Now that the Open is over, it's time to showcase the best performances of our CrossFit GVA community and award prizes.
Let's start by admiring those who completed all 5 WODs, which is an achievement in itself! Of the 102 athletes registered with CrossFit GVA, around 60% completed and submitted their scores for each workout.
The following people did not win an award, but deserve a special mention for their outstanding and/or memorable performance.
Tristan had an excellent individual Open, finishing 10th overall in Switzerland.
Once you reach a decent level of performance, it's very difficult to improve. Mary did! She was 23rd in Switzerland last year and 12th this year.
Alberto was our Rookie of the Year in 2018. In 2019, he continues to climb the rankings, from 188th in Switzerland last year to 46th.
In terms of longevity, a special mention goes to Ewen, who took part in his 7th consecutive Open!
And now, here are the prizes we've decided to award in the following categories:
- Best new recruit performance
- Most improved athlete
- Better general state of mind
- Best individual performance
- Best beginner
- Better overall performance
The best newcomer performance went to a member who may not have looked it to those who saw him train, but who was actually competing in his first Open. Lucas Min put in 5 outstanding performances and finished 2nd in the overall CrossFit GVA rankings. His overall world position is very impressive, finishing 5'820th out of 185'000. Well done Lucas!
There were many potential candidates for the Best Progression award. So we decided to award two.
Sarah de Farias wins the women's prize. She impressed everyone with her performance on 19.4, where she managed 10 superb muscle ups. She managed to climb to 125th place in the Swiss rankings (vs. 368th in 2018). On the men's side, the prize goes to Arnaud Talidec. Arnaud was very consistent on every workout and finished 7th in the CrossFit GVA ranking. In Switzerland, he went from 308th in 2018 to 156th in 2019. Well done Sarah and Arnaud!
There were a lot of candidates for the best beginner award. We decided to give a special mention to the CrossFit 101 group who train with Charlie at 1227. Charlie did a great job motivating his group and they all signed up and competed in the 2019 Open together. The prize goes to Rafa Guzman. His motivation and constant progress were an inspiration to everyone. Well done Rafa!
Best individual performance is another prize where there could be several winners. The Open pushes athletes to surpass themselves. Some achieve feats they thought impossible, while others finish disappointed because their goals were too ambitious. In 2019, we have therefore decided to present this award to a member who has achieved a goal they didn't think possible, but also for their overall contribution during the competition. David Ferreira undoubtedly surpassed his own expectations with his first muscle-up bar before going on to 6 more during 19.4. David also volunteered his time each week to help with organization and judging. All these aspects tipped the balance in his favor, and he wins the prize for best individual performance. Well done David!
State of mind can be a subjective award. But this year, as a matter of course, we have chosen to award it to 2 people. As we've already said, the Open is no mean feat. It's hard to be consistent and get through those 5 interminable weeks. Imagine, on top of that, doing it with a backpack or, in this case, another human being inside you?!
Sam and Valentina are our winners of this rather special prize for finishing the 2019 Open several months pregnant. They never complained about the WODs or made excuses. They just went ahead and finished all 5 workouts with flying colors. Well done Sam and Valentina.
We end with the prize for the best overall performance. This prize is not necessarily awarded to the person with the best individual result, but this year it was. With numerous performances every year, Asa wins the prize for the second time in a row. She finished 2nd in Switzerland in her category, the best CrossFit GVA performance. Asa continues to train hard, train smart, train consistently and improve. Well done Asa!
