Here we go again.
Hello everybody and welcome to our first 2016 Reebok CrossFit Games Update Show.
I am Sean Woodland with Tommy Marquez and Pat Sherwood.
The Open is here yet again.
I can't believe that we are already here.
It just seems like we just got done in Carson.
It's just so great to be back at the desk with you fine gentlemen,
competing in the worldwide fitness competition.
I mean, what more could I ask for?
It's here.
I mean last year we saw a completely new top 10 at the Games,
and that all started in the Open,
so if we have half the turnover that we saw last year,
it's going to be another sensational year.
A lot of great stories on both the men's and women's side
that we're going to be following throughout the season.
Let's set the stage for the women's side of the competition,
and when you look at the women's race,
in the past it's been all about these big names that have been coming back,
and the names that everybody knows are going to be competing for a spot on the podium.
This year, though, a little different.
We have young up-and-coming stars who made a name for themselves,
and some vets now who are trying to hang onto their spots.
And why does it feel like--
the women's field: so deep, so talented--
but why does it feel like we can just distill it down to,
"Well who's going to win next year? Is it going to be Katrin or Sara?"
Yeah, you know, it's funny, because from a traditional sport sense--
Sounds wrong to say.
Yeah, from a traditional sport sense, yes.
Because Katrin is the queen, and until someone else beats her that's how it's going to be.
And Sara was clearly the person nipping at her heels and even in front of her
for most of the competition.
But really, look at the things that had to happen for things to play out the way that they did.
Sam battled an injury all year.
Kara Webb had a heat injury at the Games.
Annie had a heat injury at the Games.
Julie Foucher, who looked like she was gunning for the top of the podium, had an achilles injury.
So all of those had to happen for that to play out,
so I think just to boil it down to those two
would be a huge mistake, because there are some excellent athletes waiting in the wings.
And one of those athletes is a woman who was on the podium
and we still forget about it,
because it was--because we're still shocked over the fact that, you know, Tia-Clair Toomey
finished second out of nowhere.
She deserves to be in this conversation, doesn't she?
Without a doubt, she's still kind of--even prepping for the show
I didn't get more clarity. I got almost a little more confusion.
She's incredibly talented.
She's incredibly young as well.
I mean, she's just 22 years old and she has a bright future ahead of her,
but average finish at the Games was 11th,
which is fantastic, but
you've got everything from capped on the soccer chipper,
to 27th on Murph,
to being a weightlifter. You'd think she'd excel at some things, but
15th on the clean and jerk, you know,
31st on heavy DT,
so it was kind of all over the map.
Former hurdler; she made a lot of money on the sprint course.
She's raw, she's talented,
but I almost don't know what to expect from her in the future.
And it's funny because I think the reason why she flew under our radar,
and she made a fool of us for not covering her more
is the same reason that makes--why she's so dangerous.
She has this poise, this calm, cool, collectedness
well beyond her years. She's only 22 years old.
I think that comes from her experience competing at such a huge stage.
She was at the Invitational; she looked impressive.
She did great at the Games obviously.
She competed at IWF Worlds as a weightlifter,
the biggest stage you can compete at besides the Olympics for a weightlifter.
That's huge.
And you look at how she finished those last eight events at the Games.
Six of them were sixth or better.
Nothing outside the top 15.
Just even-keeled, steady, look like a vet,
didn't draw much attention, which is why we didn't give her much attention to begin with,
so I think she's definitely dangerous.
And the fact that we're having a hard time coming up with stuff about her
is just another reason why to be scared of her.
And, you know, there are those rookie nerves at the Games,
because you are right, at the Invitational
she looked legit.
She did. 100 percent.
I think that was where she impressed me, you know, maybe even more so than the Games.
Woodland: She looked like she had some things really dialed in, Sherwood: Yeah, she belonged there.
and absolutely proved that she does belong on that stage,
and she's part of this amazing sophomore class that we have,
that two of them
on this graphic were on the podium last year.
And then we have Maddy Myers, who has shown marked improvement in this off-season.
Looks like she's ready to make some noise.
Are we seeing a changing of the guard now on the women's side?
Pat Sherwood: Ah, there's so much young talent coming up
that, yeah, the old names that were always there.
I mean, they've got their work cut out for them.
Potentially so. I'm not ready to say that yet,
but I'll say these girls are absolutely legit.
Toomey, we just covered as to why,
but then Sara Sigmundsdottir, I mean,
I can't describe her as a human being.
She's more like a storm
that just kind of comes in and ravages the town.
I think she's unpolished
and already so capable
that if she's under the tutelage of a good coach and they polish out some of those rough edges
she's going to be really something to deal with.
And then, Brooke Ence
I mean, come on, she's a weapon, but
I almost see Brooke as--how to say this?--
like Josh Bridges-esque.
So, for example, I look at the Games.
She was first on the snatch speed ladder
first on the clean and jerk,
but then she's got three finishes in the twenties,
two in the thirties,
so kind of all over the map.
She needs to smooth out a bit
And then Brooke Wells
I mean, wins her region,
against Tovar, Akinwale, Holcomb, Barber,
and then does--we just saw her do 30 clean and jerks
at 155 in 3:18.
She's another one that's raw and unpolished
but unlimited potential, and those are the young girls coming up, so
the tide could be changing.
On the veteran side, though, you still have
a list of women
who aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
You have Kara Webb, Sam Briggs
Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, Annie Thorisdottir.
You got, you know, three former champs
on that list, and all of these women have been to the Games,
you know, three-plus times.
It's going to be tough to get these women to go anywhere, right?
Absolutely. You look at Kara Webb.
Even after talking about self-imploding on Murph,
she still had her best finish at the Games ever.
She was still fifth. Sherwood: That's impressive.
A half-second from making it to the next round in the snatch speed ladder,
which opens up a whole new possibility for points and placement improvement for that
and she could easily be on the podium.
She could barely stand. Marquez: Yeah, exactly.
If you look at Sam Briggs--if you came to me and said,
"Hey, there's going to be an athlete within the seven-month season window
that's going to have a serious back injury,
is going to break her foot,
she's going to have to have months of adjusted training,
and spend the entire year operating at less-than-full capacity,
I'd be like, "Oh, how'd she do at regionals? She must have taken maybe top 10?"
No, she's fourth in the world.
That is unbelievable,
and if everything from her says that she's healthy this year,
she's 100 percent a threat to win again,
on top of the girl that's following her on this list, CLB.
She had an off-year last year. A few things didn't go her way,
but if she shores up her mental game, she has the tools to win,
and right behind her as well, Annie Thorisdottir.
It feels like she's been around forever
She's the youngest of this group. She's only 26.
Woodland: Wow.
Marquez: Only 26. Sherwood: Over the hill.
She's got tons and tons of years of competing ahead of her.
She's very much like Sara Sigmundsdottir was a few years back
when Annie came on the scene was this storm, a little bit unpolished.
I just think another year readjusting her sights
on how she can be at the top,
and she'll be just fine.
You mentioned Sam Briggs,
and that--she is extremely intriguing to me because of all
the reasons you mentioned, and
she wins the Liftoff last year.
She's healthy.
Can she win the Games again?
Sherwood: I think you just gave us a sneak peak. What do you think?
Marquez: Absolutely. I think she--
It's funny. I always wish there was this way
that we could just quantify raw grit and capacity,
just, like, blinding capacity
where, you know, nothing else matters,
you open up the throttle full-bore,
because I think Sam Briggs would be super-human.
She would beat anyone in the world--male, female, doesn't matter--
and I think she has that above everyone else,
and there's this aura about her
where when she walks onto the floor, you notice.
And I think that's the aura, you look at someone who has a championship pedigree,
she's already won it before,
and if she's healthy, yes, 100 percent.
She's a weapon, but still a little bit more of a wild weapon,
more of a shotgun than the sniper rifle.
I mean, and she's just battling the same things that she's just battled for awhile
and she's putting in the work,
but so's all the other women out there.
So, last year at the Games, Sam had--
where is it--two first-place finishes
and two second-place finishes.
Incredible.
Conversely, also took 35th
when the snatching came out,
and 31st on the clean and jerk,
so it just can't be, with how good the competition is,
you can't be that lopsided,
so she needs to get those numbers up,
which is a constant battle for her.
There are some other women out there that we're going to be paying attention to
in the 2016 Open and beyond.
Pat, who's on your radar as we kick this thing off pretty soon?
I mean, I'm going to jump on the bandwagon a little late here.
Maybe eight years too late.
Aw, come on. It hasn't been eight years.
Kind of the cat out of the bag: Becca Voigt.
I don't care if you're a fan, if you're a middle-of-the-roader, or if for some odd reason you're not a fan,
who doesn't want to see someone set yet another record?
She wants to be the only person that's attended the CrossFit Games
nine times.
She's holding the record right now at eight,
and she might be the only one with that.
There's only going to have been 10 so far,
so if she makes this, she'll have competed in 90 percent of them.
How about you Tommy?
For me it's an up-and-comer. I love looking up the dark horses,
and it's a female athlete that we actually mentioned briefly last year.
Her name's Tasia Percevecz.
This is a girl who's been on fire this year in the off-season.
She's only three years into CrossFit.
Her first year in CrossFit, she just missed regionals by four spots.
Two years into CrossFit, she qualifies for regionals,
takes 12th at this new kind of combined regional format.
Now, coming into this year,
you look at some of the three major off-season competitions,
she's been in the top six in all of them.
She's a former gymnast
She's finally starting to dial in her nutrition and all of those other things.
When I talked to her she said that last year's competing at regionals
was a huge eye-opening experience about how she needs to be as an athlete,
so I think she's going to be one that--you know, she's
going to be coming from a very difficult East Region,
but she's going to be a person that we're going to be talking about in the future.
Alright, well the season, it starts soon
Sherwood: Here we are. Woodland: and we'll be back next time
to talk about the men's side of the house.
Some great stories over there. From Tommy Marquez and Pat Sherwood,
I'm Sean Woodland. We'll see you guys soon.