There’s No I in Team: The Pacific Region’s Teams Headed to the Games
Written by admin in Events,
21 min read Functional fitness already has a reputation for being “intense,” thanks to its hardcore, next-level workouts. Add in four-person deadlifts (with an axle bar), handstand walking obstacle course races, and team worming, and the Team segment of the CrossFit Games reinforces that nomenclature.
Next week, 40 teams will be taking the competition floor, and five of them are hauling to Madison from the Pacific region.
Read more about them below.
Reebok CrossFit Frankston
Team Roster
Rob Forte
Jay Crouch
Madison Tatt
Sara Drain
Back-Up
Zac Hare
Caitlin Eames
They were ranked the 18th fittest team during the 2018 Open, after a little mix-up at the beginning of the season. “One of the men that was meant to be on the team didn’t choose Reebok CrossFit Frankston as his team during the sign up process,” wrote Rob Forte on Instagram. It’s for that reason that Forte “decided to keep the dream alive and go on the Reebok CrossFit Frankston team.”
ICYDK, Forte, a former motocross racer, is a seven-time Games athlete after finishing in the top three in his region since 2011. Under his lead are Jay Crouch, Madison Tatt, and Sara Drain, who finished 29th, 22nd, and 40th in the Open, respectively. At 19 and with experience competing in the Teenage Boys 16-17 division 2015-2016, Crouch is the youngest on the team and is ready to learn from Forte: “Not everyday you get the opportunity to be in a solid team though, especially with a guy I’ve looked up to for a long time,” he wrote.
The women on the team, while surprisingly MIA from social media, are also impressive. Tatt, age 23, improved her Open standing from 43rd in 2017 to 21st in 2018, a leaderboard jump that’s almost unheard of at this level. Tart, age 32, has snagged 25th to 20th place in the Pacific region during the Open since 2015 and has helped Reebok CrossFit Frankston compete since 2014.
With strong deadlifters all around, Event 1 should be an especially good event for this team.
Schwartzs CrossFit Melbourne
Team Roster
Tim Faughlin
Penny Kemp
Jaime Goodwin
Sam Flavell
Back-Up
Lucas O’brien
Ebony Simmons
Schwartzs CrossFit Melbourne came in 155th in the world during the Open, but they’ve sent a team to the Games every year since 2014. This will be the third time that Faughlin, age 29, will be competing with CrossFit Melbourne, the fourth time for both Flavel and Goodwin, and the fifth time for Kemp.
There’s something undeniably endearing about this team, thanks to Flavell’s mermaid hair, the fact that Kemp has the line, “Beginner kick boxer who dabbles in CrossFit” in her Instagram bio, and the way they celebrate.
Also worth noting is this team seems to train as a squad of six far more than other Games teams; it’s this family vibe and level of in-syncness that’s likely to thank for the way they beast on the worm. Worm workouts and gymnastics workouts are where this team excels (they came in 5th worldwide for their collective 18.3 score).
CrossFit 121
Team Roster
Chris Hogan
Kieran Hogan
Ashlee Stones
Kelly McFarlane
Back-Up
Morgan Wardrope
Josh Harris
CrossFit 121 finished the Open with a 73rd worldwide rank and after Regionals will be going to the Games for the first time this year. This team is certainly not one of rookies.
C. Hogan has ranked in the top 44 in the region since 2012 and competed as an individual at Regionals from 2012 through 2017. His 44th region rank this year is likely why he decided to go team with Kieran, his brother. Kieran is similarly very experienced as a 10-times Regionals competitor and previous Games athlete (when he competed with Schwartzs CrossFit Melbourne).
McFarlane, age 36, is a beast with a top-five finish in the region in the 35 to 39 division in the Open the last two years. Stones, age 29, is less experienced than McFarlane, but she did go to the Games in 2016 with Schwartzs CrossFit Melbourne, too.
CrossFit Athletic
Team Roster
Dominique Johnson
Harry Woolford
Harriet Hobbs
Alessio Angelucci
Back-Up
Hanna Porseland
Christian D’Astoli
CrossFit Athlete finished 201st in the Open worldwide and then finished 4th during Regionals. Between their low-profile Instagram accounts and the fact that most have jobs beyond being full-time athletes, this is a team it’s easy to root for.
But don’t let this team’s humble demeanor fool you. CrossFit Athletic has finished in the top 15 at the Games every year. Johnson has gone team with CrossFit Athletic since 2015. Woolford will be returning to the Games for the second time after making an appearance in 2016, and Hobbs too went to the Games in 2016.
As an added bonus, Angelucci can pull 540, so he should help his team crush the four-person deadlift workout. Fingers crossed Castro gives the men an opportunity to do some synchro chest-to-bar — they’re good at them.
CrossFit East Tamaki
Team Roster
Tegan Bartleet
Michael Paterson
Dylan Mitai
Rachel Palmer
Back-Up
Harrison Palmer
Brooke McCarthy
CrossFit East Tamaki is itching to get back to the Games — for the fourth time — and do some serious damage.
What’ll strike you about these athletes when they hit the competition floor is that they are, as a team, smaller than some of the other teams (proof). “Not the biggest athletes out there, nor the strongest, our personal best lifts would be impressive in 2011. But when it’s time to move, don’t count us out,” Mitai wrote about his team. And what’s that old saying? Small is mighty. That holds true for CrossFit East Tamaki.
Paterson and Palmer were both on the team when CrossFit East Tamaki went to the Games in 2016 and 2017. Mitai and Bartlett went in 2016 with a different team.
Main image: Rob Forte/Instagram
