Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today's edition is brought to you by Working Against Gravity.

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"People with good intentions make promises, but people with good character keep them." -- Unknown

Twenty-Three Surgeries Later, this Teen Gets to WOD with her Mom

In the afternoons at Emerald Coast CrossFit in Panama City, FL you might notice thirteen-year-old Sadie Shipp in class, keeping up with the other members in the WOD. You’d never guess that three years ago, Sadie couldn’t even walk.

On August 23, 2016, Stephanie Shipp and her then ten-year-old daughter, Sadie, were unloading furniture out of a moving van into their new home when they were both hit by a car. The driver, seeing the moving van on the side of the road, intended to brake but instead accidentally pressed the gas.

Sadie was rushed to Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in critical condition and immediately underwent surgery. She had broken both legs and her nose, and doctors had to take several inches of her large and small intestines due to puncture holes.

Three weeks later, Sadie was medically stable enough to be transferred to Levine’s Children’s Hospital, to work on rehab. While there, doctors discovered Sadie had a pulmonary embolism in her lungs as well, extending her time there to almost a month.

Once Sadie was able to be moved from her bed to her wheelchair, she was free to go home where mom and daughter would face years of recovery and rehabilitation.

“Once we got home she had in-home therapy for a month, then...we had occupational therapy, physical therapy. It’s been a long tough road and she has overcome a lot,” said Stephanie.

Continue reading...

CrossFit CEO Resigns

Jeff Cain, the CEO of CrossFIt, Inc. submitted his letter of resignation and will be stepping down from his position on September 1, 2019, multiple sources confirmed. Cain took over the position from Greg Glassman in 2017, and is the most recent in a string of top brass to exit the company in recent months including the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer.

The reason for Cain's resignation are unknown. Morning Chalk Up made multiple attempts to obtain comment from CrossFit HQ but were unsuccessful. Additionally, we withheld publishing this story for more than a week to afford them the opportunity to do so.

The big picture: Over the past 12 months, Cain has been key in implementing the most sweeping changes to the CrossFit Games since the deal with Reebok nearly 10 years ago and the companies refocus on health initiatives.

• Removal of Regionals format replaced by 14 Sanctionals in year one, 28 in year two.
• Creation of official licensed CrossFit events.
• Multi-year deal with WIT Fitness as the official online retailer of CrossFit gear.
• Rule reversal allowing athletes to wear shoe preference of their choice at the CrossFit Games.
• A new CrossFit.com and changed direction of CrossFit's YouTube content.
• CrossFit's public exodus from Facebook and Instagram.
• Overhaul of CrossFit's specialty course program.

Things To...

WATCH: Armen Hammer's Top Five Games Moments
Armen Hammer breaks down his five favorite moments from the 2019 CrossFit Games including why the snail is so much more challenging then it looks and Mat Fraser's fight to regain the lead from Noah Ohlsen.
FIVE GLORIOUS THINGS.

HEAR: Justin LoFranco on InnerFight Podcast
Morning Chalk Up Founder and Editor-in-Chief Justin LoFranco was a recent guest on InnerFight podcast where he shares why he started Morning Chalk Up three years ago with the goal of sharing CrossFit news from around the world and that he never would have imagined the Morning Chalk Up team would announce the changes to CrossFit and the 2019 CrossFit Season.
OUR FEARLESS LEADER.

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HAVE NO WEAKNESSES.

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REGAIN YOUR SLEEP.

EAT: Honey Mustard Broccoli Salad
If you're headed to a party this weekend, whip up a batch of this honey mustard broccoli salad. With homemade honey mustard sauce and crunchy broccoli, its nutritious, crunchy and delicious all at once.
THAT SAUCE THOUGH.

Today's edition of the Morning Chalk Up is brought to you by

Chalk Up Community

• PRO-TIP: MORE POWER ON THE ROWER -- Shane Farmer of Dark Horse Rowing shows how to put more power into the rowing machine and get better in less time with these tips on how to become faster in your row. 
• REPS AND RESCUES RUMBLE -- On Saturday, September 14 Adamant CrossFit in Olath, KS is hosting a team competition, the Reps and Rescues Rumble, to benefit Prairie Paws Animal Shelter, a nonprofit no-kill shelter located in Ottawa, KS.
• WHITEBOARD DAILY SCHOLARSHIP -- Whiteboard Daily just launched the second round of the Whiteboard Daily Coaching Education Grant, this time with Burgener Strength to provide free registration for any of their courses to the person who is awarded the grant. Apply by Sunday, August 25 at midnight PT. 

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES (a highlight reel around social media of CrossFit pros and average joes)

Talking Elite Fitness is now selling their Friends of the Show shirts online • Armen Hammer now has SneakyFit ladies tanks • Katrin Davidsdottir and Annie Thorisdottir are competing this weekend • Joe Scali went so hard on a Ski Erg that he broke it • Tamara Gray deadlifts 325 pounds for two • Kate Nye back squats 352 pounds for sets of six • Happy birthday Cole Sager • Happy anniversary to Julie Foucher and Dani Urcuyo.

...and how much weight can a deadlifting dad deadlift if a deadlifting dad doesn't wear shoes?

Second International Online Qualifier Released --  The second workout for the International Online Qualifier was released.

WOD #2:

16 Min AMRAP
40 Alternating dumbbell snatches (50/35 pounds)
40 Pull-ups
30 Dumbbell burpees
30 Chest-to-bar pull-ups
20 Devil presses
20 Bar muscle-ups

-- One WOD, Four Events: The International Online Qualifier acts as a single online qualifier for four Sanctionals: Filthy150, Wodapalooza, Atlas Games and SouthFit CrossFit Challenge. Athletes must register and submit videos for both WODS by Monday, August 26 at 5:00 PM PT.

Reebok is Testing a New Nano -- Tal Short, Senior Product Manager at Reebok, posted a photo of a new Nano being tested. 

-- "First test of the Nano ____ . Big things are coming for the Nano franchise. We are not going anywhere. We changed the game once. We will do it again."

Russ Greene on Twenty Years of CrossFit -- Russ Greene, Director of Government Relations and Research at CrossFit, wrote an essay for Medium, marking twenty years of CrossFit.

-- "Two decades ago, a fitness trainer named Greg Glassman finally got his own space, in the back of a Santa Cruz jiu jitsu studio. Then, a pair of gymnastics rings ran you several hundred bucks and you could not find bumper plates in a commercial gym. Fran was just a name. Exercise was divided by gender. Men lifted, and women were confined to the cardio and stretching area.

-- "Every fitness trainer benefits from the CrossFit revolution, but you, the affiliates, lead it. Flying the CrossFit flag, you signal each day that you are holding the line against disease, corruption, and lies. Amidst a world getting sicker, in more ways than one, you march in the opposite direction. Towards health."

--"For one generation we stood apart, in the name of squats, stopwatches, and “no sugar.” And still we stand, unbowed. The CrossFit revolution is born again, each morning you open your doors in the darkness. Here’s to another 20."

Barbara Andersen on Finding CrossFit in her Fifties -- When her doctor told her to start doing weight-bearing exercise to prevent bone density loss, Barbara Andersen decided she’d try CrossFit Oneonta. Since then she’s lost fifty pounds and developed a new lifestyle.

-- "I really really like the mindset that eery day is a new opportunity to make yourself better than you were yesterday, and it spills over into all aspects of your life.

-- "If I had to pick the one thing that gets me to come here every single day, it’s that it is fun. It’s just really really fun."

Jamie Greene Says Her Sister Inspires Her -- Jamie Greene, who placed third at the 2019 CrossFit Games, spoke with Sarah Cowley Ross of the Newsroom on her last trip to the Games and what drives her training at home. 

-- "'It wasn’t until the those last few seconds when I thought ‘I’m going to come third’. You never want to look at the leader-board in CrossFit and think ‘yes I’m safe there’,” says Greene, speaking from Abu Dhabi where she’s based.

-- "Becky has been hugely influential in my sport to me. I think a lot of it is the hard work she’s put into her sport. I’ve said to myself ‘If she can do that, I need to shut up and get on with my work’,” she says.

-- "One example was in June, when Greene was back in New Zealand visiting family, and it was a freezing, rainy day in Dunedin; she just didn’t feel like training.

“I knew that Becky would be outside running in the rain, and I was going to the gym inside. So I had no excuse. When I came back from the gym, she got home dripping wet from a 90-minute run,” she says."

"10 Ways to Develop Mental Toughness," by John Klessinger, Morning Chalk Up 

Physical toughness is the ability to keep working when you are tired, dealing with pain, or being challenged. You get physically tougher by working each day to get bigger, faster, and stronger.

Physical toughness affects mental toughness. When you are physically tired, you will not perform at your highest mental state. Most mistakes in a game or match occur due to physical tiredness. We make physical mistakes in movements we have conquered in training when we are tired. Those simple tasks become mentally challenging.

So how do we improve mental toughness?

1. We get as physically tough as possible. The more physically prepared we are, the longer we can go in a WOD, game, match, or competition performing what we practiced without the fear of making a mistake. Our teammates have a part in our mental toughness too. When your teammate is taking short-cuts, not working hard or not following directions, it is your responsibility to help them to become physically and mentally tougher.

2. Regularly challenge our bodies outside our comfort zone. The reality is we make the most growth when we do things that are difficult for us. It could be a tough workout, having that “hard” talk, or making a speech to an unfamiliar audience. But, the more often we do something uncomfortable, the stronger we become.

8/23 - 8/24: Third Annual 24 in 24 (Cumming, GA)
8/24: Battle For the Badge (Vestal, NY)
8/24: OUTWOD Miami at Move.Lift.Live (Miami, FL)
8/24: OUTWOD Las Vegas at CrossFit Social City (Las Vegas, NV)
8/24: Deadlifts for Kids (Lilburn, GA)
8/24: The Southern Games 2019 (Louisville, KY)
8/24: 2019 Koda First Timer's Open (Oklahoma City, OK)
8/24: Rumble on the Bay (Green Bay, WI)
8/24: Ragin' Games (Lafayette, LA)
8/24: The 10th Annual Iron Belle (Austin, TX)
8/24: Battle of the Boxes (Plymouth, MI)
8/24 - 8/25: Oregon CrossFit's Best of the West Summer Event 2019 (Bend, OR)
8/24: Third Annual Hotshots 19 Memorial WOD (Woodstock, GA)
8/24 - 8/25: Railyard Riot (Lincoln, NE)
8/30 - 8/31: The Southwest Championships (Orem, UT)
8/30 - 8/31: The 3rd Annual Tampa Bay Games (Tampa, FL)
8/31: The Big WODowski Partner Competition (Delafield, WI)
8/31: Girls Gone RX (Charlevoix, MI)
8/31: Roots Ruck Around the Clock (Poulsbo, WA)
8/31: Saved By the Barbell (Waite Park, MN)
8/31: T-Town Throwdown Partner Comp (Tyler, TX)
8/31: Battle of the Beasts (Quebec, Canada)
8/31: Southern Hospitality Showdown (Charleston, SC)
8/31: Summer Showdown 2019 (Owosso, MI)
9/5 - 9/7: The Iron Games (Cedar City, UT)
9/7: Power Output Challenge 8 (San Antonio, TX)
9/7: Family Fitness Faith Festival (College Station, TX)
9/7: Sirens of September (Smithfield, RI)
9/7: Garden State Open (Berkeley Heights, NJ)
9/7: Hill City Throwdown (Lynchburg VA)
9/7: D.C. Throwdown (Washington, D.C.)
9/7: Midwest Fall Classic (Tulsa, OK)
9/7: OUTWOD Asheville at CrossFit Pisgah (Asheville, NC)
9/7: OUTWOD Brooklyn at Park Slope CrossFit (Brooklyn, NY)
9/7: Double Trouble at Crossfit Unwavering (El Mirage, AZ)
9/7: Girls Gone RX (Virginia Beach, VA)
9/7: WODderfest (Beaufort, SC)
9/7: Primal Parkinson's Ride (Tampa, FL)
9/7: SE TEX Masters Fall Classic (Cypress, TX)
9/7: The Sugar Skull Showdown (Agawam, MA)
9/7: Power Output Challenge (San Antonio, TX) 
9/7: 5th Annual Iron Maidens Raw Open (Brooklyn, NY)
9/7: Barbells for Boobs 5K and Family Fun Run (Cornelius, NC)
9/7: Rows for Crows (Westborough, MA)
9/8: Wingman (Lincoln, United Kingdom)
9/14: Charm City Throwdown (Sparks, MD)
9/14: Stateline Throwdown (McHenry, IL)
9/14: Stealth Fitness Combine (New Brunswick, NJ)
9/14: Coffland Hero Challenge WOD (Vestal, NY)
9/14: OUTWOD Grand Rapids (Grand Rapids, MI)
9/14: 6th Annual Cancer Smash (St. Augustine, FL)
9/14: Project: Uplift 5.0 (Fort Collins CO)
9/14: Warrior Affiliate League Three Amigos (Rancho Cucamonga, CA)
​9/14: Mucc Town Throwdown (Winnemucca, NV)
9/14: Reps and Rescues Rumble (Olathe, KS)
9/14: Festivus Games at CrossFit Indestri (Collingwood, ON)
9/14: Granite Games at CrossFit Gallant (Bedford, TX)
9/14: The Dane Games (Mine Hill, NJ)
9/14: Granite games at CrossFit Nola 504 (New Orleans, LA)
9/14: Festivus Games at Gymology Fitness (Tulsa, OK)
9/14: Garage Games Master’s Tour 2019 (Chicago, IL)
9/14: WODktoberfest 2019 (Ottawa, ON)
9/14: Granite Games Throwdown Skyline CrossFit (Houston, TX)
9/14: Festivus Games at J5 CrossFit (Collinsville, IL)
9/14: Festivus Games at Crossfit Mountain Movers (Pikeville, KY)
9/14: Festivus Games at CrossFit Connection (Ontario, CAN)
9/14: Prime Partner Classic (Utica, NY)
9/14: Barbell Brawl V (Kennett Square, PA)
9/14 - 9/15: Gymnastics Seminar with Simon Nieland (Ocala, FL)
9/15: Patriot Throwdown 9/11 Memorial WOD (Simsbury,CT)
9/20 -9/22: Pensacola Beach Brawl (Pensacola Beach, FL)
9/20 - 9/22: The Dakota Games (Fargo, ND)
9/21: Cry Me a River 2019 (Online)
9/21: 4th Annual CrossFit Co-Ed Classic Competition (East Brunswick, NJ)
9/21: Killswitch Competition (Hutto,TX)
9/21: 7th Annual CFuNKY Throwdown Competition (Florence, KY)
(9/21: 4th Annual Battle on the Border (New York, NY)
9/21: Under Armour Turf Games City Series (Los Angeles, CA)
9/21: Fall Jam 2019 (Columbus, OH)
9/21: 2019 GR Games (Grand Rapids, MI)
9/21: Girls Gone RX (Denver, CO)
9/21: The Partner Throwdown (Philadelphia, PA)
9/21: 2019 Arsenal Throwdown (Pittsburgh, PA)
9/21: Barbells for Bullies (Portland, OR)
9/21: Barbells for Bullies (Clearwater, FL)
9/21 - 9/22: The Central Regional (Bettendorf, IA)
9/21 - 9/22: Southie Showdown (Boston, MA)
9/21 - 9/22: CrossFit Cascade Classic (Seattle, WA)
9/22: Caffeine & Kilos Invitational (Sacramento, CA)