Pearland Teens Rank Amongst Worldwide CrossFit Elite Three Pearland High School students are ranked as some of the Fittest Teens In The World. Bobbie Cooksey, an incoming senior, is ranked as the 14th fittest out of 2,081 16 – 17 year old girls worldwide. Symantha Donaldson, an incoming freshman, is ranked 40th out of 1,369 14-15-year-old girls. Incoming sophomore, Benjamin Branstetter, is ranked 116th out of 1,832 14-15-year-old boys.These three dedicated and determined teens give a new meaning to hard work. All three of them participated in the CrossFit Open, which ran from February 23rd – March 27th. They worked their way through five difficult workouts, which tested their speed, strength and most of all their mental capacity to push through when they wanted to quit. They went up against teens in their age bracket – males against males and females against females – from all over the world trying to find their way into the top 200 to gain a coveted Regional spot. Making Regionals is one step closer to the Holy Grail of CrossFitters – The CrossFit Games. Bobbie, Symantha, and Ben all placed in the top 200 of the South Region and from there they endured four more workouts with heavier weights, more difficult moves and worked their hardest to make the top 20 in their age bracket. Their ultimate goal would be the CrossFit Games. However, only Bobbie made it through and will be competing in August. She will go up against the best of the best, the top 20 fittest female 16-17-year olds in the world. This year the Games will be held in Madison, Wisconsin.Bobbie’s journey into CrossFit started from gymnastics. She did gymnastics for 13 years, competing for most of them. To get stronger for her gymnastic competitions, she turned to CrossFit in 2015. “Soon I realized I wanted to do CrossFit full time,” said Bobbie. Prior to the CrossFit Open, Bobbie was already ranked in the South-Central Region and qualified for The Fittest Games, held in Austin, Texas in January 2017. She went up against 5 other 16-17 year olds from the Region, (which includes Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi) and placed first! So, how much does she work out? Bobbie states, “Prior to making the Games, I worked out 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. Now that I am training for the Games, it is from 8:30am – 4:00pm at Heroes CrossFit , with a few breaks in between.” When asked what her nutrition looks like, she simply says that she “tries to eat clean”, but doesn’t really follow a diet plan. However, I’m thinking traditional teenage fare such as pizza and burgers probably don’t factor in to her diet very often!Bobbie states “My favorite move is snatch and my least favorite is wallballs.”To be an athlete of this caliber takes extreme fitness, but it also takes a dedication very few have, especially at this age. When asked if she feels like she is missing out on any of the typical teen activities because of training, she simply says “I really don’t care for going out much, because I know that it’s all going to be worth it in the end.” Bobbie continues with “the games mean everything to me. I have sacrificed everything for it.” The CrossFit Games has been broadcast on ESPN the past several years, as well as games.crossfit.com, CrossFit’s YouTube Channel, and CrossFit Games Facebook page. Mark your calendars for August 3-6 to cheer on Bobbie!Coach Kindel Huberty of Hereos CrossFit on Bobbie Cooksey: “Bobbie is one of the most adverse teens I've ever worked with. Her strength and ability to fight through tough situations is what sets her apart from most teens and adults. We joke at the gym because she always says ‘I can do more!’ There hasn't been anything thrown her way that she can't handle. She is the toughest teen I know.”Symantha Donaldson’s story is fairly like Bobbie’s. Symantha did gymnastics for 10 years and ended up stopping due to a fractured tailbone during a competition. She wanted something different to do and her mom suggested CrossFit Kids. She started and just took off! “Anything handstand related” is Symantha’s favorite move and least favorite is “rowing!”Like Bobbie, Symantha also competed in The Fittest Games as a 14-year-old. She qualified for TFG at 13 and was the youngest competitor there, taking fourth place. “The girls kept asking me how old I was and when I told them I just turned 14 in November, they couldn’t believe it! Most of them were turning 16 in the next few months! They kept telling me how good I was and that I would probably place first next year.” Symantha is currently competing in the Granite Games online qualifier against 80 other 14-18-year old girls. If she finishes in the top 20, she will be headed to Minneapolis, MN to compete in September.Symantha trains between 12-15 hours a week at CrossFit Vertigo . “I feel like it is my second home there. The people have become like a second family and make me feel like I can accomplish anything,” states Symantha. It is a bit of a family affair, Symantha’s step-dad, mom, brother and sister workout as well, but are not close to her level of dedication or sheer ability.Coach Kurt Revels of CrossFit Vertigo on Symantha Donaldson: “Symantha is the one at the gym you look forward to seeing every day. She is one of the hardest workers there. She will inspire you to push just a little bit more than you think you can. She is one of the most diligent and coachable athletes I have ever worked with. We love having her with us and are super excited to see what she can do in next year’s CrossFit Games Open season!”Ben Branstetter started CrossFit at 13 years old. He said, “My mom had been doing CrossFit for two years and she motivated me to start.” He continues with “Once I started, I was hooked!” Ben trains at CrossFit ISI about 12-15 hours a week. In addition to CrossFit, Ben is on the Pearland Oilers football team, which is also very physically demanding of him. “Power clean is my favorite move and my least favorite are snatches,” said Ben.
Ben has competed in small competitions at ISI and the CrossFit Open the past two years as well. CrossFit runs in Ben’s family as well – his mom and sisters also workout at ISI.Coach Misty Neimeyer of CrossFit ISI on Ben Branstetter: “Ben is respectful and humble but the biggest thing is he has a drive and discipline that is hard to find in teenagers. He wants to be great and he's willing to put in the work to do it. Usually you'll see the typical "teen" stuff take priority over training, but not with Ben. He consistently trained during his school week and then showed up at the gym early on Saturday mornings.”These three incredible teens work their hardest each and every day. They inspire countless people, whether they realize it or not, in the gym or “box” around them. Their coaches speak highly of them and are undoubtedly the reason why these teens push themselves as they do and are achieving these successes. Congratulations to the three of you and we will no doubt be hearing of you in the future!