Legends Masters Competition Announces Regional Qualifiers for 2021 Season
The organizers of the Legends Masters Competition have announced new changes to the qualifying standards for their annual championship, creating a season for masters athletes. Among the sweeping changes is that the new season will now include Regional competitions that will serve as a qualifier for the championship event.
- “It’s been in our plans to expand our season and provide masters opportunities for live, in-person qualifiers,” said Legends Masters Competition organizer Joe Linton. “We are thrilled to be doing this in 2021 in a way that compliments the CrossFit games season.”
The details: The Legends Masters Competition will now have three pathways for qualifying for the championship.
- The season and qualifying starts now with registration to the 2021 CrossFit Open.
- The Open results for masters athletes will serve as the online qualifier for the Legends Masters Regionals.
- The Legends Open, an online qualifier specific to the Championships, returns as the primary qualifying event.
- The top division finishers at the 2021 CrossFit games will also be extended invitations as the final qualifier.
- Fourteen divisions (35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65+) will be tested in all qualifying and championship formats, seven each for men and women.
Regionals:
- The Legends Masters Regionals will consist of four, three-day competitions in the United States.
- The four Regional competitions will take place between May and July at four different locations.
- Two of the four locations have been confirmed with Wichita, KS and Peachtree Corners, GA hosting the Central and Southeast Regional competitions respectively.
- Locations for the West and Northeast Regionals are being finalized and will be announced soon.
- Athletes are not restricted to the Regional they have to attend and are not limited to how many Regionals they can compete at.
- Each Regional will have at minimum one qualifying spot for each division.
- Qualifying spots are dependent on if the winner of the division was a top-5 finisher at the 2019 crossFit Games or 2020 Legends Championships.
- If that is the case, then an additional spot will be given to the next top finisher.
- Additional spots will also be given to that Regional for every five CrossFit Age Group Online Qualifier athletes from this year’s Open competing at that particular competition.
- The maximum number of spots available for each division will be five.
2021 Legends Open:
- The Legends Open will be held from August 26-September 23, and will consist of six workouts and can be done as many times and in any order as that athlete wants.
- Registration for the Open begins on May 10 and closes on September 23.
- All six workout scores and videos must be submitted by 5PM PDT on September 23.
- The first round of invites will be sent out on October 11 with the second round of invites going out on October 14.
- Approximately 400 Championship spots will be available through the Legends Open.
2021 CrossFit Games:
- At the conclusion of the 2021 Games, the organizers will send out automatic invitations to the top 5-10 top finishers from each division at the Games.
- Numbers will vary depending on age group and participation numbers.
2021 Legends Masters Championships
- The season will culminate at the Championships which will be held December 9-12
- The four-day competition will feature at a minimum ten events.
- After being held in Goodyear, AZ this past year, the Championships returns back to its California roots for the upcoming season.
- More information will be released in the coming weeks.
The bottom line: After the success of the 2020 Legends Masters Championships despite challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic and a call from masters athletes to have their own competition season, organizers Linton and fellow organizer Bob Jennings have answered. They have been able to create what appears to be a sustainable model with sponsors, prize money and most importantly willing partners who share their vision. This gives the ever-growing masters athletes the opportunity and motivation to compete in other events outside of the Games season that are specific to their divisions and fan-base.
