USA Secures Redemption At 2014 CrossFit Invitational
Team USA Secures Redemption At 2014 CrossFit Invitational By: Lauryn Lax A feeling of American pride rushed over the airwaves Sunday evening at 7 p.m. PST as Team USA took the gold in the third annual CrossFit Invitational. This year, unlike other years, the championship was fought on American soil for the first time, hosted at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. Four teams, representing the USA, Australia, Europe and Canada took the stage going head-to-head in a total of five events. From the get-go, it looked like it would be a rocky evening, as Team Canada prevailed and took the lead on Event 1 (’45 for 45’, a relay of pullups and 45 thrusters) and Event 3 (1-rep max clean), while Team USA only took first on Event 2 (the 1-rep max snatch). Team USA only used their underdog status as extra motivation though. Going into Event 4 (the second-to-last event), all eyes were on team captain, ‘the champ’, Rich Froning, and his teammates, Jason Khalipa, Julie Foucher, and Emily Bridgers. Team USA sat in second place (six-points) to Team Canada (11-points), with Team Australia (5-points) and Team Europe (2-points) lagging behind. Would the four-time “Fittest Man in the World” and his veteran crew rise or fall? Team USA’s Coach Becca Voigt had trained them for this exact situation. “(Coach Voigt) did a great job-having a plan going into workouts during sessions. And we did a lot of team building activities. Actually, we ‘lost’ a few events in our team building activities (to learn how to deal with it), but it was a great time. I think with this group it’s not so much about taking a leadership role as it is calming Jason down when he gets fired up,” Froning said. With Khalipa and the rest of the gang cool, calm and collected, Team USA maintained their second place status, with a 2nd place finish in Event 4 (synchronized muscle-ups, rowing, heavy deadlift holds at 405 lb. for the men and 275 lb. for the women, and snatches) and, come Event 5, Team USA finally rose to the top of the leaderboard. From the start, Team Canada fell apart, struggling to finish the entire event, which consisted of a 120-foot handstand walk, followed by a partner tire flip of a 950-lb. tire the same distance, and lastly, legless rope climbs and 120-feet team lunges with the worm. Team USA ended up running onto their finishing mat with a time in 6:12.84, solidifying their first place win and giving them a 2 to 3 lead in all three years of competition. When all was said and done, Team USA member, Jason Khalipa reflected on the team experience, stating the feeling of winning the Team Event was better than winning the CrossFit Games. “When you win the CrossFit Games, it’s an amazing experience, but whether you win or lose is based on your own ability, and you celebrate it with yourself. When you have a team like this, especially the way we won it tonight and came from behind…we can all celebrate together, and I am just honored to be a part of it,” Jason Khalipa said. Both Khalipa and Froning confirmed they plan to ‘go team’ with their affiliates for the CrossFit Open in 2015. “We are taking it day by day right now. If Nor Cal can put a team together, then I may join it…Or, if not, maybe I will get in a commentary role (at the Games),” Froning said. “I am like Jason, go as a team with CrossFit Mayhem. Hopefully you will see us at the Games,” Froning said. As for teammates Julie Foucher and Emily Bridgers, they are keeping their sights set on 2015 individual competition still, with Foucher claiming this upcoming year will be her last year as an individual in order to focus on medical school. “Maybe one day after this year, you’ll see me in the Master’s,” Foucher said.
Nov 10, 2014