"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." Mark Twain may as well have been talking about the CrossFit Games with that quote. Every sport has underdogs, and CrossFit is no different. Maybe they're looking for redemption, maybe they're finally on the cusp of making it, but no matter what these athletes are in it to win it whether people believe in them or not. Here are the biggest underdogs of Weekend 1 of Regionals. 

Pacific

Kyle Frankenfeld

[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BFPt3SaDy0j" hide_caption="0"]

He seems to be making jumps each year, from 24th at Regionals 2 years ago, to 7th the next year, and then coming in 1st in the Australian region of this year’s Open. Will this be the year he punches his ticket to the Games? He’s no longer handling the stress of doing his own programming this year, which allows for more focus on the actual training than programming what to train.

Justine Beath

[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BEyISBuylez/?taken-by=justinebeath" hide_caption="0"]

She seems to be an athlete making her way into the spotlight quietly. Her first regional was in 2011 with CrossFit Penrith, and since then she’s gone as an individual, placing within the top 10, or close to it. Last year she placed 7th at Pacific Regionals, her highest finish yet, but not enough to take her to Carson. This year she finished 3rd in the Australian region of the Open, another highest finish yet.

South

Brista Mayfield

[instagram url="https://instagram.com/p/BFT8uvspIbG/" hide_caption="0"]

Mayfield has been a multi year Regional competitor but has yet to qualify for the CrossFit Games. Her background in collegiate gymnastics will likely give her an edge on her competitors which may be enough to overcome any weaknesses on the strength portion. 

Logan Collins

[instagram url="https://instagram.com/p/BFPl3hWrIJc/" hide_caption="0"]

For the men you'll want to watch out for Logan Collins. This body weight specialist was hurt last year in Regionals by the max snatch but pulled off a win in the Open this year on 16.2 which featured a 315lb squat clean for reps. If this is any indicator of the time he has spent working that weakness, he could do well this year! 

California

Josh Bridges

[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BFPjEIVncS6/" hide_caption="0"]

It's tough to think of Josh Bridges as an underdog, but consider this: he's older than the average competitor, he's suffered at least one traumatic injury that he's recovered from, he didn't qualify last year, and two of the events are much heavier than a smaller guy is expected to excel at. 

Molly Vollmer

[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BE1eWTVg37l/" hide_caption="0"]

Vollmer was on last year's Affiliate Cup favorite Team NorCal, but hasn't been able to compete at the CrossFit Games as an individual. On top of that, California is likely the hardest region for a woman to qualify out of. Vollmer has a tough weekend ahead of her, but she has a solid pedigree.

Photo credit: CrossFit Inc.