Games of the Ages, in review
After a one year hiatus, GOA was back in the summer of 2026. This time, the format changed from a four person team to a two person, same sex, team. Concern over the hot summer weekend, 90+ degrees on comp day, the athletes endured and relished in the sun and heat. Thanks to some of our sponsors, LMNT, FitAid and Thorne the athletes had plenty of hydration and were well fed thanks to Amanda Pratt and Elevated Eats. The event started with a few words from the benefactor of our donation efforts, Buddy and Friends Animal Rescue. They brought a cute little German Shepard puppy along with them to give the athletes a little early motivation and good vibes.
Event 1 (The Ascent) - Power Clean Ladder
The first event of the morning was a Power Clean Ladder where athletes had to each complete 5-4-3-2-1 unbroken power cleans one after the other in an 8-minute window. An addition to this allowing athletes to successfully repeat the single rep within the time cap allowed for some early excitement in the gym. Several athletes where able to PR and clean weights they never thought they could during their training. This was a great way to start the day/event with a BANG! Definitely the most fun we had as the host, seeing athletes throw around heavy weights. Great job by all. The winners of the Female 30-40 category were Engine & Strength from Cynergy where both athletes (Colleen and Kelsea) successfully cleaned 170#, pretty impressive! Female 41+ category winners were Happy to Be Here from Crossfit Bridgewater where both athletes (Sonia and Amanda) both cleaned 160#. The men’s category winners were Snatch Whisperers from Crossfit Raynham where Bobby and Jonathan both hit 235#. This was not only interesting because all 3 event winners were in the same heat, but the guys didn’t have the heaviest final lift, but since they went heavier in the earlier rounds, they had the higher total, nice strategy!
Event 2 (Cycle of Time) - 2 Minute AMRAPs
In the second event after the adrenaline rush from several power clean PR’s. Athletes split four - 2 minute AMRAPs consisting of a max calorie Row, max reps of DB Snatches, max calorie Assault Bike, max reps of Wall Balls. This was a burner and you could tell based on the bodies lying on the floor at the end of the 8 minutes. Athletes could split the work as they seemed fit, which played into the strategy and the fun, as long as each athlete did at least one rep at each station. The results of this were: for Female 30-40 was Thirty and Hurty from Cynergy, our own coach Jess and Kait, put up good numbers in each of the four stations; for Female 41+ it was Midlife Misfits from BayState Crossfit, they would go on to win the whole competition in their category, and for the Men it was “Our Safe Word is Time Cap” from Crossfit Raynham, consistency across the board.
Event 3 (Slipping Away) - 8min AMRAP KBS, T2B, Sled Drag, Plate Pinch
As the day started to become more hot and humid, the athletes were faced with a test of grip strength and determination. While one partner chipped away at 10 KB swings, 5 Toes-to-Bar, and a 30m Sled Drag, the other partner had to pinch a plate in each hand the entire time. The look on the athletes faces after about 5 minutes of this was priceless … it certainly tested their determination to not let the plate slip away. The results of event 3: for the Female 30-40 group the winner was “We don’t know how to put this, but were kind of a Big Deal” the eventual champs from Crossfit Raynham. The Female 41+ winner was “Run Like the Winded” our 55+ team who showed amazing grit plowing through the pain. The men’s group winner was the “Snatch Whisperers” from Crossfit Raynham, which was a theme of the day between the two CFR men’s groups back and forth.
Event 4 (Carrying the Load) - 4 Rds of Thrusters, Box Jump Overs, Burpees, and Bar Carry
For the final event, we had an interesting twist to the partner work … after the athletes were gassed from doing 12 Thrusters, 12 Box Jump Overs, then 12 synchronized bar-facing burpees, they had to figure out how to carry the loaded barbell out of the gym to the marked lanes for the 30m and then back inside without crashing into the door or other athletes. This was a tough one and I am sure athletes were glad this one was last, because it was painful. Either way, it capped a great day of fitness. The results were: for the Female 30-40 group the winner was “…Big Deal” from Crossfit Raynham in a repeat win and clinched the top spot on the podium, the Female 41+ winner was “Midlife Misfits” from BayState Crossfit again, their 2nd event win and the clinching event for the top spot on the podium. For the men, you guessed it “Safe Word is Time Cap” from Crossfit Raynham, back and forth and it let to a tie atop the podium.
Overall, this was another great event at Cynergy and we are glad the Games of the Ages is back! We were able to donate well over $1000 for Buddy and Friends Animal Rescue and hopefully found a few dogs a home with some of the event’s participants. We would like to thank the participating athletes from Crossfit Bridgewater, BayState Crossfit, Crossfit Raynham which this event wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for such a huge showing from their box, and of course our very own athletes from Cynergy Training, this is why we do this so we can come together as a gym community work out, compete, and have some fun! Thank you to all involved! Also, a huge shout out to Elevated Eats for feeding us and of course to Buzz Wadsworth for taking such great pictures, you really do a great job of capturing the emotions of the day!
Our Podium finishers:
Female 30-40
3rd Place: Engine and Strength from Cynergy (Colleen Florence & Kelsea Cheney)
2nd Place: Recovery Required from Crossfit Raynham (Erin Donnelly & Cara Cady)
1st Place: We don’t know how to put this, we are kind of a Big Deal from Crossfit Raynham (Jaclyn Norek & Jenn Anderson)
Female 41+
3rd Place: Wisdom and Weights from Cynergy (Janet Bradshaw & Caitlin Ricciarelli)
2nd Place: Happy to be Here from Crossfit Bridgewater (Sonia Bachand & Amanda Estrella)
1st Place: Midlife Misfits from BayState Crossfit (Kristen Pomajzl & Bridget Armstrong)
Male
3rd Place: Chalk Dirty to Me from Cynergy (Logan Timpany & Matt Russo)
1st Place (tie): Our Safe Word is Time Cap from Crossfit Raynham (Shawn Donnelly & Cory Nemet)
1st Place (tie): Snatch Whisperes from Crossfit Raynham (Bobby Reis & Jonathan Nelson)
Special Recognition / Spirit of the Games Honor
Too Busy Talking from Cynergy (Paula Hagerty & Deb Pierce) - This recognition is traditionally given to the team that embodies the spirit of competition, fun, and sportsmanship. Paula, a 76 year old athlete at Cynergy is one who shows up with a smile to classes 2-3 times a week. She never lets her age prevent her from trying new movements or workouts…. she has competed in this event now the last 3 times we have hosted it and each time she has been the oldest athlete participating. While Deb, a 60+ year old athlete competed this weekend despite having hand surgery a few weeks prior. Setbacks like that sideline athletes for weeks, and for good reason, but not for Deb! She shows up, modifies to the best of her ability, works her butt off whether it is the warm up, daily WOD, or a competition (and you can tell based off of the cries of agony during the workout) and then she lights up the room with her smile and infectious laugh immediately afterwards. Both ladies are an inspiration to the other athletes in the gym and are more than deserving of this recognition.
Congrats to all that competed! And a sincere thank you to all who donated, judged, set-up, and competed!
