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]

Sometimes laughter is the best medicine. Pat Sherwood, of CrossFit HQ, is quick to deliver humor in most situations. On the eve of the competition, after the daunting itinerary of challenges had been announced, Pat needed a dose himself. "I'm here to go as far as I can and then cheer for Chris Spealler," he said.Sherwood finished sixth in the Mid-Atlantic Qualifiers in 2009.

After talking about strategy for the Affiliate North Pad WOD, conversation turned toward the 7 kilometer run, namely strategy for the downhill portion. "I'm calling it controlled falling... I guess... I'm gonna try not to roll both of my ankles and dislocate my hips. If all else fails, I may jump on Rob Orlando's back and ride along, like Yoda."

He commented on the formatting of the Games as well, which was not exactly to his liking. "I like to deadlift fresh... so the deadlift event is going to be a unique experience. We shall see."

Sherwood Interview ... [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.

Glory Dawson (22nd overall) from CrossFit San Diego and CrossFit BWI was the only person (male or female) to compete in both the affiliate competition on Friday and the individual competition on Saturday. She writes about that experience.

I was completely stoked that I had just qualified for the 2009 CrossFit games from the Mid-Atlantic Region. I was in 2nd place at the end of the first day and things were looking good. However, after the grueling final workout of snatches and chest-to-bar pull-ups (21-15-9) I finished in 5th place. The snatches weren't too bad, but those crazy chest-to-bar pull-ups were tough!

Again Faster made a highlight video of her affiliate competition ... [wmv] [mov]
Carey Peterson made a highlight video of her individual competition ... [wmv] [mov]

Leading up to the qualifiers, I had been training at CrossFit BWI in Glen Burnie, MD, just south of Baltimore. I credit my success at the qualifiers to my awesome trainer and friend, Ryan Thompson. Ryan pushed me hard and always encouraged me to do my best! After the qualifiers, CrossFit BWI decided to enter a team into the Affiliate Cup. I was so excited that part of my CrossFit family would also be at the games in Aromas and have a chance to compete as a team. We could cheer for each other.

In early June, I moved to San Diego, CA to stay with a friend. Moving was tough right before the Games. It took a week to drive across the country and it really affected my

Continue reading ...

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 top athletes at the 2009 Games were remarkably consistent in their placings, even on Day 1 when they were competing against 70+ other athletes.

The events were extremely varied. There was a 7km run over widely varied terrain, a max deadlift event, a 170m hill sprint with sandbags, a row/sledgehammer event, and a traditional CrossFit couplet (wallball and light squat snatches).

Amazingly, Tanya Wagner's (1st overall) worst placing on Saturday was 11th (Run). Her best was 5th (Couplet). Tanya's affiliate is CrossFit Apex.

Carey Kepler from CrossFit Central (3rd overall, pictured) finished 42nd in the deadlift, but finished no worse than 3rd in the other four events. She dominated the couplet, finishing a full minute faster than second place (Sarah Dunsmore), and nearly three minutes faster than anyone else.

(Perhaps of interest in the picture is the very slight time delay from live action to what appears on the Jumbotron screen in the background. On the screen, she is slightly above parallel on her way down, whereas you can see live that she is below parallel. You can also see Jeb Smith and Denise Serrano from CrossFit Marina operating the camera.)

No other woman in the top 7 overall finished below 35th in any single event on Day 1. The men's competition was tighter (average score for the top 7 women at the end of Day 1 was 56 compared to 73 for the men). The most consistent man was Tommy Hackenbruck from Ute CrossFit. His worst placement was 24th (deadlift). He won the Row/Sledgehammer event (4:36).

Jason Khalipa from CrossFit Santa Clara had the most dramatic performance on Saturday. He finished 72nd (third from last) on the run and earned his way into the top 16 with two first place finishes (deadlift and couplet) and two 13th place finishes (sandbag and row/sledge). On Sunday, he finished 2nd in all three events.

The worst placements from the other top 7 men was 44th (Blair Morrison on the deadlift and Peter Egyed from CrossFit Fury on the sandbag sprint). If Khalipa had finished 44th in the run instead of 72nd, he would have tied Mikko for 1st overall.

Mikko Salo's (1st overall) worst placement was 32nd in the row/sledgehammer. He finished 2nd in the 7k run on Saturday and 1st in the chipper on Sunday.

"There is no wooden platform. Only rolled rubber, stretched over a concrete pad and coated with the thin, obnoxious dust of the Aromas desert," writes Jon Gilson about the Event 6 Snatch competition on Sunday morning at the Games. He continues:

Luminaries with red and white lights are replaced by blue-clad Judges, some qualified, some not, all with hands held high.

The contenders eschew the singlet fashion of the sport; their wooden-soled shoes the only vestige of traditional Olympic weightlifting garb.

Dead silence is a joke, drowned out by a fierce, screaming crowd and the hate music rocketing from the speakers.

The California sun slow cooks the barbells, each resting against a log marked with a number that has no bearing on the task at hand.

Ten minutes. A stack of plates. Power snatch or squat snatch, split or not. Rip it up smoothly, press it out ugly, it doesn't matter. Just get it over your head. Max load wins.

Continue reading ...

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]

CrossFit brings together competitor and spectator like no other sport.

It's a bit like being the parent of a gymnast at the Olympics. But we're not the parents of these athletes. In many cases, we don't even know them. But we've followed their journey. We cheer their victories. And our heart cries when they falter. We understand. No matter what our Fran times, max deadlifts, or muscle up ability, we understand. We understand because we, too, are CrossFitters.

We see the looks on the athletes' faces as they expand boundaries, pushing the limits of body and mind. We know what they are feeling. We've been there. Most of us will be there again soon. This is what is different about the CrossFit Games. Our physical capacities may be different, but our hearts and soul are the same. Burpees suck for everyone!

Continue reading ...

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!

CrossFit by Overload was one of five professional film crews covering the Games this year. Jordan and Paula Gravatt, Rory Mckernan, Ange Worthington, and Lamarr Smith have worked around the clock to produce the videos of the competition you've seen so far. We're tremendously grateful for all their work.

The CrossFit by Overload 2009 Games Highlight video ... [wmv] [mov]

We have a lot more content coming for you from Sevan Matossian and Carey Peterson, the Again Faster crew, and Marty Cej and John Buffone of BNN fame in Toronto. The fifth team is a documentary film crew from Iceland commissioned to produce a show on the Games for Iceland National TV.

And, for next year, we're already working on a plan to stream the Jumbotron presentation live to the web!

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 ...

The Final WOD of the Northeast Regional Qualifier was brutal. It was an extremely taxing workout of the following:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of:

Power Cleans (155/105)
Chest to Bar Pullups
Kettlebell Swings

In this video from Again Faster, we get a look at many of the competitors during this workout, including many of the athletes who qualified and that you will be soon seeing in Aromas.

Northeast Final... [wmv] [mov]

The Dirty South Regionals have come and gone but the videos keep coming in. The crew at Again Faster recently sent this video of some of the top female competitors doing the day 2 workout.

Dirty South Day 2 Female Highlights ... [wmv] [mov]