NorCal CrossFit at the Sac-Town Throwdown! Big thank you to all who came!!! <3
Approximately 400 athletes from Northern California competed in the 2012 Sac Town Throwdown at the Placer County Fairgrounds in Roseville, CA this past weekend. Thirty-six teams competed in the open division, twenty-four in the masters, and thirty-two in the novice division. The competition spanned the weekend, with the top eight teams in each division advancing to day two.
Three teams represented NorCal CrossFit this year, two in the open division and one in the master's division. Jason, Pat, Taz, and Cheryl were on team NorCal CrossFit and Alex, Garret, Cat and I were on team NorCal CrossFit Santa Clara. Jojo, Steve, Sally, and Sheryl represented our master's team.
Blair Morrision, one of my favorite CrossFit athletes, programmed all the WODs. The WODs had the same basic movements we see day-to-day, but with a twist: extra thick pull-up bars, bar muscle ups, uneven surfaces, and sandbag thrusters, just to name a few. It also some stuff that we do not really see like watt bikes, atlas stone pick ups, the human flag, and police car pulls. Overall, the WODs were fun and interesting!
Three teams represented NorCal CrossFit this year, two in the open division and one in the master's division. Jason, Pat, Taz, and Cheryl were on team NorCal CrossFit and Alex, Garret, Cat and I were on team NorCal CrossFit Santa Clara. Jojo, Steve, Sally, and Sheryl represented our master's team.
Blair Morrision, one of my favorite CrossFit athletes, programmed all the WODs. The WODs had the same basic movements we see day-to-day, but with a twist: extra thick pull-up bars, bar muscle ups, uneven surfaces, and sandbag thrusters, just to name a few. It also some stuff that we do not really see like watt bikes, atlas stone pick ups, the human flag, and police car pulls. Overall, the WODs were fun and interesting!
Day 1 - WOD 1: Stones and Snatches: 1 male, 1 female.
- 1 minute female stone ladder: 75#, 95#, 115#, 135#, 165#, 200#, 240#, 280#
- 1 minute male stone ladder: 115#, 135#, 165#, 200#, 240#, 280#
- 3 minute max reps snatch BW/0.75BW. Novice/Masters: 0.8BW/0.6BW
2. Alex's successful 165# atlas stone pickup.
3. Taz with the 115# atlas stone.
4. Pat on the bodyweight snatches.
5. Cat on snatches.
6. Our masters team took first place for the Stones and Snatches WOD!
Day 1 - WOD 2: Tour de Helen: 1 male, 1 female. Immediately after WOD1, other 2 athletes begin WOD2. 10min AMRAP:
- 800m Wattbike (damper and magnetic resistance preset)
- 21 DB Ground to Overhead, anyhow 45#/30# DB
- 12 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
7. Garret and I on the DB ground to overhead. This was probably the hardest movement of the day for me.
8. Yup, I was sandwiched between Garret and Jason. Jason lapped me twice, Garret once. Haha.
9. Beast mode.
10. Chest-to-bar pull-ups.
11. Back on the watt bike.
Day 1 - WOD 3: Gymnastics Skills Ladder: all athletes. 13 stations, 30sec at each station to perform skill correctly. Pass/Fail. Multiple attempts allowed, within 30s. When you fail a skill, you are out.
- 1 Forward Roll to Stand
- 1 Skin-the-Cat
- 3 Dead Hang Pull-Ups
- 3 Dips
- 5 Pistols
- 1 Strict Handstand Push Up
- 1 Muscle Up
- 1 Legless Rope Climb
- 10sec L-Sit Hold (bastardized)
- 3sec Back Lever
- 3sec Human Flag
- 3sec Front Lever
12. Haha, I can forward roll. Win.
13. Cheryl on dips.
14. Pat on skin the cat. Jason on strict pull-ups.
15. Alex on the muscle up, Garret walking on his hands, and Pat with the human flag. This photo was also on crossfit.com!
Day 1 - WOD 4: Quadtahtalon: all athletes. 4 stations, 1 athlete per station. All athletes must complete all stations. Cannot rotate stations until all athletes have completed the work at their current station. 40min time cap. For time:
- 250 Double Unders
- 1600m (1 mile) Row
- 1 mile Run
- 75 Burpees
16. NorCal CrossFit on WOD4. Pat, Cat, and Alex.
17. Wait for Cat to come back.
18. Burpees and row action.
19. Jason ran the last lap with Taz for extra motivation. Garret in the background.
20. Cheering Cat on for the finish!
Check out the scores from day 1 [open | masters | novice]. The top eight teams from each division advanced to day two for the final two events. Our team finished at 19th place so we did not advance to day two. However, our masters team and Jason's team went on to the final WODs! Scores reset for day two. The team that performs the best in the two events wins! Congratulations to Rocklin CrossFit for taking first place! Both our masters team and Jason's team finished 6th overall! Check out the final standings, day 2: [open | masters | novice].
Day 2 - WOD 1: Police Car Pull [car view | front view (the hit) | Pat & Jason on the redo]: all athletes. Good thing Cheryl is okay!!
- 400m Police Car Pull
21. Our masters team pulling the police car!
22. Cheryl, Taz, Pat, and Jason sprinting on the police car pull!
23. Halfway and still sprinting. Absolutely ridiculous to watch. Beast mode.
24. Pat and Jason for the finish!
Day 2 - WOD 2: Team Chipper: all athletes, one athlete per station. Relay style. 25min time cap. For time:
- Athlete 1:
- 20 Toes-to-Bar
- 20 Back Squat 225#/135#. Masters/Novice: 185#/105#
- 20 Toes-to-Bar
- Athlete 2:
- 30 Rope Slams
- 10 Tire Flips
- 30 Rope Slams
- Athlete 3:
- 20 Sandbag Thrusters 80#/50#
- 10 Bar Muscle-Ups, over the bar any way
- 20 Sandbag Thrusters 80#/50#
- Athlete 4:
- 20-yard Overhead Lunges 135#/95#. Masters/Novice: 105#/75#
- 20 Box Jumps 24"/20"
- 20-yard Overhead Lunges 135#/95#. Masters/Novice: 105#/75#
25. Steve rocking the rope slams!
26. Go Jojo! Jason cheering Jojo on. Sandbag thrusters were deceivingly hard.
27. <3 the CrossFit community.
28. All 20 reps unbroken! and this is after getting hit by a police car!
29. The Manimal unleashed. Pat's performance on the rope slams/tire flips was incredible to watch. He was a machine. The level of concentration, determination, and drive was one of the highest I've ever seen.
30. Taz making circle ups look easy.
31. Jason taking it home!
More, more, more pictures:
35. The competitors from NorCal CrossFit!
36. NorCal CrossFit after WOD 1 & 2.
37. Done for the day! After WOD4.
38. 2012 CrossFit Dogs Games Champ. So cute he ran with the 25# plate.
This was my first real CrossFit competition, entering it as prescribed. Last October, I participated in OktoberFit in the scaled team division at CrossFit Silicon Valley, but that doesn't really count since my teammates and I were all injured. Haha, I remember doing the WODs in a cast. Anyway, ramping up to the first WOD, which for me was WOD2, Tour de Helen, I was overwhelmingly nervous. I was scared of disqualifying my team and disappointing everyone who drove all the way out to Sacramento to support us. However, once I jumped on that Watt bike, I zoned out and was not nervous anymore.
Overall, I am so proud of all our teams and where we finished. I am also happy no one got injured, and that Cheryl is ok. I feel honored to have the opportunity to compete with my coaches, and alongside with some of the all stars from each box in Northern California. I learned that as long as you are giving it your all, everyone is rooting for you, and that is one of the many reasons why the CrossFit community is so amazing. On the Gymnastics Skills Ladder WOD, I missed the handstand walk literally by inches and I remember hearing the entire crowd scream "awh," not just people from my gym. This kind of community support just makes everything all better and worth it.
These CrossFit competitions are so inspiring to watch. As a competitor and a spectator, I get an adrenaline rush and a huge sense of motivation when I see people work their butts off. There were some very impressive performances: Danny Nichols from TJ's gym completing the stone ladder in ~25 seconds [video], Garret's 18-year-old sister Lauren do the 20-rep back squats at 135# like air squats, watching Cat go all out on the row for the finish on WOD4, Pat's game mode especially on the rope slams and tire flips (the amount of concentration and determination was unbelievable), and Cheryl's amazing comeback performance on the final WOD after getting hit by the police car, just to name a few. Now I am all motivated and excited about CrossFit (not that I was not before), competitions, and getting better and stronger overall. Looking forward to the open!
Related Posts: Sac Town Throwdown 2013
Other CrossFit Comps I Participated In: 2013 CrossFit Games Open | 2013 SacTown Throwdown | Occupy Strength NorCal | NorCal Regionals -Team | 2012 CrossFit Games Open | 2011 OktoberFit
Other Oly Competitions I Participated In: 2014 Cal Strength Meet | 2014 Senior National Championships | 2014 Hassle Free Open & Invitational | 2013 American Open Championships | 2013 Ensign Gray Invitational | 2013 Fall Classic | 2013 Senior Nationals | 2013 PWA Senior Open | 2012 Redwood Empire