The Shakedown Team Competition Series has become an event of epic proportion. When we held our first Shakedown a few years ago we really had no idea that it would blow up into the monstrosity that it is today. Not only has our venue drastically improved from its previous cold, dark, and dirty location to the mecca that is Axiom CrossFit, but the quality of athlete has also gone up. These day’s competitors know what they are getting into when they sign up. They train for month’s leading up to the event and when the event comes, they bring it, putting it all on the line. Entire boxes come out in full support repping their color’s and screaming, chanting, and shouting their names. The Shakedown is more than about what team wins, it is about bragging rights. It is about what gym is the most bad ass in So Cal. There is no $10,000 prize purse. The competition is old school, some cool goodie bags and little bit of cash. CrossFit games athletes have jumped on teams in an effort to throw down for their respective box. They don’t care about prizes, they care about the community they are representing. They want to compete in a bad ass competition that run’s on time, with solid games level judging, and wod’s that will push them to their limit’s. The Shakedown is not a hype fest, but a blue color shit kicker that will leave you floored, yet always looking forward to the next one. This is what the Shakedown has become. It is now so colossal that vendor’s ask Billy if they can take part. Even CrossFit celebrities such as Dave Castro of CrossFit HQ, and Bob Harper of the biggest looser, made an appearance this past weekend. What makes this event really cool, especially this time around for me, was one thing. Precision CrossFit had five teams competing. That is 20 athletes putting it all out there. They trained their butts off to compete in arguably the top team competition in the world. That is a ton of dedication and you’re darn right we are proud of them all. Let’s meet our 5 bad ass teams! Now just to be fair I had Daniel write about a few teams as well. Since it was so crazy in the pit we wanted to give every team their due!
Team Precision CrossFit – 8th place overall (Smiley, V, Crowe, and Riggs)
When this team was put together to throw down as the #1 representer of Precision we all knew what they were capable off. This team consisted of 4 of our Regional athletes in Katie Crowe (15th 2012 Regionals), as well as Crystal Riggs and Matt Verbrugge (18th place Regional Team 2012 Regionals), to go along with Greg Smiley, a hopeful CrossFit Game’s Masters competitor this year, and member of the 2012 Regional team as well. Their sure was a lot of fire power on this squad, and they did not disappoint. They pushed the envelope in every heat they were in. Our ladies’ were ferocious, as always, with their strength. Katie and Crystal hit the 2nd and 3rd highest female thruster totals of the day, and made the shoulder to overhead, kettle bell, and front squat weight look light. Katie Crowe looked like a seasoned competitor, while Crystal Riggs showed off her much improved gymnastics skills. She went unbroken with her T2B and knocked out crucial C2B pull up sets when her team needed it badly. Matt and Smiley did an amazing job of following our very strong ladies leads hitting consistent reps, and knocking out huge pull up sets in wod #1. In wod #2 our team claimed the 8th fastest time of the day in a wod where many teams could not even finish the first portion. Not only did we finish it but we had time to spare! The team ran like a well-oiled machine proving to the So Cal CrossFit community that Precision CrossFit is very much for real. We can throw down with the best of them, and that with a full squad you better watch out for us this year at Regional’s!!
The Predators – 38th place overall (Mike G., Jon S., Jess, and Melissa)
When this team finally formed together I realized what an insane combo it was going to be. I mean any team that had a Jessica Goeser and a Melissa Warner on it is going to be really good. These girls are both beast’s with Jess being a 2012 Regional Team member and Melissa placing 2nd place in her only competition that she had done before this. In a team competition such as the Winter Shakedown you need bad ass females on your team to be successful and Precision CrossFit definitely has a whole mess of them! You throw in the consummate competitor that is Mike Gallardo with the brute that is Jon Sarna, and you have an unpredictable team that can really make a splash. Jon has been itching to compete again training his ass off, while Mikey G is a seasoned competitor who truly knows how to push the envelope. I remember a little bit over a year ago when Mike fell on his back trying to rep a 155lb push press in competition, then on Saturday he was out there smashing the 145lb shoulder to overhead. In the very first wod this team took their heat taking first place in it. They all worked so well together you would have thought they had trained together for years. Their reps were efficient, and transitions seamless. They put it all on the line, and you could tell they were having a blast. In the final wod they again gave it everything they had, smashing the competition around them. They looked as if they were going to be one of the first teams to move out of the first part of the workout until Jon’s body began to fail on him. He really was giving it his all but the wod just got the better of him. The best part of this workout was the support his three other teammates gave him, cheering and supporting him no matter how much he struggled. When it was all over everyone hugged Jon and admired his resilience. We all knew he did not want to let anyone down and if you try that hard, regardless of the outcome, you never will. I could seriously argue that of the 65 teams that had registered 40 of them were really legit. This team finished in 38th place. Top 40! That is ridiculously impressive. I was proud to have this team representing the Precision colors!
Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies – 51st Place Overall (Greg M, Chris, Sara, and Nicole)
As hard as everyone worked leading up to the Shakedown, I don’t think I saw anyone work as hard individually, and as a team as these four individuals did. Greg Marx dedicated several months of solid training in order to just become a stronger competitor all around. He did a phenomenal job of organizing his team with Chris, even setting up weekly training sessions. In fact, he even created a Facebook page 100% dedicated to the “Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies,” how cool is that?
In leading up to the event I was really curious as to how this team would fair. Greg improved weekly as an athlete, but what made him so special was his determination. He was just so motivated to succeed you could see it all over him. You have to believe in anyone that mentally prepared. I knew he would rather die than let his team down. Of the two men on the team, Chris was the only one with some competition experience; however he had never done a competition as big as the Shakedown. Chris has been Crossfitting for several years now, and was easily the most well rounded athlete on the team. He and Greg had developed an amazing chemistry over the past few months, and I really felt as if they would do well in competition with communication being such a huge part of any team sport. The girl’s, Sara and Nicole, were also very solid. Sara is one of Precision’s young up and comers. She had only done one competition leading up to this, taking first place in a small beginner comp a few months back. This was also her biggest comp, but she seriously improves on the weekly basis, so I knew she would be very strong in the competition. To be honest, Sara is a year away from being a serious force to be reckon with in the So Cal competition arena. She is very strong with excellent technique, and has a real knack for picking up new movements. Throw in the fact that she has a tremendous work ethic, and you have one heck of a CrossFitter. Nicole, came to us a loner from CrossFit Synapse with this team needing one more female competitor. Nicole is also very strong with a competition background. She had done Shakedown’s in the past, and also had won the Frogman competition over the summer. She brought a ton of experience to this team which, was extremely important as to how well the team was going to do.
In every wod this team looked as if they belonged there. They exchanged leads with other very good teams in their heats. They screamed and pushed their way through both all the workouts. They were so incredibly determined out there. You could just tell they were on a mission. I actually caught myself watching them while they were out there a few times instead of judging. I was just so utterly impressed by them. One again, another solid representation of Precision CrossFit.
Team Badger Milk – 53rd Place Overall (Hunter, Richie, Liz, and Pam)
It was exciting to watch this team because it was comprised of all awesome people. I have a special place in my heart for my longtime friend and ex-college football team mate Richie Martinez. Richie and I reconnected just about 6 months ago after almost 4 years. It is amazing to see how far he has come and how much further he is going to go.
There are certain people that encompass what Precision CrossFit is all about. Hunter is one of those people. He is an upbeat, energetic, and passionate guy with a drive to want to make himself, and those around him better. It is amazing to see how far he has come since he started in our gym just 7 months ago. Hunter had an impressive thruster to start the first workout and I could tell right away he was there to lead his team. He was the captain, a trait that every team needs to be successful in a team competition. Richie opened the competition up with a 255lb thruster. A HUGE lift! Being on the floor, that was, by far, the biggest lift I saw all day until the later heats of the day. He almost got 265, but had to rush. If it were an individual competition, Richie would have placed top 5 in that lift. With their being several Regional and Games level athlete’s competing, that is really impressive!
Liz was in ultra-beast-mode. Having seen Liz progress to where she is now has been amazing. She has been nothing but a straight bad-ass on a mission the last few months. She came into the competition having just competed the week before, and looked just as ready as she was then. Her strength has increased over 50% since she started to work out on a more consistent basis. She no longer looks at the weight in a workout and is worried. I knew she would crush the thruster, and she did. The team went directly into the triplet, and I could tell they were ready. With hunter directing, they moved methodically and smooth through all of the movements. The knocked out the shoulder to overhead and were on to the Kettle bell swings ahead of every other team. Mike and I had our judges be incredibly strict on the kettle bell swings with this slowing Badger Milk down a little bit. However, they kept it together and kept pushing forward. With a name like Badger Milk, truly anything is possible. The chest to bar pull ups, I knew, would be the most challenging part of the workout for this team. But, once again, they rocked it. There was nothing more bad-ass than big Rich knocking out consecutive pull ups sets with his 250lb frame, big man can fly! They did incredibly well in the workout. Mike and I could tell right away there was a Precision team on the floor because their reps were very efficient and perfect.
The second WOD called for a follow the leader system, consisting of: toes to bar, front squats and high box jumps. Once again, this team was impressive hitting consecutive toes to bar, and going nearly unbroken all the way through. They were all cohesive, and although pushed to the max in this workout, turned in a very solid score. Richard had never jumped onto a 30 inch box before. I could tell he was a little nervous, but being the athlete that he is, he had little trouble making every box jump without holding his team back. I could see he pushed himself harder than he ever has. Hunter was perfect through all of his movements and went unbroken, it was sweet to watch. His toes to bar were fast and efficient, his front squats were as fast as anyone else out there, and his box jumps were no problem. Liz also did her part, and handled the heavy weight and gymnastics with ease. She was cool as the other side of the pillow with a look of fury and compassion, badger milk was oozing out of her veins. All I saw from the floater was all of them on their backs after, so I am glad they gave 100%!
THAT Team – 62nd Place Overall (Cory, Brad, Mel, and Crystal D.)
“THAT Team” was in fact THAT TEAM; Cory with a gangster mouth piece, Brad having superior ninja skills, Crystal’s first time competing, and Mel’s passion and competitive desire. When the first workout started I could tell right away they had a plan. They swiftly put weight on the bar and were ready to thruster some weight. Crystal went first nailing a 95lb thruster. Mel was next doing awesome throwing up 115lbs with ease. Cory knocked out a great lift, as Brad waited to go last. Brad was arguably the lightest male competitor at the event, yet he easily tossed up 185lbs with a body weight of almost 30 pounds less, ninja power? Or maybe it’s the beer? Either way the dude can flat out lift. Corey looked cool, calm, and collected as he led his team into the triplet. Knowing he, and Brad was going to have to carry a little more weight on the chest to bar pull ups, he saved energy. It is awesome to see how Cory has progressed as he went through all of the movements calm and efficiently. I know only good things are going to come for him. He pushed himself to the limits we all knew he was capable of. In this portion Brad too, was just so much fun to watch. He has the body awareness of a spring kitten with the ability to maneuver into any position with ease. He knocked out chest to bar pull ups like nothing, and broke off tons of reps everywhere else, helping the team wherever he could. He was very smooth as always.
In the day’s leading up to the event, Mike and I were a little unsure if Crystal was ready. I mean we believed anything was possible and we loved Crystal’s determination, but we also knew what the workout’s entailed. However, always being optimistic we chose to believe Crystal would come through for her team, and she did! It is absolutely crazy how good Crystal has gotten in a few short months. I mean seriously, her first competition is the Shakedown? This is crazy and awesome at the same time. She definitely held her own in the first workout, and only got stronger as the workout went on. She had a much higher pull on her pull ups than I have ever seen her have, adrenaline! Nothing was an issue for her, as she really impressed. Mel was also a first time big competition competitor, who was awesome. She is much stronger than she thinks she is, and she proved it on Saturday. She handled all of the weight lifting (which was very heavy) and Kettle bells with no ease. She has become a very impressive competitor with a tremendous upside.
The second wod would be the toughest for this team, and I was excited to see how they were going to do. Cory has put in tons of work on his leg strength, and I knew it would pay off for him in the first portion of the workout. He went unbroken on his toe to bar with no issues. Next up was the front squat. Corey picked up the bar and willed his way to ten straight reps! It was inspiring to see all of his hard work pay off. He screamed his way through, and was on to box jumps, easy peasy. Brad was also extremely bad ass, front squatting once again, over his body weight. He was quick as hell through everything. Crystal was next, oh Crystal, I’m so sorry for no repping you on your last one, haha! We all know how awesome it was to see her knock out those first ten reps of a weight she could not do once just a week before. She literally bought lifting shoes just to help her with the squats, amazing! Then she went on to do 10 more in the second round! Are you kidding me? Mike and were so proud of you Crystal! Mel had literally no problems as she knocked out reps of all the movement unbroken. It was really cool to see her do so well! She had a determined look on her face like always, and was faster than any other girl in her heat. I didn’t see them compete on the floater but I know they did well! Brad’s biceps were sore, haha!
The 2013 Winter Shakedown was a very successful event, but what made the day special was seeing five Precision CrossFit teams dominate. In every heat they would not be denied. They exchanged leads, won heats, PR’d, and did things that they did not even think were possible. I definitely had to hold back some tears, while they all were out there. I mean Precision CrossFit has been open for 8 months. We had 5 teams, and 20 athlete’s competing vigorously on Saturday. We opened our doors with only 30 members! The transformation made by some of the athlete’s out there was incredible to witness. The Shakedown is no joke it is the brain child of Billy, Dan, and myself. We only program to one level of athlete, and knowing that we now have 20 athletes’ all on that level is awesome. Precision CrossFit kicked ass in this competition, but the reason why is because of the countless effort we put forth into building our community. With a strong community all you can do is flourish, and when these athletes competed they did not just represent their teams, or themselves. They represented all of us! Here is to constantly improving in all walks of our lives, together as one.
Fitness-Strength-Community
WARM UP:
500 M. Row
Then:
2 Rounds
10 Pass Throughs
10 OHS
10 Good Mornings
Then: (With Bar 45/35/15)
10 High Shrugs
10 High Pulls
10 Hang Cleans
SKILL:
3×3 Weighted Ring Dips
*Go as heavy as possible
LIFT:
7 Min. to Work to find new 1 Rep Max:
Power Squat Clean
WOD:
“Un-Cooked Bacon”
Tabata Deadlifts (165/115) (155/105) (135/95) (115/75)
2 min rest
Tabata Handstand Push Up’s
2 min rest
Tabata Thruster (75/55) (65/45) (55/35) (45/25)
*Tabata = 20 Sec. of Max Effort / 10 Sec. Rest 8 Rounds
**Sub for HSPU will be H.R. Push Up’s only!
POST WOD:
