The CrossFit Games is the highlight of the CrossFit Competition year. As the sport has grown, so has the freakish strength and skill required to make it to the games as a team, but even more so as an individual. That’s the games. There are loads of local and regional competitions for those of us without the time or inclination to dedicate hours each day to training for this dream.
CrossFit St. Louis is not entirely unique, but we do fall into a small segment of gyms that are blessed with loads of talented CrossFit Athletes. This year, we are going to try to take advantage of that talent depth and do something we’ve never attempted before: forming 2 teams, in hopes of getting them both to regionals!
When does the competition start?
The 2017 CrossFit Games season begins with the CrossFit Open. Every individual is eligible to compete. Weights are not outlandishly heavy and most people can accomplish all movements. If you can’t, there is a scaled option, which allows each person to continue to score and see how they stack up, but like in our Wodify App, scaled scores begin after the last person that attempted to RX a workout.
The 2017 calendar is as follows:
STAGE 1: The Open
Five Weeks | Feb. 23 – March 27
17.1: Feb. 23 – 27
17.2: March 2 – 6
17.3: March 9 – 13
17.4: March 16 – 20
17.5: March 23 – 27
Registration for the Open begins Jan. 12, 2017.
STAGE 2A: The Online Qualifier
Thursday – Monday | April 20 – 24
The qualifier will decide the 20 fittest masters (35+) and teenagers (14-15/16-17) from every division who will each receive a ticket to the Games.
STAGE 2B: The Regionals
Three Weekends | May 19 – June 4
The fittest men, women and teams from 17 worldwide areas will head to one of eight regional events over three weekends starting in May for their chance to compete at the Games
2017 Regional Schedule
Week 1: May 19-21, 2017
East & South
Week 2: May 26-28, 2017
Pacific, California & Central
Central
Nashville, Tennessee/Music City Center
Week 3: June 2-4, 2017
Meridian, West & Atlantic
STAGE 3: The Games
One Week | Aug. 1 – 6
The 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games will be held at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. After seven years at the StubHubCenter in Carson, California, the Games will move to a new location for at least the next three years.
In 2010, the Games moved from the Ranch in Aromas, California, to the StubHub Center (formerly Home Depot Center) in Carson, California. The new location accommodated a much larger group of athletes and spectators. The Games have been held at the StubHub Center every July since—until now.
The Games will start Tuesday, Aug. 1, and run until Sunday, Aug. 6.
Teenage and Masters Competitions*
Dates TBD
Individual and Team Competitions
Dates TBD
*The masters competition will now include a 35-39 Masters Division. See “Online Qualifier” section above for additional details.
Why 2 Teams?
The CrossFit Games competition is the height of seriousness in CrossFit. Standards are high and expected to be adhered to through the open, regionals (our regionals will shift to Nashville this season), and of course the games, (this year in Wisconsin for the first time). As a gym, you must declare your team (or teams) before the Open begins. At CrossFit St. Louis, we have always simply declared as “CrossFit St. Louis”. As such, if our top 12 men and women could have all qualified as 2 teams, we could not have sent them, because we did not register as 2 teams.
So how will it work?
As we sign up for the open this year, a group of 8 athletes are going to be signing up as “CrossFit St. Louis Red”. These are athletes that have shown that they are the most likely to excel and to help a team reach regionals, and yes, even the games.
The rest of the gym will register as “CrossFit St. Louis White”. All of our work in the open will contribute to the team total, as we will have 50+ athletes working, and the best 3 men’s scores and best 3 women’s scores for each of the 5 workouts get recorded as the team score. The result? Hopefully, a very strong showing with CFSTL White in the open and not one, but two births in the Central regional competition.
So what do I do?
We will be reminding everyone when registration opens for the 2017 games open. The cost is $20 per person, paid online to the CrossFit Games. We will then work as a larger community, to propel 2 teams to the regionals if at all possible.
“But I’m not that strong of an athlete.” You never know, sometimes the workouts lend themselves to your strengths and you could help the team. You could also end up on it! Once the open is over, we will take the top 3 male and female finishers and gauge their interest in competing and set up two teams for Nashville.
Where can I learn more?
You can get full details at the CrossFit Games site, about the games specifically. But you should talk with David, Cory, Andrew, Todd or Jo, if you have questions about the CF St. Louis teams.
Let’s get started! 3-2-1-GO!