Lauren Plumey’s recap of the Beast

Lauren Plumey’s Reflections on the Beast of the East

After not qualifying at Regionals this year, my CrossFit ego took a little bruising.  Yes, there was the thruster event that left me lagging behind the other athletes, but I still couldn’t help but wonder if I still had the fighting spirit that I once counted on to get me through CrossFit competitions.  I’ve never been the fastest athlete, the strongest, or the most technically sound, but it was this mental fortitude that got me to the Games two years in a row, and won other smaller competitions.  In the months following the Regionals, I began to doubt that this spirit could be mustered up ever again.

When Merle asked me to compete in the Beast of the East, I honestly didn’t want to do it, but figured that 5 months post-Regionals would be ample time for me to step back in the ring.  I was intrigued and fascinated with the fact that these workouts were to be more classic CrossFit/”who has the most work capacity” WODs, as compared to anything technical, such as walking on one’s hands or ring muscle-ups, etc…

WOD 1-5k.  I wasn’t thrilled about this event, but I’m used to coming up from behind.  I’m not sure that I’d know how to compete without this positioning at the start of a competition!  I’m not fast, but I’m not slow.  I was happy to set a 5k PR this day.

WOD 2- Max clean and jerk-not my favorite lift; the jerk that is…As soon as I stepped in the arena (a.k.a. a manure-scented barn), I experienced that jolt of adrenaline that only the heavy lifting component of a CrossFit competition can create.  That same jolt that is responsible for PR setting at CrossFit competitions worldwide.  While I didn’t set a PR on this day, I jerked a weight that I have been unable to move in about two years.

WOD 3-Max deads in 2 minutes~I love it! I injured my back at a small competition a month prior, but it felt good today, and love the idea that the person who wins, does so because they have the HEART to not allow their hands to slip off of that knurling~pure heart….I love it.

WOD 4-One Rep max Turkish get-up-WTF??  That literally was the first thing that went through my head when this WOD was posted.  I had never done a TGU with a barbell and knew that it would be a challenge.  However, on game day, I knew I had to stay consistent with this lift or I would drop off of the board, and it was too late in the game for this to occur.  Prior to this day, 75 was the most weight that I was able to push up at the gym (barely).  On competition day, I got 85 lbs up.  It is amazing how much energy one of those bad boys can suck out of your body!  I was pleased with the outcome of this event.

WOD 5-Overhead squats, burpees, and rowing~right in my wheelhouse.  However, there is always more pressure when an event is in your wheelhouse.  People expect so much more and there is no hiding behind excuse if you don’t perform in the manner to which you aspire.  This workout was a burner (QUADS)!  I was 100% gassed when it was over and pleased with my ranking.

AND THEN THERE WAS THE FINAL EVENT….

A strongman medley with full cleans intermingled.  I wasn’t two minutes into this workout, when my back began to scream for mercy.  I mean scream…bitch in way that it NEVER has at me during a WOD.  I’m not sure if it was pressure from the yoke, poor form on the stones, a forward inclination driving out of my squat, fatigue from the deadlifts the previous day….I don’t know, but it paralyzed me.  I moved that yoke across an arena floor that felt the distance of six football fields, dropping it every five feet.   Each clean wrenched my lower back into excruciating pain (and caused me to “christen” the floor a bit~if you were there, you know what I mean).  Then, Merle came out to ask if I wanted to quit.  Suddenly, something clicked.  That same “click” that went off in numerous competitions in the past.  That same “click” that I thought I had lost before entering the BOE.  Once this happened, there was no question in my mind as to whether or not I was finishing.  When I approached the final set of cleans, I saw that one other athlete was left performing this brutal workout.  Knowing that there was a chance that she could beat me, ignited me into fighter mode.

Before I knew it, the WOD was over.  My back wasn’t broken.  I wasn’t paralyzed, and I took third on podium.

First would’ve been better, but I was given something more valuable than two thousand dollars and a spot on the highest step of that podium this day….I realized that I still have it.  My cleans may not look the best, my Turkish get-up may not be the strongest, and I sure as hell need work with putting a yoke on my back and moving it, but I got my fighter spirit back.

2011 Beast of the East Olympic lifting recap and results

2011 Beast of the East Olympic Weightlifting results.

 

            Team Connecticut,  and the New England Weightlifting Committee,  http://www.newenglandlwc.com/wp/,  were proud to present the first annualUSA Weightlifting sanctioned Beast of the East Open Olympic Weightlifting Championships at the 2011 Beast of the East Crossfit Games. With an excellent turnout of 49 lifters, young and old, novice to international caliber, this meet was an excellent representation of Olympic style weightlifting inNew England!

 

See all results, including entire meet video at: www.connecticutweightlifting.com

 

            The women’s session began at 10 am Saturday, with 8 year old Gwen Rojas making 4 of her six attempts with excellent style. Gwen weighed just 36.7 kg (80.7 lbs), and snatched 22k (48.5) and clean and jerked 25k (55). Gwen’s mom, Gwen Sisto, won the Women’s Best lifter award with lifts of 78kg (171.6lbs) snatch, and 87 kg (191.4) clean and jerk, weighing just 62.8 k (137 lbs). Alison James showed flawless style weighing just 49.6 kg (109.1 lbs), snatching 56k (123.2) and jerking 72k (158.2 lbs!).

 

            World ranked crossfitter Jenny Davis of Crossfit Performance in Fairfieldqualified for USAW Senior National Championships in her first Oly competition, with powerful lifts of 63kg (138) snatch and 88 kg (193.6) clean and jerk. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPhto_jeGjc&feature=related

 

            Heavyweight Carly Mauch , weighing 80.8k (177.6)  hit a nice 103k (226.6) clean and jerk for the highest Women’s lift of the day.

 

            Our competitions include Masters Divisions for lifters 35 years of age and over. The Women’s Masters award was won by 42 year old Stephanie Baker of Robinson weightlifting in Bridgewater Mass. Weighing 57k (125.4), Stephanie snatched  49k (107.8lbs),and jerked 58k (127.8). The Men’s award was claimed by 46 year old TeamConnecticut’s Paul Garasimowich. Weighing 91.5k (201.5lbs) , Paul snatched 85 k (187.6 lbs) and jerked 110 k (242).

 

            The lighter 4 of the 8 Men’s classes followed. A battle in the 69 kg (152lb) class had Brian Swedrock of East Coast Gold leading by 2 kg in the snatch with 92 kg (202.4), but Dave Almeida came storming back in the clean and jerk with 122k (268.4) to Brian’s 120k to tie in total. In case of a tie, the win goes to the lighter lifter, Dave Almeida, who weighed .3 kg less! 

 

            Yony Andica was Men’s Best Lifter of the day with some absolutely phenomenal lifting. Making just his first snatch with 130 kg, Yony stormed back to go 3 for 3 in the clean and jerk, ending with 180 kg – 396 pounds! This lift is just 10 kg under the American Record! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHc2z5cfxn0&feature=mh_lolz&list=HL1319201443

 

            On Sunday, the 4 heavier Men’s classes, 185kg (187) and up saw Peter Madow, weighing just 187lbs, do a lifetime best clean and jerk of 164kg (360.8). National medalist, 2011 Crossfit Relentless Open Best Lifter, and Day 2’s Best Lifter Yasha Kahn easily won the 105kg class with fine lifts of 148k (326) and 176k (376.2)  attempting a 183k ( 402.6)  clean and jerk that just wouldn’t go.

 

            Thanks to all at Crossfit Relentless for inviting us to this fine competition. The energy in the room was amazing! Congratulations to all the competitors for their fine efforts, and thanks to all the spectators for their support. We are proud to be a part of this great display of physical fitness and strength.

 

            Our next meet is November 20 at TrinityCollegein Hartford. This is an excellent chance to sharpen your Oly lifts and give a competition a try! Spectator admission is free. Lifters entry form is at www.connecticutweightlifting.com. Entry Deadline is Nov 7 so enter soon, and please feel free to contact me at garyv@optonline.net with any questions about the competitions or to try a private or small group session here at TeamConnecticut inWilton.

 

Sincerely,

 

Gary Valentine, M.A., CSCS*D

Head Coach, TeamConnecticut

Meet Director, 2011 Beast of the East Olympic Weightlifting Championships.

 

IKFF Kettelbell Beast recap

One Serious Beast of a Weekend… 

 

Fitness Culture is Alive and Well in Connecticut…

Wow! What a weekend! Honestly, I’m still recovering from The Beast of the East Fitness Festival that happened October 8 and 9th, 2011 on the Durham Fair Grounds in Durham, CT! It was a GREAT time! Besides all the CrossFit craziness at The Beast, it was the first year for me promoting and running the IKFF East Coast Kettlebell Beast Competition. The turnout for The Kettlebell Beast was excellent – 16 athletes – and spectator and coach turnout was just good!

 

 

BTW, if you want to see ALL the action from The Kettlebell Beast, check out the event’s dedicated YouTube Channel where I’ll be sharing individual competitor videos very soon!

So, what happened? Here are the scores, reps, etc from everyone who competed at The 2011 IKFF East Coast Kettlebell Beast Competition:

2011 IKFF East Coast Kettlebell Beast Competition Results (Click on the image for a larger view!)

There were some really outstanding and inspiring performances!

The top lifter in Men’s Biathlon was Will Metcalf who nailed 115 reps in the Kettlebell Jerk with a pair of 24 kg Kettlebells, followed an hour later by a Right and Left total of 180 Kettlebell Snatches with 24kg! You can see some of Will’s great work in the pic below as well as the videos! Will’s wife, Melissa also put in an outstanding Biathlon performance with 140 reps in the Jerk and 148 in the Snatch with a 12kg Kettlebell! (BTW, if you’re not completely clear on how a Kettlebell competition works, here’s a blog post that should explain it!) A pic of Melissa is also below…

 

In the Women’s Long Cycle (Clean and Jerk), there were a bunch of outstanding performances including Donna Sheridan with 69 total reps in the Long Cycle with a 16kg Kettlebell for Women’s Best Lifter of the meet!

Another performance worth a mention is Scott Tighe’s AWESOME set of Kettlebell Jerks with TWO 32kg bells. Scott nailed a full 56 reps in the 10:00 minute time limit!

There Were Plenty of AWESOME First Time Performances Too…

And, there were a bunch of first time competitors too. This is something I LOVE to see! Kettlebell Sport has so many great aspects to it and seeing it spread to new people with a competition like this is a huge thrill…

 

 

The Weekend Wasn’t ALL About Kettlebells, Though…

I made a ton of new friends at The Beast  and reconnected with some old ones! Our Facebook friend, Torrey, came out from Dirty Jersey (aka, New Jersey ) and CrossFit 908 to hang out. She even brought me and Michelle T-Shirts!

I had a great time meeting everyone and signing books! Thanks to everyone who stopped by! Oh yeah, and my “neighbors” at my booth from Beast Bars were cool too! Look them up on Facebook!

And, Finally, BIG Thanks to…

Merle McKenzie and Glenn Perra, Jr. from CrossFit Relentless and CrossFit 033

Terri Parker from Red Barn Fitness

Bryce Graskoski from CrossFit Religion

Ken Blackburn and IKFF

Ian Hardin the lion heart

Anyone who hung around to watch the individuals final wod  got to watch a battle of  Biblical proportions. The strongman medly at the end was both brutal and unfamiliar as a lot of the finals athletes do not regularly train these moves. One of the mens finals contestants (Ian Hardin) who finished 10th overall for the weekend found himself in a nasty fight. “That was the hardest wod I’ve ever done” according to Ian. Many times during this wod I felt like I was about to step in and ask him to stop. The look of determination on his face said it all. You would have to kill him to make him stop. Ian Hardin has the heart of a lion. Posted below is his account of the weekend and final wod.

Sweat spills out of every pore and blood vessels burst in both eyes as the iron yoke digs mercilessly deeper with each step. My back under devastating pressure as the mantra “left, right, left, right, just one more step, one more step,” peacefully plays on loop in the most intense psychological warfare of my life. First, let’s talk about how I got myself in this situation.

Beast of the East 2011. When the 5k run, 2min AMRAP deadlifts, and 1RM TGU were announced I could not help but wipe the drool off of my face. Being a smaller athlete I can run, deadlift is my best lift, and I happen to have been practicing my Turkish Get Ups the past few months so the 1Rm event could have been a lot worse. When the 1Rm clean and jerk was announced I quickly realized this was going to be a weekend for the big boys. I put up decent enough scores to land me in 9th place going into the WOD 5 metcon – finally some gymnastics! At this point I knew there was no shot at the podium but I wanted to accomplish my goal of not leaving until I gave it everything I had which meant making the finals. 5 WODs, 6 WODs? I’m already in pain, one more won’t be too bad.

Boy was I wrong. I had done all the movements before, so mentally I was pretty good to go. I flew through the squat cleans and the farmer’s carry was manageable – off to a good start. Then I got slapped in the face with a stone. My back was already screaming from a weekend of posterior chain beat downs, and these stones put it over the edge. I finished the second farmer’s carry and that’s when the schizophrenia started kicking in.

I generally don’t share what goes on in my head when I’m in those dark places because I don’t know if it’s normal or not normal, but some crazy shit goes on up there. This is when a couple personalities start battling for the rights to control my body. “Hole-lee-shit, this yoke is heavy. Just take a breath and go again. Ok, didn’t go anywhere. Try again. Didn’t go anywhere. Fuck.” After a few bouts of this I think every other competitor was finished the WOD and my yoke moved a total of 15 meters.

Voice number two decided to chime in: “Dude, I don’t know if you’re capable of finishing this WOD.” This was only the second time in my entire life I contemplated quitting a workout. “Stop being a bitch – people are watching you,” voice number one replied. This is when a judge said, “Ian, I know you’re a tough kid but sometimes you gotta be smart.”

“RRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHH FUCK YOU!!!!” (Y’know who you are, and I love you, but this is what was going on in my head.)

After that I snapped. The negative voice got quiet, throwing in a few little comments like “Dude, you don’t have health insurance,” and “Maybe they’ll time cap you.” But it was completely drowned out by the rage and harmonious insanity of my real voice. When I got to the stones the only thing that got me through is what makes CrossFit CrossFit. The voice of Pat Smulligan from CF New England, a man I had just met, saying, “Ian, just pick it up once.” A stranger to me 48 hours prior had convinced me 8 times in a row to just pick it up once. From there on out it was fun… in a sick and twisted kind of way. The fans wanted me to finish just as bad as I did, and the pain disintegrated.

This final WOD is the sole reason why I CrossFit. Like all of us, I have been betrayed and had my trust broken more times than I can count, but as Henry Rollins said, “The iron never lies.” In that moment when you are faced with the decision to put the bar down or keep going, to run faster or just cruise, to quit or grind it out you find pure truth: Are you that badass you’ve told yourself you were your entire life, or not?

Nice work Ian.

Daniel Tyminski ..2011 Beast of the East

“So I just participated in the Beast of the East this past weekend for the 2nd year in a row.  This time it was ran by Merle Mckenzie and Glenn Perra.  This year was completely different from last year being that it was 2 days long instead of 1 and I think the events were extremely well rounded. A totally unique event.  I love unique, as everyone could tell by now”.

“The first event was a 5k hill run which was awesome.  People thought coming into this event there was going to be ”true” CrossFit workouts up the pie hole; but there really wasn’t.  We hit all modal domains and tested fitness.  After the run was a 1RM Clean and Jerk.  The transition from the run to the lift was pretty quick so I’m sure people were pretty tired.  But I have a decent recovery rate so I was ready for the lift.  My PR C&J is 325# but I hit 315# with a Power Clean.  I then attempted 325#, got the full squat clean and missed the Jerk.  Pretty pleased with my first 2 WODs”.

“The last event for the day was a 2 minute AMRAP of Deadlifts @275#.  This was absolutely brutal.  It rocked my entire midline and left me bruised for the next day.  I smashed out 52 reps and was hurting right after that.  So I went back to my hotel and got some serious rest.  The next morning I was ready for the day.  The first event was a 1RM Turkish Get-Up.  I have never done this lift before so whatever score I got I would of been happy with.  I really wanted 135 and failed my first 2 attempts.  I then hit it and said, “Lets go for 140″.  My first attempt I hit it and was ecstatic. That was my worst event placing 9th overall in that”.

“WOD 5 was a “true” CrossFit WOD.  The WOD was 21-15-9 of Calorie Row, Overhead Squats @95 and Burpees.  I was pretty pumped for this WOD because the OHS are like air squats to me.  I just hate rowing.  I was pretty far behind in the workout and I came back in the last round blasting it out”.

“The final WOD was interesting.  I normally do not train these movements and to do them in a workout was different for me.  It was a Strongman Medly and it was for time: 8 Squat Cleans at 155, Farmers Carry with 160 in each hand (I believe the distance was 100m) 8 Stones, Ground to Shoulder, Farmer’s Carry back.  Another 8 Cleans, a 500# Yoke Carry to the Stones, another 8 stones and Yoke Carry back to the starting position.  8 more Cleans and the WOD was finished.  I hate stones so for me to bang them out like I did that day was pretty awesome.  Ive only used them twice in my life I think, and Ive only carried a Yoke possibly 5 times”.

“That workout was totally out of my element.  I am extremely happy I decided to do the Beast this year.  I wanted this different kind of training to use and to continue to use to help prepare for me next years season.  This year was my first go at the Games in Cali and I was unprepared.  I didn’t know how to rope climb that well, I am not a very good at the Snatch and the Farmers Carry got to me a bit.  I need to add different elements to my training and I think the BotE was a great start. Overall I am extremely satisfied to compete again and I will use my experience to help me as an athlete to prepare for next year”!!!

A winner in not one who never fails, a winner is someone who never quits!

Ian Hardin and Lauren Plumey exemplify this notion.

A winner is not one who never fails, but one who NEVER QUITS!

In 1962, four nervous young musicians played their first record audition for the executives of the Decca Recording company. The executives were not impressed. While turning down this group of musicians, one executive said, “We don’t like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out.” The group was called The Beatles.

In 1944, Emmeline Snively, director of the Blue Book Modeling Agency, told modeling hopeful Norma Jean Baker, “You’d better learn secretarial work or else get married.” She went on and became Marilyn Monroe.

In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry fired a singer after one performance. He told him, “You ain’t goin’ nowhere son. You ought to go back to drivin’ a truck.” He went on to become the most popular singer in America, named Elvis Presley.

When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, it did not ring off the hook with calls from potential backers. After making a demonstration call, President Rutherford Hayes said, “That’s an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?”

When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, he tried over 2000 experiments before he got it to work. A young reporter asked him how it felt to fail so many times. He said, “I never failed once. I invented the light bulb. It just happened to be a 2000-step process.”

In the 1940’s, another young inventor named Chester Carlson took his idea to 20 corporations, including some of the biggest in the country. They all turned him down. In 1947 – after seven long years of rejections! He finally got a tiny company in Rochester, New York, the Haloid Company, to purchase the rights to his invention, an electrostatic paper-copying process. Haloid became Xerox corporation we know today.

Wilma Rudolph was the 20th of 22 children. She was born prematurely and her survival was doubtful. When she was 4 years old, she contacted double pneumonia and scarlet fever, which left her with a paralyzed left leg. At age 9, she removed the metal leg brace she had been dependent on and began to walk without it. By 13 she had developed rhythmic walk, which doctors said was a miracle. That same year she decided to become a runner. She entered a race and came in last. For the next few years every race she entered, she came in last. Everyone told her to quit, but she kept on running. One day she actually won a race. And then another. From then on she won every race she entered. Eventually this little girl, who was told she would never walk again, went on to win three Olympic gold
medals.

The moral of the above Stories:Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved. You gain strength, experience and confidence by every experience where you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you cannot do. And remember, the finest steel gets sent through the hottest furnace. A winner is not one who never fails, but one who NEVER QUITS! In LIFE, remember that you pass this way only once! Let’s live life to the fullest and give it our
best.

Author Unknown

 

This blog is dedicated to Ian Hardin and Lauren plumey from the 2011 Beast of the East. Anyone who watched thier performances in the final wod know why.

Never ,ever quit !

We have a tie

In going over the scores from this past weekend it became apparent that we had made a mistake in the ladies scoring of the final event. Both Teresa Luz and Christy Phillips had battled to a  numerical tie in total scoring. Both with a total score of 22 points. We received a few emails regarding this and perhaps the most impotant email was from Teresa herself.  When she double checked her own score and became aware of the tie she emailed us to let us know. That was a totally selfless act and speaks volumes about her character and integrity as a person and CrossFit athlete. Thank you very much Teresa.

Hours before receiving her email we had already figured out our error and were busy trying to contact both Teresa and Christy. Once we reached Christy we informed her of the issue regarding scoring.

Knowing it would not be fair to Teresa to strip her of her title and winnings the only fair and acceptable thing to do was for the Beast of the East to match the $2000 prize winnings for Christy. When we spoke to her she thanked us for contacting her and refused to accept the money. She said she was just glad that we told her and really didn’t want the money. We of course, insisted. In the end she allowed us to match the winning prize money and we thank her for doing this.

We believe this also reflects volumes about Christy as a person and CrossFit athlete. The honor and integrity both of these ladies possess is nothing short of exemplary. They are shining examples of what we all strive to be. Thank you ladies for for all that you are.

Now the one cool thing about this whole mishap is that it sets up a very interesting backdrop for the 2012 Beast of the East. Both ladies have expressed eagerness to come back next year and battle it out once more for the title of the Beast of the East.

We are looking forward to that very much ladies!

Some things we learned

First and foremeost thank you to all who attended the 2011 Beast of the East. Our goal was to provide an exciting ,fun test of fitness. Both for athletes to compete in and for spectators to watch. Overall we’d like to believe we delivered on this.

Having said this, We are not above admitting our mistakes and we learned a lot of lessons from the 2011 BOE. We have identified multiple areas where we need to improve and are already working on them. I’m sure you all have a list you could add to these but here are just a few.

Check and recheck technology. You cannot plan for every possible failure but having more redundant systems is a must.

More organization is essential. You cannot plan enough. We will streamline lots of different components of the BOE including registration. The waiver for the 2012 BOE will now be online when you register and we will have more people available to process athletes when you show up.

Athlete village needs to be closer to the action both for access to athletes and also for better communication before events.

Cleanliness. The main building was supposed to have been cleaned and ready for us and it wasn’t. Preparations and set up took all our time and we we’re not able to deliver the space in the way we intended. We will take the blame on this and it will not happen again.

Our First Aid team needs to be more visible so athletes know where to find help when needed.

The Beast of the East is about testing your all around fitness levels. While it is a CrossFit competition we do not plan on trying to replicate the  CF Games. We place a premium on strength and it has been expressed to us that we did not make this clear enough. We apologize for the commuincation gap. Expect traditional CrossFit metcons but also expect to move heavy weight.

Having said that there was a major component of fitness that was mostly absent this year and that was gymnastics. This is already being addressed as we are purchasing a new Rogue Rig for the 2012 BOE.

Thank you all for attending the 2011 Beast of the East. Thank you to all our sponsors for helping us make this possible. Thank you to the dozens of volunteers who also made this possible. Thank you also for all your feedback, the good and the bad. You have already helped us make the 2012 Beast of the East better.

 

 

 

Photos by Nikki Nicole

Nikki Nicole Rinaldi, crossfitter and professional photographer, posted a gallery of some excellent pictures from the weekend.

You can view them here.

Thank You from the BEAST of the EAST – weekend recap

Thank you.

Thank you all to all the amazing athletes who came and laid it all on the line for the title of the BEAST of the EAST in 2011.

Thank you to all the spectators who came out for a weekend of fun and cheered all our athletes on.

Thank you to all of our awesome sponsors who supported the Beast and made this all possible.

Thank you to the dozens of volunteers who gave up their weekend to put on such a great show.

The weather gods smiled upon the BOE with stunning, summer-like temperatures. Equipment failure and scoring issues notwithstanding, the 5k run proved far more challenging than many assumed it would be. A common refrain heard throughout the weekend was “my legs are smoked from that run.”

On the heels of the 5k run both teams and individuals were in search of a max weight clean and jerk. The men’s max weight lifted was 315lbs. We had a couple of 300 plus lb lifts in the team clean and jerk as well. It pays to be strong if you are going to compete in the Beast.

The 3rd wod for individuals was the SICFIT wod consisting of max rep deadlifts in 2 minutes with a mens weight of 275 Lbs and a womens weight of 185lbs. The highest rep total for this wod was 57 reps!

Sunday morning we kicked off wod 4 for individuals with a max rep Turkish Get-Up and the highest weight of the morning was 175lbs!

Team wods 3 and 4 were back to back wods consisting of a team 2k row with a cap of ten minutes. The teams rested the remainder of the 10 minutes, and then immediately attacked a chipper of 20 ground to shoulder atlas stones,100 hand release push ups and 200 box jumps to a 20 inch box. This workout tested the mettle of all the teams on the field, and saw a fairly large number of teams fail to complete the workout under the 12 minute time limit.

Individual wod 5 was 21-15-9 of calorie row, overhead squats (95/65 lbs) and burpees. This wod brutalized the legs and lungs and like team wod 4, many had a hard time completing this within the 10 minute time cap.

The championship round on Sunday was made up of the top 10 teams, top 10 males, and top 10 female competitors.

The word ‘epic’ fails to encompass the race that the athletes put on in the 5th and final team event. Teams completed 15, 10, and 5 reps of thrusters (95/65 lbs), with hill sprints between each round of thrusters.

When the dust all settled, CrossFit Shoreline was your 2011 Team Beast of the East and took home a check for $500 plus other great gifts from our sponsors.

The 6th and final wod for individuals closed out the weekend’s competition. It was a grueling strongman relay of 8 squat cleans (155/105 lbs), farmer’s carry 40 yrds (330/225 lbs), 8 atlas stones ground to shoulder (145/95 lbs) then farmer carry back to the start. This was followed by 8 more squat cleans and a 40 yrd yoke walk (455/295 lbs), 8 more atlas stones, yoke walk back, and finally, 8 more squat cleans to end it. This wod was reported as the “hardest wod I’ve ever done” by many of the finals athletes. The best quote of the day came from former CrossFit Games athlete Lauren Plumey, who said…and I quote…”Well, I’ve had 2 firsts today in this wod. It’s the first time a wod have ever made me pee and cry.”

When all was said and done, Daniel Tyminski and Teresa Luz were your 2011 man and woman Beast of the East. They each took home $2000 plus a lot of great prizes from our sponsors including BSc who outfitted both of them with a full outfit of gear.

In closing, the BEAST of the EAST team learned a lot about what it takes to put on an event of this magnitude. We will take what we did right and make it better. We will learn from what we did wrong and make it better. You can count on the 2012 Beast of the East to be even bigger, even badder, and even more fun! We hope to see all of you back next fall.

Again, a heart-felt Thank You to each and every person who spent time at the BEAST of the EAST.