. Unlike X Games, it's unknown and unknowable (although the athlete knows this ahead of time). Yes, they should be skilled at rope climbing, but the conditions are different. They are absolutely exhausted, in the heat of competition, on camera, and people in the stadium are cheering. The rope is actually five feet higher than the standard rope and some of them might have been so tired that they didn't even realize this before starting the climb. There isn't a lot of decision making time when you're mentally and physically exhausted and the clock is ticking.

That said, they do accept a certain amount of risk. As you point out there is a difference between falling and the scaffolding failing. If someone had been seriously injured and if that person chose to sue, then that factor would be considered. The point is, that the liability determination is made first (did CF act negligently?) and then the athlete's assumption of risk is taken into account. It could keep them from winning a lawsuit completely or it could simply reduce the amount of damages. Lots and lots of factors would come into play. We're talking about a hypothetical serious injury. And if we're talking about the injury that did happen, we don't have all the facts. I'm just pointing out what could have happened and what CF potentially exposed itself to because people on the forum have talked about it.

There is also a difference between what should be done prior to the event to prevent injury and whether HQ is liable for any injury after the fact, which means they might have to pay medical bills, pain and suffering, ya da, ya da.

What they should have done prior to: they absolutely should have had mats/crash pads. Even those that think the responsibility falls on the athlete to protect himself would agree because there is the remote possibility that the rope itself could fail. Yup, it's a small chance, but weigh that against the seriousness of a potential injury and the relative low cost of prevention.

After the fact, had someone gotten hurt: I'm not saying that if someone had gotten hurt they should run to sue CF. There is a difference between what the law is and what people think it should be. I'm pointing out what it is and that if someone did sue, it wouldn't be frivolous. That doesn't mean they should win, but it does mean that they would at least have a legitimate claim that should be heard. CF should consider the different scenarios, protect the competitors as best they can, and as a business, mitigate those risks.

180. Ben wrote...

Has anyone noticed the scoring system for the CrossFit Games weights the early events more than the later events? If the events were equally weighted James Hobart, Spencer Hendel and Candice Ruiz advance to the Top 16. Unfortunately Jason Khalipa, Joey Warren and Carey Kepler would not have. Should the scoring be revised?

181. Amanda wrote...

Paul - As a lawyer, I would not give that advice. My advice as a lawyer would simply to be to say that they don't expose themselves any admission of liability by doing so. That's the role of the lawyer.

As CF'er, I think it would be a nice move to make because it was soooo foreseeable that something like this or worse could happen and it could have been easily preventable. We'd all be singing a different tune if something worse had happened. Part of CF's success is the tight knit community feel. For some people, affiliates are like family. Those that train using main site feel like they are a part of a family. If that is CF's company culture, then offering a payment (which is a drop in the bucket for HQ), goes along with that culture.

Someone more well-versed in business might advise against it. That's not my wheelhouse, so to speak. They might argue that it's a slippery slope. What next, paying out for blisters and hand burns? That person might have different viewpoints about what kind of image CF is all about and what the long term effects of that kind of an offer would do. They might also advise HQ to go for it because the relatively small payment would earn immeasurable goodwill in the community. I am a lawyer and a CF'er and I've shared my views from those two perspectives. Paul, I respect your view and respectfully disagree. I may have the minority view in the community and that's fine. It's not my decision to make, but how people in the community feel about it would inform (but not necessarily dominate) any decision about a (hypothetical) potential offer.

182. CF Phil wrote...

All for accepting some liability for each athlete - BUT - for every lift, there is an option to "bailout" Where do you bail out after climbing 20ft in the air? You cant. It was just silly that no mats were down for athletes. Simple, touch the railing at the top, then the athlete must go down, hand over hand, until feel touch mat. If they drop to the mat, it doesent count.

We need a new MC for the games. I didnt think it was fair Castro was telling the last group that they had the best time. If you go through all the hassles of keeping all info "top secret" - then go all the way.

But lets stay positive - besides that - good coverage. Loved the internet archives. Well done!

183. Jackie wrote...

For those thatt dont like the idea of crash pads, for what height would you start having pads? 30ft? 50ft?

184. Chad Cilli wrote...

Programming
I can understand why people are complaining, the lack of a pure endurance event or a pure strength event may have changed the outcome slightly. However, these are the "CROSSFIT" Games. Crossfit being the key word. Mixed modalities and movements are the name of the game. With that in mind, I think the programming was excellent. The workouts were what you would expect for a Crossfit workout. Sure, it would be fun to have a track event or a max clean and jerk event, but you could find that at a track meet or weightlifting competition. You won't find the Crossfit workouts at any other event.

Weight Classes
I always think it's funny listening to this argument. There are guys I train with who are over 300 lbs. I weigh 150 lbs. Even if I deadlifted 450 lbs, I would lose as they all lift around 500. USA Weightlifting chooses their lifters by who lifts the highest percentage of their bodyweight. The smaller athletes will always argue that it should be based on percentage of bodyweight, and the bigger athletes will always argue absolute strength rules. But let me ask you this, strength aside, who is more fit?
But does it really matter? Even if the CFT was an event, it wouldn't make or break the whole competition. So what, in one event the weight was especially heavy. The 135 lbs snatches didn't slow Speal down much. Weight classes, although interesting, would only blur the lines and make it that much more impossible to determine who is truly the fittest athlete.

Safety
Ever watch the World's Strongest Man competition? People are on here complaining about the "lack of safety" in the final event because there was no mat. Guys throw kegs overhead over a barrier where when they miss, the kegs come flying back at them. Atlas stones are dropped, fall off the podiums, etc. X-games anyone? Guys are jumping off platforms at speeds that would probably kill the average weekend warrior. And people are worried about a 20 ft rope climb?
First off, I'd like to say how nice I think it is that people care about the safety of the athletes. Honestly, I think that's one of the nice things about the Crossfit community. In many sports, competitor safety is a non-issue even for spectators. So, I think the Crossfit community should be commended for caring about the athletes.
Sure, someone could fall off, lose their grip, anything could go wrong, but then again, something could go wrong when you're snatching. Heck, I slipped off a pullup bar while butterfly kipping and dislocated my radial head once, should we not do pullups?
I think the "risk" taken on the rope climbs was minimal and justified in a high level of competition.

I thought the games were a great success. The workouts were representative of what Crossfit is, and I think the games were conducted in manner suiting to elite athletic events. Great work!

185. Brett wrote...

Chad Cilli:

That is only true if metcon = crossfit.
IMHO, the unique thing with crossfit is that is mixes metcons with heavy lifts and endurance. I think that the games missed out on testing 2 out of 3 aspects.

186. Alex Kelley wrote...

Not sure if another thread is going into this but I'd love to see a CF Games Series like USAT does. Individual triathlons around the country go on throughout the year with many people of varying skill/fitness levels. Each race has a number of qualifying spots for the Championship event. If someone qualifies early, then they wouldn't take up another spot in subsequent events.

We'd see people travel the country for events that match their personal schedules and needs for qualification spots as triathletes do). We'd also have events much more often with more opportunities for sponsorships, broadcast revenues, affiliate promotional tie-in, and competitor entrance fees. These events would have prize money and continue to elevate the level of the competition so we'd start to see some quasi-professional Crossfitters (outside of the box owners & trainers).

I'd never qualify for the Games but I'd love the chance to be next to Mikko, Graham, or Spealler in a WOD. I could see the 1 or 2 day event being a progressive knockout where each event culls people until a final WOD with more manageable numbers. If there is room for so many road races and triathlons each weekend, there's sure to be enough demand for a CF event once a month or so.

187. Paulo wrote...

Are you guys serious about the crash pads for a 20 foot rope climb or you just trolling? When I was in 1st grade we used to climb a 20 foot rope over a hard wood floor.

If you check out the video for the North Carolina qualifer you can see they are climbing a rope over a hard floor without a crash pad. Not a single person complained.

You people are just looking for something to complain about and it's pretty lousy of you. HQ did a stellar job and you're nit picking and trying to find fault.

LMFAO @ the wannabe personal injury lawyers talking down to everyone too. Go chase an ambulance. If you had a decent practice you'd have something else to do other than troll a board.

188. mike wrote...

"broad time and modal domains" - i agree with above that some shorter and longer WODs would have been nice to see

as someone who has seen up close and personal what a 15' fall can do it seems like a no brainer to take some precautions - a 60' rope clime with harness would have been great to watch :)

189. Shane Rugby wrote...

Adrenaline, fatigue and height is a bad mix. I was fearful for the competitors climbing that high with a possible hard landing 20 feet below. Could be broken leg or, if they got unlucky, a bad back injury. I thought it was a poor choice of final event.

Pat, the analogy with motorcycling doesn't hold. It's a high risk sport. CF isn't supposed to be inherently high risk, is it? If my local affiliate tried that on a competition, I'd be pretty unimpressed. Climbing a 20 foot rope as a sort of "finale" for the weekend was spectacular to watch, but only because of the inherent risk. Graham Holmberg above wishes Rich well with his injured heel. Did that possibly happen when he fell off the rope?

Overall, great weekend, great effort by a small community and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But let's not lose sight of the fact that this is just a fitness competition. And putting someone in a wheelchair with this final event because would have been a tragedy and shame for us all.

190. grambo wrote...

Comparison to X-games is funny, if you know those sports (skiing, snowboarding, moto, skate etc) the athletes know how to fall with momentum to minimize injuries (yes they happen, but those sports are inherently risky). Falling vertically to a dead stop from 20 feet in a fatigued state is worse than falling with momentum on a slope.

Also, what possible benefit is there to not having crash pads? Making it look more bad-ass? There is literally no argument for not having crash pads in an event like that.

191. Adrian Bozman wrote...

I just wanted to say a quick thanks to all the volunteers and staff that worked long, tireless hours and put up with my abuse this weekend (especially Team Judgment!). You guys made it happen. The games could not run as they did without your support. Thanks for the memories and I'm already looking forward to next year.

To the athletes: You guys and girls are awesome. Keep doing what you do! Very inspirational to say the least.

Lastly, if you get a chance to drop a thanks to Tony B, Dave C or Justin B, please do. These guys worked more than people know (bordering on inhuman) to make this event happen. They take a lot of un-necessary heat from the internet crowd (who don't realize what goes into something of this magnitude) despite wrecking themselves for this labor of love. The core games organizational crew are the best. I'm proud to be able to be involved when I can.

Stoked for '11,
-Boz

PS not saying I agree and just playing devil's advocate, but having a crash pad could encourage people to make a riskier choice if they believed a mat would break their fall from the top. Have fun with that ;)

192. Chad Cilli wrote...

Brett:

I agree with you, I like Crossfit as a GPP because of that very fact. As a matter of personal preference, I hate metcons and prefer the heavy lifting and even long runs over something like Diane. It's hard to enjoy being that miserable even if it's only for 3 minutes.

As far as the games though, I think it was fine to move away from the endurance events or heavy lifting. The games workouts were long. Yes, it wasn't a single sustained run, but I think I would classify Crackhead Helen as an endurance event. One could even make the argument that the whole weekend was an endurance event. As for heavy lifting, while there was no max effort event by itself, there was the max overhead on the first event, and the programming was fairly heavy. I don't know about you, but 135 pound snatches and 205 pound cleans are pretty heavy in my book.

Crossfit is not just about metcons, but I think that metcon workouts are at the core of what Crossfit is about. Ask anyone about their first workout that got them hooked. It probably wasn't run 5k or a 5x1 deadlift, it was probably Fran, Helen, Cindy, some metcon that made them go, whoa, that was hard, my old program sucks. More importantly, I don't think an endurance event or an absolute strength event would've changed the outcome by much in the overall picture. The top 3 would probably still be the top 3 even if you added endurance and strength events. I think the programming embodied what is special about Crossfit.

I'm sure I can't change your opinion, but those are the reasons why I have my opinion.

And I forgot to say it earlier, but congratulations Graham Holmberg! I think it's shame there are more people complaining about the games than congratulating Graham for his stellar performance. Where's the love for great competitor? Last year people were going nuts about Mikko, this year people are more concerned about the rope climbs.

193. Josh wrote...

@ Trent:

LOL, spewed milk on my keyboard. So true.

194. TD wrote...

I was sat at home most of the weekend transfixed by the webcast. Truly an awesome undertaking. I love that the internet allows this kind of broadcast without having to rely on the networks.

I can only imagine the amount of work put in by Tony Budding, Dave Castro, and others. I'm guessing sleep was in short supply. They should be very proud of this achievement.

I saw almost no evidence of judging problems, so congrats, as well to the judges. Great work. It has to be heartbreaking to disallow reps when these folks are pouring their hearts and souls into workouts.

Also, huge congrats to our winners. Kristan Clever was just completely dominant. Of course, her greatest achievement is her humility and kindness. Let's not forget a worthy champion in Graham Holmberg. I was stunned at his Hell-en performance and then to top it off by throwing 100 lbs over his bodyweight overhead -- unfathomable. He is a most deserving champion.

I'm fascinated to see how this evolves next year.

195. Grant wrote...

Alex - great idea - I'd love to see more competitions, more often. perhaps a Series of events...
Chad; I concur with thoughts of Crossfit; just nothing like it for all-around fitness to be sure. I think why more people don't adopt it is because its' very nature is so demanding of mental&physical toughness. But the runner, biker and lifter are all good to an extent: the real couch potatoes are home, not moving at all!

196. another take on this wrote...

Some of this angst about the crash pads may be venting disappointment/frustration about the effect that the climbs had on the outcome of the competition.

197. HEADS UP wrote...

Heads up everyone..... the people who are complaining about mats are trolls from the igx forum. they're over there laughing about how they got everyone to argue over something silly.

198. soccerman wrote...

Does anyone know where we can find a video of event 1?

I would love to see that.

Thanks.

199. James Francis wrote...

Awesome! The whole weekend was spectacular. From the cast, crews, judges, programmers, sponsors...thank you so much for the games and their presentation. The announcers were very knowledgeable and only added to the excitement...
It is a very tough task to put on something of this magnitude and to pull it off so seamlessly...

INCREDIBLE

And the athletic performances were simply amazing. The sandbag workout was HELL...

200. Ben Smith wrote...

I want to thank everyone who helped set up the amazing event this weekend! Everything about the weekend was incredible and I cannot thank you enough. Being around so many awesome athletes was inspiring and I am so excited to see what CF will do next year!

Congrats Graham!!!! You are an incredible athlete and it was great to compete with you this year!

Ben Smith

201. mrjling wrote...

Awesome weekend. Brilliant programing! Fantastic efforts of ALL involved.

When are the reports from the doping tests coming? If we don't hear anything, does that mean everybody was clean? If so that would be awesome!

202. Froning Sr wrote...

1st I'd like to congratulate Graham and Kristan, as well as all of the men and women who competed in the games, on an outstanding performance this weekend! You are all champions!

2nd, as far as Jr goes, his heal is just badly bruised. He will quickly recover and be back next year with a new rope climbing technique. Haha (apparently the way I taught him to climb a rope when he was 5, doesn't work so well in a competition?) Oh, and to Paul Steves and your comment about Rich showboating and hotdogging, you obviously don't know him! That's not his style!! And I know he would never say it, but me bein his father, I will! F**k You, you are a dumbass!

3rd, as far as the mat issue goes, I'm not gonna go there! That's a decision for CF to make for the future. But I will say this, all of the things that these CFers do have an inherent degree of danger to them, but in reality that's life! I guess we could all sit on the couch and channel surf, but then again you might break a nail? Move forward!

In closing, I'd just like to say that it was an awesome performance by all of the athletes and I was truely impressed with the sportsmanship that was on display by all of the competitors. In the sports world of today, that is a rare thing to see! Great Job!

203. Trent wrote...

Froning Sr:

"Oh, and to Paul Steves and your comment about Rich showboating and hotdogging, you obviously don't know him! That's not his style!! And I know he would never say it, but me bein his father, I will! F**k You, you are a dumbass!"

Wow, you are really doing your son a big favor by saying that...
It does not only make you look bad, but I think you embarrass your son aswell. Does the apple really fall that far from the tree?

204. Frank K. wrote...

Sr: Forget Trent. Those of that are fathers would feel the same way. Its all good. Plus, Rich displayed top notch sportsmanship out there all weekend.

205. Eric L wrote...

Speachless at how amazing these athletes are. Speachless. CrossFit is forging athletes from another planet. Props to Hobart, Malleolo and Orlando for representing Northeast so well.

Programming was real CrossFit - base of the pyramid is met-con, and gymnastics. There are 1rm and endurance competitions going on everywhere all the time outside the CF community. Our unique blend only happens here.

It was fantastic to get streaming HD all weekend. My only complaint there (has been stated above), announcers didn't always seem to know what was going on. Not knowing names or mistakenly calling out winners or leaders. Often the action was away from the camera as well.

Sure, it didnt happen, but what a tragic way to have ended a spectacular weekend if somebody really had hurt themselves on the ropes. Forget lawsuits etc., just imagine what a friggin downer it would have been if Christy or Rich hadn't hopped right back up. A couple crash pads doesnt a pussy make in my humble opinion.

Holy moly, I can't imagine how much behind the scene work must have gone on and how many thankless hours were put in by staff and volunteers alike. Professional games dedicated staff year round I would think is where we are headed. Perhaps a Games Series. Major congrats to Coach and Staff for your creation.

After such a transporting weekend, its hard to remember that CrossFit is about so much more than just the Games. Equate it to the 1% of 1% that make it to the NFL; playing high school football has benefited thousands. In backyards, affiliates, globo gyms and garages the world over, people have received a game changing education on how to achieve health and fitness. Largely for free and all from a simple website. Cool.

206. Jake Di Vita wrote...

What's funny is everyone is complaining about possible injury and safety precautions and...NO ONE GOT HURT.

This isn't your dad doing 20 ft rope climbs at the end of a grueling weekend. These are "elite athletes." I was worried at first, but they were all just fine AND the people who were supposedly in so much danger never once complained about it.

Build a bridge, and get over it.

207. Froning Sr wrote...

Well Paul you can LMFAO all you want at me, but put these facts in you little fact pipe and smoke em!

Fact 1 That young man, as well as, everyother competitor out there (women included) has more balls than you will ever dream of having, and that ain't just his father talkin! Where were you when they were all competing??

Fact 2 Rich was out there bustin his ass, competing with the best in the world, trying to get the job done. He was doin what he felt he had to do to win. He slipped off the rope and fell!

Fact 3 Some idiot/ dumbass comes along and has to make some ignorant comments about him, not knowing a damn thing about him, that couldn't hold a candle to his character, work ethic or drive!

Paul, I think it best that you keep your dumbass on the couch eating bon bons, keep your ignorant comments to yourself and sit back and watch Jr bust his ass along with all the rest of his fellow CFers out there!

PS....

Fact 4 Your a F***ing Dumbass, and I'm done with you!

208. Vitaly wrote...

I'm gonna go with Froning Sr on this one here. Paul, you sound like a douche who should learn to show some respect and shut up.

209. Billy@SinCity CrossFit wrote...

The CrossFit game were incredible to watch. So many amazing performances. The programming was perfect. It had a 1rm and the last 3 wods were 28min of straight work. A lot better than having a 5k. If they added another 1rm and an endurance event, it wouldnt have changed the outcome. I loved how the last wods kept them guessing and messed with their heads a little bit. I didnt see anyone walking out, and everyone was on their feet giving it up for the athletes at the end of the rope climb wod.

Everyone complaining about crash pads are just trying to find something to complain about. We dont use them at our gym and we have 25ft ropes. If someone doesnt know how to climb or is too tired, then they dont go up that high. Part of CrossFit is being able to think and function when you are extremely fatigued. Everyone who is calling HQ negligent is being ridiculous.

Also it would change the wod if they did have pads. They would have no fear of fulling and would be letting go from the top. Some workouts are supposed to be mentally tough. Having pads just teaches athletes to go higher than they are able to. If you dont have the strength to come down, then you probably shouldnt go up.

Paul Steves is obviously a troll. Rich Froning jr showed great sportsmanship all weekend. He would crush workouts and always stay to cheer on and help out the other athletes. He fell cuz he didnt know how to use his feet, not because he was hotdogging. He impressed the most with his amazing work capacity and his ability to push through pain.

With a different scoring system that acounts for margin of victory, Chris Spealer might have come in first. He is on another level when it comes to gymnastic movements. He definitley deserved the spirit of the games.

And of course, Congratulations to Graham. He was so consistent and really had no weaknesses. Great job by HQ for running such an awesome event. Cant wait til next year.

210. Tom wrote...

The Games and the athletes' performances were incredible, but I also thought the final event was unsafe and that the Games dodged a bullet that no one got hurt. Something to learn for next year, but using crash pads and/or putting that event earlier in the final triplet of workouts would have been smart.

211. Sister Froning wrote...

I dont get along with my dad (Froning Sr.) on a lot of things, but Paul & Trent you really are idiots.. This is my brothers FIRST year doing this, & I think he's pretty damn good at it considering he took first in sectionals AND regionals! every single one of those competitors did awesome! I was at sectionals & regionals to cheer him on! & honestly, I've never been so proud of anyone in my life! I don't recall seeing EITHER of you out there busting his ass like he was? I bet the marines & fans were asking your family questions about you? You dont know how many times I got asked what planet he was from or what in the world is in him to do so damn good!!! So yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with my dad on one thing! Screw YOU guys!

212. Nick wrote...

Seeing people have to defend their family members on Crossfit is disheartening. This is a community driven sport, and it is all about encouragement and selflessness, as exhibited by Rich Froning Jr. in the Games. If the people on this blog talking S about Froning Jr. knew what it was like to compete at a world-class level, and to have the mental strength to push through pain for ONE rep, or ONE rope climb, then maybe they wouldn't be so critical. But, they obviously don't, and probably are Globo Gym sally's who think a workout is 3 sets of 10 reps of flexing, followed by a Muscle Milk shake. Life will catch up with their sorry a**es, and us Crossfitters will be laughing when it does

213. Vitaly wrote...

In response to Trent's deleted comment saying that Froning Sr and I had the same address:

We have the same IP address? I live in Australia, I'm assuming (a fairly safe assumption) that Froning Sr lives in the USA. Perhaps your h4x0r skillz aren't as l33t as you might think?

214. Froning Niece wrote...

My uncle Rich is the best! If he didn't whack his foot bone he would have won it all.

215. Leo wrote...

Does anybody else has the felling the exercises at the games favored a little more the smaller body type than bigger ones? Yes there were a couple even for the bigger stronger body type but the rest were not.

I’m all pro crossfit and wouldn’t change it for anything, BUT I got the feeling the events were not balanced for both bigger and smaller body types.

216. Bulldog wrote...

Thanks for streaming the Games! Blown away by the volunteer man power and insurmountable energy and effort behind the scenes to pull it off. I believe the programming was genius and the athletes' dedication unmeasurable! Scoring and safety will evolve, no worries there. Congrats to the top 3 men and women, be proud, be humble, utilize the attention to come to promote and live the brand!
A quick brainstorm regarding max efforts, I agree that weight classes are against the grain when it comes to our revolutionary evolution, but one idea is to subtract bodyweight from the lift... IE the 3rd event shoulder to overhead, Speal lifts 225 lb and gets a score of 85 based on a body weight of 140lb... An idea.
Lastly, Froning Sr. - my dad would be online putting peeps in their place too, nice work man

Lastl

217. Ray wrote...

Might as well ask here, but what's a "squat snatch"?

218. Jeremy wrote...

It should be measured by a percentage of body weight. In essence, I weight 150 lbs and the exercise calls for 200% weight, therefore I am lifting 300 lbs.

This will test true endurance and fitness. Some of us simply aren't big enough to be on the same level but proportionally blow the competition out of the water.

219. johnny wrote...

I agree with #3. And I just finished watching the 2011 Championship but I think Spealer and Smith and Bridges are the fittest men on the planet. They're 20-40 pounds lighter than Froning Jr and the other big men!

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With age, bones become thinner women are becoming brittle. At the age of forty years in women increases the risk of vertebral fractures and hip. Fractures in these places are very dangerous to human life http://miralina.net/?p=187 . This is due to the disease osteoporosis. In osteoporosis the bone begins to lose its strength, its structure is changing, it becomes more porous. With age, the growth of women is declining - it is a sign of osteoporosis.

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