In years past the demo team has been generally been made up of big name CrossFit Games veterans who happened to miss the Games that particular year. This year Dave Castro has taken a slightly different approach.
While the demo team does consist of mostly Games veterans, there are a few non-Games athletes who will be assisting Castro in fine tuning the events we will see on the big stage in Madison.
The 2017 CrossFit Games Demo Team is:
- Paul Tremblay (2014 CrossFit Games veteran & 2015/2016 Demo Team member)
- Graham Holmberg (2010 CrossFit Games champion & 6-time Games veteran)
- Albert-Dominic Larouche (5-time CrossFit Games veteran)
- Ben Alderman (never qualified for the CrossFit Games)
- Alison Scudds (never qualified for the CrossFit Games)
- Jennifer Smith (2-time CrossFit Games veteran)
- Kelley Jackson (2-time CrossFit Games veteran and 2016 Games team athlete)
- Alex Parker (2015 CrossFit Games veteran)
The demo team roster is interesting for couple reasons. First, the addition of Alderman and Scudds is a departure of the team being all former Games athletes. Both are, however, friends of CrossFit HQ staff and Scudds was highlighted in a CrossFit video segment earlier this season.
The second interesting thing about the roster is that the women are not particularly strength-biased. All four athletes are well-rounded, but are not known for their absolute strength. Given the programming of the Open and Regionals, could this mean we will see more overall fitness events and less absolute strength requirements?
Finally, Jen Smith is on the demo team – which is awesome. However, Smith is recovering from a fracture in her foot and while she just got the boot off, she will need to take it slow for the next few weeks.
Overall, the demo team looks solid and are excited to see what elements and events they will be helping to reveal throughout the Games week.
Who are you most happy to see on this year’s demo team? Let us know in the comments.
