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A history of winning and the CrossFit Open

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is powered by NOOMA, makers of organic, simple-ingredient sports drinks.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston Churchill

A BRIEF HISTORY OF WINNING AND THE OPEN.

 

Background. 

The CrossFit Games started in 2007 in Aromas, CA as more of a back yard BBQ than anything else, but the goal was still the same: find the fittest man and woman. Back then, you just needed to register to compete.

In 2009, they introduced Regionals. Then in 2010, they added Sectionals to determine who’d compete at Regionals. 

As the competition continued to explode globally, CrossFit replaced Sectionals with the CrossFit Open in 2011, which allowed any athlete in the world to compete. Since then, the three-stage format has largely remained the same. The Open is now in its eighth year. 

Fascinating. So who’s won it the most?

It’s actually a tie. Both Rich Froning and Mathew Fraser have won the Open three times. Samantha Briggs and Annie Thorisdottir both have two wins. While winning the CrossFit Open is never the ultimate goal for these athletes, there’s a direct correlation between winning the Open and performance at the CrossFit Games.

If we remove 2018 from the equation, overall Open champions have gone on to win the CrossFit Games six times and finished in the top 10, ten of 13 appearances. The only outliers are Noah Ohlsen’s 2017 15th place finish, Annie Thorisdottir’s 2015 38th place finish where heat stroke during Murph caused her to withdraw a few events later, and Samantha Briggs’ 2014 failure to qualify after taking fourth at Regionals. In 2016, Jamie Greene competed on a team so we have no data to compare. 

All in all, only ten different athletes have won the CrossFit Open, out of a possible 16.

What about individual Open events? 

Samantha Briggs has won more individual Open events than any other athlete, male or female. She has 11 wins under her belt and has won at least one event in every Open since 2013, include three in 2014. In fact, only five women have won more than one Open event: Samantha Briggs, Kristan Clever, Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, Kara Saunders and Annie Thorisdottir. 

Among the men, the story is largely the same. Josh Bridges has seven wins followed closely by Rich Froning with six. And only seven male athletes have won more than one Open event: Josh Bridges, Rich Froning, Ben Smith, Mathew Fraser, Austin Malleolo, Neal Maddox and Nicolai Duus. 

Here’s another crazy stat for you: CrossFit Games champions combine for 36 total Open event wins out of 83. That’s roughly 43 percent of the time. 

And you can check out all the data here

COFFEE BREAK CONVERSATIONS

 

“10 Signs You’re Doing Well in Life” by Conscious Vibrancy

1. You’re breathing.

2. You have clothing to wear.

3. You have access to clean water and food to eat.

4. You are loved.

5. You have dreams and goals.

6. You are working to improve yourself.

7. You have a roof over your head.

8. You’re open to love.

9. You’re able to forgive.

10. You’ve learned from your mistakes.

THINGS TO…

 

WATCH: Inside the Leaderboard

Who ended on top in 18.5? Who’s topping the leaderboard overall in each division? CrossFit HQ’s Sean Woodland breaks down the final week of the 2018 CrossFIt Open.

TUNE IN.

 

EAT: Healthy Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Lemon Blueberry Glaze

Healthy lemon poppyseed muffins made with yogurt and topped with a perfectly sweet lemon blueberry glaze.

GET THE RECIPE.

 

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is powered by

CHALK UP COMMUNITY

 
  • FROM A FORMER ADDICT — After struggling with drugs and alcohol at an early age, Krissy Mae Cagney is using Black Iron CrossFit to help others get clean and sober. After raising more than $75,000 through “Reps 4 Recovery,” Black Iron is able to offer 100 athletes free memberships with the
    intention that they will be encouraged to stay sober in a supportive environment.
  • DOWN SYNDROME DOESN’T DQ — You can see 20-year-old Joshua Owen working out at CrossFit Bluefield in Bluefield, VA every week. Josh has Down syndrome but it doesn’t stop him from having fun and staying fit. 
  • 8 THINGS — As if you needed more reasons to love the CrossFit Open, here are eight of our faves from the final week of competition.

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

CrossFit trolls Coca Cola in the best way possible • Rich and Hilary Froning adopted Lakelyn’s biological sister back in February and you can read
more about their adoption journey below in today’s Chalk Up Reads • Christy Adkins is six weeks away from her due date

Kirsten Pedri’s grandma suffered a stroke last Monday — “It has been sad and scary for her and for us. The good news is she is getting amazing care and she has a fighting spirit. We may not think about it everyday in the gym, but in reality, these are the moments we are training for. My Grandma is as strong and capable as possible to be able to handle this curveball life has thrown at her. I share this with all of you because I know how many people care about my Grandma and I would love to be able to share your messages of healing and hope with her. Any positive energy sent her way is appreciated and
thank you all for the love so many have shown for my sweet Grandma.”

Brooke Ence on Making it Back to Regionals“THIS GIRL JUST MADE IT BACK TO REGIONALS…and I’m speechless…shedding a few really happy tears…and so grateful for everyone who has been part of my recovery/EPIC comeback. Come March 31st I will be 12 months post C6,C7 fusion and feeling better than ever.”

MUST READ letter from an inmate at 201 Poplar in Memphis, TN who’s a member of Kings of Grit, the weekly CrossFit program started by James Lancaster of CrossFit Hit and Run — “My greatest weaknesses have always been self doubt and fear. I used to say things like: ‘I’ll never be able to do this?’ or ‘What if I fail at this?’ When I joined Kings of Grit I found a way to embrace my self doubt and my fear and turned them into my greatest strengths. Self doubt became self assurance and fear become courage. ‘I’ll never be able’ became ‘I’m doing this.’ ‘What if I fail’ became ‘when I succeed.’ Being a
King of Grit means reaching deep inside yourself and pushing your limits. Giving up is not an option.” — G. Brown

For more on the story, watch this video.

Reads

CHALK UP READS

“Meeting Trice” by Hilary Froning

I’m so excited to share the story of how we met “teeny tiny Trice” and how God led us to him. But how do you even put this into words?! Here goes…

After reviving the text late at night, we made arrangements for someone to stay with Lakelyn, which was pretty hard since no one knew we had even applied for another adoption. And upon hearing what we were up to, everyone had the same response…”please be careful” (knowing what the last few months had been for us). We left for Jacksonville, FL at 4 a.m. the following morning, having packed the BARE minimum since we had no clue how long we would end up being there. 

Rich slept almost half of the ten hour road trip as I sat in the driver’s seat with the gas peddle to the floor, smile plastered across my face, eyes with tears streaming. The entire drive, the questions kept racing through my mind…what does he look like, what does he weigh, how will Lakelyn handle the transition, will they get along, what do the next few days look like and most of all, I kept thinking of how Lakelyn would now have a brother. To say I was emotional was an understatement and my heart was racing as fast as I was driving. I felt like we wouldn’t get there fast enough!

Reads

CHALK UP CALENDAR

3/30: Last Day to Sign Up for Northern Italy w/ VoyEdge RX4/7: Battle of the Badges (Anaheim, CA)

4/7: The Revolution (San Antonio, TX)

4/7: GenX Masters Comp (Salem, MA)

4/7: Lt Col William “Wild Bill” Schroeder Memorial Competition (San Antonio, TX)

4/7: Burpees for Bellies (Williamston, MI)

4/13 – 4/15: The Railyard Games (Albuquerque, NM)

4/14: Battle for the Mountain (Dawsonville, GA)

4/14: Appalachian Games (Asheville, NC)

4/14: Deuces Wild by Warrior Affiliate League (Baldwin Park, CA)

4/14: Atlas Blarney Stone Competition (Denver, CO)

4/14: RISE of the Masters (Statesboro, GA)

4/14: CrossFit Forte FORCE For Families (Nashville, TN)

4/14 – 4/15: Mid-Atlantic Affiliate Challenge (Columbia, MD)

4/14 – 4/15: WOD Wars Fitfest (Dunedin, FL)

4/14 – 4/15: Funky Town Throwdown (Ft. Worth, TX)

4/19: Teens and Masters Qualifier (Invitation Only)

4/20 – 4/22: Athens Throwdown (Athens, Greece)

4/21: Festivus Games (Nationwide)

4/21: Mayhem for MSR (Cookeville, TN)

4/21: Loganville Lockdown (Loganville, GA)

4/21: FoxWOD (Panama City Beach, FL)

4/21: Swamp Challenge (Gainesville, FL)

4/21: Mucctown Throwdown (Winnemucca, NV)

4/28: Battleground SoCal (Wimington, CA)

4/28: Girls Gone Rx (Cincinnati, OH)

4/28: Salem Slaughterfest (Salem, OR)

4/28: 3rd Annual Appletown Throwdown (Cornelia, GA)

4/28: Beastette Bash at CrossFit Ananda (Arlington, TX)

4/28 – 4/29: Walter’s Cup Throwdown (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

4/28 – 4/29: Battle of the Bluffs (Council Bluffs, IA)

4/28 – 4/29: King City Throwdown (Tupelo, MS)

5/4 – 5/5: Tough As Nails (Lubbock, TX)

5/4 – 5/5: No Gutz No Glory (Denver, CO)

5/4 – 5/6: European Masters Throwdown (Budapest, Hungary)

5/5 – 5/6: Tribal Clash (Quarteira, Portugal)

5/5 – 5/6: Barbell de Mayo (Woodbridge, VA)

5/5: Cinco de Mayo Classic (San Antonio, TX)

5/5: The Locomotive Games III (Youngstown, OH)

5/5: Granite Games Throwdown (Southaven,  MS)

5/5: Battle of the Boro (Goldsboro, NC)

5/5: New WODs on the Block (Grand Rapids, MI)

5/5: The Crawfish Challenge (Columbia, SC)

5/11 – 5/12: Beast Mode Games (Greenville, SC)

5/11 – 5/12: Midwest Monster (Joplin, MO)

5/11 – 5/12: Reebok’s Ready for Action – Fittest in Israel (Israel)

5/12: Barbells for Bullies (Danbury, CT)

5/12: The Mountain Meltdown (Park City, UT)

5/12: The 5th Element (Bedford, NH)

5/19: Raising the Bar for Recovery (Medina, OH)

5/19: East Coast Battle (Hanover, MD)

5/19: Barbells in the Burbs (Carol Stream, IL)

5/19: Gladiator Games (Concord, NC)

5/19: The Pillage of Palm Harbor (Palm Harbor, FL)

5/19 – 5/20: GameDay Mankato (Mankato, MN)

5/26: Beauty is a Beast 2 (Indian Rocks Beach, FL)

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Is there something we missed? Email us at [email protected].
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