If it wasn't made clear by the demonstrations when each workout is announced, in the 2013 CrossFit Games Open, standards matter.
CrossFit HQ just made that rule crystal clear by invalidating Josh Golden's 387 reps on CrossFit Games Open workout 13.2, a number that put him in a three-way tie for first place in the workout.
Golden posted a video of his workout, the original of which was removed. In the video, it shows Golden clearly not reaching full hip extension on his box jumps, not stopping at his shoulders nor reaching full extension on his shoulder to overhead reps, nor reaching full hip extension on his deadlifts at multiple points throughout the workout.
A competitor at the 2012 Southern California Regionals and trainer at CrossFit Grover Beach, Golden's bio reads,
Josh Golden is a freak of nature in the gym but also a pretty nice guy and a pretty good trainer. He has been involved in gyms and training at various capacities for most of his adult life, from owning a gym to just training athletes.
At CrossFit Grover Beach, Josh not only trains others but represents the gym competitively. In 2012, he made it to the CrossFit Southern California Regionals and competed well. He holds a Level One CrossFit Certification.
Where did Golden's 387 questionable reps temporarily place him for CrossFit Games Open workout 13.2?
In third place overall, only topped by Rich Froning and Matt Baird, ahead of names like Mikko Salo, Josh Bridges, and one of CrossFit's pound-for-pound strongest, Dan Bailey.
According to the official CrossFit Games site,
General Manager of the CrossFit Games, Justin Bergh, contacted Golden to notify him that his performance would be rejected. Ben Green, the affiliate owner of CrossFit Grover Beach, responded on behalf of Golden and presented an earlier video of 13.2 in which Golden supposedly reported 380 reps. In both videos, the movement standards for the box jumps and shoulder to overhead lifts were not met.
As a result, Josh Golden loses his first place finish for 13.2, will not have a valid score on 13.2, and is out of contention as an individual at the 2013 Southern California Regional.
For his affiliate where he coaches, CrossFit Grover Beach will not be permitted to validate workouts for the rest of the 2013 CrossFit Games season, leaving the rest of its members to complete their workouts elsewhere for the remaining workouts.
CrossFit made it very clear, "Everyone competing, especially those aspiring to Regionals or beyond, must ensure their performances meet or exceed all established standards."
In response to his disqualification, Golden said,
Um, I do agree on the shoulder to overheads, on that one workout, because I didn’t review the standards and I was led to believe that I was able to clean grip snatch the first rep. I was going further below my chin, pretty much close to my shoulders but the video was from the ground up so it made it look every movement look worse than it was.
As far as the box jumps, I felt that I didn’t have anyone telling me they were not correct. The knees are pretty locked out, and my hips are pretty straight, but I was slightly hunched over.
I don’t know they weren’t far off some of the bad reps that I’ve been seeing. I had done the workout earlier in the week and got a 380 on video and it was much cleaner. I was just trying some new ideas on how to get a higher score and this is the result.
Despite being eliminated from contention from this year's CrossFit Games, Golden sounded most upset about the reaction to his video from the CrossFit community in his interview with Bilderz.
I am disappointed in the community for judging me without seeking any information first. The community is supposed to be so supportive of each other and is supposed to be caring.
I feel I am a great coach, a positive member of the community. I do countless outreaches and help the Boys and Girls Clubs. I’m a good athlete, and a good person and for people to sit there on their computers and rant a rave about what a douche bag I am, or whatever I am, is very disappointing.
If CrossFit is going to continue to grow as a sport, it needs strict rules that are enforced on a regular basis. With this announcement that shook up the top of the Men's leaderboard, CrossFit HQ was heard loud and clear at the midway point of the 2013 CrossFit Games Open.
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