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Our equipment was floating

Good morning from Southern California and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. It’s going to be a hot day today, capping out near 107 degrees.

Today’s edition is sponsored by Wodapalooza Online Challenge. It’s not too late to take advantage of this exclusive 10% off discount for Morning Chalk Up readers only. Secure your spot in the online competition today with code “CHALKUP18.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“A strong and empowered woman is the most dangerous creature on the planet!” — TOMBOY, the documentary

UNDERWATER

WHAT HAPPENED?
Hurricane Harvey struck large parts of Houston and Southeast Texas over the weekend. For more on the extent of damage from this Category 4 hurricane read here.

ANY CROSSFIT BOXES AFFECTED?
You betcha. We know of one so far, CrossFit Central Houston, but we imagine there are more. Teresa Trojanowski, co-owner and Masters 35-39 Games athlete, emailed us yesterday with some details:

“We received 3-4 feet of water after a wall collapsed on Saturday night during the flooding. Equipment was floating, electronic monitors were damaged…there is a lot of cleaning to be done. We are so grateful for all of the hugs and well wishes, and the offers to help us clean up. It’s absolutely amazing.”

You can see photos and video of some of the damage. It’s like, A LOT.

WHAT’S NEXT?
The storm is expected to dump even more rain on the city, so while the worst may be over more could be on its way.

Unfortunately, flood damage is excluded from their insurance so they’ll be footing a large bill themselves. They setup a GoFundMe page to help raise money for the repairs and replacements but also to support the CrossFit Central Houston families affected, which there are a lot of.

We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU HIT THE BOX

Dave Castro on the Froning V. Fraser debate…Thanks to FloElite for doing the digging. Castro was asked who he’d pick between Rich Froning in his prime versus Mathew Fraser today and picked Froning.

…In case you missed itDave Castro’s full Reddit AMA from last week.

ROUNDUP: Stefi Cohen squats 402 pounds, which is 3.3x her bodyweight. Alyssa Ritchey, that’s a great tank choice for your first day back to training. Camille Leblanc-Bazinet says she has three more weeks in a sling. Kara Webb will be LIVE tonight on Working Against Gravity’s Facebook page for a Q&A. Happy belated birthday to 12 Labours’ Luke Espe.

Emails we never thought we’d get…“I’m going vegetarian,” which was sent to us by Josh Bunch, the author of “Paleo with a Purpose” an unlikely candidate for the meatless diet. Why you ask? “I love animals, and I believe the way most of them are slaughtered for food is not only cruel but unnecessary, [and] I love the planet, and I believe maintaining a meat filled diet for millions if not billions of people is too stressful to maintain. That’s it! I DO NOT believe eating meat is unhealthy or not eating meat is more healthy.” He’s about 12 days into his journey so far and plans to go a full 30 before making any changes.

THINGS TO…

WATCH: Lifting Spirits, Building Hope with Rich Froning
Every year since 2014, Rich Froning has hosted Mayhem for Mustard Seed Ranch, a competition to raise money for this Christian ministry which helps neglected, abused and orphaned children. Here’s how it all began.8
MUST WATCH.

HEAR: What to Look for When Starting CrossFit
It’s hard to know what to look for when you’re starting out, like finding the perfect box, keeping yourself whole and healthy, and how to make sure CrossFit helps you reach your goals. If you’re new, or know someone who is, this PaleOMG podcast episode is perfect.
WHAT TO KNOW.

DO: Go Pick Grapes
Harvest only comes once a year and here’s your chance to go grab a WOD and help Margaux Alvarez picks some grapes at her vineyard.
IN VINO VERITAS.

EAT: Homemade Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
This is maybe our all time favorite soup. It’s great cold, warm, and even over a bed of rice or pasta (ok, we’re not normal — we know). P.S. This entire soup can be made in a blender so it literally doesn’t get any easier than this.
GIVE IT A TRY.

CHALK UP AFFILIATES

STORY SERIES: How has CrossFit helped you achieve a goal?

“I remember very clearly in my first week attending a class and not being able to do toes-to-bar or knees-to-elbows or kipping swings and my coach telling me to just hang from the bar and I struggled to get 10 seconds cumulatively. I couldn’t help but think of that class on Friday when I did ALL 13 pull-ups in the WOD.” — Emilie Lima Burke, CrossFit Raeford in Raeford, NC

Share Your Story.

——
Buried in yesterday’s Lynchburg, VA newspaper…one of CrossFit Madison Heights’ newest members is 71-year-old Dena Lee, who joined to combat the sedentary lifestyle of old age. “I started with a goal of being able to do a squat without holding onto something to come up, and now I can do 50.”Introducing Branded One CrossFit in Las Vegas, NV. They’re a nonprofit affiliate that provides disabled police, fire and military veterans with free memberships. They’ve got six veteran and 15 regular members, with all proceeds going back to the gym and to funding the free programs. Neither of the co-owners, who are engaged, served in the military but have wanted to find a way to give back for the past few years. It’s also not just new vets coming out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Chuck Baker, who’s a Purple Heart recipient and Vietnam War veteran, just picked up his first barbell at Branded One CrossFit.

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