North Central Regional Report

It is always perfect weather inside McCook Athletic and Exposition Center. But the competition was hot in the town on Lake Michigan. With the green carpet rolled out for athletes of North Central, the feel of community in this close-knit Midwest region was strong as the announcer called the first heat of teams.  The workout was a familiar one – Diane, but this couplet is no easy lady.   Men   The gauntlet was thrown down in Heat 1 when Rodney Hamby of CrossFit SoMO finished first with a 3:38, taking this 59th place North Central Open athlete to 18th overall. Calm and well paced, Hamby describes the Heat with one word: ”Solid.”   Heat 3 had the crowd on their feet with Chad Smith, Next Generation CrossFit and Tom Ragusa of Fit Bodies CrossFit racing to the wall for the first 21 HSPU. It was a tight race between these two athletes, with Chad Smith finishing at the 2-minute mark. Ragusa was 5 seconds behind and George Fairley rounded up the top 3 finishers of that heat with a 2:18 Diane.   Heat 4 was where is got hot. With all the athletes leaving their deadlift bars within seconds of each other, the pace was one that had the crowd on their feet. Kyle Kasperbauer of CrossFit Omaha tied Chad Smith’s impressive 2-minute time, while adhering to strict handstand push-ups for nearly the entire workout. Second in the North Central Open and in Heat 4 was Justin Allen. Brandon Pastorek, 1st place North Central athlete finished with a 2:51, sending him to 11th overall after Event 1.   1T. Kyle Kasperbauer 1T. Chad Smith 3T. Tom Ragusa 3T. Pete Rasmusen