It's November!!
Which means the holiday season is right around the corner! (cue the lights, turkeys, and assorted holiday paraphernalia)
It has been a busy month for CrossFit CopperTop; with the final stage of the CrossFit Games happening, new class programming by CrossFit Mayhem, and some new members joining our community (welcome!), we're excited to take on these final months of 2020.
In this month's issue, we're introducing a member birthday shoutout - so here we go!
Happy Birthdays go out to -
Keith Royer - 11/15
Matt Schrader - 11/16
We hope you have a fantastic day (and hope we'll see you in the box so we can celebrate in person).
Now, onto the rest of the news!
CrossFit Games - The Finals
On October 23, the final five men and women left standing after stage 1 of the CrossFit Games descended on Dave Castro's ranch in Aromas, California, for the final chance of the season to duke it out for the title of Fittest on Earth. Over 3 days, Mat Fraser and Tia-Clair Toomey would prove that they are, undoubtedly, the fittest athletes to ever grace the sport, with Fraser tying up his 5th consecutive win and 7th straight podium finish (2nd - 2014, 2015), and Toomey claiming her fourth consecutive win and 6th straight podium finish (2nd - 2015, 2016). These accomplishments, in addition to bringing this year's final to the spiritual home of our sport, and its exclusivity, made the weekend a truly remarkable spectacle.
There's a lot to unpack, so here's the highlight reel:
Fraser and Toomey each won 10 and 9 events respectively out of a total of 12, and also both set the record for consecutive number of event wins, at 6 apiece, making this the most dominant showing of any male and female CrossFit athlete, ever.
Event 1 set the scene for the rest of the weekend, with strong showings from Fraser and Toomey. Young guns Justin Medeiros and Haley Adams both put in impressive performances to push the champs and finish right behind them.
Fraser only lost the CrossFit Total on Day 1 by 7 lbs, and it was due to bad math.
After 4 events on Day 1, Dave Castro, Director of the Games, mounted an attempt to destroy the athletes' spirits by announcing a 3-mile trail run, only to tell them to run the entire trail backward once they reached the finish. Jokes on him, Fraser, who was in the lead after leg 1, still came first at the end. Unfortunately, Tia couldn't hold onto her lead and finished 3rd.
On Day 2, both Fraser and Toomey swept all 4 events - however; in the Bike Repeater event which had athletes completing 10 rounds of a bike sprint on grass followed by legless rope climbs, Fraser was pushed by Jeffrey Adler in the final round.
Snatch racing is fun - watch Fraser and Toomey crush it yet again.
On Day 3, the Games returned to a swimming pool for the first time since 2013, in what some of the athletes described as the hardest event they've ever done. Sam Kwant would take the win which would solidify his 2nd place overall.
After teasing the name a week prior, Atalanta, and professing its difficulty as "the hardest games event ever", Dave Castro announced the conclusion to the weekend -
1-mile run
100 handstand push-ups
200 pistols
300 pull-ups
1-mile run
Completed in a 20 lb vest for men/14 lb vest for women
Kari Pearce crushed her competition with a win over both the men and the women (47:56) and, in doing so, got herself her first podium finish, the first of any of the American women since Julie Foucher in 2014.
Fraser and Toomey did the entire workout together, waiting for each other during rests, and running together - they crossed the line hand in hand to close out a phenomenal showing for the weekend.
The month of November is historically one of the worst for member retention at CrossFit gyms, and with COVID-19 cases rising in nearly every state, this November is poised to be especially challenging. And, while the decision to go to the gym right now is deeply personal, everyone knows that gym owners depend on membership dues to keep the lights on.
As they have throughout the entire year in 2020, O2 and partner brands in the Community Coalition are stepping up in a major way, helping gym owners and gym members alike with the #NoQuitNovember program.
The details: Simply keep your gym membership active in November and get a combined $200 gift voucher ($20/brand) to O2, Born Primitive, GORUCK, RPM, and six other Community Coalition brands, to be awarded by your gym owner on December 1 — right in time for the holiday shopping season.
How to Clean
A great, in-depth video from California Strength that breaks down one of the most technical lifts we do in the gym. We've got some heavy cleans coming up this week -check it out!
News, Events, and fun things to click on!
Here you'll find current events on the local, regional, and international scale, articles that have piqued our interest, and other cool stuff!
The Buttery Bros created some amazing footage for all three days of the CrossFit Games - check out Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3
Stop hanging on your ligaments, stand properly
How giving 80 percent led to 100 lbs of weight loss
Finally, chronic disease is no match for CrossFit