Brianna Cope is a professional surfer born and raised on the beautiful island of Kauai, Hawaii. Growing up near the ocean, Cope fell in love with the power of its waves and began surfing on a longboard at the age of four.
“I love how free and alive I feel in the ocean. It is such an indescribable feeling to be able to ride a wave, always thinking how special it is that you can only ride that wave once—you will never get the same wave again,” says Cope.
Cope won her first surfing competition when she was just 11 years old, deciding then and there that she wanted to be a professional surfer. Currently, Cope can be spotted competing on the World Surf League qualifying series, traveling across the globe for competitions. Her 2018 documentary “Surfing to Cope” is now available on iTunes.
‘Big Neechi’ is an internationally recognized celebrity, bodybuilder and festival host known for his incredible strength, muscular physique, and for throwing wild parties.
Neechi graduated from Texas State University as somewhat of a campus legend, obtaining a degree in Exercise & Sports Science. His capabilities in the gym came at an early age when he broke his Jr. High School’s bench press record of 315 lb. in the eighth grade! Big Neechi has since won the title of "Combine King" and "Strongest Man".
During college, Big Neechi also earned another reputation for himself after throwing a Project X-style pool party that went viral and ended up on every news outlet in America. Big Neechi has become the #1 event host in Texas, and even hosted Spring Break in South Padre Island.
No matter how wild his lifestyle gets, Big Neechi always prioritizes fitness, maintains a great physique, and displays insane numbers on all his lifts. (He was the 2019 Iron Wars 4 champion after completing a 475-lb. pause-rep bench press!) Weighing only 215 lb., Big Neechi has proven he can keep up with the best of the best.
Greg Lutzka is a professional skateboarder, best known for his technical skills which have landed him countless trophies, gold medals and awards in contests including: X-Games, The Maloof Money Cup, Dew Tours and World Cups. Currently, Lutzka is also the only skater to have ever won the highly respected Tampa Pro an unprecedented three times.
Lutzka’s reputation as one of the hardest working skateboarders in the industry is well-earned. At the age of 18, Greg moved from the Midwest to Southern California, the Action Sports mecca of the world. During the course of his career, Lutzka has been featured in videos for Almost & Darkstar Skateboards, K-Swiss and Oakley Eyewear. He has also cross-branded himself with Harley Davidson and Aqua Hydrate, always representing sponsors to the fullest while also practicing and improving his skateboarding skills daily.
Lutzka has acted in a movie, commercials and music videos. During whatever remaining freetime Lutzka has, he enjoys snowboarding, cycle riding and spending time with family and friends.
> > > Stay well.
Four days of competition are officially in the books for the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games. The battle has been fought and the Fittest on Earth titles have been claimed. On the women's side, history is made. On the men's side, history is repeated…
TEAMS
For the teams, Mayhem Freedom dominated from start to finish over four days and 9 events, wearing the white leader jersey the entire time and finishing first in the final event. The team officially clinched yet another Affiliate Championship title and bragging rights until next year. CrossFit Krypton takes 2nd place on the podium, and Invictus is your third-place team.
INDIVIDUALS
The Aussies took Event 1 wins to kick off the final morning of Games competition, with Tia Toomey and Matt McLeod winning the Swim Paddle event on Lake Monona.
In back-to-back Events 10 & 11, Katrin Davidsdottir knew it was GO time if she wanted a chance at a medal. She went on to win both events and earned herself enough points to sneak into that 3rd-place potential podium spot as the women headed into the final event.
Mat Fraser also took the back-to-back event wins he needed to regain the white leader jersey he’s accustomed to wearing.
The final event of the Games earned Toomey and Fraser Ws, leaving no room for doubt as to who would be leaving Madison with gold medals.
Once again, Mat Fraser and Tia-Clair Toomey are your Fittest Man & Woman on Earth.
Fraser earns his fourth championship and joins the likes of Rich Froning as the Fittest Man in History, a four-time back-to-back Games champ. In one of the closest points races yet against Fraser, Noah Olsen put up a good fight for 2nd & BKG finished in 3rd — they will both stand on the podium, painfully close to the four-time champ.
Toomey becomes the first three-time Women’s champion of the CrossFit Games. Kristen Holte & Jamie Greene will join Toomey on the podium in 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Congratulations to FITAID athletes Anna Tobias in the Masters Women (35-39) Division & Emma Lawson in the Teen Girls (14-15) Division, as they will both be standing on the podium in 1st and 3rd, respectively.
Masters Women (35-39)
Teen Girls (14-15)
Congratulations to all the Individual athletes, Teams, Teens and Masters who competed this weekend at the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin. Until next year...
*Please note: All stats and Leaderboards are based on current standings, may be subject to change.
> > > Live well.
Saturday, Day 3 of the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games was one that left athletes and fans as shook up as the Leaderboard…
TEAMS took on two events this morning, trimming the field from 11 to 7.
CrossFit Krypton made a move to close the gap between themselves and overall leader CrossFit Mayhem, stealing both the event win and 40 points away from Rich Froning’s team. But Mayhem Freedom answered back with an Event 2 win during the Big Chipper, keeping them safely in first place with nearly a 200 point buffer.
INDIVIDUALS
Nerves ran high for the first event of the day as Individuals knew going into the Sprint event that only 10 of them would advance. This brutal cut knocked a lot of big names out of the competition on both the men’s and women’s sides —including former champions and podium finishers: Cole Sager & Patrick Vellner for the men; Annie Thorisdottir, Laura Horvath, Sara Sigmundsdóttir & Sam Briggs for the women.
Jacob Heppner and James Newbury tackling the peg board in Event 7.
Starting the day in the coveted white leader jersey, Noah Ohlsen increased his lead in Event 6 during the Sprint. But Mat Fraser came back strong and hungry for redemption as he took back-to-back event wins in the Split Triplet and a winning max. Clean of 380 lb. Tia Toomey hit her max. Clean of 265 lb. to also clinch back-to-back Ws in the final two events.
Here are the overall standings after a dramatic Day 3:
With just 10 remaining men and 10 women headed into the final day of competition, Tia Toomey and Noah Ohlsen will both, once again, be the ones wearing the white leader jersey into Sunday. Toomey has a commanding lead over podium hopefuls like Holte and Greene. But with Mat Fraser only 15 points behind Ohlsen, you better believe Fraser's coming for that top spot... Buckle up —it’s gonna be a wild final day at the Games!
Both FITAID athletes, Anna Tobias currently sits in 1st place for the Masters Women and Emma Lawson is in 2nd for the Teen Girls (14-15).
*Please note: All stats and Leaderboards are based on current standings, may be subject to change.
> > > Live well.
Today kicked off Day 2 of the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games. For the individual men & women, the following three events narrowed the field further from 50 to just 20 athletes in Madison, Wisconsin:
Teens & Masters competition began with a bang by putting their engines to the test during these three endurance events:
(Teen athlete Emma Lawson on the rower)
(Master's athlete Anna Tobias crossing the finish line)
(Master's athlete Deana Posey on the jump rope)
TEAMS
The Teams were the first to complete the Ruck Run this morning, where JST Compete opened up an early lead that only grew, clinching the event win and earning them 10th place overall. While Mayhem Freedom still sits at the top of the Leaderboard after a second full day of competition.
INDIVIDUALS
In Individual competition, Lukas Holgberg locked down the event win for the Ruck Run in Event 2 for the Men with a time of 24:00 even. James Newbury took 2nd. After accidentally dropping one of his weighted bags on the Ruck Run, 3-time champ Mat Fraser (who finished 6th) was assessed a 60-second penalty which pushed him further down the Leaderboard.
For the women, it was a photo finish between Bethany Shadburne and Sara Sigmundsdóttir (pictured above) as they sprinted to get top-10 spots in the Ruck Run event.
Emily Rolfe and Games veteran Noah Ohlsen both took their first-ever event wins at the Games in nail-biting final moments of events where they finished just ahead of defending champs Tia Clair-Toomey and Mat Fraser.
If you blinked, you may have missed the sub-2:00 Individual Event 2 of the day, the “Sprint Couplet,” which ended with a lot of finish-line belly flops as athletes collapsed after their final sled push. Amanda Barnhardt took an impressive event win for the women.
During the final event of the day, the benchmark workout “Mary,” Kari Pearce put some serious pressure on the competition after a run-away event win, completing strict handstand push-ups by choice and unbroken pull-ups. Pearce's 695 reps in 20:00 measures out to 1.72 reps per second!
Now let's take a look at the overall Leaderboard:
In a rare occurrence, all of the Dottirs (other than 10th-place Annie Thorisdottir) are sitting outside of the top 10 after Day 2, with Thuri Helgadottir in 11th, Katrin Davidsdottir in 15th, and Sara Sigmundsdóttir barely sitting above the cut line in 20th.
After his Event 1 time penalty, Mat Fraser currently holds the 2nd place spot overall. Jacob Heppner is in 3rd.
Fan favorite, Ben Smith unfortunately will not advance in the competition as his wildcard ride comes to an end. After 6 events and some top finishes, the 11-time Games veteran will finish 28th overall.
With nearly a decade separating them, only six places stand between 18-year old Haley Adams who sits in 9th and 37-year-old Games veteran Sam Briggs who is in 15th place overall.
Kari Pearce, who is currently in 2nd place overall and Kristin Holte (in 3rd), will be trying to fight to stay in the top-3 with Toomey as we head into Day 3 of competition.
After today's events, Noah Ohlsen and Tia Toomey will wear the white Leader jersey as we head into the weekend. But we're pretty sure Mat Fraser will have something to say about that.
CONCLUSION
Overall, an exciting Day 2 saw a lot of torn hands, epic wins and Leaderboard upsets. We’re excited to see what the final two days of event competition have in store for us this weekend. Good luck to all the remaining top-20 individual athletes, Teams, Teens & Masters!
*Please note: All final stats and Leaderboards are based on current standings, may be subject to change.
> > > Live well.
After this past year of being in the dark as to what the new season's format would mean for the 2019 Reebok CrossFit® Games, athletes and fans finally got some answers today. Here's your official recap of event wins, upsets, highlights, Leaderboards and photos from Day 1 of competition!
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
This morning kicked off in Madison, Wisconsin, with Dave Castro announcing to a packed room of athletes that they would need to head on over to CrossFit mainsite (CrossFit.com) to discover the workout for Individual Event 1 (which ended up being today’s scheduled WOD, posted since yesterday evening). Castro entitled the event “First Cut,” due to the fact that only the top 75 athletes would be advancing in the competition.
INDIVIDUAL EVENTS - DAY 1
TEAM EVENTS - DAY 1
TEAM EVENT 1: ASSAULT TO BOB
As anticipated, Mayhem Freedom—led by Rich Froning—came out with a dominant Event 1 performance, making short work of “Big Bob” and showing the Team competition who’s boss. After 3 rounds of air bike calories, 30 toes-to-bar, and a Big Bob push, fan-favorites Invictus Boston tied for 6th with Team Don’t Stop.
Event 1 – Men’s Individual: First Cut
Wildcard Hunter McIntyre finished the first 400m run first, entering the coliseum with a lot to prove as he started chipping away at the remaining work in Event 1. But it was fellow Wildcard, Ben Smith, and 11-time CrossFit Games athlete who really set the pace in Heat 1 with a time of 16:28, a time which landed him an overall 8th place finish after the dust settled from the final heat. McIntyre finished 46th overall.
After his Heat 2 win in Event 1, James Newbury remarked, “I feel really good. That type of workout really suits me.” A fact which anyone watching the event was able to clearly see, as Newbury somehow made Event 1 look easy with a time of 16:21 for 6th place overall.
2018’s Fittest Man on Earth Mat Fraser came out and made sure everyone knew he came to play in Event 1, finishing all 4 rounds in 15:07 for the event win.
*WD: Frederik Aegidius withdrew for competition.
Both James Newbury and Jacob Heppner looked like majestic sweaty beasts while snatching in their final rounds.
Event 1 – Women’s Individual: First Cut
There was no doubt from the second the buzzer rang that 2018’s Fittest Woman on Earth Tia Toomey was going to take this event. Her performance was dominant and strong.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Haley Adams made her debut in the Individual Women’s division with an impressive 4th place finish in Event 1, as one of the only 4 women to even finish the event before the time cap.
Kari Pearce looked strong in the first event with her 2nd place finish nearly 2:00 under the time cap. While fan-favorites and Games veterans Samantha Briggs and Laura Horvath pushed their way through a grueling first event to sit in 8th and 16th—respectively—overall.
Event 2 – Teams: Worm Thruster
Another overall event win for Mayhem Freedom, led by the G.O.A.T. Rich Froning, 0:30 ahead of X-Terminators‘s second-place time of 16:25. Back-to-back 1st place wins has to feel good heading into final Event 3 on Day 1 of competition.
Team Vondelgym and Don't Stop putting in work to finish Team Event 2 strong.
Event 3 – Teams: Clean & Jerk
Real shocker here, Mayhem Freedom stole 2nd place overall in Event 3 with a 1,120 lb. Clean & Jerk total for the team to further secure their 1st place spot overall. Invictus took 1st in the event with 1,160 lb. total, pushing them up to 4th place overall on the Team Leaderboard.
FINAL LEADERBOARD AFTER DAY 1 OF TEAM COMPETITION:
Event 2 – Men’s: Second Cut
True to form, Mat Fraser took a back-to-back 1st-place finish, looking dominant as ever alongside 4th-place finisher overall James Newbury, 5th place athlete and Wildcard Ben Smith, and top-10 finisher Jacob Heppner. His magic mullet proved to be good luck for wildcard Hunter McIntyre who tied for 72nd in Event 2, landing him outside of a qualifying spot and ending his chance of moving into Day 2 of competition. We're all damn proud of you, Hunter — you can now add CrossFit Games athlete to your resume. (Look forward to seeing more of Hunter around the FITAID Morning Show throughout this weekend.)
FINAL TOP-10 LEADERBOARD AFTER DAY 1 OF INDIVIDUAL MEN'S COMPETITION:
Event 2 – Women’s: Second Cut
Sara Sigmundsdóttir came out hungry to redeem her 40th place Event 1 finish—she led Heat 1 for most of Event 2 which consisted of an 800m row, 66 KB jerks, and a 132-ft. handstand walk. However, a fail just a few feet from the finish line sent Sigmundsdóttir back to that last section of the handstand walk and landed her an over finish of 17th place with a time of 7:17.
After the dust settled on the second (final) heat for the women …
- Danielle Brandon got her first-ever event win with a time of 6:16, after demonstrating some serious smooth sailing on her handstand walks.
- Toomey surprised us all by shaking up the Leaderboard, talking 12th in the event, and now site in 3rd place overall.
- Sam Briggs struggled with the final handstand walk, but finished the event until the 10:00 time cap and sits in 22nd place overall as we head into the weekend.
- Kari Pearce, who has never been the overall leader at the CrossFit Games, now sits in 1st place in the Women’s Division and will put on the coveted white Leader’s jersey as we head into the weekend.
FINAL LEADERBOARD AFTER DAY 1 OF INDIVIDUAL WOMEN'S COMPETITION:
CONCLUSION
While Mat Fraser may once again be sitting pretty atop the Leaderboard after Day 1, podium-hopefuls like James Newbury, Ben Smith, Scott Panchik and Patrick Vellner proved they came to put up a fight. Toomey will no-doubt quickly rise to the challenge of working her way up from her current 3rd place overall, sitting just below Annie Thorisdottir who sits in 2nd overall after a 6th place and 5th place finish in Events 1 and 2. Now 26th overall at the end of Day 1, Iceland's Sara Sigmundsdóttir said with a smile, “It can never start well, right?” Sigmundsdóttir seems eager to work her way up the Leaderboard over the next three days, and we are confident she will.
With the field narrowed to 50 male and 50 female athletes after Day 1, there are still a lot of events yet to come and plenty of chances for athletes and teams to shake up the standings. Hold onto your wrist wraps, the excitement is just beginning as we wrap up the first of four full days of competition here at the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games.
GOOD LUCK, athletes — the Games have officially begun!
Madison, Wisconsin | July 24, 2019
“Making Strong People Stronger” is the motto of the One Ton Challenge (OTC), a LIVE event which will take place on site at the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin. The OTC is scheduled to kick off Friday, Aug. 2, 2019, at 5pm (CST) following the final event of that day’s Games competition. And who better to host the event than three-time World Bench Press Champion and three-time World Strict Curl Champion C.T. Fletcher.
Spectators will be able to watch all the action from the FITAID Lounge while athletes complete the following six lifts: Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Snatch, Clean, and Jerk. The goal is to hit a combined total weight of 2,000 lb. for men and 1,200 lb. for women, earning themselves a coveted spot in the One Ton Club.
According to the OTC website, “The point isn’t the number. The point is to set a goal and improve from where you are. The point is to lift with a group of friends who make you better.”
Some of the biggest names in weightlifting, bodybuilding and CrossFit will be competing in the LIVE event, hoping to prove their strength.
MALES:
- Wes Kitts: Olympic weightlifter and 2018 Pan American champion
- Kenny Santucci: Ironman, CrossFit coach & athlete
- Barrett Danz: heavy-lifting athlete & owner of CrossFit Big Dane
- Ben Alderman: CrossFit Games athlete
- Logan Aldridge: adaptive CrossFit athlete, trainer & motivational speaker
FEMALES:
- Morghan King: American weightlifter who competed at the 2016 Olympics
- Katie Cork: CrossFit athlete & fitness model
- Sól Sigurdardóttir: Icelandic CrossFit athlete
- Kristin Pope: National Championship competitive weightlifter
Following a tumultuous year for the CrossFit community, FITAID recently signed weightlifters and bodybuilders like Alex Michael Turner. FITAID (the #1 Post-Workout Recovery Drink in America) was proud to sponsor this event in conjunction with Shrugged Collective.
Anders Varner, founder of Shrugged Collective stated, “The One Ton Challenge is the pinnacle weightlifting event for athletes dedicated to the lifelong pursuit of strength. It’s designed to give athletes around the world a meaningful and achievable training goal. We are bringing the strongest athletes in the world to Madison to test their outer limits of strength during the LIVE event at this year’s CrossFit Games. You won’t want to miss it.”
Well-known for his physique and strength, professional wrestler and actor John Cena made the following comment on a recent Barbell Shrugged podcast episode, “We wanted to come up with something that was attainable for everyone. The male standard is the One Ton Club (2,000 lb.). Everyone has a chance.”
HOW TO ENTER THE ONE TON CHALLENGE
You can create a profile and submit your lifting PR stats at TheOneTonChallenge.com to see how you stack up against other individuals and top athletes around the world.
About LIFEAID: With a focus on great-tasting, wellness-enhancing and solutions-driven supplement products, LIFEAID Beverage Co. has become a trusted brand among health- and performance-conscious consumers. LIFEAID offers a range of "vitamins you'll actually enjoy drinking." The brand’s Recovery Blend FITAID is now the #1 Post-Workout Recovery Drink in America. Visit www.lifeaidbevco.com for more information.
Shrugged Collective is a network of fitness, health and performance shows that help people achieve their physical and mental health goals, founded by Anders Varner. Learn more at ShruggedCollective.com.
> > > Live well.
Things got a little buttery last night...
CrossFit's sweetheart Rory (Ro) McKernan joined The Buttery Brothers & well-known media team duo—Heber (Heebs) Cannon & Marston (Mars) Sawyers—Thursday evening for the Open Workout 19.2 LIVE Announcement. The trio anxiously huddled around the TV in the FITAID box, located at the office of LIFEAID Beverage Co. in the old Wrigley building on the west side of Santa Cruz, California.
Everyone was eager to hear what the workout would entail as they tried to mentally prepare for the good old-fashioned head-to-head throwdown that lay ahead of them. Despite a slightly disjointed announcement broadcast from Australia, the group finally pieced together the details of the workout:
OPEN Workout 19.2 (Men's RX)
25 toes-to-bar
50 double-unders
15 squat cleans (135 lb.)
25 toes-to-bar
50 double-unders
13 squat cleans (185 lb.)
If you complete all of the above movements under 8 minutes, add 4 minutes to clock and proceed to next round.
25 toes-to-bar
50 double-unders
11 squat cleans (225 lb.)
If you complete the above round under 4 minutes, add an additional 4 minutes to clock and proceed to next round.
25 toes-to-bar
50 double-unders
9 squat cleans (275 lb.)
If you complete the above round under 4 minutes, add an additional 4 minutes to clock and proceed to final round.
25 toes-to-bar
50 double-unders
7 squat cleans (315 lb.)
Time cap: 20 minutes
Now armed with all the workout details, the athletes scattered like ants and started talking strategy as they warmed up in the FITAID box. They each methodically got their equipment all set up, carefully preparing for battle as they passed around a few light-hearted taunts. Trust us, this crew is accustomed to hyping each other up to compete.
The last time this trio competed was during the LIVE Announcement of Open Workout 18.5 in Iceland (in 2018), where Heber walked away with the win. Since then, plans for redemption have been spoken of in hushed tones by both Rory and Mars ...
"Daddy, let's go kick some butt," Rory's daughter said with an aggressive high-five for her dad just before the workout began.
3, 2, 1...Go!
True to form, Mars came out "hot" and was in the lead after Round 1. But a determined Rory and Heber weren't too far behind as they all started Round 2 ...
Amidst repeated shouts of "Go, Daddy, go!" from Heber's two little boys—Finley (2) and Maverick (4)—who cheered madly from the corner, Cannon managed to stand up his 11th squat clean at 185 lb., finishing just 2 reps shy of completing Round 2 within the 8-minute time cap.
As Heber sat and attempted to make a buttery recovery, Rory and Mars were forced to forge ahead into Round 3 without the company of their lusciously long-locked companion.
Mars hopped back onto the pull-up bar first, while Rory strolled slowly over in an attempt to catch his breath. Quickly it became apparent just how winded both of the remaining athletes were after having sprinted to complete those final squat cleans in the previous round.
With every rep, the athletes took extended hunched-over breaks, often turning their toes-to-bar into painful singles.
Ro & Mars continued chipping away at their remaining 25 toes-to-bar in Round 3. Mars finished his first and advanced to the 50 double-unders. Meanwhile, Rory remained on the pull-up bar.
As the third round's 4-minute time cap approached, Mars managed to get to the barbell and power through 5 squat cleans at 275 lb., taking the overall win and bragging rights for 19.2! Rory advanced to the jump rope and completed a total of 12 double-unders in that third round, securing his second-place finish. With only 11 of the required 13 squat cleans under his weight belt prior to the 8-minute time cap of Round 2, a humbled Heber found himself in an unfamiliar last place compared to his previous first-place finish in their Icelandic battle for 18.5.
Great job, boys! It's been a long time since Rory found himself in the middle of a sandwich this buttery:
OPEN 19.2 RESULTS
1. Marston Sawyers (258.pts.)
2. Rory McKernan (215.pts.)
3. Heber Cannon (176.pts.)
Even though none of these three buttery beasts completed the work requirement within the third round's 12-minute time cap (necessary to advance them into the final two rounds), all three of them are winners in our book. Just don't think for a second that they're gonna let Heber forget this one any time soon ...
Redemption was sweet for both Mars and Rory!
In case you missed the LIVE action, do not fear—you can still watch it over on the @FITAID Instagram page! (Just click on the Story, then select "Watch Live Video")
"When was the last time you had pancakes for dinner?"
—The Buttery Bros.
The team at FITAID wishes to sincerely THANK Rory McKernan, The Buttery Bros. (Heber Cannon & Marston Sawyers), their crew and the entire CrossFit community for showing up and making this event possible.
It's the sound of our friends, family members and fellow athletes cheering us on, paired with our ongoing inner desire to dig deep and do our best—that's what makes CrossFit great. —LIFEAID staff
> > > Live well.
