Open 21.2 - Week 2 Review
I’m sifting through the binder of paperwork the committee presented me for Week 2 of the 2021 CrossFit Open, and this might be the most comprehensive week to date. Spreadsheet after spreadsheet of point calculations and weight totals. Film study for no-reps and split times. Photo contests of spirited attire. Somehow they have managed a decision on which team will top Week 2, but this race is far from over.
If 21.1 didn’t go full motion sickness with its constant inversion, 21.2 sent the butterflies the full distance…we had a total of five pukers in 21.2. This is a gym record. Good job! I also just dropped my pencil and it took me 10 minutes to pick it back up, thanks dumbbell snatches.
21.2 = 17.1, and the repeat didn’t disappoint. We have seen many repeated Open workouts in the past, many of which were performed in consecutive years. Four years separates the time between the two tests of dumbbell snatches and burpee box jumps. Forty-eight months to show consistent training and commitment to your fitness. Two-hundred and eight weeks of getting stronger, faster, and more efficient. Fourteen-hundred days of burpees. Four years of successful box jumps and some successful shin-dingers sprinkled in.
In CrossFit, there is such a thing as a second chance.
The committee saw athletes get time capped in 2017 and finish all 225 reps in 2021. They also witnessed athletes perform the workout RX after scaling four years ago. Some athletes shaved 3+ minutes off of their previous performances!
Great job CFP.
The key to success? Showing up day after day --never trying to win the race-- but building brick by brick, and trusting the process.
Also, four years ago, we didn’t have such spirited teams and fierce captain-leadership. The committee knew that this would boost the effort and the scores to another level. And after Week 1’s fantastic show of can-do and dress, Week 2 was only going to be bigger and better.
Let’s get to it!
Dress. I don’t think this decision could have gotten any harder for the committee. Sometimes the most simple dress code can be the most difficult: “Sports Fan.” You know most teams will roll in representing their favorite NFL team, or their favorite point guard’s jersey, but how do you separate yourself from the pack? For starters, I had to talk down the committee so that they didn’t give out their first-ever deduction of points to Team Hangin’ with the Power Queens. Cheeseheads are frowned upon by the committee. And always will be. This was almost more inappropriate than the year Senior’s Moments wore diapers. Luckily, Hangin’ with the Power Queens did not lose any points. However, despite their great coordination, they did finish last for dress in Week 2.
Well on their way for the sweep in uniform, Team Social as _eff takes Week 2. I mean... they managed to convince Jen Vanderwall to dress in a wrestling singlet. Top that! Melissa McGeehan looked like a regular Brandon Inge. But don’t take my word for it, see it yourself.
Second place in dress will go to Team Superspreaders. Not for their great coordination, actually they’re not very good at that, but for the badassery of Michelle Sysko rocking her letterman’s jacket from Ferris, and Darren Brissette showing off his thunder-thighs in his too short of shorts and his BRONCO STAMPEDE shirt from Western. Pretty sweet to see the ol’ college athletes showing their pride.
Performance: Another big win for Captain Uli’s team The Superspreaders! This is a huge victory that puts them back in the race after a poor Week 1. In Week 2, the test came down to total load lifted from the ground to the overhead. If an athlete scaled the work, the likelihood of getting 150 repetitions (the total amount of Dumbbell snatches in 21.2) was much greater. Heavier weight, athletes likely achieved fewer reps. Number of reps multiplied by the weight of the dumbbell used was the score. Team Superspreaders lifted a total of 67,600lbs from ground to overhead. This is the same amount of weight as collectively tossing a Humpback whale over their heads. Impressive stuff. Way to go Superspreaders.
Spirit: This one goes to the defending champions, the fan-favorites, the old folks, the savvy veterans... Team Seniors’ Moments. They show up early, they stay late. They stick and stay together through thick and thin. They have a team Doctor tending to their aging bones, ligaments and minds. They even have a team Pastor to keep their spiritual wellness in line when pushing through the darkness of Dave Castro’s imagination… and that’s just smart drafting by Captain Bill. Way to go Team Seniors’ Moments.
Second place goes to Team Smoked Meat, Shredded Wheat, mainly for their staged photo-ops of dramatic finish positions and feeling bad for themselves. But their theatrics please the Committee, and the hearts of non-CrossFitters who come to spectate our Saturday shenanigans. But what pleases the hearts of the committee even more is Jan and Alex Antalis who are performing their workouts in the hot Florida sun (feel bad for them?) through the sea salt-coated barbells and the 90% humidity. Even so, they are both 1ST PLACE in their age brackets and scaled division in the state of Michigan! Incredible work!
After Week 2…
1st Place = Social as _eff (22 Points)
T 2nd Place = Hangin’ with the Power Queens (21 Points)
T 2nd Place = Senior’s Moments (21 Points)
4th Place = Smoked Meat, Shredded Wheat (19 Points)
5th Place = Super Spreaders (18 Points)
It is ANYONE’S GAME! The committee is always watching. Next week: CFP Spirit!
Notables:
Steve Smrekar - 3rd in Michigan (RX 35-39)
Holly O’Donnell - 17th in Michigan (RX 40-44)
Alisa Winslow - 7th in Michigan (RX 45-49)
Uli Rabeiro - 6th in Michigan (RX 50-54)
Michelle Sysko - 9th in Michigan (RX 50-54)
Dawn Campbell - 4th in Michigan (RX 55-59)
Sue Maiorana - 5th in Michigan (RX 55-59)
Alex Antalis - 1st in Michigan (Scaled 65+)
Jan Antalis - 1st in Michigan (Scaled 60-64)
Jen Vanderwall - 10th in Michigan (Scaled 40-44)
Danielle Fry - 2nd in Michigan (Scaled 35-39)
Eugene Wang - 8th in Michigan (Scaled 40-44)