The Sevan Podcast - #89 CrossFit Games - Women's Leaderboard Predictions

Episode Date: July 26, 2021

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Starting point is 00:01:08 Brian ordered room service. He's sitting in his hotel room in Madison, Wisconsin. James is sitting in a VRBO in Madison, Wisconsin. I'm in a hotel in Madison. You're in a hotel, too. You bring your own food. Brian does room service. Yeah, we have a good setup
Starting point is 00:01:25 meat seeds nuts veggies baby professional athlete versus professional analyst and me savon matosi and i'm on my as i was chatting with james hobart my 60th week of fasting for 36 hours i stop eating every saturday night i don't start again until Monday morning. That's why I look so youthful, even though I'm 112. So I feel like we should do the same disclaimer, just in case people didn't watch the first one when they're watching this. We're going to put out the list of all the athletes competing at the games this year, one through 39 in the women's case. We mean no disrespect to any of them for any of the rankings.
Starting point is 00:02:03 We understand that they've already proven themselves and their capacity just to get to this point. But we also understand that it's a competition of the highest caliber of the sport right now and that someone has to finish in every single place on the leaderboard. And so this is my best approximation of what's going to happen. And I will also just admit up front that I'm less confident in the women's side than the men's side. This is a crazy competitive field. Fair enough. Real quick, sorry, Hobart, and then you go.
Starting point is 00:02:35 In the men's competition, when Brian was doing the rankings 38 through 1, which was fantastic brian thank you i was also rating the top five best bodies um at the crossfit games in the men's competition and i didn't get to recap that at the end but the top five in no particular order are uh gi or gi guillerme from brazil uh finland was uh was it finland no number two is latvia what was that guy's name will this open x yeah him him yeah great name number three was adrian munveiler nice uh number four was noah olsen like i said not in any particular order and number five which i didn't even get to mention on the show and i apologize was brent fikowski i thought those were the now brian judges uh what kind of how these cars will perform on the track i simply judge them by the way they look okay women's
Starting point is 00:03:36 competition go ahead were you going to say something hobart yeah but i feel like it's kind of i was just going to say you know i for you forget too that there are athletes who go out there and say i'm just here to have fun. And though I don't really trust that games athletes feel that way, I feel like if you are saying that, you kind of got to be at the mercy of wherever Brian places you. Fair. I don't know if having fun is the motive for any of them, but I think there are athletes with different perspectives and realistic understandings of what this particular year at the games means for them. There's obviously several that are here trying to win. There's a huge handful that are striving to be either podium top five, top 10 or top half.
Starting point is 00:04:15 And then there's definitely a group of who are saying, this is an incredible experience and maybe once in a lifetime opportunity for me. And I want to make the most of it, enjoy it, try to do the best I can. And I'm, I'm, I'm happy with wherever that, that places me. I don't remember what tennis match it was, but it was a few weeks ago and it was Nadal versus the joke, uh, Novak Djokovic, Novak Djokovic. I, it wasn't Wimbledon. I think it was the French open or something. It wasn't on grass, but anyway, it was,
Starting point is 00:04:45 and I didn't, I haven't watched a lot of tennis in my life. Actually none. That was, and I was watching that match. And then afterwards I went to obvious tennis coach who told me to, to, um,
Starting point is 00:04:52 Adam to tell me to watch it. And I said, Hey dude, those guys do not look like they're fucking having fun. They look like they're miserable. And he said, dude, it's a fight.
Starting point is 00:05:01 Do fighters look happy? And in that respect that like, I get it. Like there's fighters you see in in that respect that like i get it like there's fighters you see in the flow there's athletes you see in the flow but how many times do you see them happy i mean as soon as i think of basketball when i picture kobe bryant he has a scowl on his face at all times so um i don't know i i i agree i agree with what you're saying brian like i don't think it's a time i don't i don't know what the emotion is but I don't think it's a time. I don't know what the emotion is, but I don't think it's a time to be happy. Maybe it's something else.
Starting point is 00:05:28 Maybe you transcend emotion. Number 30. Wait, how many women are there? 39. One woman from Russia unable to make the trip. What the fuck is up with Russia? Why can't we bring them here? That's a great question.
Starting point is 00:05:45 I don't have the answer, unfortunately. So lame. Is it government shit? No, most... Okay, Roman Krennikoff is a unique situation. All the other situations, I believe it's just inability to procure the required visa in the time frame that they had
Starting point is 00:06:02 to do so. Wow, we're already talking smart on this show, Procure. When you're chewing your food, Hobart, don't lean that close into the camera. I felt really bad. By the way, I think I saw a hair on your face. I never thought you could grow hair, but when you leaned in,
Starting point is 00:06:19 I thought I actually saw some proof of being over the age of 16. It's just bad internet. Let's roll. Here we go, 39. Thank you. 39 is the one and only qualifier from the continent of Africa. Her name is Michelle Baznett.
Starting point is 00:06:37 She actually lives in the United States and she does have a little bit of competition experience. I don't know too much about her. She was at Fitness in Cape Town, and she was at Filthy 150. I think she's decent and a good representative of the African continent and where their level of competition is at right now. I'm not sure she deserves the bottom spot here, but I need to see her compete against a field that isn't just the women from Africa.
Starting point is 00:07:10 You know what's funny is you can tell the people who watched the first show have now had a few drinks. Ron Sutton just said, can Travis Mayer make the women's top ten? How tall is she? This picture makes her look like she's a giant oh let's pull up her stats michelle is 55 145 so basically a optimal size for female competitor at the games historically speaking and uh how how old 24 oh she's young okay And is this her first games? Yes. And don't we have her lined up to do a podcast in the next 48 hours? I recognize that. We're trying to make that happen. Yeah, she seems very willing to do that despite being very close to the games.
Starting point is 00:07:56 Yeah. Michelle, I will be extremely nice to you. Disregard Brian's placement of you in the rankings. Number 38. Oh, you got her pronunciation down. I'll let you in the rankings. Number 38. Oh, you're going to... You got her pronunciation down. I'll let you handle this one. Okay. Good with names.
Starting point is 00:08:13 Number 38 is... By the way, Hobart and I have never seen this list before. That's why I can't say it until I see the card at the same time you guys see it. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Miss Choi.
Starting point is 00:08:29 I totally know her. Sung Young Choi. Sung Young Choi. Sung Young Choi. From the Republic of Korea, maybe better known as South Korea. And she's the only representative from asia because the russian woman was unable to travel here she's been training in northern california for a couple weeks now she looks very good she looks like she can move very well she seems to be testing a lot
Starting point is 00:08:58 of the things that she's putting a lot of stuff out on instagram um i kind of got lucky to come across her instagram actually because it has nothing to do with her name. It's really strange. It's like Jaws underscore J-E-J-U or something like that. Anyway, I think she's got the capacity to compete at the games and do okay here, but
Starting point is 00:09:17 I know very little about her. Looking forward to learning more. What's her Instagram again? I'm going to follow her. Jaws J-A-W-S underscore J-E-J-U. I think and looking forward to learning more. What's her Instagram again? I'm going to follow her. Jaws, J-A-W-S underscore J-E-J-U. I think Jeju is a city or it's a part of South Korea. Oh, got it. J-A-W-S underscore J-E-J-U.
Starting point is 00:09:38 Yep, got her. I wonder if she was – someone said she was in Northern California. I wonder – or Brian said that. I wonder if she was training with Carolyn Prevost at all because I think she was in Northern California too. wonder, or Brian said that. I wonder if she was training with Carolyn Prevo at all, because I think she was in Northern California too. Do you know where she was training, Brian? I think it was NC Fit, actually. I'm not certain of that, but it's something. I seem to remember seeing that in one of the backgrounds or something.
Starting point is 00:09:59 She chose a good, oh, I need to like this video. I'm going to be the fifth like of this video. Okay, number 37 oh 37 i got one sec one sec al can you hear me better while brian goes and gets his room service i don't know if i i don't know how to turn my mic up it looks like it's full blast from the board i'm looking at but now like my lips are touching the microphone that sounds better though right now it does i should just always do the whole show like this it's funny because when you talk it moves glad there's no side profile number 37 bailey rail hey do you think brian's a good tipper
Starting point is 00:10:37 what do you think he's going to tip the uh i was actually trying to listen in nice hey thanks for giving us a call. Thanks for staying with us. All right. Thank you. He didn't tip. I don't think he tipped. He wrote something on the card. I'm going to say he tipped 10%. Brian, how much did you tip? How much did you tip? He's a very math driven guy, so I'm sure it's particular. Like I'm going to 23.8%. Wow. Serious?
Starting point is 00:11:02 Yeah. Wow. That's impressive. You're a good dude. So Bailey Rail. Bailey Rail, as far as I know, she has never in her life competed in individual live competition. She's a team athlete by trade.
Starting point is 00:11:26 She's made the choice to do this online version of the Atlas Games this year. I apologize for those noises. In my mind, she's largely unproven in this capacity, and so she's here towards the bottom of the list. Can you say that about anyone else who's in the Games this year who's never been in a live competition? As an individual, no.
Starting point is 00:11:44 She's a Mayhem athlete though right she is and she's been training over there with that whole contingency she's actually a boyfriend girlfriend of tyler christophel who's the guy who's petitioned to be able to take roman's spot after finishing third in the last chance qualifier but um yeah so she's definitely got a good training crew around her from the athletes that I've spoken to who know her from competition. They were pretty surprised that she was able to make it as an individual. So maybe she has the potential to surprise us at the games. But you know, when I have to make this list one through 39 and I got to put people at the bottom, I'm going to put the
Starting point is 00:12:18 people down there that I haven't seen do it yet. And she's in that category. When you say petition, is that just like, you're trying to sound fancy what you really mean is this guy found out roman's not going to the game so he dm dave yo hooker brought up they wrote a pretty formal letter um making their case wow this is isn't it amazing this is this is how this is the best show in the crossfit ecosystem and the the main the main brain of it has his mouth shoved full of food because that's what you guys have to deal with because that's how fucking podunk the media is around the game sorry just my two cents i just need a couple i just need a couple bites sorry all right it's fine i don't know everyone
Starting point is 00:13:01 should respect that you have to fuel you if they want to get the information out of that giant brain of yours, they have to also watch you fuel up. Sometimes you got to fucking pull the Ferrari into the gas station and get gas. It ain't pretty. Alright. Number 36. Number 36 is going to be Caroline Connors. Caroline Connors is a regional athlete from northeast region we got to see her there in 2018 um she's a misfit athlete she qualified fifth from the granite
Starting point is 00:13:32 games this year and she's it was kind of her coach actually said that they took a barbell out of her hand for an entire year leading into the season because she was so much stronger than she was good at the aerobic stuff and so they really worked on the engine and building that up and obviously it's paid off for her she's made it to the games for the first time um you're going to see a pattern here that in the women's field the rookies are pretty much all towards the bottom i still think that experience is going to reign for a majority of the of the women uh so she's a rookie at the games first year great uh accomplishment to make it what what's so funny, James? Sorry, I shouldn't have laughed. I broke character. You had a good vibe in the barbell comment. Oh, gee, there's just the comments are great. Go ahead, Brian. It's
Starting point is 00:14:14 a compliment towards you. Go ahead. Finish, finish that thought. And by the way, I like it how you're saying Hobart kicked you in the balls for not mentioning she was a mayhem athlete. And now you made sure to mention she was a misfit athlete good adjustment brian and also i call it's hyperbole slash lie to say she hasn't had a barbell in her hand for a year okay go on so what go on about carolyn connors um she's a good gymnast for sure she's strong athlete she's capable uh i think that she's uh earned the right to be here at the games but there's a difference athlete. She's capable. I think that she's earned the right to be here at the Games, but there's a difference between earning the right to be here and being able to compete with some of the best women around the world.
Starting point is 00:14:53 We'll talk about the Granite Games women's field a little bit later on and how I also think that it was the weakest of the fields for the North American semifinals on the women's side with a little asterisk next to that one. So we'll come back to that. Someone said, Brian, you're so good, you could spit food on the camera. That's a great compliment.
Starting point is 00:15:15 And then someone said, you look even cuter when you're eating. I'm sorry, I broke character. That's me being unprofessional. I couldn't help it, man. That's too good. And Dwayne only the only masters uh you're gonna get is the fact that we've uh carved out a spot for hobart as a regular on the show
Starting point is 00:15:29 even though he refuses to use his brand new microphone and headphones that he bought i just didn't bring it to madison i'm sorry okay number 35 number 35 is going to be laura clifton she's from new zealand she qualified from the Oceania region. And in all transparency here, that Oceania region was weaker than usual this year because Tia was unable to travel there. Jamie Simmons is injured this year and not competing. But Laura Clifton is not technically a rookie at the Games. She did compete in the online version of the CrossFit Games last year.
Starting point is 00:16:05 She placed 26th out of 30. She was second at the Torium Pro. She does have some competitive experience dating back to sanctionals. Five of them, actually. Three of them were in Australia, though, and she did pretty well at two of those. She'll have some decent performances, but I think overall she still has a little bit of growing to do to be really competitive at the games. She's 26, so she does have some potential in the years to come. But I think, yeah, Laura Clifton.
Starting point is 00:16:37 You know, you could draw a parallel here. You could pick, I don't know, this is going to go back maybe a little bit far, you could pick a team like the detroit lions back when um barry sanders was on the team right he's a running back you guys remember him anyway you have this you have a team that's just complete ass but you have the world's possibly you know greatest running back of all time and and he was just on an ass team and then then he retired in his prime also, I think. And so this is kind of not in defense of what Brian's saying. He doesn't need any defense. But all – and kind of adds to what Hobart said in the previous show.
Starting point is 00:17:15 All 40 of these people are fucking amazing. But there are going to be relative to the pack some outliers down on the bottom. And so don't take it as as brian's being like overly harsh it's all relative to the fact when he's talking about laura clifton or the oceana um semi-finals or whatever the fuck they're called over there it's relative to the fact that there's also a number one on this list that is like also an outlier so there's so anyway bear with us keep everything in context and the comments have been great. No one's completely lost their mind yet. Okay, number 34.
Starting point is 00:17:50 So number 34 is actually a woman who won a semifinal. She won the Granite Games. It's Ariel Lowen. And this was a very difficult one for me because she, as far as I know, she wasn't on anyone's radar to make it to the games including her own in her post win competition win interview she said i decided to do the granite games because i wanted the name placard for my our new home they were moving into and then she showed up and won the competition that was this year that was this year um they were took second place did she beat any names
Starting point is 00:18:27 mallory o'brien emma carrie alessandra pichelli caroline connors christie aramola o'connell oh my god and you got her at 34 and does that say something about the granite games programming i know we've kind of beat this horse into the ground, but. I just think that that weekend was amazing for her. Everything lined up and she did great. And I feel like she, you know, almost like out kicking your coverage there, even by her own standards. It sounds like there's nothing wrong with that. Maybe she'll do exceptionally here relative to what I think, but yeah, I mean, I got, but yeah, I mean,
Starting point is 00:19:05 I got her at 34. I, I would be surprised if she makes it, um, through the cuts, but I was surprised by her at semifinal. So I'm not ruling it out. Um, someone wrote something interesting here. Most of the open was masters. Is that true? I saw that come through. I would like to actually see that fact check cause I, I don't think it's the case.
Starting point is 00:19:27 Is he saying a majority of the open registrants was Masters? Yeah, I could say it's true because 35 is Masters now, right? Yeah, and Morning Chalkup tracks that stat very carefully. And we are very conscious of, I might say we there of Morning Chalk of, of, of the masters and what's going on in the competitive landscape there. I'm a huge proponent of that. And there's, this is the kind of the weird thing about the masters where there's a huge contingency of participation, but when we publish stuff about the masters, it doesn't receive the same number of views, comments, interactions, opens from the email list and whatever else, as a lot of the
Starting point is 00:20:05 other stuff does. And we track that too. And it's not that we want to discount that, but there's a couple people or a group of people in the Masters community that's very vocal about, hey, we need more coverage. But the vast number of people who sign up for that don't back that up in the support they show when we do put those things out there. Nevertheless, we put out our Masters to Watch in every single division this year on the morning chalk up at the end of last week. And I reviewed every one of those documents and gave my opinions and weighed in. I talked to several Masters athletes today. I love the Masters competition. I'm very happy that it's earlier in the week so more people get a chance to watch it.
Starting point is 00:20:39 But we are tracking that stuff and we are paying attention. And it's not meant as a disrespect. It's just like when you got to put out content, you're going to you have to pay attention to what people are actually digesting. And just so you know, whoever that is, I don't even know what their name is, has numbers in it. I'm not a fan of handles with names in them. But the it's it's not that I don't care. I mean, look at how much I bash Brianrian half the show is me talking shit to him so just put that in context of what i think about masters and how much i talk shit about him all righty number 30 so so so you have her at 34 even though she won the granite game so she's a wild card definitely wild suits year card. What's the highest you would see her go? 24.
Starting point is 00:21:25 Wow. That's huge. All right. Number 33. Remember that I said 24 when we get to number 25, by the way. Okay. Hey, and when you do these rankings, do you have her in a pile of between 20 and 40? Do you separate these?
Starting point is 00:21:52 How do you categorize them before you start breaking them down and giving them individual numbers? Do you have them in piles? I have a color-coded system that I use, and it's basically the reverse order of the rainbow. So on my sheet here, it has the favorite in purple. It has who I consider to be podium contenders in blue, top 10 contenders in green, top 20 contenders in yellow. And then it's like the next group in orange, another group in light red, and a final group in dark red. And it basically just means some group them and then within that group um i i try to sort out okay amongst these six women that are in orange what do i think is most likely to happen then as
Starting point is 00:22:32 the as events are released and i learn more about the nature of the competition like the cuts then i make adjustments from there do you ever do you ever make the piles and then like go take a shit or get a bite to eat or go do a workout and come back and then be like, yo, bitch, how the fuck did you get in here? And like can't even imagine that you put this chick in like one pile when she deserves to be in another pile. Yeah, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night sweating because I feel like I fucked it up. Serious? No. Oh.
Starting point is 00:22:59 But I do make some changes sometimes, yes. Number 33, Sasha Nieves. Nieves, I think. She's from Argentina. Young woman. Very, has potential to do very well. She had an open win in the Clean and Jerk event two years ago that was kind of mind-boggling because I think she only beat Sarah Sigmund's daughter by a few seconds. But third place in that workout was Tia Claire Toomey, and she was like 70 seconds ahead
Starting point is 00:23:30 of her. That was the worldwide open. She beat everyone in the world except Sarah Sigmund's daughter by over a minute. And third place was Tia Claire Toomey. And you're talking about being first ahead of those two women? That's pretty cool. So she's definitely got some potential in some categories for sure. Again, though, we might be looking at a person who is very good at weightlifting that's not going to get to ultimately do the weightlifting test when it comes on event number 12. Wait, what was the workout?
Starting point is 00:23:57 What was that workout, did you say? It was an increasing weight clean and jerk ladder with some box jumps and pistols, I think. Man, yeah, that's crazy that she beat sarah and tia her time was her time with some of the men yeah like a lot of the men right didn't the women yeah yeah it was phenomenal yeah anyway um similarly with the because the next one up we can go to 32 and just kind of talk about them here together. I have – just like with the men, I have the South American women ranked near the bottom here in the bottom quarter of the field, kind of back to back. I just feel like all of these people from South America are still kind of forging their way into the real competitive ranks of the best in the world.
Starting point is 00:24:45 And I'm not entirely sure if Larissa Cunha, who's 32, is better than Sasha Nieves, just like I'm not certain if Augustin Raquelme is better than Guy Mejeros. So that's a good example of me kind of just like grouping a couple athletes there. I don't expect their back to the leaderboards. I think they're going to be strange whenever the competition comes to an end. That wasn't very convincing of why Ariel LeWen would be below Larissa. I mean, dude, that win over
Starting point is 00:25:15 Sarah and Tia should just automatically put her at the top of the unknowns. Well, that's one event. And Laurie Kuna beat her in both the quarterfinals and the semifinals. Laurie's also put herself out there in some competitive settings that Sasha Nieves has not. She competed at both Dubai and Wadapalooza in the last year of sanctionals, and she had middle-of-the-pack finishes of 15th and 19th in those competitions. She was set to compete at the games, I think, and then with the way that COVID shook out, she ended up not being able to. So this year will end up being her rookie year. So, yeah, I think I just I know a little bit more about her because she's, you know, made the commitment to be at some of the highest level competitions in the last year and a half or so. Okay, you win.
Starting point is 00:26:03 Number 31. So a little bit of a shift here so. Okay, you win. Number 31. So a little bit of a shift here away from some rookies. Now we're shifting towards a veteran of the CrossFit Games. I think that most will think she's got more experience than she actually does there. In 2017 was her only year competing as an individual at the Games. It's Jessica Griffith, but she did compete on a team that took second at the Games in 2019, and so people will remember that um she snuck in as a fifth place finisher at the mid-atlantic crossfit challenge which i kind of consider the fourth place finisher because tia took this top spot and then it was hayley brooke adams amanda barnhart and then jessica griffith so she's
Starting point is 00:26:41 qualifying in one of the most top heavy fields we've ever, we had this year for women. Obviously all four of those girls have multiple top 10 finishes at the games and that finished ahead of her. And she beat out Christine Kohlenbrander and Fee Sagafi, who are both athletes that I think could be in this games field and have some influence. Christine's on the demo team. I actually met her today. She's very, very nice. So it was a great performance by Jess to get in. I just think that, once again, I think there was a drop-off. Well, she actually tied Amanda Barnhart on points. So maybe I've got her underrated here,
Starting point is 00:27:17 but based on her experience and performance at the games before, I think this is, like I said, a strong women's field. So I have her down here around 30, 31. I agree with your ranking. I don't think anyone, I disagree with the fact that people know her from the teams. I don't think anyone knows anyone from the teams. I think that the only reason people watch the teams is if their kids aren't competing or their spouses and that the only fans that care about the teams are the ones who are curious if Mayhem's going to lose. They're just wondering if Mayhem is going to lose. That's the only thing I think the team's competition has for it.
Starting point is 00:27:49 Other than that, it's basically like AAA in football. It's where you go to practice to be an individual athlete. And I think that her real claim to fame is that she – two things, that she hangs out with a lot of superstars. is that she two things that she hangs out with a lot of superstars uh she makes a lot of cameos on big profile um athletes instagram accounts and that she was the fittest nurse in the world at one point which is fucking cool those are my two cents on that but i but i'm happy with her ranking hobart hobart do you know who beaker is from the muppets hobart turned into Beaker for me for a minute. His lips went down like into a frown, and I kind of saw Beaker.
Starting point is 00:28:32 I got nothing to add to that. Number 30. Number 30 is two times. This will be her second time at the CrossFit Games. She's Amelia Lepinen. She's dating and has been dating for a long time. Yona Koski. two times this will be her second time at the crossfit games she's uh amelia leppanen she's dating and has been dating for a long time yona koski she's a um she she was a bit of a surprise to make it out of a very very competitive european women's field i've documented before that based on competitive experience in recent years the the European women have performed well enough at the top level to be deserving of 13 spots at the game instead of 10.
Starting point is 00:29:09 Those 10 spots are determined by their open participation, not by their elite competitive performance. I don't have a problem with that. I just like people to know that the women in Europe are very, very good. So to make it out of that field is quite an accomplishment. She's a little bit older. She's 34 years old. But again, on the women's side, you can usually be a little bit better later in your career or later into your 30s at least. She's got two sanctional finishes, eighth in Riceland and 10th at Filthy 150. So she can do okay in some kind of like what I would say
Starting point is 00:29:41 is a mid-level sanctional competition. there's not the highest level of competition there. It's not the lowest. And so I think, you know, the only other time she was there was 2019. She actually didn't do too bad at all. She got cut, cut in 22nd place.
Starting point is 00:29:56 So she has some potential to do better than this, but very deep women's field. She's a good swimmer. So she might get off to a good start on this weekend. Um, I think she's just going to struggle to have a lot of top 10 finishes or top 20 finishes besides that. So probably be around down here in the bottom 10 or so. Did you say she's dating Janikowski?
Starting point is 00:30:15 Yeah. I wonder if they share a bed at the games. I'm always fascinated with who's dating who and how they deal with that at the games. Hobart, have you ever gone to the games and had a girlfriend or a wife or whatever you have there or boyfriend, whatever you do? Like who is a competitor? Who is a competitor?
Starting point is 00:30:35 We've never competed in the same year, no. Interesting. I would be curious, like, I mean, when I used to travel a lot for work, I would get my best sleep, just go diagonal on the bed. I didn't even know I was a diagonal sleeper. Brian, you sleep in a bed by yourself, right? Yep. Do you sleep diagonal?
Starting point is 00:30:57 I'm a thrasher, man. What size is your bed? My house? Yeah. King? Damn, diagonal. Damn right it is. Well, let my house? Yeah. King? Damn. Damn right it is. Well, let me ask you this.
Starting point is 00:31:09 Do you go in the middle? Do you start in the middle? No. No. Okay. Number 20. We got to keep moving. Go ahead.
Starting point is 00:31:19 Go ahead. We got time, Hobart. This is our show. What do you want? I would just like, if I had a king bed by myself, I would get in the middle. I don't know why you'd sleep on the side. makes no sense to me great question i agree the reason is because uh phone or alarm or water or book or light are all i can reach them from one side of the bed oh yeah yeah and someone else just said something great too um georgiana brain you can get a room
Starting point is 00:31:42 with two queens yeah ideally when i went to a hotel by myself i would get usually i got the fucking huge suite because i was a baller but two queens is nice because then you can put all your clothes and shit on one bed like your phone chargers and all that shit i never slept well at the games oh um number third uh Oh. Number 29. Number 29 is going to be Darlene Turner. She's 23 years old, out of Australia, third at the Torium Pro. She has one sanctional experience
Starting point is 00:32:18 of sixth place in the Australian CrossFit Championships. Definitely an up-and-comer in the sport. Fellow colleague of mine, Patrick Clark, pegged her as a young gun to watch this year. Kind a fun fact tommy patrick and i each picked one woman at the start of the season as a young gun to watch and they all three made the games so i got to give patrick the credit where the credit is due there good great pick excited to see her compete i think
Starting point is 00:32:39 this is going to be one of those athletes that it's a big learning experience for her i think we'll definitely see her back future um good athlete good competitor just just a little bit young and raw in terms of experience you know you have people like tia and cara saunders who are keeping like really australia on the map is that fair to say um in terms of crossfit and you wonder what's going to happen if tia fades out or Kara fades out. Where's the air going to come from? The other kind of, I don't want to say problem, but caveat to that is as long as they're around, people like Ellie Turner aren't going to get the opportunity to compete.
Starting point is 00:33:18 This year, she gets the opportunity because Tia wasn't there due to COVID and Jamie was injured. I mean, as soon as they announced that they were only getting three competitors before I knew that Tia wouldn't be there and Jamie was not going to be there, I was like, well, that's almost a worthless competition. Those three girls are going to show up and win and no one is going to qualify. So it's actually great for her this year, the way it played out that she gets this opportunity. So hopefully she makes the most of it.
Starting point is 00:33:45 When you say Jamie, you're talking about Jamie Green, that Jamie? Yeah. Actually great for her this year, the way it played out that she gets this opportunity. So hopefully she makes the most of it. Oh, when you say Jamie, you're talking about Jamie green, Jamie, that, that Jamie. Yeah. What is she now?
Starting point is 00:33:51 She's Jamie Simmons. You're saying? Yeah. Yeah. She married Elliot Simmons. Also a former games competitor. Yeah. I,
Starting point is 00:33:57 I agree with you. If, uh, if Jamie and T were there, they, they didn't have to do the event. You're right. And they could have just used that facility to lock down more Australians.
Starting point is 00:34:07 Number 28. 28 coming in here is going to be Reagan Huckabee. She's making her fourth, one, two, three, fourth individual appearance at the games. First since 2017. This is a great story. Obviously, well, she's a mother. games first since 2017 this is a great story obviously well she's a mother um she's you know i think uh not someone people were thinking at the start of the season would be in this field but she was really good all season long um with the exception of one open workout she did really
Starting point is 00:34:37 really really poorly on the hand state what was it the uh wall walk event but she ended up being seventh in north america in the semi in North America in the quarterfinals. And then she snuck into the fifth spot on the back of really an impressive weekend at the West Coast Classic. She didn't ever slip up. She didn't let the pressure get to her. She executed across the weekend. She's an awesome person. But I think the field's really good.
Starting point is 00:35:01 So she comes in here at 28. I was going to try to show some restraint but fuck it i think reagan huggabee might be the most beautiful uh female athlete i haven't put her up against any of the men but uh athlete competing but but i have a soft spot for moms but man she looks she's glowing she is so she your first pick of five for best bodies in the field i don't know if i can do the women i'm too scared of the woke crowd okay yeah i'll do the women too i won't yep we'll put her as reagan huckabee she got a great she she's beautiful all around she is don't don't fear that don't fear the crowd seven thank you thank you appreciate
Starting point is 00:35:43 i know why would i why would i i'm behind the walls of the palatial three brother three plain brothers estate there's really nothing that can happen to me i'm i have no krypton uh number 27 kryptonite kryptonite 27 thank you you got the camera that's all good yeah 27 is uh mackenzie riley mackenzie riley uh as another mother in the field this year she's got some her own uh best finish 18th in 2000 in and she's got some like she's like middle of the pack every year 26 18 and 23rd are three games appearances. And I'm excited to have her back in the competition. I don't think she was really planning on making it back to the games this year, but she's able to do it about a year after giving birth.
Starting point is 00:36:35 So pretty impressive accomplishment just to get to this point. Brian, when you say their placements for the games, will you say those just a little slower? Just because I want to write those down. So she's been to three games. Was she in your ranking? Is this her third game? No, no. You said she's told us her placement of three games she's already had.
Starting point is 00:36:53 It'll be her fourth year. So she qualifies to be in the all-time rankings. She does, but with the finishes of 18th, 23rd, and 26th, it just doesn't hold up against us the other people who ultimately made that list did she have her child in the um like did she go to the games have a child take a break and come back to the games that's exactly right she was man that is savage that is so who else has done that who else do we know it's uh annie cara
Starting point is 00:37:31 saunders annie thor's daughter uh mackenzie riley who else who else has done that well reagan huckabee reagan huckabee so crazy yeah there's a bunch of moms in the field this year and it's it's really cool actually i think it's a i mean i've known some women just in like boxes that i've coaching and stuff that see come back and are still very good and i know other people women that are afraid to do that and so i think it's great that even at the top end of the sport they can be a role model in that regard grow another human being inside of you birth it come back to the crossfit games to compete with the fittest women in the world nuts maybe they should have another they have so many fucking awards at the games they should give an award for fittest fittest baby grower number 26 Number 26.
Starting point is 00:38:30 No, Brian does not have a list of hottest CrossFitters. His brain doesn't work like that. That's me. 26 is Cindy McAleish. Oh, so impressed. Holy cow, was I impressed by her. And if you want to know about her, you should go watch the interview we talked to her with because she's a really, really fun young woman coming up in this space. She's got incredible potential, just athletic gifts that it's very hard to acquire unless you just have them.
Starting point is 00:38:56 She started a couple years ago. She had some gymnastics background. She's been really, really good with the barbell, winning the snatch event globally on workout four in the semifinals, getting 54 snatches in that competition. Pretty well-rounded, incredible work ethic. She said that her coach won't give her a key to the gym because she'll sleep in the gym. And she does have, has had some weird injuries this past year that she's been able to navigate them and get to this point. I'm really excited that she's made it. She was my pick of the young guns for the women, and she's made it all the way through.
Starting point is 00:39:32 So I'm happy for her and excited to see her compete this weekend. Hobart, you know I got a media credential, and I'm not using it. I wonder if I could pass it off to you after you're done whooping ass in the Masters division. I could pass it off to you after you're done whooping ass in the master's division and, uh, and, uh, and you could go back there. Cause you know what I'm really curious about Sydney. She has something that's pretty damn crazy. Sorry. I'm texting at the same time podcast. Um, she, she is mentally so confident. Wouldn't you agree, Brian?
Starting point is 00:40:14 And I can't tell if it's just from lack of – she hasn't had a beatdown yet. I don't know where this confidence comes from. I don't know. And I'm so curious what's going to happen to it when it gets tested. She is crazy confident. This is going to be nuts to say, but normally I think that the men in general are the most, are more confident than the women and have their head on straighter.
Starting point is 00:40:32 This, this chick has her head on straight, man. She, she is singularly focused. And I would be so curious if, if like, you know,
Starting point is 00:40:42 maybe you could like, if she loses an event really bad, you could just FaceTime her really quick with me. Could you do that, Hobert? Be there at the finish line as she's crying and FaceTime her? Yeah, overnight me that pass. Let's do it. Let me carry the behind-the-scenes mantle.
Starting point is 00:40:57 If you are a competitor, do not watch the interview we did with Sydney. You will not like how easygoing and yet fierce she is. And if you're a young aspiring athlete of either sex, you should watch that podcast. I know it's a little self-serving to say that, but she is a, there's a lot of stuff to take away from her demeanor and her attitude. Number 25. Sorry, go ahead, Brian. I want to let you guys react to this one before i talk about it oh because you said yeah 25 was the number that you wanted us to remember when we talked oh man who is it mine hasn't updated jesus crime any what's wrong with brian do you do that
Starting point is 00:41:41 just so we don't think you're perfect? Samuel. No, not Samuel. Samantha Briggs. Just like saying somewhere. Samantha Briggs, number 25. You're right. You're off because she's old. What? Even with the events announced so far, huh?
Starting point is 00:42:02 Yeah. That's fair. Really? I mean, I just, I, I want to defer to Brian. I,
Starting point is 00:42:10 I'm so massively impressed by Sam Briggs, but. So am I. And to make it just to make it to the games at 39 years old, she's, she's set, set, set a record by doing that.
Starting point is 00:42:22 It's kind of in the same realm of a Jason Smith. I know, I mean, obviously her career accolades are much greater than his, but we're experimenting here still in the young stages of this sport to see what is the top end of potential in terms of age to be relevant at the games. Making it is an incredible feat in and of itself, but there are so many good women in this field. I don't think she's 100% health-wise. She has a couple things that are going to hold her back relative to the rest of the competition here. In her case, the fact that the one rep max snatch doesn't come until after the cuts is a good thing.
Starting point is 00:43:01 She doesn't want that event early on. She wants to be able to navigate everything else. Um, but there's, you know, there's this woman's field is crazy, crazy, crazy talented. I'm a huge Sydney McEllish fan. I couldn't put her any higher than this. I'm a huge Sam Briggs fan and I couldn't put her any higher than this. Is Sam going to win an event? I don't think so this year. Ah, someone just wrote that she could still win an event you know what's interesting brian there's two comments on youtube that are i think that really sum up my feeling too i think i'm totally on board with them from uh michelle and anna basically they say brian i hope you're wrong and i think that that's what it is because we all know from watching her how good she
Starting point is 00:43:42 is and it's just hard to imagine her at 25. Yeah and I mean I would just just quickly say you know and I know that he wasn't 100% in these years but you remember Josh Bridges in his last two years competing and he was in the bottom heat of the games and it didn't detract from the way that people loved him and it didn't detract from the way that people wanted him to do well and he did have a couple events but it's going to happen to everyone at some point where they're not going to be able to replicate the performances when they were at the top of their career.
Starting point is 00:44:10 Are you saying that Sam Briggs is the oldest female ever to qualify for the CrossFit Games in the modern era? Oldest athlete. Oldest athlete? Yeah. I believe. Yeah. Okay.
Starting point is 00:44:23 Number 24. 24, another veteran athlete uh one of the uh oldest women in the field also here um tremendous experience tremendous you know uh career eighth time competing at the games she was as high as what year was that fourth in 2013 alessandra pichelli um and it's kind of it's honestly it's kind of a similar story to this to sam briggs it's like it's amazing that she made it here it's fun to watch she's very good a lot of different things i just think it's a tough field to crack the top 20 and even and so i have it you know here a few spots out what's the highest you think alessandra could finish? 18th, maybe? Something like that?
Starting point is 00:45:09 She's more well-rounded than Sam, right? At this point in her career, I'd say slightly. Like one spot on my rankings. Okay. Number 23. 23. Oh, 23. You know, I was really trying to find a spot for her in the top 20, actually. She has a pretty impressive resume at the Games relative to what I think most people know about her. This is her sixth time competing at the Games. And the real problem for her is she's just outshined by the other Icelandic women. She's Turi Helga daughter she was uh 35th and 28th the first two years but the last three years she competed she was 19th 18th you're not writing them down i'm listening oh okay okay and then she was she was ninth in 2019 so she made it into the final cut that year but finished
Starting point is 00:46:02 towards the back of 2019 and 2020 you just shit on those years yeah like a ninth place in 2019 for brian is like a 23rd most other years wow you did that math in your head quick hobart well here's the thing ninth place was actually last out of the top 10 that year because anna frag cow popped for steroids so she doesn't count and if you look at the women that were cut in 11th through 20th it's like annie thor's daughter laura horvath carolyn prevo brooke wells sarah sigman's daughter and i am convinced that if those women were given the opportunity to finish out the test that they all would have beaten turi come the end of the weekend damn okay uh so she she doesn't make it to day number four. Not if these rankings are accurate, correct.
Starting point is 00:46:55 Okay. Number 22. So we got a bit of a European run here. We had Sam, we had Turi, and now we have jacqueline dalstrom um jacqueline dalstrom is is out of norway and they're along with kristin holta representing norway here at the games this year it's her second year at the games 2019 was her first she finished 45th that year she was second in the german throwdown to kristin this year fourth in europe in the quarterfinal, 35th worldwide in
Starting point is 00:47:25 the Open. She competed at three sanctionals, and she actually won two of them. She won the French throwdown and the Reykjavik sanctional. She was fourth in Norway the year that they had a competition there. So she's got a decent amount of competitive experience. I actually trained with her earlier this week for a day, and so I got to see the things that she's amazing at, which is basically body weight gymnastics movement. She's world-class in it, but the, the heavier, uh, longer stuff is going to slow her down a little bit. And I think that there's enough of that. Um, that's going to keep her out of the top 20. Ryan, that's a great picture by the way of her. Um, and what do you mean you were training with her and does that affect your does that make you biased i know i do a podcast with hobart and i still i still don't let it bias me when i'm choosing to see if he's going to win the games this year in the 35 to
Starting point is 00:48:15 39 category you're picking him either way yeah exactly wow you guys are being really sweet tonight uh no i went up in and spent a day training with her and Gabriella Mangawa and Christoph Horvath. And we did a podcast with Gabby. So you'll know Christoph is a Hungarian bear, right, Zevan? You remember that? Yep. So they invited me up to train with him for a day, and I asked my boss, and he said, yeah, you've got to take that opportunity.
Starting point is 00:48:42 You don't get that too often. And they actually asked me about the rankings in general, and he said, yeah, you got to take that opportunity. You don't get that too often. So, um, and I, they actually asked me about the rankings in general. And I said to Jack and I said, look, I met you here and you're very nice, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go home and move you up five spots on the rankings. You know, that's not a factor that I'm considering. Oh my God. I don't care if your sweat dripped on me. You don't move up in the rankings. Hobart, do these foreigners have non-English speakers as their native language? Is there a disadvantage they could have on the field of play by not being able to communicate with the judges perfectly? Or is the language spoken with the judges so rudimentary it doesn't matter? Is the language spoken with the judges so rudimentary it doesn't matter? I think it could give them a disadvantage, but I think it's what you said. It's so rudimentary it doesn't really matter.
Starting point is 00:49:33 It's just like no rep or seven. Yeah. Okay. And there's hand gestures for all that stuff too, right? I think they probably all speak English very well. Not if you're trying to do a podcast with him. Number 21. Number 21. This is...
Starting point is 00:49:55 Some people have called this CrossFit Games for Her the Fuck You Tour. It's Emma Tall. Most people are familiar... That's an incredible picture. That's an incredible picture. Most people are familiar with the kind of journey she's had this year in terms of being announced as qualifying for the games then having that taken away from her
Starting point is 00:50:14 having to decide if she wants to do the last chance qualifier, dominating the last chance qualifier and ultimately earning her spot and finding her way over here to compete this week at the games. I think she is definitely a games caliber athlete. I think she definitely has the potential to work her way into the top 20. I also do think that she still has a couple things that could potentially keep
Starting point is 00:50:35 her out. And when I, when I settled on a spot for her, I have her here right, right on the border at 21. So she doesn't make it to day four either. Honestly, this is a really tough one for me. Like I looked at all her, her competitive experience, um, seventh in the quarterfinals, ninth at Dubai, eighth at strength and depth, fifth at the French throwdown. But some of those are, I would consider the ninth at Dubai a better finish than the fifth at the
Starting point is 00:51:02 French throwdown. Dahlstrom won. I have Emma ahead of Jack, but it's like talking about 5th in a competition where none of the top 20 women in the world were at it, in my opinion. And so 9th at a competition where 4 or 5 of the top 20 women in the world maybe, yeah, were at it, then it was a little bit better. So she has the potential to compete and hang with some of the best, but most of the best are here this year. missing sarah sigman's daughter and jamie simmons but we'll get into the top 20 here in a second and and then we'll we'll go from there hobart
Starting point is 00:51:36 when is your registration for your for the master's event uh masters had already happened uh masters all age group or all ages and adaptive, I believe, happened Saturday and Sunday. I think tomorrow is teens, maybe. And then teams and then individuals. OK. And have you have you taken a covid test yet? I didn't have to. Doesn't every all the athletes don't have to take a some sort of virus test not if you're vaccinated wow okay well that's interesting um and that's probably good timing too since the cdc released that that they're having trouble telling the difference with the pcr test between influenza and covid they just released that i don't know if you saw that in the last 48 hours but um i i wonder so if you're a vaccinated athlete you don't have to take the
Starting point is 00:52:27 test you had to show proof of vaccination yeah okay that's interesting okay so i wonder if it's like that in the olympics because i keep wondering if someone's going to pop positive make the journey out there and i always wonder if it happens to someone like emma tall or you you know like like what if it happened to velner or tia? I mean, that would be, that would be nuts. Absolutely nuts. Okay. Number 20. Number 20 is another woman who's got one year of experience at the games, 2019. That group of athletes that I just listed, I didn't include her in it. Emily Rolfe, she was 18th in 2019. She was a winner of the Granite Games in 2019.
Starting point is 00:53:11 She was 6th at Dubai in 2020. That's a good finish. And 10th at Guadalupalooza that same year, which qualified her to the – it doesn't seem right. I think it would have qualified her to the Games, but then because of COVID, they had to backfill someone else. So she had an invitation and got taken away from her. Otherwise, this would be her.
Starting point is 00:53:33 But nevertheless, she's older, 32, but she's pretty well-trained. She's won an event at the game. She won the ruck run, so she can go along a little bit. She can handle it. She's pretty tough. She can handle like some odd object, get dirty kind of workouts. Decent swimmer. So I think the weekend starts out pretty good for her.
Starting point is 00:53:52 And I think she'll be good enough to hang on and get into the top 20. There's a little bit of buzz around her. Why is that? So many people have DM me saying we need to get her on the podcast. Well, the guy, Nate Edwardson, who does this stuff with Vellner, he also films a lot with her, so maybe she's just a little bit more in the public eye on the YouTube channels than some of the other,
Starting point is 00:54:12 especially Canadian athletes. Okay. I was wondering why he moved away from Vellner. Now it all makes sense. Number 19. Number 19. So we're going back to Europe here. This is a woman who's been on the rise in the sport for a while she's 31 years old so she's not exactly um young but she does seem a little bit
Starting point is 00:54:34 newer to the competition uh scene at least at this level she was 20th in 2019 same in that group of women that i listed before 19th and 2020 in the virtual competition. She does have some top 10 open finishes in her career. She was sixth this year in the open, fifth in Europe in the quarterfinals, and first winner of the Lowland semifinal event. So online, she's phenomenal. She's very, very good at like bodyweight movements, gymnastics, barbell cycling, burpees, double unders, rowing wall balls, those types of things. She can go long a little bit. Um, but I think that, that the game she's in the middle of the pack. Um, Oh, I don't even know if I said her name, it's Emma McQuaid. And, uh, you know,
Starting point is 00:55:17 she has actually been getting, no one has really been talking about her at all. And I think that just with the, the overall depth of the women's field, that's an easy thing to happen is have these middle of the pack athletes just kind of get lost in the shuffle. It's not taking anything away from it. Just like they're not quite good enough to break down the doors into the top 10, top 15. Yeah. You nailed it. I've seen her name a million times and I couldn't pick her out of a crowd, but definitely I know her name. Number 18. Number 18. This is going to be her fifth year at the games. She earned, along with Emma Tall, she earned her way through the last chance qualifier. And I think in this case, or really
Starting point is 00:55:57 in both of their cases, the last chance qualifier is doing what it's meant to do. These are two women that I think enough to make it through the semifinal and circumstances kind of kept them out for whatever they were. In her four appearances at the Games, her worst career event finish is 13th and I have it ranked 18th in this field. And that's
Starting point is 00:56:17 what I'm talking about with how good this field is. She's 32 years old. She's been to four Games for a total of let's just make it easy. Let's say there's 12 events at every games or 13. That's 52 events. You're saying in her 52 CrossFit appearances, muscle manels, she's never finished worse than 13th?
Starting point is 00:56:36 Her finishes at the games have been 8th, 13th, 9th, and 9th. Okay. Okay. I see what you're saying. I see what you're saying. So her overall. Okay. Still crazy impressive. Still crazy impressive. And a bit of a fan favorite right a little bit of a
Starting point is 00:56:49 crossfit darling christy aramo o'connell i think i keep forgetting to say their name for some reason i think people like the little athletes because they got the david and goliath thing going yeah and um you know she was second to tia at mayhem. She was ninth at Rogue the year she competed there. She was fourth in the Open this year, tenth in North America, got through the last chance qualifier. She's phenomenal. She's very good. She can have some top three finishes for sure.
Starting point is 00:57:16 She'll do good in the swim. She'll do good in the running toes to Barravena if she gets to it. She's good on her hands. So she'll have some good performances. But I think it's going to be a tough year for her to replicate that finish because there's still a lot of good athletes that I consider just a little better than her, and there's some also younger athletes that I think are going to bump her down a little bit. Who's bigger, her or Emma McQuaid?
Starting point is 00:57:38 Sorry, Hobart. That's okay. Christy, 5'2", 132. Emma McQuaid, 5'5", 140. I mean mean that's what they're listed at so they're the same size basically emma's a little bit taller but but they're both they're both for crossfit athletes that's interesting because uh you said emma took six in the open and christy took fourth yep and they're ranked pretty low okay i mean relatively what are you gonna say about this no i was gonna say i was just gonna say just that i think that i see all these questions popping
Starting point is 00:58:10 about like oh why is she so low compared to her last finishes i just think that speaks to the depth of the field like the rest of the field from 18th to first and the women's side and it's probably you're going to see a lot um finishes. Like five seconds is going to be a whole bunch of spots. Word. Number 17. Wait, wait. I got to get my helmet. 17.
Starting point is 00:58:33 Uh-oh. Whoa, let me see. Oh, I know who it is. Carolyn Prevo. That's right. I'm happy. I'm happy. You're happy?
Starting point is 00:58:43 Yeah, I'm happy. Top 20. She gets to play 20 she gets to play she gets to play the whole the whole the whole the whole week
Starting point is 00:58:49 yeah I mean we talked to her and she has this a really kind of weird weakness in double unders and it's actually I think it's a
Starting point is 00:58:57 you know it's bad to have that weakness in a big field like the open or the quarterfinals because so many people are good at them but at the games
Starting point is 00:59:04 if that's a it's a very specific skill. It doesn't mean that you're not strong enough. It doesn't mean that you're not good at gymnastics or that you can't go long or short or whatever. It just means you don't have that one skill at the proficiency level of the best in the world. But double-unders are going to show up at most once in the competition, and so fine.
Starting point is 00:59:22 Besides that, she's going to be pretty consistent. She can do a lot of different things. She's incredibly athletic, and we know that that plays at the Games more than anywhere else in the competition. And so fine. Besides that, she's going to be pretty consistent. She can do a lot of different things. She's incredibly athletic. And we know that that plays at the games more than anywhere else in the season. So I do like her chances to get into the top 20. She is a performer too, man. She knows how to compete. I didn't know she, like her personal stats are out of this world, but she's like, represents Canadian national teams, taekwondo, hockey. She's a math, science, physical education teacher.
Starting point is 00:59:50 Like what a badass. Oh, her Instagram is crazy. She's a fourth degree black belt in taekwondo. And her training videos are pretty nuts. That's so cool. Okay, number 16. Okay, number 16. old. She's training with the comp train crew. She moved there this year. Everything seems to be going well there. But to me, she was underwhelming at the semifinals. And I have to look at those seventh and seventh. And what I mean by that is Tia was obviously dominant, but Haley Adams was
Starting point is 01:00:36 the next most dominant and Brooke Wells is the next most dominant. And Amanda Barnhart tied on points who we know had previous individual games qualified. So someone who's got two back seventh places, just barely sneaking in in the semifinal, raises a little bit of a question mark or a red flag. James will happily point out that I discount some of those finishes from that year. I'm not saying that Amanda is not a great athlete. And I think that she actually had potential to do better in both of those years. She was on a bad ankle in 2019. Otherwise, maybe she finishes fifth or something like that.
Starting point is 01:01:11 And she was four points out of making it into the final five last year. It's kind of like, not to the same degree because she didn't get the exposure in the top five, but kind of like an Adler, I'll just say that I don't know if that seventh place the last two years is representative of her true capacity and a full breadth and depth of test that the CrossFit Games traditionally is. I could be wrong about this one, but this is where she ends up on my list, and I'm pretty curious to see how accurate I am on her. How tall is she? Listed at 5'7", 160, but she has like the physical presence it seems like she's bigger than most of the girls taller taller yeah yeah she she her physique is absolutely
Starting point is 01:01:56 nuts um is she making your list uh hobart what do i have to do to get those traps does she do a lot of shrugs she does a lot of like you just gotta be you gotta work out more man right you know you mean I can't do Cindy five days a week no start holding a 70 pound dumbbell
Starting point is 01:02:19 between your legs and do Cindy when you look at her body it just screams hard work. What, what a fucking incredible specimen. God. We also can mention that because we talked about it with Chandler and Cole, the Chandler Smith and Cole say,
Starting point is 01:02:34 I was hoping you were going to bring this up that she does train with that comp train crew. And historically that Bergeron's athletes peak for the games. Now, maybe they were just risking it for the Mid-Atlantic, and that's why she didn't have the performance that maybe we were expecting her to have. And she snuck through, and that's fine. And they got to the games, and maybe she shows up, and she's a lot better than she was there.
Starting point is 01:02:56 Even if that's the case, these women, from here on out, like James was saying, it's a really competitive women's field. But like James was saying, it's a really competitive women's field. FanDuel Casino's exclusive live dealer studio has your chance at the number one feeling, winning. Which beats even the 27th best feeling, saying I do. Who wants this last parachute? I do. Enjoy the number one feeling, winning, in an exciting live dealer studio.
Starting point is 01:03:24 Exclusively on FanDuel Casino, where winning is undefeated. 19 plus and physically located in Ontario. Gambling problem? Call 1-866-531-2600 or visit connectsontario.ca. Please play responsibly. You said she's been to the games three times, 15th, 7th, and 7th. Is that what you said?
Starting point is 01:03:43 Yeah, yeah, I think so. I don't know. I moved on to the next athlete already on my spreadsheet was she was she in the top um 40 of all time we did top 35 i don't i don't think so okay i'll say this we'll be redoing that again go ahead no more so than any pick you've made this pick has made the received the most comments as far as why people don't think you're right and they're surprises at it but still very respectful this is like the nicest youtube's ever been oh yeah yeah i'm not knocking anybody but like a lot of people are like what not top 10 i'm just i'm shocked okay number 15
Starting point is 01:04:16 yeah and i'm not surprised to hear that either i mean it was at this point these next like several pics all of these women are people i want to see in the top 10. When we get to the top 10, let me know who you would move out to move her in. Anyway, next up is Dani Spiegel. Dani Spiegel is a very good at very few things. There's a couple things that she's potentially the last in the field. Maybe not last, but bottom 10 in the field. And we saw that play out in the semifinals at West Coast, where she had all top six finishes, except for ruck run,
Starting point is 01:04:53 where she wasn't even able to finish the event. She does, I think, have the potential to win an event, if it lines up right for her. She competed on a team last year with Jessica Griffith, Griffith actually. And she, but she has some good, uh,
Starting point is 01:05:10 sanctional finishes from the year before that, but she was kind of, she was the outlier in the sense that she competed at more sanctionals than anyone else in year one. Her finishes were fifth, fifth, third, second,
Starting point is 01:05:20 and eighth. Um, she was expected to win the competition. She got second and that was the mid Atlantic, uh, the first year there. And she lost to Meg Re to win the competition she got second and that was the mid-atlantic uh the first year there and she lost to meg reardon but then she got injured and so then she was kind of coming back from that for a little while i still think she's not at 100 she's maybe close but i think this would be a good finish for her i was again i was trying to find a place for a higher than this but this is an ultimately where i have her i i think i remember when she popped
Starting point is 01:05:45 on the scene and there was a huge hype train behind her that people thought she was going to do great i think that she she thought she was going to do great and then she basically shit the bread at the regionals her first year so so she well she didn't she didn't shit the bed at the regionals her first year i think that was the year that there was triple three at the regionals and she wasn't her running was even worse than oh she had a couple good performances like 10th like that and she might finished ahead of hayley adams at that regional hayley was only 16 or 17 at the time but i thought it was a decent showing for her at regionals actually considering that it was her first one gotcha but there was a ton of hype behind her. I feel like there was some expectations that she's going to the Games, that she's the next big thing.
Starting point is 01:06:30 Well, and she's not, you know. But sometimes you have that hype and that expectation, and it just takes a year or two. She made it in 2019. She made it in 2020. And now she's made it three. So she is a Games athlete for sure. It's very hard to make it your first year at regionals. I'm actually surprised to see how she she is a games athlete for sure it just you know sometimes it's very hard
Starting point is 01:06:45 to make it your first year at regionals i'm actually surprised to see how high she is in this pick i don't think she beats amanda okay i don't think there's anybody like more explosive and then she'll have some really cool event wins but i just don't think she's as well you know especially with the first couple events but so you're saying running's not her strong suit? I think, I don't want to misspeak here, but I think she has like some stress fractures in her foot or something like that. And yeah, it's pretty painful for her to run long distance. And how's her swimming? It's above average.
Starting point is 01:07:22 Okay. it's above average. Okay. Well, it's going to be interesting to see because that first event, that's going to be the, uh, the mental test for, for a lot of people who aren't good at running and swimming.
Starting point is 01:07:34 Is it running in that event? It's just paddle swim. Oh, paddle swim. Okay. I have no idea. I thought he said run, swim.
Starting point is 01:07:43 I bet. Okay. number 14. Yeah, so I think this is another one that when people see it up here, it's Gabriela Magawa from Poland, and I think people are going to be surprised that she's this high and likely going to say, come on, man, she's not going to beat Barnhart. But just look at her competitive history. Wait, wait, wait.
Starting point is 01:08:01 Who did you say? Gabriela Magawa. Okay, we got the wrong picture up. We do? We do. Which is amazing. It says Michelle Bassanet. I think it might be the right picture, just the wrong name is written on it.
Starting point is 01:08:14 Yeah. Well, it should be Gabby Magawa. Okay. And she's the other person I trained with last week, so I just threw her 10 spots up higher than I wanted to because i got to know her a little better and michelle bassinet that's the name written on the card um is that that that's the block she was number 39 38 39 she's the one out of south africa yeah okay not a big deal not a big deal um okay so uh tell me about magawa again sorry so you trained with her a little bit and you think she's the shit now i thought she was before that too i didn't know i didn't change
Starting point is 01:08:50 either of their rankings after that she um she was third at the teenagers in 2016 uh if i'm not mistaken it was behind hayley adams and why am i blanking on her name from Florida? But very good teenage athletes there. Kayla something. And anyway, she made it in 2019. She got cut in first cut, and I was really disappointed by that. She definitely has a weakness in her game, which is upper body pulling strength. The Lagos Roll Climbs got her on that one, which is too bad, because I actually think she had potential to finish in the top 30 that year. She made it in 2020.
Starting point is 01:09:23 It was virtual. She got 18th. But what strikes me for her is her sanctional record. So first year sanctional, she goes to Wadaplusa in Dubai, maybe the two best. She finishes seventh and ninth. Very respectable. The next season, she goes to Norway. She wins it.
Starting point is 01:09:38 She goes to strength and depth. She's second to Laura Horvath, beats Hayley. Then she goes to Dubai. Well, it's actually in reverse order. And she showed up at Dubai. In Dubai, she finished fourth behind Sarah Sigmund's daughter, Karen Frejova, who I'm so bummed is not in the games this year, and Jamie Green, or Jamie Simmons.
Starting point is 01:09:57 And Gabby Magawa finished eighth or better in every single event across that weekend at Dubai, of which I think there were 11 events. And even Sarah Sigmund's daughter, daughter who won the competition couldn't say that Gabby is very strong like trust me she's very strong she's very well-rounded she does like I said upper body pulling is a little bit of a weakness for her but I watched her do some upper body pulling that day that I trained with her and she's clearly gotten better at it some people work on their weaknesses James we've talked about this a little bit and it's difficult for them to improve. I think she is improving in that realm. And I think that she is, does have the, I don't know if of all these girls that we're getting in this realm, like if
Starting point is 01:10:35 Barnhart finishes in the top 10, I won't be as surprised if Gabby does, but I think that Gabby can, uh, can also can be Barnhart. Like she's, I think she's better than most people know. And of all the, she, I would definitely put her up there in the athletes that we've interviewed that seems the most focused. I think the only flaw that I saw on her focus, and it's not a flaw, but it's just like a red flag is the fact that she does have a boyfriend and she does train with her boyfriend. And sometimes, you know, that's the look at Tia, right. Um, but that being said, uh, Tia, right? But that being said,
Starting point is 01:11:06 she seems extremely focused and she views herself as a CrossFit Games athlete. Like she really sees herself as that. And you can't say that about all the athletes. They either see this CrossFit Games athlete hyphen something else, hyphen
Starting point is 01:11:21 something else, hyphen, but she is CrossFit Games athlete. And she was an impressive, impressive young lady games athlete hyphen something else hyphen something else hyphen but she is um she's across the games athlete and uh she was an impressive impressive young lady to speak with well all of the girls all the ladies that are that remain on this list i think see themselves that way you know when you go to a party and and and you're talking to someone and you have like one beer you kind of enjoy talking a little bit more and then you have two beers and you have a little more and then you get four or five beers and you got the beer goggles on i'm wondering when brian trains with these athletes men or women how what the what the equivalent is to to putting beer goggles on him and affecting his choice you know what i'm saying
Starting point is 01:12:01 like like i would have never i've never worn wrist straps in my life but when i went to go film miko salo one of the first things i did was i came home and bought wrist straps i still have them i never wore them but miko salo had them and he wore them so i bought them so like i'm like like when i was with miko was like i drank five beers i was like swooning so like i'm just curious like he trains with this girl and and it must be crazy to be out there with her training right and um it's someone at their absolute best. And I just find it – I wonder if it's – is he doing more research or is it unprofessional what Brian's doing? We don't have to have an answer to that, but it'll be fun to look at that over the years. I can't wait to see the comments for this one.
Starting point is 01:12:39 I mean you could – you have a horse. Let's say you own a horse and you see it running in the field. It's probably like the most impressive thing you've ever seen as it stampedes by you. But he's not even in the top 7 million fastest horses in the world. But shit, you saw him run by you. So you're like, holy shit, I just saw 1,200 pounds run by me. So you're impressed by it.
Starting point is 01:12:57 So I just wonder. But Brian, your argument for Oliver wins in the category she falls in. I mean, you defended it very well. I actually think your argument works better for people who are fans of people who are already been to the games and it's like hey guys don't forget like the crossfit pool is still pretty small and there are probably some people out there who are like like monstrously fit like roman kronikoff is a really good example of that i think and it's like you know everybody's like oh the so-and-so can't beat so-and-so and it's like well you're just a fan of this person you've just you've just
Starting point is 01:13:29 seen him go and it's like the chances are there are still people out there that are way fitter it's funny you say that in my early years of crossfit people would be like hey man you get a fucking running back in here training crossfit and he'll fucking destroy the pack and i would think oh bullshit but now 15 years into it like i'm finally as smart as some of the fans like i think there definitely are some people in some other sports that if if i mean it would still take a ton of work it might be too late if they're 25 and they try to switch it might be too late but there's definitely some genetics out there i guess you could say that jason hopper is a really good example of what
Starting point is 01:14:01 exactly what you're talking about yeah but but you what? Maybe you can say that about any sport, so maybe it's irrelevant what we're even saying, right? Like the world's greatest shot putter is clearly not, has never been found, right? Because so few people do shot put. Yeah. So I don't know. Maybe it's a moot point.
Starting point is 01:14:18 13. Sorry. Number 13. Thank you, Hobart. All right, James, here we go. Hobart made the list. Oh, cool. There she is.
Starting point is 01:14:32 I'm a super big fan of the younger athletes, just because I'm a really big fan of the sport. And I think it just shows, again, like we were just talking about, how far the sport has grown and spread. You know, athletes coming to the games from South Korea, you know, teenage athletes just smashing it. It's just, it's super cool. Let me translate that for you, Brian, before you talk about Emmett Carey, number 13. Hobart said he's a big fan of the younger athletes.
Starting point is 01:15:00 No, what he is is he hates the athletes who are still in there that he competed against. And he can't wait until the young people fuck them up. Finally, so they can be washed up like me. Yeah. I mean, and, and Emma Carey and obviously Mallory O'Brien is still to come on the list
Starting point is 01:15:17 where this was difficult for me to figure out where to rank them. And I said, we'd get back to talking about the granite games. And this is what I wanted to say about the granite games is Mallory O'Brien and Emma Carey come in and do the Open. Emma Carey finishes, since we're talking about her, she was second worldwide in the Open, she was fourth in the quarterfinals, and she said, I'm foregoing the age group online qualifiers and I'm taking my one shot to make it as an elite individual female athlete at the Games, despite still being eligible to compete in the teenage division and she said the granite games and i was so excited to see both of them compete because i was like okay doing it online is great but let me see what happens when you line up against some of the best in the world and then they both get sent to granite games and you know christy aramo was there yes and we know that she's got four finishes of 13th or better at the games but in my opinion none of the top 10 women in the world this year
Starting point is 01:16:06 were at the Granite Games. So I still haven't seen these girls go against the best in the world. Instead, I got to see them go against 35-year-old Alessandra Pacelli, Ariel Lowen, who wins the competition, who's showing up there just to get a name placard, according to herself, Christy Aramo, who fails to even qualify, and Caroline Connors, who makes her first trip to the games. So I still haven't seen these girls on the floor against their idols, probably. The Catrons, the Annies, the Tias, the Caras that they've been watching for the last five years
Starting point is 01:16:35 as they're aspiring to be those girls. So I'm keeping them outside of the top 10 right here, but it's not that they don't have that potential. And no matter where they finish, they've already set history who's eligible to compete as a teenager has ever qualified for the games as an individual before brian i'm sorry i know you said this i just want to see if i heard you correctly are you saying that emma carrie could how old is she 17 so you're saying she could compete in the teen competition this year? Both her and Mallory O'Brien could be, yes. Wow.
Starting point is 01:17:13 That is nuts. Has a dude ever done that? No. So that's only a woman thing. These are the first two. Amazing. Haley Adams tried. She made it to regionals when she was both 16 and 17 she failed to qualify both years which is fine it was impressive just that she was there she was
Starting point is 01:17:31 already already that was her writing history but these girls have both done it this year and it's the first time it's ever been done wow and there's no there's no question that it would have been emma or mallory who won the team competition this year. So, well, correct. Well, there's another woman who was competing at Atlas Games who's only 16 years old, and she narrowly missed making it as well. Her name's Emma Lawson. But, yeah, I think Mallory and Emma would have ran away with the competition. Mallory chose to participate in age group online qualifier and qualified first.
Starting point is 01:18:06 Why is there more hype behind Mallory than Emma? We'll get to her in a second and talk about that. Okay. Number 12. Yeah. Oh, one more question. You can show us the slide for number 12. Brian, when you do these rankings, are you trying to be right?
Starting point is 01:18:27 Or are you trying to be most logical? or are they the same thing for you i think they're the same i mean i'm using my i'm using everything that i know about the sport and the athletes and the competition this year to try to put them in the order that i think is most likely for them to finish okay number 12 Number 12, Annie Thor's daughter. Wow. And just, yeah, so Emma Carey, Anna Thor's daughter. Mallory O'Brien's going to be the next one up. And these three women were the three hardest women for me to place this year because just as much as Emma and Mal are unknown in my mind because no one at that age has ever done it before and they haven't competed against a lot of these women before,
Starting point is 01:19:04 Annie, like Mackenzie Riley, is coming up. She gave birth a year ago and she's talked about publicly some of the mental and physical stresses that have been accompanying her this year. Now, she's also done incredibly well in competition so far. And we've talked about this before. She's basically been ahead of the game every step of the way. 118th in the Open, 9th in Europe, 3rd at Lowlands Throwdown, and just generally feeling better doing those workouts than before. I've seen some clips of her training for the games, and her tenacity, it looks like it's there.
Starting point is 01:19:36 It looks like she's as fierce and determined and driven to do well at this game as she ever has before. This is her 11th time competing at the games as an individual, and she's 31 years old. And she had to take last year off to give birth. I mean, we talked about her at length when we did our top 10 of all time, and we had her second place there. Certainly she could do better than this. But I think that this is a fair place to put her given so many of the unknowns coming back from the traumatic and life-changing year that she's had. many of the unknowns coming back from the traumatic and life-changing year
Starting point is 01:20:03 that she's had. Super physique. Like, Mount Olympus shit. Like, fucking Batman ain't got nothing on her. The fact that we get to see someone with Annie's physique compete
Starting point is 01:20:20 in the CrossFit Games, aesthetically, is a gift to all of fucking humanity. I mean, she is... She makes you proud to be a human. What a super creature. And the fact that she's been in the game since the Dusted Aromas, as Brian said,
Starting point is 01:20:36 in 2009, what a special, special, special gift. We should all be thankful she's competing. And like you said, Brian, the mom thing is like... makes me want to tear up. So awesome. I do want to ask you this. If she finishes
Starting point is 01:20:53 12th based on the rest of your picks that I haven't seen yet, will she switch places with Katrin Zdoder for the all-time top 10? Will she then drop from number 2 to number 3? It depends how Katrin the doter for the all-time top 10. Will she then drop from number two to number three? It depends how Katrin does.
Starting point is 01:21:09 Of course. Okay. Number 11. I know he ducked it. Ryan ducked the question. Come on. I didn't. I answered the question honestly.
Starting point is 01:21:17 No, because you know what Katrin, what if Katrin places where you have her placed? That'll be tough. Then maybe. Okay. Then then we gotta do another show number number 11 yeah good point christian leon says car is the fittest mom i i probably agree with you um uh mallory oh we'll see mallory o'brien number 11 the young superstar so much hype around her basically no one would even know who Jason Hopper was if it wasn't for this podunk podcast we do, but Mallory O'Brien has made it on
Starting point is 01:21:52 her own without the help of myself and Hobart and Brian Friend. What is this hype about, Brian? I think that the hype for Mallory, as opposed to Emma Emma is what she did at the Granite Games, honestly. I mean, coming in there, she was fifth in the open rink, one spot behind Emma, and she was third in the quarterfinals, one spot ahead of her, I think. So they're basically coming in with similar credentials. And she beats Emma in the semifinal, but it wasn't really as big of a gap as you think. They both were coming into the final event having already secured a spot at the games. And Emma took a risk in the final event by trying to do the double dumbbell overhead walking lunge unbroken, and it bit her in the butt a
Starting point is 01:22:35 little bit. So she finished pretty low in that event, but it didn't matter. She still finished third overall. Mal played that particular portion of that event safe and ends up finishing second and actually a few points behind Ariel Lowen for the overall win. But it's of that event safe and ends up finishing second and actually a few points behind Ariel Loewen for the overall win. But it's not that event that stands out in anyone's mind, including my own. She won three consecutive events at that competition. The only other person in the world who won three consecutive events at a semifinal this year is Tia Claire Toomey. I don't need to really elaborate on that except for the fact that the way she won those events was incredible.
Starting point is 01:23:06 She attacked all of them. We talked to Taylor Self who attacked the dumbbell thruster workout, imploded, and ended up not making the games because of it. Mal attacked that workout, and when things got tough for her, if you go back, James, and watch that event, she gets to the round of 12, I think, and you can see that it's setting in like, oh my God, did I go too fast? But instead of buckling under the pressure, she finds another gear, she dials it in and she finishes out the event the way she started, which is in first place. Now that was one of the, I watched that Granite Games. I watched that pretty much that whole competition. And I agree with you there, the way she attacked things and
Starting point is 01:23:40 her poise. Here's my thing. I just don't know how these athletes swim and the games is a place where it's like you you know the semi-finals you could be like all right the next workout's my thing i got to get in my rhythm there's just no time for that at the games you have this swim paddleboard weird thing and you have this cheddar block husafel like every every next thing is the next weirdest shit that's going to come up and it's like like, I don't, I think with these rookies, if they can't get into a good vibe after that swim, I don't see them pushing as high as into these spots. And that's not because of their fitness. I think their fitness is there. I think it's just because familiarity of being in the games and as ruthless as Dave is and just how unrelenting the games are
Starting point is 01:24:21 in that sort of like, hey, if you weren't ready for the last curveball, you sure as shit are not going to be ready for the next one. So that's something I think about with them. And it's not because of how fit they are. I just, you know, it's seeing their poise at the games and then just dealing with things like long swim, long paddleboard, weird events. Well, to be fair, they both competed at the games before, and I know it's not the same in the teenage division as the individual competition.
Starting point is 01:24:45 Not even close. No. But they did have to swim, and they can swim. And they did have to deal with some things that are a little different that you might not get in other competitions. And at their age, there's really nothing else they could have done to prepare for it than what they've already done. also last year in light of or in in replacement for the games that didn't get to exist for the teenagers mal did go and compete at the pit team throwdown and she won that competition and they have some outside of the box programming there too using their landscape and physical acclimate physical features of the landscape for their competition so it's a fair point obviously they
Starting point is 01:25:22 don't they do lack some experience at the games. I think that mentally, both of these girls are tougher than anything I could ever comprehend, especially at that age. And I do think that they have the ability to... This is what I specifically was watching for at the Granite Games was when adversity struck, what would they do? And in the wall ball event, Mal started getting some no reps, and she didn't let it get her down. She adjusted and made it work. Emma started failing that dumbbell at the end. And it wasn't so much how she responded on the field. She talked about it afterwards that she was like, no, that was a calculated risk. I knew what I was doing. And it's this level of maturity at 17 years old that I can't fathom. And I just, I think they have good people in their corner. I think they have a good shoulder
Starting point is 01:26:04 on their heads. And I think that they're going, they're positioned to respond to those challenges differently than almost anyone else on the planet at that age. Well, yeah, heck yeah. I mean, prove me wrong. I'd be happy to see that, but I don't, I don't see them this high. Hobart, I was going to ask you something similar in that same vein i'll just ask you direct how much harder so if you have one dog um two dogs is twice as hard as one dog but three dogs is more than three times as hard as one dog anyone who's owned three dogs shit starts getting it's a fucking lot of dogs yeah we had five once growing up yeah it's insane right yeah it's 20 legs, man. It's fucking insane. And so people don't realize that. Tell me the difference between a six-workout competition or a seven-workout competition and a 15-workout competition.
Starting point is 01:26:57 And let me say one final thing for you. Even when I've gone on 20-mile hikes or something like you hike Yosemite, El Capitan, or whatever the that thing is, you climb up. It's like an emotional journey. It's an all in the emotions that you see behind the scenes from the athletes is crazy. Yeah, no. And, you know, I will say this, too. I agree with Brian on this. Listening to it, to Mal and me, Emma both talk in interviews and we had like a company-wide meeting for CrossFit and they came on and they talked to the group and introduced themselves. They're absolutely poised and about, they're more emotionally mature at 17 than I am now at 35. But again, that being said, I just think there are so many things at the games that are unknowns that have nothing to do with fitness.
Starting point is 01:27:49 And those are compounding factors. And those are really hard for some people. And you know what, if they show up and finish 11th and 12th or 13th or top 10, I'll be pleasantly amazed and surprised. But I just, I don't see that being the case this weekend. And it has nothing to do with their fitness. I just think because the environment is so new and the competition is going to be so fierce she's pretty protected though she seems pretty insulated which might which might go to her advantage yeah so hey it's awesome okay awesome mallory o''Brien. And number 10. Here we go. Here we go. You're going to be pumped for this one, Savan.
Starting point is 01:28:30 I hope, I think. Good. So coming in 10th. Emily Abbott. Oh, Daniel. Oh, no. She's at number nine. Wait.
Starting point is 01:28:37 We have a problem here. What? Emily Abbott. We have a problem. We have number nine, Daniel Brandon. We skipped number 10. Who's number 10? No, no. Danielon is number 10 on my list okay so we just have the number wrong no big deal number 10 daniel brandon very happy awesome great podcast guest little weird at for a little weird
Starting point is 01:28:57 at first little bumpy in the first 10 minutes once we all settled down everything was great everything was great and tremendous athletic, tremendous physical potential here. The biggest question mark for her is between the ears. And if she's able to just, I don't know what she needs to do to just be dialed in for the entire weekend. But if she's able to do that, I think she actually has potential to do even better than this at the Games. A lot of people are talking about Carrie Pierce, Bethany Chandler, Daniel Brandon, which one's going to do the best here and there.
Starting point is 01:29:27 And Bethany and Carrie outperformed her at semifinals, no doubt. And obviously I haven't gotten to either of them yet. So there's still ahead of her on this list. And I don't, I just don't feel, I feel like Danielle has the potential to beat both of them at the games and actually to be almost all of the women at the games.
Starting point is 01:29:43 I don't know if she's figured out how to tap into that potential quite yet. So I think 10th is a fair place to put her. And she's one of those athletes that has the ability to do a little bit better than this, ability to do a little bit worse, maybe like five to 15 is her range. And so I settled on her here at 10. She was 10th in the 2019 games. And it was kind of, I think, an unfortunate version that she didn't get that spot. Obviously, we didn't know at the time that Anna Fragka was not going to excited to watch her. I think she has the potential to hit some home runs. I think if she can just navigate some of the, kind of like Jason Hopper, if she can navigate some of the things that come up and then rebound from those and do well
Starting point is 01:30:34 when she knows she can do well, that she's kind of a force to be reckoned with. This chick has grit. She presents like a Bentley, but she's a monster truck there is no question her her psychology when you talk to her i mean she's just like i don't trust anyone and i mean she's a fighter she her she has a this chick has grit no one should overlook her she will she will go into the final event with no chance to win the games and still try to take first place in the final event and ruin someone's day i mean this this is not a uh this is um this is a prison yard warrior this is a playground legend this is a kid
Starting point is 01:31:15 who stayed up late and uh till the sun went down and played in the yard this is uh like while the other kids were running from the snake she went inside and got a shovel and cut its head off. Don't mistake her looks for something that's not fierce. That's my thought. James, I'm nervous that you're not going to like this next one. I just don't want to say anything right now because I don't want to ruin Savan's little, his like Jack Kerouac free thought flow yet. That was impressive.
Starting point is 01:31:47 Even I'm impressed with that one. I like this way better than where you put her on the all-time list. Same picture. Brian, she deserves a new picture. Incredible picture, though. Oh, we got Kristen's up there? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:32:03 Okay, so yeah, Kristen Holt. I have her here at ninth. She has four finishes in her career better than this, a sixth, a second, a seventh, and a seventh. Her best two finishes have come in the last two years, but in 2017 and 2018, against a lot of these women and against a full field of tests, she finished seventh and seventh. So obviously has the potential to be within the top 10 at the Games.
Starting point is 01:32:26 She is technically Masters eligible this year at 35 years old. She won her semifinal in Europe. We've already talked about how strong the women's field can be there. We know she can win events at the Games. She can have top five finishes at the Games. I think she's still relevant and competitive with the top 10 in the world. But I think we see a little bit of a regression from her this year. Not anything to do with her getting worse, just with the field 10 in the world. But I think we see a little bit of a regression from her this year. Not anything to do with her getting worse,
Starting point is 01:32:46 just with the field continuing to be strong and a couple of girls getting a little bit better. I think that's the line this year is, is, is not, is how good the women's field is getting and how there's, you know, they're closing that gap little by little below Tia. How are you feeling? Good enough, Seva? Does she speak English?
Starting point is 01:33:08 Yeah, I feel so much better. Yeah, she does. And I say that because this just shows, if you ever want to talk, if anyone wants to talk about what a dipshit I am, I can't ever remember interviewing Kristen Holta, and I hardly know anything about her, and yet she's, for some reason, she just stayed off of my radar.
Starting point is 01:33:28 She's quiet and just does work, man. She's so cool. And how do you know her? Did you train with her, Hobart? I am. She came down to one of those. We had like a Reebok athlete training camp, and she just came down for a couple of days and kicked everybody's ass
Starting point is 01:33:42 and then just left quietly. Awesome. Where is she from? Norway. Norway. Oh, okay. That was supposed to be a joke when I said, does she speak English? Because I thought maybe you were going to say she was from North Carolina or some shit.
Starting point is 01:33:56 Okay. That was funny. Thank you. Number eight. Number eight, Bethany Shadburn. Winner of the west coast classic trains with daniel brandon and carrie pierce uh she does have an eighth place finish at the games it was in 2019 she made the final cut she the only person she beat was terry hellgood daughter from that point on but the main thing about bethany shadburn is i don't think she's ever been nearly as healthy as she is right now we talked about a
Starting point is 01:34:30 little bit with the men how health can go a long way in competition the last couple years she has taken i don't want to say i don't want to say that other athletes aren't doing this but she just advertises it more than just about anyone else. She's taken accessory work to the next level. She's doing all the little things in the gym all day long, every day, recovery, mobility, stabilization drills, to give herself every chance to stay healthy and be healthy and be confident going into competition. I think she actually surprised herself a little bit at West Coast Classic with how good she was feeling, how well she was performing, and how well she was responding to being in a competitive environment, particularly against some of her training partners. She was regularly beating her times from training. I think even though she has an eighth on her resume, if she's able to replicate that or even improve on it, she's set up to have what I would consider, even if not maybe her best finish ever at the games, her best performance ever at the games.
Starting point is 01:35:28 Tremendous athlete. Also incredibly nice and humble person. I hope that we get to know her a little bit more this year from that perspective. But I think from an athletic perspective and competition perspective alone, she's definitely one to watch. Have you trained with her no because if he had she'd beat number five just checking uh when you say obsessed you mean like lucas parker obsessed or not that obsessed maybe more wow really hobart yeah check out her instagram she's always like doing some little thing but it seems to be working for her because she did she did smash up the west coast classic
Starting point is 01:36:12 and and i just thought her positioning like her body the way that her body was positioned in every movement and every combination of movements was was phenomenal and you've talked about before seven how some of the best historically in the sport are also some of the best movers. And she is moving very well right now. What was her first year at the Games? Shadburn, first year at the Games, 2017. She was 22nd.
Starting point is 01:36:38 2018, 16th. 2019, 8th. 2020, 20th. So this is her fifth straight year competing at the games what place did she take in 2017 22nd yeah um so i remember that year i think it was that year that she came in and there was a lot of hype around her and i felt like she lived up to it she she handled the pressure really well in 2017 did she win an event that year um i don't think i don't think she's ever won an event at the games there's a great comment on here you have i have to read it to you brian
Starting point is 01:37:11 i love how people listen but i can't tell if they're joking but but brian basically just said i think she'll get eight because she does a lot of accessory work i saw that too that's a really good one that is good that's it you heard it here first um number seven number seven um pretty curious to see how she does over what overall at the games this year because she's trained up her training environment so this is brooke wells she's training with tia this year and she's moved away from the comp train crew. And I think that's totally fine. I think that some athletes thrive under having the consistency year after year after year and others get to a point where they realize like, this has been great for me, but I want to go and see if I can tap into somewhere else. And she saw this opportunity
Starting point is 01:38:01 and took it. And I'm curious to see if it manifests itself into something that she's hoping for, which I'm guessing she's hoping for her career best finish at the games this year. Last year, she was fifth, which was her best to date. She has this history, not to the extreme of who are we talking about earlier, who is like top bottom 10, top 10 back and forth, but 16th, 6th, 14th, 8th, 15th, 5th. So the pattern would say that this is set up to be a, not such a great year for her, but I don't think that's going to be the case. She looked pretty good at the semifinals. I think she is doing very well training with Tia. I think she'll be in the mix from beginning to end of the competition. And so yeah, Brooke Wells, I think is po poised to have another top 10 finish this year at the Games.
Starting point is 01:38:51 I would love to have her on the podcast and hear the gritty, gritty is not the right word, minute details of how her and Tia started working together. Like, is this, does she call Tia and say, hey, can I train with you? Or is it a really slow courtship? Like one time they work out together like and then like they start texting back and forth and then somehow they meet up somewhere else and work out twice together. And like I'd love to hear the feeling out process because I'm going to speculate that Tia is very, very, for lack of a better word, protective. I'm guessing all the champions are who they led into that orbit um or training and the fact that she chose brooke or that brooke chose her i'm dying to hear the details it would be it would be um fun to interview her and fun to interview tia and then kind of
Starting point is 01:39:39 compare the the perception that each of them had and i didn't think of this until you said it brian but but it is true there is something i mean obviously don't know her that well but there's something like um almost noah olsen-esque about her like angelic and lacks this switch and you definitely at least on the outside and you definitely see it in Tia. So did she choose to go to Tia to mirror that, to sort of get that through osmosis? Because we already know Brooke's fucking an amazing athlete, an amazing CrossFitter. Was she just looking for that tiny little piece? And it would be fascinating to hear the details of that, hear her explain that, reflect on that. Maybe even if she hasn't reflected on it, just go deeper with her and get to the bottom of that. I her explain that, reflect on that. Maybe even if she hasn't reflected on it,
Starting point is 01:40:25 just go deeper with her and get to the bottom of that. I'd love to see her do well. I think she's an amazing ambassador for the sport. Hobart, you have anything you want to say about Ms. Wells? I just like that that was a couple of years ago. She did like the month of workout briefs on CrossFit.com. Like I said, that's my bias take, so I hope she does well. You're a good dude.
Starting point is 01:40:48 Yeah, if you support the affiliates, I'm down with that. Me too. Number six. So number six is a woman that I do think has that little, that mental edge to show up and get it done when it matters most, and it's Carrie Pierce. Carrie Pierce is kind of in, she's in kind of the gatekeeper position right here
Starting point is 01:41:07 for fittest American woman, and has been for a while. Her career finishes at the games, her 21st rookie year, 5th, 10th, 6th, 5th, and 3rd. It's a pretty impressive resume. We know how strong the women's field has been in the last five years.
Starting point is 01:41:21 She's been right there every single year. You know, she finally got on the podium last year through the, you know, a little bit different format, but it wasn't easy. I mean, she had the five women that were at the games last year are also in the top 10 here. In fact, I think they're all in the top seven with Brooke being the one I have ranked the lowest of those five. So it wasn't like, you know, I think it was a stronger five than the men's five relative to everything. And she did what she needed to do to find her way on that podium. And that meant a lot to her. I think she's having a good time competing with Bethany and Danielle and that that's generally a good environment for all of
Starting point is 01:42:00 them. Obviously, I have them all in the top 10. But I still think Carrie has the edge to beat those two and to beat a lot of the other women. So I have her here sixth. I think she'll be right in the mix with the final heat from beginning to end of the weekend. And, yeah, I feel good with her at sixth. I hope she's on the podium. I was going to say she deserves to be on the podium,
Starting point is 01:42:22 but the word deserves is such idiocy, and I've torn people apart for using that. But I hope she makes the podium, and we need to interview her too. Her longevity is crazy. She reminds me of a UFC fighter who just keeps upping her game, upping her game. Like, you know, like you come in there, and you're just all jiu-jitsu, and then all of a sudden, five years later, you're a world-class boxer too. I dig her. But longevity is the story of the women's field.
Starting point is 01:42:48 I mean, this is her seventh year. It's Brookwell's seventh year. It's Tia's seventh year. It's eighth for Colta. It's ninth for Briggs. It's eighth for Pacelli. It's ninth for David's daughter. It's ninth for Saunders.
Starting point is 01:42:59 It's eleventh for Thor's daughter. It's just incredible the number of years that these women are able to not just come back to the games, but excel. Carrie Pierce deserves a standing ovation as America's greatest CrossFitter when she walks out into the Coliseum that evening. You guys hear me? Thank you. She really does. All right, top five. Here we go. All right, top five. Here we go.
Starting point is 01:43:28 Go ahead, Hobart. Say it. Someone just said, Brian, who's paying you to make these decisive picks? Brian can't rub two nickels together. Yeah, seriously. He's got his refrigerator as like a Budweiser that he bought in 1974 probably still in it. It was a gift. It was not really a king bed i bet you brian saves
Starting point is 01:43:46 every penny he makes for retirement already he's probably got 12 million dollars saved in a bank of america account making 0.5 percent on it you know what pays him shit he's just fucking he got a paper route on the side even a couple of six roommates in his hotel right now. Yeah, totally. Whoa, let's go. Number five, Katrin Davidsdoter. Yeah, Katrin. I mean, we talk about consistency over time, and despite all the accolades we've listed for a lot of the women behind her, six straight top five finishes at the games,
Starting point is 01:44:23 two firsts, a second, a third, a fourth, and a fifth. It's just one of these women that you, I can't, until someone pushes her out of the top five, I can't do it. She has proven that she can compete in every scenario, every format. It doesn't matter whether there's cuts or not, cuts online or live. It doesn't matter if there's 15 tests or 10 tests or who shows up to the game, she's always relevant. So I have her fifth here, definitely has a potential to be better. Obviously it's a very competitive field, but I'm very happy with her at fifth. She, this girl's not going to go down without a fight. You like, like people say, like you have to stay in your own game and you have to play
Starting point is 01:45:05 your own game there's an exception to this man if you want to win the crossfit games you have to beat katrin this chick is freaking good at crossfit she knows what's going on on the floor she knows what's going on with her she she works her ass off she's managing uh an immense amount of fame within the community uh this is uh this is another this is a fierce this is a uh this is the this is the alpha lion in the one of the alpha lions in the pack and and all the other girls know it tia knows that everyone knows it this isn't this is this is like to see catrin and tia compete i think is like as good as we're going to get to seeing matt and rich compete these are two maybe not in terms of their quality of how good they are at crossfit but these are two fucking alphas these are two bulls who are
Starting point is 01:45:54 locked in the same pen together and i can't say that about a lot of the other uh you know athletes usually you know who the alpha is just by who's better. But this is, I, I view Katrin as a, a mental giant. And it's, it's, oh man, I'm so happy you said that because I'm watching the comments. And again, I think there are probably people out there who in an online comp in the gym would, are fitter or would beat her in workouts. But Katrin is someone who's like, I'm'm gonna look at every little detail you know if i hey if i don't have a knife i'll stab you with a pencil you know like she's just she's you know yeah exactly my hands are broken oh yeah i'm gonna i'm gonna chew your arm off i just don't think everyone understands it at this game's level like that's one of the things
Starting point is 01:46:38 that aside from her fitness aside from her training and coaching like that's one of the things that makes her so good and and these athletes who are in that top five like i know watching these other athletes 10 11 12 the mal o'brien the bethany shadburns how fit they are but it's like do they have that willingness to be like go out there and kill so and carl saunders too someone mentioned car's name that is true i would love to see a weekend of Tia. The media that gets access to the corral on the last couple days, if Cara,
Starting point is 01:47:11 Katrin, and Tia are in there, should watch the eye contact, the body language. The most tense shit is not going to be on the floor. I'm telling you. It is going to be so intense. Look at the women we've listed so far and the ones that are still to come. It doesn't matter which 10 of these women end up in the final 10 it's gonna be intense it's gonna be really intense but but like but and i'll use kristen
Starting point is 01:47:34 holt i don't know her that well but like there's girls who mind their own business in the corral these these these women these katrin is bigger than body. Like, if she walks by you five feet away, you feel her walk by you. She's not a, I don't know how to say it. Yeah, she has a presence about her. She has an aura. Like, you can't help but notice that she's there. Yeah, and if Kara Saunders is like, if you're stuck in a prison cell with her, I mean, she gets to eat food off of your plate first.
Starting point is 01:48:04 And then you get what's left over. I mean, these are, these are not, these are not like, this is, this is like real big boy time. This is like, these people have stuff going on about them. That's like not tangible and that the rest of us don't, you, you can observe, but you can't really put your finger on it. And we talk about, we talk about Brooke leaving the comp train crew and going and trying something else. And we have Katrin who's not doing that. Katrin is the epitome of it's not broke, don't fix it. Her and Ben have a unique relationship and always have that clearly works for them. And they've experienced all the ups and downs of the CrossFit Games and CrossFit Games season for the last seven years together.
Starting point is 01:48:42 They're prepared for anything. CrossFit Games season for the last seven years together. They're prepared for anything. They respond to the unknown elements that James was talking about that others maybe don't have that experience to as well as anyone. They take what's given to them and they figure out how to use it best to perform for them. Ben and Katrin's relationship is, it would be great to hear a whole book about that, see a whole book. They see a whole book they have a very what i've perceived over the years a very very unique relationship they are extremely close from what it seems um yeah it's a i can't ever see um i can't ever see them parting ways they they're they're like when they're talking to each other everyone else goes away so there's that
Starting point is 01:49:34 all right we're getting into the thick of it here number four so number four is i have on my list is car Saunders. And for majority of the season, I had been saying there's Tia, then there's Kara, then there's everyone else. And I ended up making a choice here to put her fourth. And we'll talk about the women ahead of her obviously when they come up. When they come up, Kara, for all intensive purposes, is making her real return to the competitive landscape. Obviously, she was at Torian Pro, but she basically crushed everyone there. We already talked about how Tia and Jamie were not there. She did compete at Australia coming back from pregnancy in 2020, and she won that competition. But again, none of the other women that are in the top 10 in this field were in that field. that competition. But again, none of the other women that are in the top 10 of this field were in that field. She was third in the online version of the Rogue Invitational, doing that, again, within a year and a half or so of giving birth and competing in the middle of the night. Incredible
Starting point is 01:50:33 performance to do that. But she hasn't had this competitive experience against the caliber of athletes that she's going to have to go against here. And I don't know. She trains hard, and she trains well, and she knows herself very well. She's definitely in a good place. She's super happy in her relationship with her kid and with her businesses. But she's got a lot on her mind and a lot on her heart. Leaving her child behind was very hard for her. She's made the trip over here by herself.
Starting point is 01:51:02 I mean, yes, she's training with her friend Dan Bailey, and they've traveled up here together. So she has some support, but she's set out here to do something that's pretty challenging. She's going into an environment that, yes, she has a ton of experience. This is her ninth year at the Games. But I think that the level of the women competing has raised since the last time that she's really been in this environment. And while I think she can do great, and I won't be surprised if she does podium, I think it's going to be a little bit more challenging than I originally thought for her when I sat down and looked at the rest of the field. Were you in the podcast, Brian, when we interviewed her, or was that just me?
Starting point is 01:51:35 I was on it. You were on it. Um, uh, she, she, I can't tell. I don't believe her. I know I don't believe this. She made it sound like she's not going to win, that she's just going to do her best, and I don't believe her for some reason. I can't tell whether she conveyed that to us because she's trying to let pressure off of herself or if I misunderstood it. I think I said everything I need to say about her previously. She is fierce. I think that it's a shame to say about her previously. She is fierce. I think that it's a shame that she hasn't won already because I think she could have if it wasn't for a few injuries
Starting point is 01:52:13 or whatnot that had happened to her. But she's got it. Whatever it takes to win, she's got it. Number three. So number three is the woman who I expect to take over the crown of fittest American woman and really the next force to be reckoned with in the sport, in my opinion. Haley Adams, I've told stories about meeting her before and about her toughness and ferocity and just having that mental edge that you can't teach anyone. You know, the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge was a great opportunity to watch her compete against Tia and see her. You know, she was a little, you know, she's 5% behind her in every workout, but she was 5% ahead of the rest of the field. And when we're stacking up this incredibly talented field of women,
Starting point is 01:53:10 and we're trying to find someone who has the capacity to get on the podium, I mean, she has a lot of competitive experience for 20 years old. And even though she's the third youngest in the field, her resume and pedigree is not representative of someone who's 20 years old. Three times to the games as a teenager, second's 20 years old. Three times to the games as a teenager, second, second, first, two times to the games as an individual athlete, sixth and fourth. Yes, it was in 2019 and 2020. But what that also means, even though she didn't have to necessarily go against the full field or the full test, is that she did get to see the full test. So she
Starting point is 01:53:40 has the experience of doing 12 events in 2019. She has the experience of not only the online, but then the full test in 2020 at the ranch against Tia, against Katrin, against Brooke, against Carrie Pierce, against some of the best in the sport in the last five years. She's competed at strength and depth. She was third, Wadapalooza fifth, Rogue eighth, Reykjavik second, strength and depth seventh. She's never lower than eighth in the five sanctionals she's competed at. She's giving herself an opportunity to go against all of these women in all these different environments. I think she is incredibly impressive. It doesn't matter how many times I see her, just for her size and her body type, the things she can do
Starting point is 01:54:19 and the toughness she has is impressive and mind-boggling. I hope everyone gets to appreciate that this year at the Games in the way that I think that they will. So I have Haley at third. It's tough to put her ahead of Katrin. It's tough to put her ahead of Cara. Some people could say, man, how can you do that when you say about all these other people?
Starting point is 01:54:38 Until I see them do it, I can't put them up there. But in the case of Haley, I feel like I've seen enough that she is worthy of a podium finish at the Games. Anything Hobart? I got something. No, I'm a huge fan of Haley and watching her career come up is absolutely amazing. And again, I remember meeting her at, I forgot what regional it was, a while back. And I think she was very young. And she, again, same thing, just super poised, you know,
Starting point is 01:55:06 kind of like in the same way that Mal and Emma was. And like I said, because of that, maybe I eat my words cause they crush it to you this year, but her growth has also been amazing. So I don't think it's a bad pick, Brian. I wish I could disagree with you more. Two things here, Matt Sousa wrote, if you guys are enjoying the podcast, hit the like button. I don't see why you can't hit the like button if you don't like the podcast either, if you're not enjoying it.
Starting point is 01:55:31 Just hit it, just for whatever reason. If you're watching it. Because it's fun just clicking something on the screen. I think that Haley better make her move this year because shit's about to get real and i think that if she if she doesn't really really turn up her game that that i i i know you guys aren't saying this but but but there might be implications that she's the heir to tia's throne and man these other two girls emma carrie and uh mallory o'b, might ruin Haley's next 10 years. They might fucking turn her into the Scott Pan chick of CrossFit.
Starting point is 01:56:10 And it's, I mean, it was really nice that Katrin and Annie took turns winning the CrossFit Games two apiece. It's nice, you know, that you get these people, so we can have a lot of stars at the top and enjoy the competition. But, man, this girl's class, this woman's class is going to be fierce. And I think that she will see. I know she's really young, but these other girls are really young too. And it's going to get nasty in there.
Starting point is 01:56:40 That's a good point. I don't like that heir to the throne thing. And here's why. How many championships does Tia have? 17. Okay. Yeah. She has four. Okay. and they're like, oh, they're the heir to Matt Frazier's throne.
Starting point is 01:57:03 Like, shut up. No, they're not. They won the CrossFit Games, and that's incredible and amazing. When you win five and then win a six, okay, then we'll talk about it. But anyway, I just wanted to gripe about that one thing. Hey, that's totally fair. And you know what? Matt and T have kind of ruined it for everyone else,
Starting point is 01:57:18 at least for a few years. Yeah. Because it's going to take for us to forget how good they are because it's not going to be enough when someone wins once for us as fans of the sport. And that's not to discredit anybody's performance, but it's also just like, you know. I agree. Anyway. Number two. This one's going to be interesting.
Starting point is 01:57:42 Yeah. yeah so you know in some capacity you could say that my uh second place picks on both the men's and women's sides are a bit of uh you know maybe maybe they're the stretch picks or the outlier picks or people might say man that's pretty high to have them given what we don't know about hopper and what the relative history of laura horvath has been. But I am super, super high on Laura Horvath making a return run to the top of the women's field this year. I think that what we saw in 2018 was not a fluke. I think she actually is that good and can be that good. In fact, I think she can be better than that. I don't think that the one hole in her game of the strict deficit parallel at handstand pushup or whatever it is, is going to prevent her from being right at the top of this field over 15 tests.
Starting point is 01:58:31 Okay. We've seen Rich Froning take 33rd in a workout and win the CrossFit games. We've seen Brent Fikowski take three finishes in the thirties and still finish fourth at the CrossFit games. You can have a bad finish at the CrossFit games and still have an amazing CrossFit games. 10 events before any cuts. It's not going to be an issue for her. She's going to do great in the water. She's going to do great with the pig. She'll run okay. She's great on her hands. She'll snatch fine, over 200 pounds, be good enough. She'll do good with the rope climbs and the skier and the sled pull and everything else that we've seen that's come out so far. She can
Starting point is 01:59:02 cycle a barbell. She's pretty good at gymnastics. And I think mentally and emotionally, she's in a better spot than she's been in the last three years. I think that she's got possibly the best person in her corner that you could hope to have in Ben Smith, with just all of the experience and wisdom that he has to share. I think he's actually excited about being in that role and being back in the games in this capacity this year is a new thing for him. I think he's looking forward to seeing her bounce back and be the athlete that
Starting point is 01:59:29 a lot of people have been expecting her to be. She, she won the Europe quarterfinal. She was second in the lowland throw down to Emma McQuaid. We already talked about how great Emma McQuaid often does in online competitions. That, that online qualifier had 60 ring muscle up.
Starting point is 01:59:42 She's not exactly a small girl. She did fine on that event. I'm super excited to see Laura. I think that she won three events in her first year at the CrossFit Games. I think we might see her win three events this year too. I think she's going to have a slew of top five and top ten finishes. I don't think that she can challenge Tia for the win, but I think she has what it takes to beat everyone else in the field.
Starting point is 02:00:05 I like this field. I like this pick. I hope you're right. It'd be great to see her do good. What I find most interesting about this pick is how you described you said something about you damn well know that handstand deficit pushups are the thing that everyone talks about when it comes to her. She must fucking
Starting point is 02:00:20 hate that. Everyone's tired of hearing it, but just now when you mentioned it, Brian, I saw you do something that's very uncharacteristic of you. And you said, yeah, whatever about our handstand pushups or negative handstand pushups or whatever. Like you didn't even want to acknowledge that anymore. So what's going on with that? Are you sick of it too? Well, this is, you know, James has asked me about this subtly in a couple of different contexts and we haven't really addressed it, but I do think that sometimes there's just a skill that no matter how much you work on it,
Starting point is 02:00:46 you're not going to get to be as good as you want to be at it. And the one thing that could potentially ruin her weekend is if there is a workout, like there was at Rogue Invitational, that has those and it has a minimum work requirement that dictates if you can't do this, you can't advance in the competition. Outside of that, I'm not worried about it. She's going to make it to the weekend. She's going to have 14 other events to dominate.
Starting point is 02:01:12 Someone wrote, he trains with her brother, and bam, she's second. I agree with you, Brian. I don't think her 2018 was a fluke. I think Laura is a super smart athlete, really awesome person. Good head on her shoulders, fierce competitor. I would like to see her back in the top 10 and I think she has the work ethic and the know how to do it. But man, this is a hell of a pick. I, um, I hope she makes the podium.
Starting point is 02:01:42 I hope that, uh, Carrie Pierce makes the podium. I hope that Carrie Pierce makes the podium. Everyone is impressed with Laura Horvath. You never hear anyone say anything. She's like all the film crews, the media, anyone, all the athletes I know that have ever trained with her come back jaw-dropped. Like, oh, shit. So she's doing something right does she speak english yeah i think she's getting better get her on the podcast yeah we definitely how old is she brian 24 25 got a child okay uh number one Got it, child. Okay. Number one.
Starting point is 02:02:29 Number one, Tia Claire Toomey. You better have picked a great picture. Travis Mayer. You should have picked a video for this. You should have picked Travis Mayer. Not bad, Ryan. Not bad. I would have liked a video for Tia, though, Ryan. Like that video that Lillian Fuentes made for walking towards the camera.
Starting point is 02:02:44 Tia Claire Toomey. Four straight first place finishes at the games. Five for five in sanctionals she showed up to. Won the Open for the first time this year. Won the quarterfinals. Won the semifinals. I don't know if I need to say anything else, but I have written an article about her
Starting point is 02:03:00 that's coming out on Morning Chalkup Wednesday morning when the game starts that talks about what this means, if she's able to do it. And it also acknowledges that no matter how dominant that she's been and no matter how dominant anyone's ever been in the sport, there is nothing across the games.
Starting point is 02:03:15 It is an incredibly physically and mentally and emotionally challenging week. And even when someone's done it back to back to back to back years, they have to go out on the floor and perform. Obviously, she's proven that she can do that head and shoulders ahead of the women's field. But that doesn't take away from any of the accomplishments and the way that she's continuing to rewrite history. She still has to manage the pain that all the other athletes are going to have to manage.
Starting point is 02:03:38 Correct. And just know that she manages it better. How impressed are you by her, Hobart? What can you say about her that's not like... I've told this story a lot to people I've talked to. In 2019, when she stood that cleanup in the Coliseum, and you talk about athletes having an aura and a presence, I've never seen a CrossFit event go so insane when she stood that like she owned that room she could have just pointed at people and been like hey you go get me
Starting point is 02:04:10 a hamburger you shake my seltzer water up you sit down and make me be my stool for the day and they just would have done it man it's it's um just everything about her i think is uh exactly why she's going to be the five-time champ and hopefully six tim him james talking about that makes makes you think about this also so that the only way that that a moment happens is with a competitor like amanda barnhart pushing her to not just to the last bar but beyond that to barbells that dave wasn't even planning on having these women left and you think about her the history of of tia and the different competitors that have risen up and challenged her in all these different capacities from Cara in 2017 to Laura in 2018 to all the different athletes that took
Starting point is 02:04:55 their shot in 2019 and 2020 in these different events. And it doesn't matter what you throw at her, who comes out of the woodwork, which athlete emerges she rises to the challenge and just beats them down left and right it's incredible let me throw this out there and i don't know if this is true or not you guys tell me if this is true not only is she the greatest female crossfitter ever to live and she's going to be just by the number of games wins and all her stats that this year if she wins she'll be tied with the greatest crossfitter of all time matt fraser but what it looks like from the outside is that matt went to train with her and by that i mean it it feels and i should ask matt this next time we do a podcast that that it was her and Shane and Matt joined them. Imagine, and Matt is extremely calculated.
Starting point is 02:05:54 He would not have done anything out of just pleasure, right? He wouldn't have done anything that didn't make him better. So for some reason, even Matt Fraser, the greatest CrossFitter who ever lived, chose to train with her. And it's – I mean the only compliment better than that is that she won the games, right? She beat all these other women. Oh, look. Here we got a video.
Starting point is 02:06:18 Good job. This video gives me goosebumps, man. Like she's out of control. This is the 2019 you're talking about? I'm pretty sure. Yeah, yeah. Well done, man. Like she's out of control. This is the 2019 you're talking about? I'm pretty sure. Yeah. Yeah. Well done, Ryan. Yeah. It's, um, she is, there's, there's something going on. It's, uh, there's something going on with her and that's what,
Starting point is 02:06:41 that's what's going to be great about seeing what happens to Brooke Wells too. Why don't you stand this up and just own this place is that bar supposed to bend like that wow god this was so good the smile and everything man amazing that's so cool and And another fabulous thing, obviously, is that if you've been following CrossFit for long enough is that we saw her sort of grow up into becoming this mature woman, right? She shows up at her first games and she's a little more timid and she's still amazing. And now we've seen her like, you know. Yeah. Like she's someone like you watch her work out and win and you're like, she makes you believe you could do stuff that you can't her work out and win and you're like she makes
Starting point is 02:07:25 you believe you could do stuff that you can't do you don't you don't see a lot of athletes in any sport who put who make you feel like that meaning she's accessible you look at her and and she's accessible just just by looking at her yeah well she just has like enough aura where it's like she just has enough to give out you know it's like she's like i don't need this you can have some too it's amazing whenever i used to see you work out james it's not that i thought i could do that too i thought well fuck if he can do it why can't i do it but different very different here's the scariest thing here's the scariest thing about tia there are 23 women in the field this year older than her wow she's only 27 years old she could do this for five more years i'd love to see her drop a year and come back
Starting point is 02:08:16 just to feel the just to test your theory oh yeah and it would just be a crazy hype train it would be a crazy hype train to retire and come back would be a crazy hype train it would be a crazy hype train to retire and come back would be a crazy hype train think of the people that would lose their mind if mad or rich came back and the thing is is that if you're gonna make it you can say well other people have taken a year off and come back but no one's taken a year off and come back who people thought could win those three are definitely in that list so um hobart is there anything you'd like to add here thanks for staying up so late for us You're definitely in that list. Hobart, is there anything you'd like to add here?
Starting point is 02:08:49 Thanks for staying up so late for us. We know you're competing this week. Super excited to see you compete. That was awesome. You're the man. Thank you. Brian, I don't know what you're doing this week. Oh, Brian, who are you working for in Madison this year?
Starting point is 02:09:03 CrossFit. Oh, okay. That's what I thought. Actually, I didn't know that until earlier today. Someone said, hey, I think Brian's working for CrossFit this year at the games. They didn't say it like that. They were a little more aggressive, but that would be my… It's not my first year doing that. I understand.
Starting point is 02:09:19 I understand. He's hanging out with me tomorrow. That's what Brian's doing. Are you guys hanging out? We're going to throw some barbells around. Do you think you're going to get to see James compete, Brian? 100%, yeah. You're going to be there?
Starting point is 02:09:33 And if you see any advice to give him, will you yell at him and give him advice, or will you use the excuse that he knows better since he has so much experience? Not bother him while he's competing. You can bother me all you want, man. I'll say, Bailey is beating you again. Pick it up.
Starting point is 02:09:53 Oh my God, my mom just commented. Great podcast. Thanks, mom. Appreciate that. That's awesome. That's really cool. And no one said anything vile in the comments in the last four hours. That's impressive. No And no one said anything vile in the comments in the last four hours.
Starting point is 02:10:05 That's impressive. No, comments were awesome. Thank you very much, everyone. We will continue to bring you as much information as we can gather that we find interesting. I don't know when the next Josh, Matt, and Sevan podcast is happening. It could be any day. It could be later on tonight for all I fucking know. And we're out. Thanks, guys.
Starting point is 02:10:32 Thank you very much. Ryan, you can hang up on these guys.

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