23rd November 2014
WCCF Smashdown, 2014.
Write up for the 2014 WCCF Smashdown.
What an amazing day in the history of White Cliffs CrossFit. What struck me the most is the sheer level of improvement across the whole local crossfit scene. Programmed to test everyone across the broadest time and modal domains possible with the number of athletes that were competing. The 2014 WCCF Smashdown enabled the fittest to rise to the top.
6 WOD’s for everyone, 8 for those that reached the finals. When I started to program the event, I predicted the possible fastest/heaviest results, and was pleased to report, I was very wrong. Everything exceeded my expectations.
Crossfitters came from miles around, CF Solent, CF blockhouse, CF Great Stour, CF medway, NWK Crossfit and of course, White Cliffs CrossFit.
First event, 1k row with a cap of 6 mins, remaining time to be maxed out with double unders. On the Womens side the fastest time of the day belonged to Becky Standen from CF Solent, narrowly beating WCCF Kirsty Oliver by 2 seconds . Kirsty got her redemption by winning the doubles by 11 reps.
On the mens side Chase Coles from CF Great Stour destroyed the row in 3:01.4 over Duncan Aldous but it was Crossfit Solent’s Jamie Martin who pulled out one of the most impressive single efforts of the day with 160 unbroken double unders and finishing on 242!
WOD 3 and 4 was a nasty snatch ladder followed instantly by a 2 minute window of handstand holds for a maximal effort. Becky Standen again beat kirsty Oliver by just 1 rep and WCCF Melanie Richardson by 1 rep also. Chase now had ground to make up and was on the war path. He won the snatch ladder by a clear 9 reps over Jamie Martin and CFGS Craig whiting finished in 3rd. Onto the handstand holds and Becky put in an instant 18 second hold for the win over Kirsty with Melaine Richardson in 3rd. This back and forth battle was a theme throughout the day.
WOD 5, Super Cooper, was a 1RM strict press from the rack or floor. It was now time for Melanie Richardson to shine who hit a huge PB with 47kgs. Kirsty was second and Becky came third. The mens event mixed things up nicely. Craig Whiting dominated the event with an impressive 95kgs over CF medway’s Mathew Grimshaw and Richard Spence.
The last WOD before the cut was, in my opinion, the best one to watch. The sprint chipper of 21 bar over burpees, 15 deadlifts at 140/90kgs and 9 CTB pullups. Having received some outstanding pre comp performances on the grapevine, it was Chase Coles who outperformed himself by going unbroken on the deadlifts and a sweet set of butterfly chest to bars to kill it in 1:11 over Jamie Martin who also destroyed it in 1:15. Third place belonged to Scott Nealey in 1:19. On the girls event, Becky Standen came from behind with an unbroken set of CTB pullups to take the win over Kirsty Oliver and Melanie Richardson came in third. One of the moments of the day came when Jenni Barr achieved her first ever CTB pullup and Clive Hogban just finishing inside the time cap by 3 seconds to a huge applause.
Then the cut to 8.
The first WOD was designed to test the full clean in one of the most demanding ways possible. Death by full clean, starting at 3 reps with 85kgs for the men and 50kgs for the women. Kirsty absolutely dominated the event beating the other girls by over a round with another name that was pressing near the top all day, Jenni Gibson Smith coming in second place. The mens side was crushed by Chase with a huge engine and a great approach to the event, electing to spread out the squat cleans over the whole minute to enable maximal recovery. It was a tactic that worked and he beat David Boardman into second place and Jamie Martin into third. Another name that was being very consistent throughout the day but flew under the radar was Duncan Aldous from CF Solent. He didn’t rise to the top in any of the events but he was proof that crossfit is all about not being weak in any areas and consistent across the board.
The final event was a large chipper that threw in a curve ball of a single arm overhead squat with a 32kg kettlebell and a marked increase in the skill base with handstand pressups, a heavy back squat, down ups, toes to bar and bar muscleups. Kirsty Oliver was neck and neck on points with Becky Standen and whoever won the final event would win the day. Melanie Richardson and Jenni Gibson Smith were also in the final WOD of the women’s event. Kirsty steamed ahead of everyone right from the start with the fastest set of overhead squats of the day and straight on to the fastest hand stand pressups of the day. Consistent over the next 3 exercises only 10 bar muscleups remained it was then that Becky made her move. Crossfit is all about consistency and balance and it was Becky that smashed out a very fast set of bar muscleups over kirsty to take a brilliant and well deserved win. Melanie also completed the WOD to take third over Jenni who finished fourth. The last mens event consisted of Chase, Duncan, Jamie and another CFGS and old WCCF lag, Nick Leatham. Chase took off and never looked back, crushed Duncan by over two and a half minutes and only broke the bar muscleups once. Jamie came in third in the event with Nick finishing in 13:17.
Full stats and finish places will be posted in due course.
I can’t thank everyone enough and I will probably miss people out but here it goes.
The girls in the cougar cave, Vicky Corny Young and Amelia Corbo.
The judges, Mark Fraser, Chris Dear, Clare Dunn, Ben Embleton, Heather Corby, Scott Parkin Steven Habbershaw and Michael Ware.
The kids helping out with the drinks and bars at the back, CJ, Chelsea and the Corbo boys!
The vendors who all donated prizes, Renegade box, designed to eat and rawnola, Proannox and Icon nutrition.
And of course, all of the athletes and spectators of which there was 150 of you guys!!
I also want to thank ‘The Weights Room’ for putting up with the outrageous car parking I witnesses!! And also to them for putting up with our most frequent trips to the toilet!! Also thanks to Greg for putting on some seriously good nosh! I sincerely hope everyone enjoyed the day and I can’t wait to join you in a competition in the near future.
