Dynamic Duo - The Copelands

Luke Espe • July 20, 2021
A man and a woman are running down a street.

Erika and Robbie are no strangers to trusting the process and learning to improve year after year. They were both collegiate soccer players and have just loved aspects of training and methodology of CrossFit. It doesn’t hurt that they can share these experiences with one another in competitive CrossFit! The highs and lows of training have kept them grounded through it all and allowed them to become great training partners for the 12 Labours Lions.

Take a moment to see a snapshot of their journey from 2013 to 2021! Looking forwarding to your success at the NOBULL CrossFit Games.


April 2013

Robbie and Erika’s 4th month into CrossFit and first ever competition at the Mid-Atlantic Affiliate Challenge (MAAC). Robbie’s face says it all, “what did we sign ourselves up for?”

A man wearing a black shirt that says cerv on it

April 2014

Robbie and Erika recording their open workouts in hopes to make a Regionals team. They were quite humbled that year. We still have a lot of work to do!

A group of people are standing in a dark room talking to each other.

May 2016

Took a couple more years, but Team KTB made their Mid-Atlantic Regionals debut in Atlanta, GA finishing in 10th place overall.

A man and a woman are posing for a picture while wearing ktb tank tops

July 2016

A couple months later Robbie beat Erika in a burpee workout and they knew something was wrong. Turns out Erika had a bilateral pulmonary embolism, which was quite the scare.

A man wearing a crossfit shirt is laying next to a woman in a hospital bed

June 2018

Made it back to Regionals with Team Iron Force! This time it was the Atlantic Regionals in West Palm Beach, FL. Unfortunately, Erika injured a muscle in her rotator cuff warming up for the second event. The team met minimum work requirements for the remaining workouts to avoid dropping out of competition. 

A woman is laying on the floor while a man sits in the background

April 2019

The year of Sanctionals for the 12 Labour Lions! Our best place finish was 3rd at the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge (MACC) in Washington, DC. During the Sancitonal season, the Lions traveled to Iceland and Minnesota to wrap up their season.

A group of people standing next to each other holding a large object.

February 2020

Squeezed in competing at the Wodapoolooza in Miami, FL as an Elite Team, just before the pandemic cancelled events for the remainder of the year. 

A group of people are running on a track in front of a crowd.

October 2020

Fun fact, Robbie and Erika went to high school together but were reunited when they both showed up at CrossFit ReVamped on a living social deal. 8 years later and they finally got married! 

A group of people are posing for a picture at a wedding reception.

June 2021

The 12 Labours Lions qualified for Semi-Finals at the Granite Games placing 6th overall, until two teams ranked above them were disqualified. The 12 Labours Lions team was notified that they punched their ticket to the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games!!! 

MORE RECENT POSTS

April 22, 2025
2025 summer line will be pre-order only so make sure to get your orders in! You can check out more details and place your order at 12labours.bigcartel.com Orders are due by Friday May 9, 2025
April 22, 2025
As many of our Annapolis members know, in Fall 2024, 12 Labours started an official Barbell Club class on Monday and Wednesday at 5:30 pm in Annapolis. During our first 12 week cycle, the focus was on building awareness and stability in the proper positions necessary for the snatch and clean and jerk (olympic weightlifting), as well as the back squat, bench and deadlift (powerlifting). Our members who have attended have experienced immense success in their lifts, both in improving form, as well as improving strength. The second cycle which started in January 2025 has been focused on first continuing to build technical proficiency, followed by improving strength with technical proficiency, and finally working towards some of our olympic lifting member’s first competition at the Cap City Open on April 27. As we look to the future with Barbell Club, we are hoping to not only invite more members into our lifting sessions to continue building technical proficiency in the lifts but also enhance the process of working towards competition for members who would like this opportunity. Barbell club programming for the Olympic Weightlifting side will involve two tracks, a locally competitive track, and a nationally competitive track. For anyone new to the sport of Olympic weightlifting (snatch, clean and jerk), local competitions can be entered by any athlete who fulfills the requirements of that specific meet (USAW sanctioned meets require a USAW membership). Athletes are designated to the weight class of their choosing (we typically guide towards competing at a weight class that your body is naturally comfortable at) and can be Junior (under 18 years old), Senior (over 18 years old), and Masters (35 years old and over) age groups. National and International meets can only be entered by athletes who have posted a qualifying total at a local meet, or more competitive meet depending on what the athlete is hoping to register for. A qualifying total is the total kilograms that the athlete must lift, at a minimum, to be able to register for that meet. For a 12 Labours member who would like to compete locally, the Barbell programming will include: 2x/week Barbell Programming (M/W 5:30 pm class) + Squat/Accessory Day (to be performed independently) We strongly suggest attending as many in - person barbell classes as possible if you plan on competing to maximize success and comfort when stepping onto the platforms in competition. There will be 2-3 opportunities for local competition each competitive year. For a 12 Labours member who would like to compete nationally, there are a few other requirements to be fulfilled: Athletes must have competed at a local level and have a qualifying total to register for this next level of competition. 3-4x/week Barbell Programming - This will be an expanded version of the Barbell class programming to work towards the level of commitment necessary to compete at this level. There will be 2-3 opportunities for national/international competition each year. We are excited to open up more opportunities for our 12 Labours members to get stronger and perform better both within and outside of the gym. Please do not forget that Barbell classes are open for all 12 Labours members, and you DO NOT have to compete to attend. We are happy to coach anyone who wants to learn more about the lifts, improve technique and get stronger! We will be starting a new cycle on April 28, which will also help us work towards our next local meet, Tough Temple, held in Rockville, MD on July 12-13, 2025.
April 21, 2025
As we continue to strive to make an impact on our communities, we were honored to host the Mid Atlantic Collegiate Championship for Navy's CrossFit, Blue and Gold. This is a yearly competition between 5 schools in the Mid-Atlantic region and give the students an opportunity to showcase their fitness. Producing an event that we can be proud of is no easy task and requires a lot of people. And so, a massive THANK YOU is owed to the volunteers who made this event possible. Thank you for dedicating your time energy, knowledge and wisdom to supporting our vision of empowering our communities through fitness.
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