Fittest of South Carolina Kicks Off 4 Stop Summer Tour

The Semifinal whirlwind has settled down, and while the tested and proven few who have advanced to the 2024 CrossFit Games retreat to their training in preparation for that competition in August, fitness rolls on all over the world in the interim. 

Before we get to Fort Worth, Texas, we have four stops (two domestic and two international) we are excited for:

• Fittest of South Carolina, Junes 21-23 Greenville, South Carolina, USA
• Reps Ahead: Redemption, June 29 Thornton, Colorado, USA  
• Norwegian Throwdown, July 6-7 Oslo, Norway  
• Wod on the Loch, July 20-21 Luss, Loch Lomond, Scotland  

Stop 1: Fittest of South Carolina

Dates: June 21-23

• Friday: 3 pm – 8 pm
• Saturday: 8 am – 8 pm
• Sunday: 8 am – 5 pm

Location: Greenville Convention Center, Greenville, South Carolina

Streaming: BFriendly Fitness YouTube

• All elite female heats
• All elite male heats (other than the opening heat or two of events 3 and 4 on Saturday)

History

Originally called Fittest of the Upstate, the competition was started by AJ and Amy Leory in 2018. It was renamed in 2022 by Gordon and Annie Lake to Fittest of South Carolina and was opened up to the entire state the same year. In 2023 it became a CrossFit licensed event, which it once again is this year. 

Since 2019 there have been 8 divisions and a total number of participating athletes between 110 and 145. This year, the number of divisions is expanding to 12 with a max capacity of 200 athletes. 

Anyone in South Carolina ages 16 to 55+ has the opportunity to qualify through the Open and Quarterfinals (all scores from both competitions are considered). In the individual male and female divisions there are 40 spots available, for the 35-39 age group there are 30 spots each, and 10 spots for the remaining divisions (40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55+). 

Goals and Purpose

Current competition organizer, Dillon Knezevich, states “our goal is to provide a competition in which athletes in South Carolina can continue their CrossFit season. Fittest is a proving ground for those who are hoping to make it to the next level of the sport of CrossFit, but also give those in the state a chance to compete at a high level [even if they] may not have any aspirations to compete at the next level.”

When it comes to the programming Knezevich strives for “a well balanced, challenging, and fun showcase, [that is] also a fun viewing experience for the spectators.” He goes on to offer a bigger picture goal as well, “at the end of the weekend we hope to inspire spectators who may have never done a CrossFit workout to seek out an Affiliate and start their journey.” 

At BFriendly Fitness, we are big believers that affiliates can funnel towards competition and competitions can filter to affiliates, and therefore we echo and love this sentiment from Knezevich. 

Workouts

All workouts are released and available on competition corner.

Athletes will take the floor two times each day, for a total of seven scoring opportunities. 

Friday

Workout 1: Urgent

3 elimination rounds of:

24 wall balls (20/14 lbs to 11/10 feet)

12 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (115/75 lbs)

6 Dumbbell Squat Snatches (70/50 lbs)

Workout 2: It’s A Long Way to the Top

21-15-9 Deadlifts (225-275-315 lbs for men; 155-185-205 lbs for women)

4-3-2 “Double Up” Rope Climbs for men / 3-2-1 “Double Up” Rope Climbs for women

*If the athlete touches the ground before finishing a “double up” rope climb they will complete four bar facing burpees before continuing

12:00 Time Cap

Saturday

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Four Rounds for Load on a 2:00 clock

250/200 meter row

50 double unders

1 rep max clean and jerk

1:00 rest between rounds

You’ve Got Another Thing Coming

**2:00 after the conclusion of “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”

4 Clean and Jerks (265 / 175 lbs)

200 Double Unders

1000 / 800 meter row

10:00 Time Cap

Don’t Do Me Like That

5 Rounds of

5 shuttle runs

6 deficit handstand pushups (4/2 inches)

9 kipping pull ups

12 alternating pistol squats…

Then 3 Rounds of

5 shuttle runs

6 strict handstand pushups

9 kipping chest to bar pullups

12 alternating pistol squats…

Then 1 Round of

5 shuttle runs

6 kipping handstand pushups

9 bar muscle ups

12 alternating pistol squats

30:00 Time Cap

Sunday

Walk This Way

3 Rounds of 

50 GHD Hip Extensions

50 foot Handstand Walk…

Directly into 3 Rounds of

300 GHD Sit Ups

50 foot Handstand Walk

*25 foot sections must be unbroken

13:00 Time Cap

Don’t Bring Me Down

3 Rounds for Time of

30/24 Calorie Ski

15 Front Squats (155/105 lbs)

15/12 Ring Dips (high rings)

13:00 Time Cap

Athletes

Amongst the elite field, this year there are 10 men and 6 women who register on our database with an overall rating, Barclay Dale then converts that to a relative field rating which only includes athletes competing in this competition: 

MEN

Athlete	Overall Rating	Field Rating
Brody Lewis	75	99
Kaiden Myers	70	53
Jordan Seppala	66	30
Robert Wolfington	64	22
Seth Beck	64	22
Weston Beck	63	17
Chad Beck	62	16
Caleb Silvey	54	4
Bobby Gierszal	52	3
Crayton Benson	53	3

Brody Lewis: This will be Lewis’ this time competing at FOSC, he was 4th place last year. He’s been improving every year in both the Open and Quarters since first registering in 2022. This year he was 323rd and 138th in North America East in the Open and Quarters respectively and was 12th at the Fittest of the Coast, which we covered back in January.

Kaiden Myers: He is likely the most well known name for most fans having competed in both Crash Crucible and Crash Crescendo within the past year in addition to being a two time teenage CrossFit Games athlete. He is no longer eligible for the teenage divisions though, and in his first individual Quarterfinal had a respectable 145th place finish in the tough NA East field. 

The Three Becks: Weston was best in the Open, Seth was best this year at Quarterfinals, but Chad is coming off a second place finish in this competition last year… which one will stand out this year remains to be seen?

WOMEN

Athlete	Overall Rating	Field Rating
Madeline Helms	79	99
Lauren Bowers	70	84
Lia Murphy	67	82
Lolly Albison	67	72
Heather Williams	66	68
Clare Karsner	51	5

Madeline Helms: The numbers suggest Helms is the clear favorite in the women’s field. She won this competition in 2022, and was third last year. Between those two years she has five event wins. She’s also got relevant competition experience at the NA East semifinals (59th) in 2023, and Crash Crucible (13th) last fall.

Lauren Bowers: Coming in as the second highest rated athlete, at only 24 year old, Bowers has been climbing the Quarterfinal ladder the last three seasons. In 2022 she was 2700th in North America, this year she was 226th in NA East. 

Kara Petruzzelli: She doesn’t register on our rating system despite being on a Semifinal team roster in 2023 with CrossFit Addict, but she has a 4th place finish to her credit at this competition two years ago, the second best finish to Helms of any women in this year’s competition.