From, "In Pursuit Of Sunday," by Again Faster. "In the stadium it's hard to know where to lend your attention. On one end, the defending champions from CrossFit Oakland. On the other is CrossFit Santa Cruz Central, and CrossFit legend Annie Sakamoto. In the middle are teams like CrossFit One World and Front Range CrossFit out of Denver, Colorado."

"If CrossFit Central was a favorite for who they sent to the individual competition, Front Range CrossFit would be their equal for who they did not. It was announced at the conclusion of the Rocky Mountain Regional Qualifiers, that the top three female competitors, all from Front Range CrossFit would forego the individual competition and participate instead in the Affiliate Cup."

After the wall balls put an end to CrossFit Oakland's hopes of a repeat victory, Front Range took an early lead and maintained it. Jeremy Christofferson, who took 18th place in Rocky Mountain Qualifier despite a broken hand, lead the team into the final deadlift portion of the event. Front Range posted the best time of the day in the Stadium Event, but it was not enough to place them in the top 5.

Stadium Arcadium ... [wmv] [mov]

In a deleted clip from, "In Pursuit Of Sunday," by Again Faster, Affiliate teams use different strategies to maximize their points in the North Pad Event.

Will Dotterweich of CrossFit Sacramento tripled 245 on his overhead squat and narrowly missed 275, as the crowd watched on. "I've been training the snatch a lot, so this event just fit into my training really well."

CrossFit Silicon Valley took a more relaxed approach. "Plenty of time, plenty of time," said a casual looking Tim Dymmel. Something paid off and Silicon Valley finished fifth in the North Pad Event. CrossFit Norcal took first overall for the event, with a score of 958.

Affiliate North Pad Action ... [wmv] [mov]

CrossFit Oakland was crowned the 2008 CrossFit Affiliate Cup Champions. After a rocky start in the stadium event this year, they were unable to close the gap for a berth in Sunday's final, despite an 8th place finish in the run event. Mike Minium, owner and coach of CrossFit Oakland, breaks down the weekend, and the changes his team will make for next years competition.

"We got hung up on the wall balls (in the stadium WOD) which cost us a lot of time." The weights were standard, but the target was set higher. All four athletes had to complete 30 reps before moving on. Mike was expecting to make some serious ground in the stadium event, but good plans often deteriorate when the clock starts. "What are you gonna do? That's competition."

The team managed to roll with the punches as well, despite their disappointment. "I'm proud of my team, after the first workout it would've been easy to give up... but in the very next workout we took first in our heat."

Going into the North Pad Event, Team Oakland knew their strategy was to just 'hang in there' as it was an area where they needed to develop more. They managed to finish the event with 764 points, keeping them right in the center of the competitor field.

On moving forward, Mike spoke like a wise competitor. "Weaknesses were exposed so we're gonna go back to the drawing board and figure out how to make us better as a team."

Video from, "In Pursuit Of Sunday," by Again Faster.

CrossFit Oakland Mike Minium Interview ... [wmv] [mov]

Think you had a gnarly commute to the CrossFit Games. The affiliate team from CrossFit Copenhagen in Denmark spent a cool 20 hours in the air closing the roughly 6,000 miles to Aromas. Pair that with a short notice entry into the competition and their presence is all the more impressive.

They finished the weekend in the 41st spot, highlighted by securing 20th overall in the run event.

This video, From "In Pursuit Of Sunday," by Again Faster, follows the team through Fridays events.

CrossFit Copenhagen video (also seen on the main site) ... [wmv] [mov]

CrossFit Central entered this year's Affiliate Cup as a favorite. Owned by Jeremy Thiel, who finished 3rd in the 08 Games, Central sent four competitors to the individual competition, dominating the Hell's Half Acre Qualifier. With such a high concentration of elite athletes, there was little doubt the affiliate team would be a force.

Andy Lewis, a coach at Central, narrates a portion of this clip from, "In Pursuit Of Sunday," by Again Faster. He describes being humbled by the Aromas hill, in spite of having a strong running base.

"My arms and legs, my chest and stomach were blue... just from lack of oxygen that my lungs took up from the hill. The strategy was for me to get the lead, then the ladies would maintain it." Kris Kepler, a competitor in the 2008 Games, served as anchor for Central and managed to keep them at the front of the pack.

Kepler rallied, and Central had the fastest time up to that point in the competition. CrossFit Flagstaff followed with CrossFit Copenhagen finishing a dramatic third. By the end of the day, Oregon CrossFit had the fastest time at 11:09.

CrossFit Central finished second overall in the Affiliate Cup competition, just behind Northwest CrossFit and one point ahead of CrossFit NorCal.

Central Run video ... [wmv] [mov]

With assistance from an all star foursome, Dave Castro breaks down the performance criteria for the final event of the Affiliate Cup. As a team, with males and females working simultaneously in most cases, competitors charged through 75 Squat cleans, 150 toe-to-bars, 150 box jumps, 75 heavy thrusters, 35 muscle ups, 150 burpees, and 150 double unders, in that order. The final stretch of the event called for overhead walking lunges down and back the length of the stadium.

The Chipper style event tested both the stamina and technical proficiency of the athletes, much to the chagrin of the crowd. There was an audible rumble of excitement from the stands when both the muscle ups and double unders were announced. Teams could rely heavily on one member for these movements. "One person could do them all if you wanted to," Castro reinforced. Individual competitors, who had to complete the same course with different repetition schemes, did not have that luxury. Some individuals who were placed highly entering the final event failed even to complete it.

Crossfit Invictus took first place in the event by edging out Crossfit Calgary in a nail biting finale. Northwest Crossfit placed fourth in this event, but with an overall low score of 23, took first place overall.

Affiliate Cup Final Standards... [wmv] [mov]

The first stand alone Affiliate Cup was a soaring success. 96 teams from affiliates around the world competed under the Aromas sun on Friday. Reasons for participating varied drastically amongst the teams. Some came solely for the community dynamics that the format reinforced, while others embraced a love-of-the-game-let's-just-have-fun approach. Both of these motivational underpinnings could be found in varying degrees with all of the teams we spoke to, but an elite few teams had something additional on their minds - winning.

Michael Gregory, aka Big Mike, of Crossfit Central lives and breathes Crossfit. He takes this stuff seriously for himself and his clients. "I believe everyday is a battle. Without a constant pursuit to achieve more every single day you are living statically and a totally wasting life's moments," he said in his last blog prior to departure for the 2009 Games. "I am moving forward and constantly setting higher expectations for myself. Crossfit has come into my life and we have used it to continue to set higher standards for ourselves and those around us."

The team format delivered unique challenges and restrictions. It called for more planning and strategizing. Successful teams were highly in touch with the strengths and weaknesses of each participant. "Our team is comprised some phenomenal athletes who have all stepped up to the challenge of earning their spots. Each competed at the Qualifiers and did outstanding. I am proud to lead them, and confident that we cannot be beat. They know what I expect and they have prepared themselves better than anybody out there prior to the competition."

With elite peers like Jeremy Thiel, Lance Cantu, Carey Kepler and Crystal McReynolds in the individual competition, it's no wonder that Central had such a strong affiliate team."Is it War? Maybe not! But there is no mistake that we are going there to win! Jeremy and Lance to podium in the individual competition and myself with our Affiliate Team," Big Mike stated confidently prior to Aromas. This mindset served them well. Of the almost 100 teams that competed on Friday, Central was one of six teams that qualified for the final event on Sunday. In a dramatic last minute recount it was determined that Central could clinch the top spot on the podium providing they cross the finish line first and Northwest come in last.

This video catches Mike in the shop immediately after the standards for the Affiliate Cup finals are dictated (video of the standards coming soon). When asked for his reaction to the event, Mike hardly pauses. "It looks crazy and it makes me anxious," he says. You would never know it from his demeanor which is calm and collected. "In a hopper style workout like this, you just never know how tired you're gonna get. But to me, that's CrossFit. If your whole body is taxed... you get towards those final two reps and you've just got to gut it out, that's CrossFit."

Big Mike on Strategy and teamwork... [wmv] [mov]

Northwest CrossFit won the Affiliate Cup this year with a dominant performance on Friday.

Jake Platt, the owner of NW CrossFit, talks about the win, their prep, and why it was so unexpected in an interview video from Again Faster ... [wmv] [mov]

They didn't really plan to compete in the Games until the last minute. But when they decided to enter, they played with both ends of the specialty program with CrossFit Football and CrossFit Endurance workouts, as well standard CrossFit programming. Next year will bring a greater push for the Games, as well as some of their 500 members aiming for the Individual competition.

A host of media teams covered the 2009 CrossFit Games from every angle, and footage is now being compiled for DVD releases showcasing all the action from Aromas.

In this video, director Patrick Cummings of Again Faster talks about the final event of the Affiliate Cup Patrick Cummings Interview Video ... [wmv] [mov]

Originally, Northwest CrossFit was guaranteed the win even if they finished last in the final WOD, but after a scoring error was detected, CrossFit Calgary was added to the five-team mix. With six squads in Sunday's WOD, CrossFit Central could have claimed the crown if they finished first and Northwest crossed the line last.

The final event didn't play out like that, but Cummings found drama in the WOD nonetheless.

"There wasn't a team there that wasn't gunning for first place in that last event, ..." he said. "I didn't think enough to realize that there was going to be inherent drama in that because every team was going to be going for it. So at the end of the day it was still a fantastic event."

The drama was provided by CrossFit Invictus, led by Sage Burgener, and CrossFit Calgary, featuring Brett (AFT) Marshall, who finished second in the 2007 CrossFit Games. With a vocal crowd behind the team from San Diego, Invictus edged the Canadian squad by only 7.1 seconds in a hard-fought race to the finish.

Catch all the action on the soon-to-be-released Affiliate Cup 2009 DVD.

The crew of CrossFit Again Faster recently provided us with their video of the North Pad Workout for the 2009 CrossFit Games Affiliate Cup.

Each team had to select their top two men and two women for this event. They had 20min for each team member to get their 3RM Overhead Squat (max load for three consecutive reps) and to complete three max-rep pull-up sets.

The team's score was the total of each athlete's max load on the OHS plus the total number of pull-ups completed by the team's 12 sets (three sets each by four athletes).

CrossFit NorCal won the event with a score of 958. CrossFit Invictus came in second with 951, and CrossFit South County was a close third with 949.

North Pad workout - video ... [wmv] [mov]

The crew of CrossFit Again Faster recently provided us with their video of the Stadium Workout for the 2009 CrossFit Games Affiliate Cup. The four-person teams had to complete the following workout for time:

30 Wallballs (20lbs/14lbs) each, then all four athletes complete all four of:
Row 300m
30 Box jumps (24")
30 KB swings (24kg/16kg)
30 DB Push press / Push jerk (40lbs/25lb)
Then 30 Deadlifts (225lbs/135lbs) each

The workout certainly tested the athletes. This video does a great job of giving you a feeling of being there and seeing the action. The competitors as well as the crowd are captured.

Front Range CrossFit dominated the workout with the quickest time of 14:20.9. San Francisco CrossFit followed with 15:49, and CrossFit Central right behind them at 15:55.

Stadium workout - video ... [wmv] [mov]

Highlights from the Affiliate Cup Hill Relay Run from CrossFit Again Faster ... [wmv] [mov].

Oregon CrossFit pulled out the win on the run with a time of 11:09. Windy City CrossFit came in right behind them with 11:18. In third, the eventual overall champs, Northwest CrossFit finished in 11:27.

The event was a 2500m (approximately) Hill run relay

Rules:
1. The first athlete will run one lap (approximately 500m) carrying a short piece of PVC.
2. At the completion of the lap, there will be a well marked transition area in which to pass the PVC to the second athlete, who runs one lap with the PVC.
3. This repeats until all four athletes have run one lap with the PVC.
4. The team then runs one final lap together.
5. The clock is stopped when the last athlete crosses the finish line holding the PVC. If the last athlete to cross the line isn't carrying the PVC, the clock stops when that athlete grabs the PVC.
6. There is a 20min cap on this workout.

Obviously, the athlete running fourth had the added pleasure of a second immediate lap with no rest. This made for some interesting team laps!

Congratulations to Northwest CrossFit!

Northwest CrossFit team members were Paul Zavaglia, Zak Middleton, Alex Vlaski, Lindsey Dion, Amanda Barelli, and Laura Asbell. They had a dominant performance on Friday. Out of the 97 teams competing, they finished 12th in the OHS/Pullup (897), 3rd on the run (11:27.9), and 4th on the Stadium workout (16:02.8).

This put them in a phenomenal position for Sunday's Finals. After the scoring error was clarified, there was only one way they could be caught and not take the cup. If they finished last in the final workout AND second place CrossFit Central won the workout, then Central would take home the cup. Technically, they would have tied, but Central would have won the built-in tiebreak process.

Well, Northwest didn't come in last (and Central didn't come in first). They finished 4th, with a time of 35:10. In the workout, only one male and one female athlete were allowed to work at one time (with the exceptions of toes to bar and muscle-ups, for which only one athlete could go at a time).

CrossFit by Overload made this video of them ... [wmv] [mov]

Allison Belger writes about her experience as part of the TJ's Gym / CrossFit San Rafael team in their quest for the Affiliate Cup.

CrossFit by Overload also made a video of them ... [wmv] [mov]

I am 39 and will turn 40 in October this year. I started CrossFit approximately 15 months ago when my husband decided to convert his personal training gym to a CrossFit Affiliate, TJ's Gym/CrossFit San Rafael.

I was a reluctant participant at first. As with countless others, I eventually became hooked. I had been a soccer player. Like many former competitive athletes, I made great strides early on. But an injury sidelined me from December 08 to April 09. I was frustrated, angry, and bothered. I went to physical therapy and worked with a chiropractor doing Active Release Technique. I rested and rested and went for lots of runs up flights of stairs to keep in shape and stay sane.

All the while, there was talk at our gyms about sending a team to the Games for the Affiliate Cup competition. We have some pretty amazing athletes in our program. The prospect was exciting, but life was busy, our kids were already spending more time than necessary at the gyms, and I was injured.

My husband, TJ, and I decided to postpone the final decision until April. Meanwhile, we needed to focus on running our business, managing my time doing my "real job" as a psychologist, raising our girls, and getting me healthy.

April came, and our potential team roster had changed. I was given the okay to get back into CrossFit, but one of our star women was out due to pregnancy and a broken wrist. We still had some serious contenders, most of whom were parents of young children with busy schedules. Ultimately, we decided to give the Affiliate Cup thing a try, figuring it would be a great experience. We knew we'd be going for fun and not to win. For us, it was all about community.

The details of our team training are simple. We struggled to find even one time each week when we could all get together. By the time the Games came around, we had not had one practice with all team members present.

Continue reading ...

There will be three workouts for every team on Friday, July 10, 2009.

General Affiliate Cup Rules
1. Each workout will be performed by two men and two women from the team.
2. If the team signed up more than the four athletes, they can assign a different set of two men and two women for each workout.
3. The movement standards are typical HQ unless otherwise stated.
4. Each team will be ranked according to their time or score relative to the other teams for that workout. Their final score for the workout will be equal to their rank.
5. The five teams with the lowest score after all three workouts will compete on Sunday in the final workout.
6. Teams will benefit from strategies that consider the relative strengths of their athletes, particularly in terms of the work/rest demands of different positions in the workouts.

Stadium Workout
30 Wallballs (20lbs/14lbs)
Row 300m
30 Box jumps (24")
30 KB swings (24kg/16kg)
30 DB Push press / Push jerk (40lbs/25lb)
30 Deadlifts (225lbs/135lbs)

Rules:
1. The wallballs are performed one athlete at a time, starting with the women. When all four athletes have completed the wallballs, they move on together as a team.
2. The middle four drills are then performed together in "Annie R U Ok?" format, meaning all four team members start at different stations at the same time. They rotate in the order listed once all four athletes have completed the rowing and reps. When all four athletes have completed all four drills, they move together to the deadlifts.
3. The barbell will be pre-loaded with 225lbs. Both men will perform 30 deadlifts each, and then the team will be responsible for removing 90lbs. Both women will then perform 30 deadlifts each, and the clock stops.
4. There is a 20min cap on this workout.

Hill Workout
2500m (approximately) Hill run relay

Rules:
1. The first athlete will run one lap (approximately 500m) carrying a short piece of PVC.
2. At the completion of the lap, there will be a well marked transition area in which to pass the PVC to the second athlete, who runs one lap with the PVC.
3. This repeats until all four athletes have run one lap with the PVC.
4. The team then runs one final lap together.
5. The clock is stopped when the last athlete crosses the finish line holding the PVC. If the last athlete to cross the line isn't carrying the PVC, the clock stops when that athlete grabs the PVC.
6. There is a 20min cap on this workout.

North Pad Workout
3-rep Overhead Squat plus
Max total pull-ups in 3 attempts

Rules:
1. Each team will have 20min to record the above efforts for all four athletes.
2. Each team will have one pull-up bar, one barbell, one rack, four 45lb bumpers, two 25lb bumpers, two 15lb bumpers, two 10lb bumpers, and four 2.5lb plates.
3. In any order, all four athletes must perform exactly three sets of max pull-ups. Pull-ups are standard ROM, and will be judged by middle of the neck reaching the height of the bar.
4. All four athletes perform the heaviest 3-rep overhead squat possible (as many attempts as they want within the 20min time limit).
5. The greatest successful loads lifted by each athlete are tallied, and added to the total reps for the 12 sets of pull-ups performed to become the team score.
6. The team with the highest score wins.

2009 Affiliate Teams and Numbers
2009 Affiliate Cup Friday Schedule

Oregon CrossFit out in Bend, OR is just one of many affiliates who will be sending a team to compete. They made a video of their team ... [wmv] [mov]

Affiliate Cup List of Competing Teams

Right now, there are 96 teams registered for the Affiliate Cup competition on Friday, July 10th, 2009. The first events are scheduled for 0900.

We will be announcing the format or structure of the competition shortly. The workouts themselves will be announced Wednesday at 1400 PDT. There will be many posts this week on the logistics of the weekend. Please check back often and spread the word.

The basic rules are that an Affiliate Team can consist of a minimum of four to a maximum of six athletes, plus one coach (optional). The team needs to have a minimum of two men and two women. You must actively train at the affiliate facility to be part of a team.

All the workouts will be conducted as team workouts with teams of four. Two men and two women will be competing at one time as a team. This will allow team captains or coaches to substitute members prior to an event based on team members' individual strengths and weaknesses. No substitutions can happen within the workout itself.

Affiliate Cup Team Registration is Now Closed

A grand total of 99 teams have registered, so we're going to have a tremendous competition. It is on!

After some restructuring and finagling, we have found a way to have all the teams compete on Friday only.

THERE ARE NO THURSDAY HEATS

All the affiliate teams that signed up for Thursday's heats are now competing on Friday.

The top five teams from Friday's competition will compete on Sunday in the Finals for the Affiliate Cup Title.

Good luck to all!

There are still spots open for the Affiliate Cup, but registration will close officially at midnight tonight.

You do not have to have your team members assigned yet. If you are ready to challenge the finest CrossFit teams on the planet for total affiliate world domination, register online now.

Complete Affiliate Cup Rules and Information

CrossFit Games 2007 Top Affiliate - CrossFit Santa Cruz
CrossFit Games 2008 Top Affiliate - CrossFit Oakland
CrossFit Games 2009 Top Affiliate - ???

New Thursday Heats for the Affiliate Cup

Because of the tremendous demand for the Affiliate Cup competition, we are opening up a new set of heats for Thursday, July 9, 2009. Everything will be the same as the heats on Friday, and the top five teams from both days together will compete on Sunday morning for the championship.

Click here for the full details on the Affiliate Cup Competition.

Click here to Register for Thursday. You don't have to have all your team members assigned yet. We will notify you when your final list of competitors is required.

CrossFit Oakland will be seeing some heavy competition this year. In little over twelve hours, all 75 team slots for the Affiliate Cup have been sold out. Due to the overwhelming response, we are hoping to allow in a few more teams if the logistics can be worked out.

One team that will be gunning for the top prize is CrossFit Santa Cruz Central (pictured from way back in April 07).

Register Now! SOLD OUT!

Note:
There is one registration per team. You don't need to have the final list of athletes yet. We will give notice when the final determination needs to be made.

Only one team per affiliate is permitted.

All athletes on the team must actively train at that affiliate.

One team consists of four to six athletes (at least two men and two women) plus up to one coach.

Registration is Now Open!! SOLD OUT!

Pictured: CrossFit Oakland's winning affiliate team at the 2008 Games.

The CrossFit Games 2009 Affiliate Cup Challenge will start early on Friday, July 10th, 2009. There will be 1-3 team workouts (format to be announced later). The top 5 teams from these days events will then move forward to the Affiliate Cup Finals on Sunday morning, July 12th (prior to the Men's and Women's Top CrossFitter Finals). The winning team on Sunday will then be the 2009 CrossFit Games Top Affiliate.

An Affiliate Team can consist of a minimum of four to a maximum of six. The team needs to have a minimum of two men and two women. You must actively train at the affiliate facility to be part of a team.

All the workouts will be conducted as team workouts with teams of four. Two men and two women will be competing at one time as a team. This will allow team captains or coaches to substitute members prior to an event based on team members' individual strengths and weaknesses.

Workouts and the scoring system for Friday will be announced the week of the event. The workout for Sunday's finals will be announced Saturday night.

Athletes who qualify for the men's and women's individual competition may also be included on an affiliate team. Just understand they will have three days of multiple grueling workouts, and will be competing against others who are only in one event.

We recommend having tryouts and competitions within your affiliate to determine your team of four to six athletes. But that is just a recommendation. All teams are welcome no matter the ability or level of competitor. Scaling will be available on Friday, though it will disqualify you for Sunday.

Registration for teams will be open from now until May 22, 2009, or when all spots fill up. The team registration fee will be $200.

Note: You do not need the final list of competitor names to register the team.

There will be a cash prize and the winner will also get to keep the Affiliate Cup in their gym for the year.

CrossFit Games 2007 Top Affiliate - CrossFit Santa Cruz
CrossFit Games 2008 Top Affiliate - CrossFit Oakland

ANNOUNCEMENT!

The dates for the Affiliate Cup registration have changed.

Registration for the Affiliate Cup will open at 0600 PDT on Monday, May 11th. It will be open until 1800 PDT on Friday, May 22nd, or when the event is sold out, whichever comes first.

You do not have to have your final athletes determined at this point. You just need to register the team.

Teams will be comprised of four to six athletes, at least two men and two women. The additional two athletes will be allowed to rotate in according to rules forthcoming.

Please spread the word.

View image

CrossFit Oakland took the 08 Affiliate Cup with a dominant performance. What are they up to now, you ask? We sent Sevan and Carey to find out. They caught up with them on Saturday, Dec 20th, 2008 in the middle of an internal team competition. The workout was three teams of three athletes competing in a Linda-type workout. They're looking damn strong, too!

The Affiliate competition in 09 will be team workouts. What that means at this point is anyone's guess. We do know the majority of the competition will take place on the Friday before the individual competition, with only the top five teams going on to the Finals on Sunday morning.

In this Part 4, we see the end of the workout, and hear about what it's like to row 1,000 meters in 3:02 and win a C2 Indoor Rower.

Got anything to rival Oakland? Let us know. We'd love to post it here. Contact Tony for information about sending in video and photos.

Oakland Prepares for 09 Part 4 ... [wmv] [mov]

Enlarge image

In preparation for the Affiliate Team competition, several of the San Francisco Bay Area affiliates got together for Bay Area Royal Rumble 1 at Diablo CrossFit. CrossFit Oakland, CrossFit Solano, CrossFit Unlimited, CrossFit One World, and CrossFit Santa Clara showed up with teams of four or five athletes. The heat was on!

200 Box Jumps
200 Deadlifts
200 Thrusters
400m Run with 20lb vest
4 Rope Climbs
50m 2-person Tire Carry

CrossFit Oakland took it. Next!

Royal Rumble video ... [wmv] [mov]

2min 57sec

PS Anyone see an opportunity for judging ROM at these Rumbles?

Enlarge image

CrossFit Oakland took the 08 Affiliate Cup with a dominant performance. What are they up to now, you ask? We sent Sevan and Carey to find out. They caught up with them on Saturday, Dec 20th, 2008 in the middle of an internal team competition. The workout was three teams of three athletes competing in a Linda-type workout. They're looking damn strong, too!

The Affiliate competition in 09 will be team workouts. What that means at this point is anyone's guess. We do know the majority of the competition will take place on the Friday before the individual competition, with only the top five teams going on to the Finals on Sunday morning.

Got anything to rival Oakland? Let us know. We'd love to post it here. Contact Tony for information about sending in video and photos.

Oakland Prepares for 09 Part 3 ... [wmv] [mov]