Just like that, Regionals is over

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“With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable.” — Thomas Buxton

QUICK. QUICK.

Catch me up.

This is your editor Justin wrapping up the final week of CrossFit Regionals competition. You might be wondering why yesterday’s edition came in a tad later than usual. Well, I fell asleep after watching the finals in Sydney, Australia and forget to hit that “schedule” button. My bad.

After three weekends, the top 40 men, women and teams have been chosen. We’ll have more on that later this week, but in the meantime here are the top stories from the final day of regionals competition.

1. Ben Smith makes history. While Becca Voigt qualified for her 10th CrossFit Games, Ben Smith became the first athlete to qualify for 10 consecutive CrossFit Games’ as an individual. Here he is beating Travis Mayer to the finish line in the final event. Here’s a quick look back at Ben’s history at the CrossFit Games:
   
   2018 — ?
   
   2017 — 8th
   
   2016 — 2nd
   
   2015 — 1st
   
   2014 — 7th
   
   2013 — 3rd
   
   2012 — 11th
   
   2011 — 3rd
   
   2010 — 8th
   
   2009 — 64th
2. Food for Thought: Is the CrossFit Open finding the fittest athletes? Athletes who received an invitation to Regionals in the second wave — after the original invitations are sent out and either accepted, declined or declared on a team — were never realistically considered podium contenders. After all, they didn’t technically qualify. This year, however, two athletes who would otherwise not have competed at Regionals punched their tickets to the big show. Last weekend, Pablo Chalfun went from 30th in the Open to overall winner of the Latin America Regional. Then this weekend Royce Dunn, 32nd in the Open, took 4th at the Pacific
   Regional. 
3. The Meridian’s Cinderella story. Let us introduce you to Stephanie Chung. She wasn’t even on our radar screen after Day 1 in the Meridian Regional, that’s because she sat in 27th place. But two bad events don’t make a weekend, and Chung continued to climb up the leaderboard sitting in 8th after day 2. Here’s where we get to the fun part. Still 30 points out in 8th place, she won Event 5 then her 4th place finish in Event 6 caused a tie with Alessia Joy Wälchli. Because Chung had a higher single event finish — 1st in Event 5 — the tiebreaker went to Chung. 
4. The CrossFit Games casts a wider net. At the Meridian Regionals, France and Italy qualified their first individual athletes and Spain qualified their first team. Adding to those ranks are Mexico and Brazil’s first individual athletes and Colombia’s first team. 
5. Eight Meridian teams forced to withdraw. Only nine teams in the world finished Event 5, but eight teams in the Meridian Regional didn’t even meet the minimum work requirement and couldn’t advance any further. Among all other regions, only 10 teams combined didn’t meet the minimum work requirement. However, only four teams among 30 at the Meridian Regional actually fielded a team last year. One inconsistency we did notice was that Meridian teams didn’t get their scores posted unlike teams in other Regionals. 
6. Who’s not returning? Here are the Games veterans not going back to the CrossFit Games: Brandon Swan, Mitch Sinnamon, Jessica Coughlan, Sammy Wood, Jason Smith, Phil Hesketh, Travis Mayer, Aaron Hanna, Nathan Bramblett, and ZA Anderson.

FLIGHTS BOOK.

Next stop Madison, WI.

Pacific

1. James Newbury | Tia-Clair Toomey | Reebok CrossFit Frankston
2. Dean Linder-Leighton | Kara Saunders | Schwartzs CrossFit Melbourne
3. Khan Porter | Justine Beath | CrossFit 121
4. Royce Dunne | Courtney Haley | CrossFit Athletic
5. Zeke Grove | Maddie Sturt | CrossFit East Tamaki

Meridian

1. Rasmus Andersen | Jamie Greene | CF Riviera Team
2. Elliot Simmonds | Lauren Fisher | Cape CrossFit Wolfpack
3. Lukas Esslinger | Eik Gylfadottir | CrossFit Valley Road
4. Willy Georges | Stephanie Chung | CrossFit Norte Redondela

Atlantic

1. Noah Ohlsen | Cassidy Lance-McWherter | Team Soul
2. John Coltey | Emily Bridgers | Raw Training
3. Ben Smith | Mekenzie Riley | CrossFit Balance
4. Alec Smith | Whitney Gelin | Dwala Rangers
5. Ethan Helbig | Paige Semenza | Hustlehard CrossFit

Things To…

WATCH: Sober Sunday’s

Tim Mustion from CrossFit HYPE started using Oxycontin in 2013, which then turned into a heroin addiction. Through a long road to recovery, Tim discovered a love for CrossFit and that passion took him to the 2018 Atlantic Regionals to compete as an individual.

RECOVER WITH FITNESS.

HEAR: Mayhem’s Regionals Recap 

A week after sending two teams to the CrossFit Games, CrossFit Mayhem team members break down their weekend at the Central Regional. 

TUNE IN.

EAT: Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes with Wild Blueberry Maple Syrup

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PANCAKES ARE THE BEST.

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(E)PIC’ ONE UP.

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• AFTER-SCHOOL CROSSFIT — Hannah Beets teaches third grade in Kilgore, TX. In 2017, she started a free after school program called Ignition Station to ensure that disadvantaged students have an opportunity to get fit. 

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES (a highlight reel around social media of CrossFit pros and average joes) 

Lauren Fisher got her own Rogue t-shirt • We totally missed this marriage proposal which happened at the Meridian Regional • This is what it looks like when your female WOD partner is way fitter than you • James Townsend hits 5 high hang power snatches at 225 pounds. 

…and this might be the best clean and jerk save on the planet. 

Fourth-place qualifier Whitney Gelin talking about competing after Event 5…“It helps just to keep things in perspective. I mean we’re here working out like don’t make it any bigger than that. We all want a spot at the Games right? That’s why we’re here. But at the end of the day we’re working out. Enjoy it. There’s so many people that aren’t on this stage and this is our way to kind of represent them, and maybe the potential of those little girls out there watching us, to do our best to potentially be there one day.

“You go out there and you have fun and you give it your all. That’s all you can do and your all is enough. If it ends up your way and you end up above the red line, awesome. If not, I had an awesome weekend getting to represent 12th State CrossFit … I’m grateful for every moment.”

“A Plus-Size Girl Fitting in a CrossFit World” by Jessica Solomon, Morning Chalk Up

My name is Jessica Solomon, and I’m a plus-size CrossFit athlete. Even at my fittest in high school — while I was involved in basketball, softball, track, the dance team, swimming, rock climbing, hiking, and whatever else I could do to be active — I was still considered “plus-size.”

My journey with CrossFit started in the fall of 2015 when my husband and I decided to try to get in “good enough shape to join CrossFit” at our local YMCA. Getting in “good enough shape to join CrossFit” is not a thing, by the way. I have seen some pretty fit people get stomped by CrossFit WODs right along with me. That’s when I found out that one of my Facebook friends was moving back to my town and opening up a CrossFit box. We joined CrossFit Bayou Bluffs the first week it opened, and we haven’t looked back since.

I would see pictures from other CrossFit boxes, and their members all looked pretty fit. I began to feel like I may be doing nothing but embarrassing my coach and the owners of my box by being there. Over time I’ve gained confidence in myself and my body, and I am learning that these thoughts are a lie.

6/8 – 6/9: Bricktown Throwdown (Bricktown, OKC)

6/9: Beastette Bash at CrossFit Ananda (Arlington, TX)

6/9: Gulf Coast Games (Mandeville, LA)

6/9: WOD Wars 6 (Humble, TX)

6/9: Big Orange Brawl (Knoxville, TN)

6/9: Heroes of the Platform (Meridian, ID)

6/9: Triple Crown Fitness Event (Greenville, NC)

6/9: 3rd Annual Masters Main Event  (North Ridgeville, OH) 

6/9 – 6/10: The Heartland Games 2018 (Chicago, IL)

6/9 – 6/10: Alaka’i SUPER Summer Slam (Kapolei, HI)

6/9 – 6/10: The Battle of Amsterdam (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

6/10: Contra Costa Throwdown (Concord, CA)

6/16: Battle on the Creek (Johns Creek, GA)

6/16: Full Battle Rattle (Robinson, IL)

6/16: East Coast War (Wilmington, NC)

6/19: Gauntlett VIII – River Rumble (Portsmouth, OH)

6/22 – 6/23: Urban Street Games (Rock Island, IL)

6/22 – 6/24: The Bacon Beatdown (Daytona Beach, FL)

6/23: Garage Girls CrossFit Grit (St. Simons Island, GA)

6/23: 2018 Summer Swolestice (Gresham, OR)

6/23: HAMCO Heat (McLeansboro, IL)

6/23: The Greenville Games (Greenville, SC)

6/23: The Burn Out (New Bern, NC)

6/23: Battle of the Border (Phenix City, AL)

6/23: Battle of a Beauty with a Beast (South Hadley, MA)

6/23: Clash for Cash (Wiles-Barre, PA)

6/23 – 6/24: Asbury Park Summer Games (Asbury Park, NJ)

6/23 – 6/24: The Dakota Games (Fargo, ND)

6/30: Summer Stampede (Bethlehem, PA)

6/30: Battle of the Ballpark (Seattle, WA)