Reps Ahead Pro 6 Showcase: Preview
“I want everybody on the podium,” Jayson Hopper said after his win at Reps Ahead Pro 4 in Huntington Beach, CA, last September.
Now, he’s getting his shot — and he’s going in order.
Hopper beat 2024 CrossFit Games champion James Sprague in SoCal in the only match in Reps Ahead history to be decided by a tiebreaker.
- Sprague refers to the event as “Tiegate.”
Nevertheless, Hopper won by decision and will now face second-place Games finisher Dallin Pepper at Reps Ahead Pro 6. The event will take place on January 23 in Miami during TYR Wodapalooza.
- Brent Fikowski would be the next on the list, but it would likely take some convincing for him to come out of retirement.
On the women’s side, Alex Gazan will take on Emma Lawson in the main event. These two rising stars are newcomers to Reps Ahead and will showcase their talents in this one-on-one format for the first time.
Remind me: The most recent event was Reps Ahead Pro 5, a two-day tournament that was held in Colorado in November. Arielle Loewen defeated Trista Smith, and James Sprague defeated Cole Greashaber in the championship matches.
Reps Ahead Pro 6 Preview
Men’s Main Event
Dallin Pepper vs. Jayson Hopper
Both Pepper and Hopper are taking 1-0 records into Pro 6 and have each handed Sprague his only two losses (Sprague holds a record of 4-2). Pepper won the Reps Ahead Pro 2 Showcase in Jacksonville, FL, last spring.
- They are close friends, fierce competitors, and two of the fittest men on Earth. They never shy away from trash talk, which adds layers to the entertainment.
The battle will undoubtedly be carried into the weekend as they compete against each other in the team division. But on Thursday night, they won’t have their teammates to lean on.
Fun fact: This will be the first Reps Ahead Pro event that does not include James Sprague. He will be competing as an individual at TYR Wodapalooza, which runs Thursday and Friday.
Women’s Main Event
Alex Gazan vs. Emma Lawson
Lawson and Gazan both had their best CrossFit Games results in 2023 in Madison.
Lawson became the youngest athlete to stand on the podium, finishing second to Laura Horvath. She has the potential and poise to become a champion.
Gazan won the most improved award in 2023, jumping from 24th as a rookie in 2022 all the way to 5th. She most recently placed 4th at the 2024 Rogue Invitational in November, after another top 10 finish at the 2024 Games.
- Her coach, Justin Cotler, will tell you it’s only a matter of time before she is the best in the sport.
Evenly matched and supremely talented, they are sure to put on a show on the shores of South Beach.
Men’s Undercard
Khan Porter vs. Riley Humrighouse
On paper, this looks like it could be a lopsided bout.
In one corner, we have eight-time Games athlete Porter, fresh off of a CrossFit Games title in 2024 with Team Raw Iron Mayhem Thunder. In the other corner, we have Humrighouse, an excellent athlete in his own right and improving each year (56th in North America West Quarterfinals), but he does not have Porter’s resume.
- What he does have that Porter doesn’t is Reps Ahead experience. He is undefeated in his two previous matches.
That could prove to be the advantage he needs.
Women’s Undercard
Lena Richter vs. Jessi Smith
Richter is no stranger to Miami, having competed on Team Peak 360 with Noah Ohlsen, Tola Morakinyo, and Matilde Garnes. The powerhouse team earned a bronze medal at the 2024 Games.
Smith also brings elite team experience. She and her husband Chandler, Joshua Al-Chamaa, and Lauren Fisher formed Team Invictus in 2024 and took 6th at the Games.
These two team athletes will be putting their individual skills on full display Thursday night.
The Sequence
“Moe”
- 7 Cal Echo Bike
- 40-foot handstand walk (8 reps)
- 8 Sandbag to shoulder (150/100 pounds)
- 2:30 work / 1:00 rest
This sequence goes four rounds or until someone gets eight reps ahead.
The workout (sequence) is always a character in the story, and this will be the first time in the Pro series that the story will be told without a rig or a barbell.
The Breakdown
The bike is the movement that stands out, and both Hopper and Pepper will tell you they are the king of the Echo Bike.
At the 2024 Games, Hopper edged out Pepper in “Firestorm,” a fast and furious event that included Echo bike calories and burpees.
- “Ask Dallin who is the king of the Echo bike,” Hopper said in his post-event interview, with Pepper sitting on the other side of Mike Arsenault.
Gazan and Lawson also thrive on the bike. Gazan finished third in “Firestorm,” and Lawson was only six seconds (and six places) behind in ninth.
- All of these athletes can knock out seven calories in less than 10 seconds. But at what cost?
The handstand walk might turn out to be the separator.
Reps Ahead director Phil Thomas talked with us about the idea behind adding the machine to the competition.
- “You have to be careful because the Echo Bike takes your soul. Things can break down fast after that,” Thomas told Morning Chalk Up.
Thomas also feels like the format has been dialed in through multiple iterations of the event.
- “The two and a half minutes on and one minute rest is the sweet spot. It allows for first-round knockouts and the potential to go the distance.”
Prize Money: The winners of the main event will receive $4,000, and the undercard winners will take home $750. All athletes receive a minimum base pay of $1,500, with Games-level athletes receiving up to $4,000.
The Bottom Line
The show begins at 6:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 23, and will be livestreamed as part of TYR Wodapalooza on YouTube. Tune in to see some of the best in the sport go blow for blow.
You do not want to miss this one.
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Featured image: Scott Freymond
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