THE SOUTHERN CALIF(IRNIA REGI()NAL :.- :]N TRUSCHEIT'S SMILE REMINDS EVERYONE THATTHE ^ :-e final heat of Event 7 at the
::-:nern
California Regional, Allison
---scheit was the first to the barbell
.':er two rope climbs. She did all four '3--ib. squat cleans touch-and-go and
:-er -::p
dropped the bar, heading to the for her second round.
3-e had only taken a few stePs when ^=:judge stopped her. shouting and ;=:--uirng lulaus)) lDr hel 1o gel DacX
:- ::e
]OY OF COMPETITION IS ONE OF THE BEST PARTS OF CROSSFIT
Whether she placed fourth or l6th, she
Although she didn't make it to the
smiled.
Games this year, Truscheit stood out
from the crowd all weekend. Her joy in "When I'm tense, I tend to over-think
competing to the best of her abilities
things and I don't do a goodjob"'
reminded everyone that CIossFit, above
Truscheit said. "When I'm having a good time ... I'm going to relax and
all. is a hell of a lot of fun.
get through the workout and the pain
doesn't seem so Painful." \\ssq\eJs\<ssNs<\saFlsrs\sq*-a\<\
pain. ln 2012, she withdrew before the
bar.
final Regional event due to dehydration
--,scheit
had forgotten to move the :a-bell to the next spot on the mat, a
-::uirement before proceeding to the
and heat exhaustion even though she
s:eps before going to the rope.
said.
-1e event was streaming live. Cameras
"l do so much better when I'm happy. I
don't do well when people say, 'Go
:acked, and Truscheit was competing -ext to Kristan Clever, Rebecca Voigt,
faster!'or'Get a move on!'My friends
- rdsey Valenzuela and Valerie Voboril-
signs like,'Allison, your hair looks great!'
some of the biggest names in CrossFit.
That puts a smile on my face," Truscheit
know how to motivate me with those
said. : was a big error, especially in an
:vent expected to last only about five
With a fair but ruthless judge
Tinutes.
scrutinizing reps and screaming fans loading pressure onto athletes, it's hard
-ruscheit's reaction was unexpected:
to remember that the whole thing is
sre smiled widely, smoothly power-
supposed to be fun.
:leaned the bar and moved it to the
iorrect spot. Then she ran to the ropes, a smile
still on her face.
But Truscheit never forgets. Make no mistake-Truscheit is a serious
-ruscheit had been smiling all weekend"
athlete. She trains hard and competes
',,Yith
fiercely. Even after her costly mistake,
her cheerleader-style hair in a
ligh ponytail topped with
a big pink
row, Truscheit grinned through heavy :verhead squats, chest-to-bar pull-ups and boxjumps.
IHE REGIONAIS
.td
event. "This year was so different," Truscheit
stadium was
d-
was in ninth place overall going into the
'::e climbs. The error cost her: she had :: clean the bar again and walk it a few
,','ere everywhere. The
.t?
she f inished fourth in Event 7 and ended up in seventh place overall.
('
I
THE N(}RTHERN CATIF(IRNIA REGI()NAT NEWCOMER MARCUS FILLY BEATS VETERAN PAT BA{BER BY TWO POINTS, EARNING HIS FIRST TRIP TO THE GAMES A
window opened three years ago: in
"The final
workout-if you could write a workout that's up my alley-that's up
After taking a moment to recover,
his f irst-ever CrossFit competition, Marcus Filly beat Pat Barber in one
my alley," Barber said.
in front of his cheering fans, getting
event. But Fllly had beaten Barber before. He A
window opened, and a glimmer of an
idea formed in Filly's head: maybe he
just had to do again. lf he could finish
hugs and high-fives. Barber walked over and gave Filly a hug, congratulating him on his win.
could do it. Maybe he stood a chance
the event ahead of Barber, he'd take the fourth spot and go to the cames. lf
against the giants of Norcal.
Barber placed above Filly, he'd return to
the CrossFit Games. All three female
Carson in July.
qualif iers-Margaux Alvarez, Alessandra
Glassman's original CrossFit box,
For most of the rope-climb/squat-clean
familiar names have always topped
Pichelli, and Ashley Car riv eau -ar e first-time individual Games competitors.
event, Filly and Barber were neck and
the leaderboard: lason Khalipa, Neal
neck. Every time he got to the rope,
Maddox and Pat Barber, who has been
Filly looked over at Barber, checking his
doing CrossFit since high school.
progress. The two made it to their third
ln NorCal, home of Coach Greg
Through three years of hard work and relentless training, Filly thought
Maddox.
still close in the f inal set of four squat
fourth place. He was one point ahead
clean. Filly saw it happen just as he
slight lead, but the race was
cleans. Then, Barber missed another
of Barber. With 2008 Games champ
caught the heavy barbell in a front
lason Khalipa all but certain to win the
squat.
Regional and open a fourth Games spot
wavered. Then
for male individual athletes, Filly knew
For a moment, he
what he had to do.
his face hardened into a mask of determination. This was it: miss this lift and he was out; make it and he was in.
or Maddox, but I know I can beat Pat Barber," Filly said.
Slowly but surely, Filly stood up, got the all-clear from his judge and stepped on
Barber had years of CrossFit
the finish mat to stop the clock. He had
experience. He'd competed at the
beaten Barber by five seconds and he
Games several times. Not only that,
was going to the Games.
THE REEI{INALS
the Games.
known CrossFit athletes who can show them the ropes in Carson: Khalipa and
clean. lt was Filly's chance.
competition at the 2013 NorCal Regional competition, Filly found himself in
him.
men, will also be making his first trip to
Then Barber missed a 225-lb. squat
He got a
Barber said Event 7 was tailor-made for
Garret Fisher, who took third for the
They'll be joined by two very well-
him hope. Then, on the final day of
"l may not be able to catch Khalipa
Filly won't be the only new face at
set of cleans at almost the same time.
about the time he beat Barber. lt gave
70
Barber got to his feet. Filly was standing
THE ASIA REGIIINAT .'COLETAINATONGOSH0WCASESHERFIERCEDETERMINATI0NINEVENT6
The 90 feet of walking lunges at the end
As
the 2013 Regional comPetition
"When I picked uP the bar, Candice
unfolded, Tainatongo's plan seemed t0 be working. She entered Day 3 in first
was in front of me, and I thought,'lf somebody is in front of you, you have to
place, with three first-place finishes
push yourself to catch her,"'Tainatongo
On paper,
it's hard to get Past 100 double-unders, 50 handstand Push-
behind her. ln Asia, however, there's no room for error. The region only sends
said.
ups, 40 toes-to-bars and 30 shouldersto-overheads with a heavy axle 0nce
one woman, one man and one team to
of Event 6 brought even the toughest athletes to their knees, so to speak'
those are out of the waY, the walking lunges, also with the axle, seem like an
afterthought. lust pick up the bar and walk to the finish line. EasY daY.
the Games. lt's first place or bust' Tainatongo wanted to leave nothing to chance.
However. as the Regional competitions
The event started off with an admitted weakness: handstand Push-uPs She
unfolded, it became clear that as much as the athletes did not want to drop
thought if she could do l0 at a time, she'd be fine. Things didn't go as
the heavy axle bar' most of them could
planned. Fatigued from two daYs of competition, Tainatongo only managed
not go unbroken on the walklng lunges'
losh Bridges, The lunges-a Akinwale. not Elisabeth
Not lason KhaliPa, not
to do three or four handstand push-ups at a time. lt was going to take her much
When Howe dropped the bar, Tainatongo made her move. Tainatongo
started lunging, and she didn't stop' Howe, who had cleaned the bar and started lunging again, paused at the top of each lunge with her feet together to rest. Tainatongo had no time for rest if she wanted to win. She started to pick up speed, moving as though she was carrying a PVC pipe, not a i00-lb. axle Howe droPPed the bar again, and
Tainatongo sailed past-smooth, strong' confident. lust as she had planned'
longer than she thought to get to 50'
Tainatongo won the event and went 0n
the very best CrossFit athletes.
Meanwhile, next to her, second-place Candice Howe was doing sets of l0
had worked.
one woman in the Asia Regional did what many could not. Determined not
handstand push-ups with no problems' Tainatongo was falling behind. Howe
"lt's so real now," Tainatongo said after
challenge perhaps as much mental as physical-proved to be arduous for even
to miss her shot at the CrossFit Games' 5-foot-5 Nicole Tainatongo completed
the entire 90 feet of walking lunges without droPPing the bar once.
2il2
and f inished fourth. She was
so f rustrated by not making it to the Games she maPPed out a Plan for 2013 on the flight home. Tainatongo didn't
have any Paper, so she made due with ,,vhat she had. Her plan of attack, which sne saved all year and brought with her :1e 2013 Regional comPetition, was
:: ,',
-
::en out on the Plane's barf bag.
her win. "l've worked really hard and
held onto her lead through the toes-to-
sacrificed so much, and now I am going
bars and the shoulders-to-overheads' Tainatongo was closing the gap'
to the Games!"
but Howe kePt working, not letting Tainatongo catch her.
Tainatongo, of CrossFit 671 in Guam, competed at the Asia Regional in
to take f irst overall. The barf-bag plan
Then Howe started on the walking
lunges. Tainatongo still had eight shoulders-to-overheads to complete before she even started lunging Howe was about halfwaY across the floor when Tainatongo racked the bar and
started her lunges.
THE NORTH CENTRAT REGI(INAL -]SHSILVERNAILBARELYMAKESITINT0REGI0NALSBUTCOME$OUTlNTHETOPl0 an "Efldurance has never really been
make it losh Silvernail almost didn't Battling to the North Central Regional' placed pneumonia during the open' he
issue," he said.
qualifying' 49th, one spot away from
Silvernail drew on that endurance the competition' and with
in the top 48 However, if any individual was declined his invitation' Silvernail the when get the call f irst in line to
he found hard work and consistency' f inal the of himself in the final heat appear on event on SundaY' He would of the event' sharing
invitations second round of Regional the cusp' on the inboxes of athletes
just barely ln the end, the athlete who made it into the Regional competition 7 and finished in fourth place in Event
throughout
hit
the live broadcast Games the f loor with 2012 third-place Games finisher Kyle Kasperbauer and
he didn't When Silvernail got the email'
and lustin competitors Phillip Kniep
waste any time'
Allen.
"l dropped what I was doing'
a Heighi can be considered disadvantage in some CrossFit
felt l|ke immediately registered and electric someone hit me with those so I was revive You' paddles that stoked," he said
movements, such as handstand Pushare ups, but those disadvantages that favor the balanced by movements wall-balls and rope climbs'
tall-rowing,
Once at the Regional comPetition'
out for him' Silvernail had his work cut athlete's The heats are based on an meant which OPen' placement in the the of Silvernail was at the bottom to move up' opening heats. lf he wanted he would have to fight' away' He Silvernail got started right
lackie' with a time finish of 5:26. Other than a 26th-place in Event 3, the burpee/muscle-uP Silvernail workout, the 6-foot-3' 208-lb' 20 consistently finished in the top
took 12th in Event
1,
throughout FridaY and Saturday's events. worked his Slowly but surely, Silvernail former way uP to the toP heats' The finished arena-football player who -lth in 2012 lost some strength during - s : ,iress, but he said his stamina is
:
,',
.:
on' a'is something he can count
'!Ol3HALS
To kick
off Event 7' Silvernail extended cutting and jumped into the air'
his arms
in half' his lS-foot climb almost
for me 'This one was a definite forte with my rope being able to jump up that he said' height. So I took advantage"'
first athletes Silvernail was one of the legs were off the roPe. Knowing his Silvernail else's' longer than everyone set of bother running to his first didn't
so long' he squat cleans. His stride was to walked. The crowd, unaccustomed
this eventseeing an athlete walk in wild' heat-went tinal especially in the WhY
was he walking?
plan' and he stuck But Silvernail had a rope it. He usbd his height on the
with
cleans as climbs and completed the possible' as quickly and efficiently
took 1Oth overall' Silvernail "l didn't do well in qualifying"'
better said. "But there isn't anything making the last one the best'" than