As the last week of the 2023 Prototype Open comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on what a success it was! Everyone at the gym came together over the past few weeks to challenge themselves, consistently raising the bar and reaching far beyond their comfort zones. The competition was fierce, with athletes from each team pushing themselves to their limits to earn the coveted top spot.
The final challenge of the open was a max hang from pull-up bar. The top finishers each earned 5 points for their team. Tommy Flynn, Mike Colette, and Chris Macomber had the top times for the men. Anne Leahy, Nicole St. Pierre, and Coreen Williamson held the top times for the women. Congratulations to everyone who completed the challenge and earned a point for their team.
The final WOD of the 2023 Open proved to be a super challenging timed workout, with additional time caps being added if an athlete completed all of the exercises. In the first 6 minutes, athletes needed to complete: 5 wall walks, 50 double unders, 15 snatches (95/65#), 5 wall walks, 50 double unders, and 12 snatches (135/95#). If the athletes completed these exercises, then 3 minutes were added to the time cap. During which athletes had to complete 20 strict handstand push-ups, 50 double unders, and 9 snatches (185/125#). If athletes completed all of those exercises, another 3 minute time cap was added wherein athletes had to complete 20 strict handstand push-ups, 50 double unders, and 6 snatches (225/155#).
A highlight of the week was the head-to-head showdown on Thursday evening, where four athletes competed directly against each other in WOD 23.3. Abhi Das represented Team Smash, Peter Russo represented Blue Steel, Jaryd Belanger competed for Team Dark Knight, and Mark Hardin represented Team America. The intensity was palpable as the athletes battled it out, each trying to outperform the others to gain the most points for their team. The competition was tight, with all athletes putting up impressive scores, but ultimately, one emerged victorious, much to the delight of those who came into the gym to cheer them on.
Perhaps the most memorable moment of the 2023 Open was the Friday Night Lights party, where everyone came together to celebrate the end of the competition. Athletes, coaches, and judges all joined in the festivities, eating and drinking into the night. It was a wonderful way to cap off an incredible week of competition, and everyone left feeling happy and fulfilled.
Our award-winners for the final week of this year’s Open were MaryBeth Costello, Dan McCarthy, and Jack Levy. MaryBeth won the spirit award this week for her devotion to her team and supporting all of the other athletes. Dan won the passion award for consistently showing up and pushing himself and all of the competitors. Jack was our top performer this week, pushing himself to a snatch PR mid-WOD!
At the end of our competition, only one team is victorious. Team America came from behind to win with a final score of 394 points! Their commendable performance in WOD 23.3 helped them rise over second-place Team Smash, with a score of 365 points. Blue Steele came in third with 313 points, and Team Dark Knight came in fourth with 265 points. Everyone gave the competition their all and we are SO impressed with everyone’s efforts!
Overall, the third week of the 2023 Prototype Open was a tremendous success. The challenges were difficult but rewarding, the head-to-head showdown was thrilling, and the Friday Night Lights party was a blast! We can’t wait to see what the future holds, until next year!