There will be a change to the team competition in 2014: individual competitors will no longer assist team qualification for Regionals.

Like in past years, the top three male and top three female scores will be combined to make up the team’s score for each week of the Open. The top scores can come from anyone who is signed up for the team. Open competitors will be able to compete in the team competition and the individual competition simultaneously.

New to 2014, the top 60 men and top 60 women in each region will be invited to submit video of one of the Open workouts. After the week-long video review period, the final Individual Leaderboard standings will be determined. The top 48 men and top 48 women in each region will be invited to compete in the individual competition at Regionals.

Athletes will have 72 hours to accept the invitation or give up their Individual spot. Within this time period, eligible athletes must declare whether they will compete as an individual or as a team member at the Regional competition. They must choose one or the other.

And here’s the latest change:

Athletes who accept the invitation to compete as Individuals at their Regional will have their contributing Open scores removed from their respective Teams. The Team Leaderboard will then be re-sorted and the top 30 teams will be invited to compete at their respective Regional competition.

For example, CrossFit Mayhem may have Rich Froning Jr. contribute to the team’s score during the Open. However, if Froning qualifies for the Individual competition at the Central East Regional and accepts his invitation, his scores will be removed from Team Mayhem.

The next best scores from male athletes on Team Mayhem will be used to replace Froning’s scores, and the team will shift on the team Leaderboard accordingly. If the team is still in the top 30 in the region, it will be invited to compete at the Central East Regional.

Those athletes who choose to compete individually at Regionals will not be barred from returning to their team for the Games (if they do not qualify as individuals). Additionally, team competitors who sit out of the Regional to recover from injury, etc., may compete on their team at the Games.

An affiliate can host multiple teams, but an athlete can compete on only one team per season. Each team’s pool of athletes is set on March 3, 2014.

For example, CrossFit Mayhem could send two teams to the Central East Regional named Team Mayhem and Team Chaos. If Team Chaos qualifies for the Games, only athletes who competed on Team Chaos during the Open may be selected for Team Chaos’s Games roster. Members of CrossFit Mayhem who competed on Team Mayhem may not move onto Team Chaos.

See the 2014 Rulebook for full details. This rule change is detailed on the bottom of page 9.