This past weekend, four members of the CrossFit Bethesda community competed in the Quarterfinal round of the 2021 CrossFit Games season. To receive an invite for Quarterfinals, athletes had to finish the CrossFit Games Open Qualifier in the top 10% of competitors from their region. From CrossFit Bethesda, Raymond Romanick, Liz Frank, Madelyn McGuffey, and Jocelyn Scott all finished in the top 10% of North American athletes, to earn their invite.
In similar fashion to the Open, events for the Quarterfinal round of qualifying were announced on Thursday afternoon, at 3pm EST. This time, instead of just one workout, competitors were tasked with five workouts that had to be completed over the course of the weekend. The five workouts were as follows:
Workout 1
For total time:
3 rounds of:
10 strict handstand push-ups
10 dumbbell hang power cleans
50 double-unders
-Rest exactly 1 min., then:
3 rounds of:
10 kipping handstand push-ups
10 dumbbell shoulder-to-overheads
50 double-unders
50/35lb. dumbbells
Time cap: 10 min.
Workout 2
For time:
60 GHD sit-ups
6 rope climbs, 15 ft.
60 alternating single-leg squats
50 GHD sit-ups
5 rope climbs, 15 ft.
50 alternating single-leg squats
40 GHD sit-ups
4 rope climbs, 15 ft.
40 alternating single-leg squats
30 GHD sit-ups
3 rope climbs, 15 ft.
30 alternating single-leg squats
Time cap: 20 min.
Workout 3
For time:
120 wall-ball shots
120-cal. row
20/14-lb. ball, 10/9-ft. target
Time cap: 15 min.
Workout 4
For max load:
4 rep-max front squat
Time cap: 20 min.
Workout 5
For time:
9-6-3
Snatch
Burpee box jump-over
135/95 lb., 30 in.
Time cap: 7 min.
Rather than leave athletes to their own discretion as to the order in which they performed the workouts, CrossFit Games director Dave Castro assigned intermittent deadlines for the various workouts. Scores for the first two workouts had to submitted within 24 hours of the announcement, workouts 3 and 4 had to be completed by Saturday afternoon, and the score for the final workout was due on Sunday, by 3pm EST.
Athletes and fans were able to watch the standings change over the course of the weekend, as scores were submitted for the various workouts. By doing this, Games organizers were able to come very close to simulating the experience of the old Regionals weekends, in an online format.
At the end of the weekend, CrossFit Bethesda’s very own Raymond Romanick found himself sitting 114th, out of the over four thousand North American men who were invited to participate. This is a position that should earn him an invitation to participate in one of the Semifinal events, at the end of May. The top 120 male and female athletes will receive an invite to one of the three North American events, where they will compete to earn themselves a trip to the 2021 CrossFit Games. Good luck, Ray!
CrossFit Bethesda’s three female qualifiers each turned in impressive performances of their own. Out of the over 3,400 North American women who were invited to participate in the Quarterfinal round of competition, Jocelyn Scott finished at 1,051st, well into the top third of all athletes. Liz Franks came in 1,352nd, and Madelyn McGuffey ended the weekend at 1,424th place, putting both of them solidly in the top half of the competition. Keep in mind, you had to be in the top 10% of all North American competitors just to make it into this round. This means all three of these ladies can count themselves among the top 5% fittest female CrossFitters on the continent.
Congratulations to all of our athletes on a great weekend!
