The West Coast Classic hosts one of the American semi-finals of the Games, in an iconic venue steeped in history.
TYR Wodapalooza mastermind Dylan Malitsky is in charge of organizing this year’s the West Coast Classic, one of the two American semifinals of the CrossFit® Games, taking place May 24-26 on the campus of California State University.
When it came to choosing a venue for this major event, bringing together the entire CrossFit® community in the western USA, Malitsky thought of Phoenix or Las Vegas, before the town of Carson, just a stone's throw from Los Angeles, came to mind: “As soon as I stepped foot on campus, I felt an energy outside the tennis stadium that would be hard to replicate anywhere else,” he told Morning Chalk Up. It was an easy decision to make when you know what Dignity Health Sports Park means to the community."
If California is a mecca for fitness and sport in general, Carson is an iconic venue for the CrossFit® Games. It was within the walls of the Dignity Health Sports Park (formerly known as the Home Depot Center) that the CrossFit® Games were held from 2010 to 2016. It was there that Rich Froning became a CrossFit® legend, winning the Games in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. It was also in Carson that Tia-Clair Toomey's talent shone out for all to see. In 2015, the then 22-year-old Australian athlete finished in second place behind Iceland's Katrín Davíðsdóttir. We all remember this venue, usually dedicated to tennis, vibrating to the superhuman performances of the crossfitters. An electric, feverish atmosphere that we'll be seeing again on May 24, 2024 for the first American semi-final of the CrossFit® Games.