REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR THE 2011 CATALYST GAMES!
CLICK HERE TO GET ON THE LIST!
Winner of 2011 Best Picture!!!
After reviewing thousands of pictures, we chose ten. Then, given two weeks to vote, the Catalyst family chose (38.6% selection rate) :
"The Lean-In" featuring Cam Wilson's huge clean attempt in Event #2!
Photographer: Stephanie Parniak! Congrats, Steph! You've won a free YEAR of Catalyst events! Now you've gotta do EVERYTHING, including:
- FranFest
- SuperMeet
- Defiance
- Murph
- CrossFit Open
- Fight Gone Bad
- Baseline Week
- ....and, of course, the Games 2012!!!
Memoir - by Jeremy Paquin
Memoir [mem – whar]
noun
- a record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation
It was a perfect clear blue sky day, Mother Nature’s last ditch effort to hang onto this memorable summer of two-thousand and eleven. The first item on the agenda: a scenic 3.5k run on the Hub Trail through forested trails, over newly minted pedestrian bridges spanning the Fort Creek, to a place local crossfitters affectionately call ‘The Park’.
Event 1 of the 2011 Catalyst Games was built to test our engines. Of course, a casual foot race from point A to point B would never fit the crossfit criteria, so Chris Cooper and his Catalyst Fitness crew added 50 hand-release pushups and 100 squats along the way, and then topped it off with 25 burpees. Although running and body weight movements are my bread and butter, I wasn’t surprised to see the fleet-footed 2010 Catalyst Games champion Cam Wilson leading the pack. Drew Nadeau showed all those in his dust that he was for real. And on the women’s side, out-of-towner Amy Leroux could not be caught.
Fear [feer]
noun
- a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc
I had repeated nightmares about event 2, even while awake ~ impending danger. Competitors were granted a mere 30 seconds to power clean, from ground to chest, incrementally higher loads until failure ~ evil. In the weeks leading up to the Games, I managed 195lbs only once, and failed six times ~ pain. My odds were weak. You can imagine my surprise when I caught 215lbs at my collarbone. A gritty post-lift fist pump to the air and I started thinking possible podium this year. The girls showed their inner beauty heaving massive weight off the ground with Lisa Proctor and Mel Rose leading the way. Every soul in the gym gazed in amazement atWilson teetering on his toes, in a deep squat under 255lbs. And the big man Vance Henson made it look easy and probably could have cleaned more.
Work [work]
noun
- exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something, labour, toil
Can a human being, given average weather conditions, exert an effort so intense as to produce a bead of sweat and have it roll off his or her nose after, say, two minutes and thirty one seconds? It is difficult to do, believe me. Work should be hard. Working out should be very hard. Pairing up with Brandon Corelli to put our collective work capacity to the test made that single droplet fall off my nose. Sally Moore put her stamp down in fine fashion, and the always keen youngster Charity Henson showed the spectators her resilience. Steve Leroux reminded all the men why he stood on the podium last year blasting through the short series of log lifts, sand bag carries, and truck push to win event 3 in the fastest time.
Rank [rangk]
noun
- relative position or standing
The noise from the crowd was there, but somehow muted. Only one voice struck clear – Josh Deluco’s - there in my right ear. Rest is for the weak. Get off your knees. He’s catching up. C’mon Paquin, this is yours.
Ten days before the Games I had casually mentioned to Cooper that event 4 would be long and difficult to crack 16 minutes. He looked at me like I was bananas and said 18:00 was more like it. I knew he was right.
Brad Rennison absolutely laid down the gauntlet with his gutsy sub 17 minute performance.Sudbury native Adam Ball tried desperately to keep pace. Leroux and I staged a fitness battle worthy of some serious water cooler talk (if only Steve and I lived in the same city!). He completed the Annie portion of what felt like a billion double-unders and sit-ups ahead and I thought I was toast. My hands gripped the bar and instinctively pumped out 21 pull-ups straight to take the lead, my chin jutting out over the bar like Jay Leno’s. My box jumps were wobbly and borderline treacherous as my heart pounded towards oblivion. I staggered to the twenty pound medicine ball. Seventy-five shots to a 10 foot target. The first and last time I will ever do event 4 of the 2011 Catalyst Games. Fifteen minutes and fifty seconds. Done.
Rose, Proctor and Moore went shot for shot at the wall in an epic finale. And Amy Leroux won her second event of the day. Mr. Cam Wilson could not be reined in and retained his title. Ms. Sally Moore proved that every second counts.
Congratulations to all.
Final Results - Catalyst Games 2011
It was a VERY tough day on everyone - Indies, Teams....and, as it turns out, the judges.
In the final tabulation, it was reported that the top 3 women, in order, were: Amy Leroux, Mel Rose, and Lisa Proctor. There was a small error in the calculation (entirely Coop's fault) and with the race so tight - 5 women within 2 points! - a small change made a huge difference.
To that end, a final reminder: that our goal, first and foremost, is to encourage the Community to continually best itself. That, we can say with absolute surety, was delivered. This was our hardest Games to date, though the movements were simpler (but perhaps more severe.) The collective skill of our CrossFit Family has improved drastically since the first Games, to the point where one judge commented that the Judges needed their own class for competition "....but now it's because I don't know if we'd win in the Open division." It's true: Catalyst Staff were removed from competition in 2009, and Mel and Cam only competed this year because they won last year (they're now Catalyst Coaches also.)
You'll notice what appears to be a massive upheaval in the Womens' Rx Class; that's true, and it's not. ALL of the competitors were exceptionally close, and it's almost a shame that one has to be singled out as "winner." In truth, they're ALL heroes reborn to us.
In case of a tie for rank, preference was given to the individual who had one most events. If THAT was a tie - which happened both with the Womens' Rx AND the Teams - the combined times of events #1, 3 and 4 were added to determine the winner. And it was STILL close...do the math, if you like.
1st - Sally Moore - 12 points
2nd - Melanie Rose - 12 points, +1:24 on the timed events
3rd - Lisa Proctor - 13 points
4th - Charity Henson - 13 points (but no single-event win)
5th - Amy Leroux - 14 points, BUT the most single-event wins.
It's still easily conceivable that Amy Leroux could be most fit (she won the most events) and, to that end, we still celebrate her as our winner alongside Sally Moore, whose gutsy performance inspired us all.
Womens' Rx Class - Overall Points Standings
| EVENT | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | TOTAL |
| Mel Rose | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| Amy Leroux | 1 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 14 |
| Sally Moore | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 12 |
| Lisa Proctor | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 13 |
| Charity Henson | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 13 |
| Miranda Mayhew | 2 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 24 |
| Jessica King | 6 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 22 |
| Cindy Henson | 8 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 26 |
In the Mens' Rx Class, a similar misunderstanding (again, Coop's fault) caused Jeremy Paquin to be given an extra point for tying in one event. The correct results are:
Cam Wilson - 1st Overall - 6 Points
Jeremy Paquin - 2nd Overall - 12 points
Steve Leroux - 3rd Overall - 13 points
Mens' Rx Class - Overall Points Standings
| EVENT | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | TOTAL |
| Cam Wilson | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Steve Leroux | 4 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 13 |
| Jeremy Paquin | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| Brandon Corelli | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 19 |
| Drew Nadeau | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 17 |
| Brad Rennison | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 20 |
| Adam Ball | 11 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Shane Gillespie | 6 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 33 |
| Vance Henson | 13 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 36 |
| Aaron Bell | 9 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 34 |
| Glen Harrison | 10 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 42 |
| Chris Stone | 8 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 40 |
| Dan Elliot | 12 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 48 |
In the Teams Division, the results were clear: Jason Brenton's Red, White and Blue Spandex-wearing LSSU team won every single event:
| EVENT | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | TOTAL |
| LSSU | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Kaleb, Andrew, Carolinn | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 |
| Deb, Esther, Dana | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 14 |
| The Green Mules | 8 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 15 |
| The Rough WODers | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 22 |
| Team Awesome | 6 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 25 |
| Andrea,Boo,Andrew | 4 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 27 |
| Pamela,Jake,Patrick | 7 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 29 |
| Shawn, Fran, Emma | 10 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 31 |
| The Scott Family | 9 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 36 |
| 7=DNF |
Full events are downloadable here:
Download Catalystgamesfinalscores
Questions? Address them to chris@catalystgym.com. Congratulations, again, to all athletes! It's an honour just to yell in your ears.
Thanks To All, and Best Photo Contest!
Catalyst Games 2011 was the best ever. Thanks to the athletes, judges, teams, scorekeepers, media (Steph) and fans!
This afternoon, we'll post final standings including scores and times. But first: our annual Best Picture Contest. Tag Coop in your favourite pictures by Friday; we'll post the top ten, and let you vote on your favourite. The photographer gets FREE ENTRY into all Catalyst events for a full year!
Last year's winner: Carolle Robinson. Her days of free events, sadly, are over. Luckily, she won the Grand Prize Package, generously donated by Troy Woods. Hope that takes the edge off a bit, Carolle!
Event #3: "Divine"
There's a large movement within CrossFit toward the ever-more-extreme. That special 'top' spot is currently held by SEALFit and their head coach, Mark Divine. Divine trains recruits for BUD/S, the Navy SEAL program qualifier also known as "Hell Week." He loves beach workouts, stones, logs, and water.
Divine also runs a week-long camp called "Kokoro" for CrossFitters who want the SEAL experience. Top-level guys have gone through the camp...some passing, some failing. At the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games, the SealFIT booth was staffed entirely by current Navy SEALs. While I was chatting to one, about six other CrossFitters came up to the booth and said, "I want to sign up for the next Kokoro camp." Invariably, the SEAL at the table would look them up and down and respond, "No, you don't." The recruit wannabe would leave, dejected, and the soldiers would crack up.
Indies: you'll face three logs, set 50m apart at phone poles on Industrial Court 'B.' You'll do 21 thrusters at the first phone pole. The log will be anchored at one end, and lifted at the other (see photo.) The log must pass OVER your head and touch the shoulder for the squat portion of the Thruster.
Then you'll sprint to the next log, and perform 15 thrusters in the same way; sprint to the last, and do 9 thrusters.
Next, you'll pick up a 20lbs sandbag, set beside the last log, and run it back to the truck at the staring line. Load the bag in the truck, and return to the second log, where you'll find a 40lbs sandbag. Carry it and load it in the truck. Return to the first log and pick up a 60lbs sandbag; carry and load it into the truck. Then push the truck across the finish line (slight downhill grade) for total time. See diagram below:
Teams: your event is similar, but tougher: you must carry the log between phone poles.
On the 'Go!' command, your team will shoulder the log and begin your 21 thrusters. Every team member must squat to below parallel (they may not all be able to carry the log on their shoulders, depending on height differential.) They will stand as a unit, passing the log over head until their arms are fully extended. After the 21st thruster has been fully locked out, the team runs to the next phone pole, to perform 15 thrusters with the log, passing from shoulder to shoulder again. Then they run to the third pole and perform 9 thrusters.
When the last thrusters have been completed, the team drops to the ground and performs 20 situps with the log on their chests. If the log moves to the stomach of any team member, or a team member's shoulders don't touch the ground, or the team doesn't rise high enough, they will repeat the repetition.
Then the team performs the same sandbag shuttle as the Indies. The team must run together, though only one team member may carry the sandbag (each team member must carry one of the three bags.) Bags are to be loaded in the truck, and then the team pushes the truck over the finish line (slight uphill grade.) See diagram below:
In each case, the athletes begin with the log on the ground, and end with the rear bumper of the truck across the finish line. For time.
Indies start in pairs (see roster,) followed by teams.
Fin' It OR Win It - Scaling
So....you've seen the events. NOW you're scared.
You're worried that you can't do your pushups as required. Your pullups are few and far between. Your double-unders are really one-point-seven-five-unders....
..and it's fine.
We love the competitive aspect. We love that you're nervous, because fear makes you eat your broccoli. We see more PRs - more first-time achievements - in August than ANY OTHER MONTH, because you're scared NOT to succeed. It's a beautiful thing. While other gyms are ghost towns, the Park has been jammed all week, full of people who are struggling to get that first muscle-up, or add that extra 5lbs to their clean.
The majority, though, are not headed to the podium. For many, simply FINISHING the Games as Rx - or at all - will be this year's win. Heck, it may be the biggest win they've ever had in their life. Finishing these Games, which are definitely the toughest we've ever staged, as Rx is a huge deal. Some would prefer to do as many events as possible with the prescribed weight and movements, and simply 'scale' the ones they can't do. That's fine; you're just ineligible to win the overall title. OK?
Here's how we'll do it:
The cutoff time for Event #1 is 45 minutes. Can't finish it in 45 minutes? No problem. Finish it. You may have to jump right into event #2...or you may miss it entirely. No problem. Start again at event #3.
No, you won't get a medal. For that reason, we'll keep tracking your times and weights, but stop counting your points (Scoring post to follow.) It won't matter - you'll still make your goal. We just want others to make THEIR goal, and be as accurate as possible in the scoring.
Example: Bill finishes second in event #1. Good for him. In event #2, he finishes 38th. Also fine. In event #3, he finishes first. Yay! But in event #4, he can't do pullups...and chooses to scale the event. That's no problem. In this case, we track his time, just as before. However, we remove his points on events #1, #2, and #3. They're gone. They're not passed down to the next person, and no one moves up into their spot.
Historically, many events would have done this differently: they'd have pushed Jimmy up into second place, shuffled people around all day, and finally come up with a podium that's there by attrition, not athleticism. It is theoretically possible that a terrific athlete could be passed over as Most Fit just because he can't keep his hips off the ground during a pushup.
We want the fittest in Sault Ste. Marie. If you're a great runner, better than me (okay, a mediocre runner, better than me) and you beat me in event #1, you've earned it. I shouldn't earn more credit on the run JUST because I'm a better deadlifter than you are. Does this make it harder to become the Sault's Fittest Man and Woman? ABSOLUTELY. You'll have to win on your own merit. We want the best all-around, not the "best-except-for..." or the "best with strength-bias...."
This also saves our brave, committed, volunteer scorekeepers from doing a massive scoring reshuffle after EVERY event. I like my scorekeepers the same way I like my airplane pilots and surgeons: relaxed, smiling, happy and alert.
Issues? Likely. Feel free to discuss with me, and among yourselves, until tomorrow at 5pm. After that, it's assumed that you accept our challenge, our limitations, and our rules along with our t-shirt.
Varsity (Youth) Events, Jiu-Jitsu, and the Ignite! Games
On September 10, we celebrate the spirit of competition; the excellence of the fittest. On the 11th, we'll see the FUTURE of fitness: the Catalyst Varsity Kids.
10am - Varsity Games - 2 events focusing on technique, speed, and general awesomeness! Open for youth aged 3 to 16!
12pm - Free "never-evers" or "maybe-oncers" Jiu-Jitsu class (for adults.)
1pm - the Ignite! Games. Combine problem-solving, memory, math, and other brain skills with short workouts. Who is the most "Ignited"?
Movement Standards - Events 1,2 and 4
7:00am - Judges' meeting
7:30am - Athletes' meeting at the Park gym, ride coordination, head to start
Event #1 - "Long Walk Home"
8am
Mass start (over 80 people!) with Indies at the front of the pack, followed by Teams.
At approximately the 1km mark, you'll see a sign on the side of the trail. A judge will issue the instruction to do 50 pushups.
Pushup standard: chest and thighs to deck; hands released (must be removed from the ground at the bottom of the pushup.) Must press up in a 'plank' position (no 'worming') and achieve full lockout at the top.
Judging: two judges will be stationed at the pushup site. With 80 athletes competing, they won't have time for a 'grey area': if in doubt, a pushup won't be counted. Athletes will count their own pushups; athletes caught cheating will be eliminated from competition immediately and fed to the woodchipper.
Athletes will resume their run for approximately 1km, where they will be told to complete 100 air squats.
Standard: Crease of hip below the crest of the knee at the bottom; full extension of the hip, knee, and ankle at the top of the movement. Hands may rest on the hips, but not the thighs (ie they may not aid in the movement.)
Judging: If there's any doubt, a squat will not be counted. Don't make the judges guess, please. Count yourself, but cheaters will be immediately eliminated from competition and set on fire.
Athletes will resume their run, turning right at 3rd line and proceeding to Industrial Park Crescent. They'll turn right again, and then again at Industrial Court 'B,' to reach the Park gym. On the concrete ramp in front of the door, they'll perform 25 burpees and then cross the threshold into the gym.
Burpees must be chest-and-thighs to deck; feet must leave the ground; the athlete must clap overhead with upper arms behind the ears. The point here is to eliminate the 45-degree-angle burpee: go down flat horizontally, and stand up straight vertically. Move yourself all the way.
Judging: Judges will count reps for competitors, but will not keep a tally of reps (ie asking, "How many have I done?" will likely yield an answer you won't like.) Failure to reach full vertical position at the top or full horizontal position at the bottom will result in the competitor repeating the rep. Cheating will result in your tires being slashed. Oh, and elimination from the competition.
Teams: you need not stay together on the run. However, you must cross the finish line as a team, arm in arm, and smiling, as in the diagram to the right:
Event time cap: 45 minutes for Indie and Team competitors, 1 hour for "Event #1 Only" competitors.
However, if you're an Indie and require an hour to finish, we won't toilet paper your house; you'll just be unable to finish on the podium, and may have to jump right into Event #2 when you return.
Event #2: Power Clean Ladder
Start time: 9am
Men go first. On the chime, the last-place finisher from Event #1 must clean, squat clean, power clean or otherwise move the bar from ground to 'catch' position: knees locked, hips locked, shoulders locked, feet unmoving, elbows in front of the bar. Face position isn't relevant: there's no scaling for ugliness during lifting. If it helps, do it.
The athlete has 30 seconds to successfully move the bar from the floor to 'catch.' He must be prepared to start on the next bar within the 30-second time limit. There will NOT be a break between bars, and no partial lifts will be allowed (if you're struggling with it and the timer sounds, drop it.) This is, obviously, to allow the next competitor their full 30 seconds to attempt the lift.
Men start at 95lbs and move upward in 20lbs increments to a limit of 255lbs. After the first bar is lifted and the chime sounds, the first athlete will move to the second bar, and the next athlete (in reverse order of finish from event #1) will start on the first bar.
When the men finish, the women will begin immediately, followed by teams.
Women start at a 35lbs bar and move up in 20lbs increments.
Teams: all team members must begin on a bar at the time of the first interval. If the team has two women, that means that one woman must begin at the 35lbs bar and one at the 55lbs bar, and the male at the 95lbs bar; if the team has two men, one man begins at the 95lbs bar and one at the 115lbs bar.
The team continues, earning one point per successful lift (3 points per round) until one member can't make a lift. All members must then stop and give dirty looks to the....no, no, be good sports about it, please. When one member can't make a weight, the other two may still earn points for that round if they can make their lifts.
This will be a fast, but FURIOUS event. Bring FANS and make NOISE.
Judging: one judge per athlete. Your judge will ask you to sign a card with your final score on it; once it's signed, it's irreversible.
Event #3: waterskiing...uh, Event #3 will be released on Saturday morning. Sorry.
Event #4: "Krannie"
Indies:
Double-unders - the rope must pass completely under the feet twice to count. Pace any way you want, but 'partials' don't count.
Situps - AbMat standard (see video below.) Athlete's shoulders must touch the ground at the back, and hands touch the toes at the top.
Box Jumps: Athletes will reach a full, locked-out position during one point of the jump cycle. This can occur on top of the box OR on the way back to the ground (the second method is riskier; count on doing a few extra reps.)
Pullups: chin must break the VERTICAL plane of the bar (it must go over and above the bar.) The judge should be able to see the athlete's chin on the other side of the bar compared to the athlete's body from the ground. The athlete must achieve a full hang at the bottom of the movement. Pullup or chinup grip or mixed grip are allowed, but full hang MUST be achieved again. A pullup initiated by a jump will not count; start from a dead hang.
Wall ball - Crease of the hips must go below the crest of the knees. Ball must reach higher than the line (line must be visible beneath the ball to count.) If the ball touches the floor, it can't be played from the 'bounce' - it must be set down and picked up again (hands don't have to leave the ball.) There's nothing new here, folks. Move along. Women: 15lbs; Men: 20lbs.
Rules on scaling and scoring will be released tomorrow.
Questions: fire away.
Catalyst Games 2011 - Event #4 Details
"Krannie"
Individuals, for time:
"Annie" + "Fran" + "Karen"
50 double-unders; 50 AbMat Situps
40 each, 30 each, 20 each, 10 each
Then, no rest:
21-15-9 of:
Box Jumps (28"/24")
Pullups
Then, no rest:
75 wall ball (20lbs/15lbs)
Teams:
One team member performs "Annie" (50-40-30-20-10 of double-unders and AbMat situps) in its entirety. When they tag the next team member, he or she performs "Fran" as Rx - 21-15-9 of thrusters (95/65lbs) and pullups. Finally, the last team member performs "Karen" - 150 wall balls - as Rx (20lbs/15lbs.) The team with the fastest total time wins the event.
Notes: only one team member may perform each of the three components. If one team member is unable to perform Fran as prescribed, it makes sense to work on their double-unders, and leave "Fran" for someone else. Worst case, they're the wall-baller!
