Tudor’s early life began much like normal young boys in Washington, playing soccer and wrestling through middle school. Tudor found CrossFit at a very early age in middle school and started attending classes with his dad.
Here he fell in love with the competitive nature of the sport and nine years later, became one of the most decorated teen athletes the sport of CrossFit has ever seen.
Eyes on the Prize
This competitive fire first started at the age of 12 when he and his family became aware of the teen division in the CrossFit Open. He knew this gave him 2 solid years to train and earn a spot at the 2017 CrossFit Games in the Teen division.
2017 was Tudor’s first opportunity after qualifying for the CrossFit Games to showcase his talents where he placed 10th in his inaugural Games in the 14-15 age group.
From 2017- 2018 Tudor further honed in his training, hiring Brute Strength coach, Matt Torres to help him focus on training his weaknesses with the intent to dominate his competitors the following year.
In 2018, Tudor did just that, winning the CrossFit Games in the 14-15 age group and capping off the goal he set for himself 2 years prior.
New Division, Same Goal
2019 becomes a rebuilding year in the 16-17 year age group where he focussed on getting stronger moving up in the new age division.
At the 2019 CrossFit Games, Tudor placed 3rd in the 16-17 age group, knowing that the following year would be his year to take home the championship.
2020, the year of COVID, and so much uncertainty surrounds the CrossFit Games season. Tudor took second in the Open to secure his spot at the Games, but would there be a Games this year?
Enter the PIT Fitness Ranch Elite Teen Throwdown
Due to the cancellation of the Teen event for the CrossFit Games, a new group of motivated CrossFit coaches, athletes, boxes and parents, pulled together to create a new event called the PIT Fitness Ranch Elite Teen Throwdown.
Their goal was to give the well deserving teens a platform to showcase their talents and still crown the Fittest Teen of Earth.
All of the competitors were already at a disadvantage with having to train with most of their gyms shut down and having to pull together any equipment they could get their hands on in order to continue training.
Showing up at the competition, nothing was going to be given to Tudor and it was truly set to be anyone’s game.
Tudor said much of the experience rivaled the CrossFit Games from the first class treatment of the athletes, to the care packages and the quality of programming and judging at the competition.
One thing was quite different from the start however, all participants would be bunked together in the same sleeping hall and therefore there was no hiding from your competition.
You literally woke up, ate, competed, then went back to sleep with all your competitors over the course of the weekend. This proved in the long run to create a greater bond between the competitors that will remain with them for a lifetime.
The Events – The Champ’s Approach to Taking the Title
Event 1a
FOR TIME:
SWIM 250 METERS
RUN 2.5 MILES
Event 1b
BEGINS 5 MINUTES AFTER LAST ATHLETE FINISHES THE 1A
FOR WEIGHT:
30 SECONDS TO COMPLETE DEADLIFT UNTIL FAILURE
ADVANCE TO NEXT BARBELL IF COMPLETED WITH 20-SECOND TRANSITION
WEIGHT INCREASES BY 10#
BOYS 315-505
GIRLS 185-375
Tudor ran cautiously on the trail run due to a previous ankle injury earning 7th place, but came back in a dominating fashion to win the deadlift ladder with a 485 deadlift setting a new PR in the process.
Event 2 “The Upside Down”
FOR TIME:
500M ROW
50′ HANDSTAND WALK
20 CHEST-TO-BAR PULL-UPS
10 THRUSTERS
500M ROW
50′ HANDSTAND WALK
15 CHEST-TO-BAR PULL-UPS
15 THRUSTER
500M ROW
50′ HANDSTAND WALK
10 CHEST-TO-BAR PULL-UPS
20 THRUSTERS
Feeling confident in these movements and knowing it was going to be a race to the finish, Tudor took 2nd in this event.
Event 3 “MORRIS”
FOR TIME:
50 WALL BALL SHOTS (20/14)
40/30 CALORIE SKI
30 DUMBBELL SNATCHES (50/35)
20 BOX JUMP OVERS (24/20)
15 BAR MUSCLE-UPS
“Morris” was the last event of the day and was a tribute WOD to Teen CrossFit Games athlete, Jacob Morris, who placed 7th in the 2019 CrossFit Games and passed away 4 weeks after heart surgery and was a beloved friend of all the competitors.
This event was particularly special and emotional to the group and they all wanted to lay it out there in his memory.
After placing 3rd in this event, Tudor was working his way up the leaderboard chasing the first place spot held by Anthony Re at the end of Day 1.
Event 4 Boot Hill Cemetery
20 D-BALL SQUATS
200M SANDBAG SPRINT TO TOP OF LND MOUNTAIN
The start of day two consisted of heavy d-ball squats and sandbag sprints and was by far the fastest workout of the weekend with 1st and 3rd place separated by just 2 seconds. Tudor placed 3rd with Anthony Re placing second, only extending the lead of Anthony Re.
“It was kind of at that point, I was just thinking about the whole competition as a whole and the way I performed to that point, and I actually wasn’t sitting in first place. I was sitting in second by a few points.
And I just remember going after that event, I was kind of frustrated with myself and I thought I needed to put more effort in and have that competitive fire. I feel like I let a few people pass me at the finish line or not pass me. They were ahead of me and I tried to make a push but I didn’t have that competitive fire to push past them and just stay in my own space, you know.
I said a prayer and went into the next event. I just knew I needed to perform well to get myself up in a good place for the weekend.The next event was kind of the turning point for me.”
In actuality, this was the turning point for Tudor and he went on to dominate events 5, 6, and 7 by winning first in all these events.
Event 5 Death By Weightlifting
FOR WEIGHT:
Max Snatch + Max clean and jerk
Starting with snatch, 30 seconds to perform lift. If completed, advance to next weight level until failure. Then move onto clean and jerk lift until failure
Event 6 Strongman Metcon
FOR TIME:
Sled pull 100 meters
Farmers Carry 200 meters w/DB’s
Paddleboard 300 meters
Farmers Carry 200 meters w/DB’s
Sled Pull 100 meters
Event 7 In a Bind
150 DOUBLE UNDERS
10 RING MUSCLE UPS
5 ROPE CLIMBS (15′)
5-MINUTE TIME CAP
Event 8 & 9 Double Trouble A & B
FOR TIME:
(A) 21-15-9
TOES TO BAR
BURPEE TO RIG
REST 3 MINUTES
(B) 9-15-21
HANDSTAND PUSH UPS
POWER SNATCH
14-15: 115/85
16-17: 135/105
(2 SEPARATE SCORES)
In Event 8, Tudor furthered his lead by winning the first portion consisting of Toes to Bar and burpees and placing 2nd in event 9 which consisted of handstand push ups and power snatches.
Event 10 The Pit
FOR TIME:
30 DEVIL PRESS
60 DB FRONT SQUATS
*WILL ADVANCE AFTER 5 DP AND 10 FS ARE COMPLETED
14-15: 35/25
16-17 50/35
Going into event 10, Tudor was in the driver’s seat but still needed to hold 2 competitors eyeing for his spot; Anthony Re and Daniel Kuc.
The last event being a particularly nasty burner consisting of 30 Devils Press and 60 DB Front Squats, Tudor held off with a 3rd place performance to secure the victory and his legacy in CrossFit Games Teen history.
Over the course of the weekend, Tudor felt that the competition was special, because of the environment that was present there. Since all the competitors bunked in the same cabin, they all created a special bond and sealed a fraternity that will last long into their adulthood.
Each night, they would all talk about the events and treated each other as brothers and not as competitors. Each person cheered the other on and truly was to see their friends succeed.
Another lamented friendship earned at the Games was with Brute Strength Mental Performance Coach, Lauren Tait.
During the paddleboard event, Tudor remembers running, finishing the sled drag and running to the dumbbells with Lauren coaching him to calm his breathing and not to panic.
Since he didn’t have much experience with the paddleboard, Lauren knew he must be methodical in this workout to succeed. This tactic worked, placing him in 1st and also further creating another relationship he will cherish for the rest of his life.
The takeaway from this event was a culminating experience of 4 years of CrossFit Games Teen championships and getting to workout with his best friends. Many people enjoy the sport of CrossFit, but what keeps most of us coming back is the community.
Just like in your local box, sweating together through fitness and community builds bonds that will remain for a lifetime.
Moving forward to the 2021 season, don’t expect Tudor to sit back and take some time off. He feels confident moving up into the Open division and showcasing what he can do against some of the best in the profession.
Follow Tudor on Instagram @tcmag_cf and his coach Matt Torres @coachmatttorres to see how he and the competition grows in the coming months and years.
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