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Exclusive: Sara Sigmundsdottir Part 4

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is fueled by ButcherBox, your neighborhood butcher for the modern world. Don’t get caught begging for more bacon. Keep your freezer fully stocked and for a limited time get 2 Filet Mignons + Bacon + $10 off.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” — Teddy Roosevelt

EMILY BRIDGERS’ LAST HURRAH

 

Say what?

Sad but true folks. Emily Bridgers had hinted to us in January while competing at Wodapalooza that this would be her last season. Yesterday, she confirmed it on Instagram

“This year, being my last season, has made me think about WHY more than ever. I’ve always competed because I love it, I want to use the talents I was given to accomplish as much as possible, and use the platform I’ve created to help and inspire others in a positive light.”

But why tho?!

In her own words:

“It just feels like the right time for that life transition. While fitness will always be a huge part of my life, I never intended on competing forever. I’ve been competing since I was 7 and I’m just looking forward to experiencing life in a new way with different daily challenges. Ben and I look forward to focusing on growing our business, hopefully starting a family, and possibly even going on a few non-fitness related vacations!

Don’t worry tho, you’ll still get to watch her compete at the Atlantic Regional in June and hopefully again in Madison this summer.

A look back at Emily’s career.

Emily Bridgers is one of those iconic athletes in CrossFit. She’s a four-time CrossFit Games athlete, five if she qualifies again this year. Her best finish was sixth in 2014, the same year she competed and won the Invitational with Team USA. Get this: in seven years of doing the CrossFit Open, she has never placed lower than 24th worldwide (2017); in her rookie season, she placed fourth, like in the world. 

Bridgers was also a National Champion gymnast at the University of Georgia, but was sidelined after her Freshman year due to a chronic back issue that worsened, forcing her to walk away. That obviously wasn’t the end of her story and we doubt this will be either. 

EXCLUSIVE: SARA SIGMUNDSDOTTIR, PART 4

 
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COFFEE BREAK CONVERSATIONS

 

What to tell your friend who just read the EPA’s study on indoor air quality and realized that Americans spend 90% of their time indoors…

Going for a hike, be back Friday. Maybe you’re not good at carving out time for yourself to enjoy life in the blue marble and you need someone to do it for you. For that you might want to try one of these adult summer camps. We heard they just invited the founder of American Parkour to their camp coming up May 4. If that’s not your thing, Jenny LaBaw is organizing four hiking and camping trips
for the ladies, exploring parts of Northern California mountains, Colorado and Utah. You’ll find us climbing in Oregon next weekend. 

What to tell your mom friend who’s balancing CrossFit, work, and Darth Vader costumes…

Been there. Jenny Sugar is the fitness editor at Pop Sugar, best known for her satirical prose and witty humor the mom of two is also an avid CrossFitter. Here’s a play-by-play of a recent morning that didn’t go as planned. 

THINGS TO…

 

WATCH: CrossFit Skateboarding

See how CrossFit Mayhem member Ben Davidson incoorporates skateboarding into his WOD on a snowy afternoon in Cookeville, TN. 

OLLIE. 

 

EAT: Tandori Fish

That flavorful classic Indian marinade usually found on chicken works great with any white fish like cod or halibut and it’s paleo and Whole30 approved. 

GET THE RECIPE.

 

BUY: The Morning Chalk Up Muscle Tank and Tee

Only two more days until these muscle tanks and tees are gone for good. Don’t wait.

ADD TO CART.

 

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

CHALK UP COMMUNITY

 
  • PRO TIP — Did 18.4 help you realize that you really want to learn to walk on your hands? Handstand walking looks really cool and really hard. It’s not rocket science but it doesn’t require a lot of practice and paying attention to the fundamentals. Breaking Muscle shares their practical step-by-step guide to helping you get your first baby (hand) steps. 

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

This is how the CrossFit Mayhem ladies cheer on the menAdrian Conway deadlifts a casual 455 pounds for five • The new head wrestling coach at Dakota Wesleyan is the former head coach at CrossFit Sioux Falls • Would you handstand walk on this suspended bridge? • This 21-year-old just hit a 451 pound hang snatch • Tia-Clair Toomey’s
autobiography is now available on the CrossFit Stuff storeBianca Casciari hits three hang snatches at 180 pounds.

Spotted: The Worm — Regionals Directors were hanging out in Madison, WI for meetings with The Dave and local affiliates were invited to work out at the Alliant Energy Center with Dave Castro and Co and test out the four-person worm

Status Update: Stacie Tovar — We’re hearing from a very reliable source that she plans to decline her invitation to Regionals. For those who missed haven’t been following, she retired after the 2017 CrossFit Games but she still qualified for Regionals this year, placing 20th in the North Central Region. 

— What about going team? CrossFit Omaha did place fourth in the region, but we’re also hearing she plans to coach and cheer them on from the sidelines. 

Reads

CHALK UP READS

“The Speal Deal: Life After Competition” by Andréa Maria Cecil, CrossFit Journal

Many in the CrossFit community know Chris Spealler as an eight-time CrossFit Games competitor of legendary status.

Spealler’s physical feats at his modest height and weight led some to compare Speal, as he is known, to the Bible’s David, who slew the 9-foot-tall warrior Goliath of Gath.

But Speal is more than a competitor.

The 38-year-old became an affiliate owner nearly 11 years ago, when CrossFit Park City joined the worldwide community of roughly 250 CrossFit gyms on April 28, 2007. He began by training athletes in the corner of a rec center in the mountain town that sits roughly 30 miles east of Salt Lake City, Utah. He’s also a former member of CrossFit Inc.’s Seminar Staff. As such, Spealler taught more than 300 seminars and helped develop CrossFit HQ courses.

Since transitioning from elite-level competition, the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games masters competitor has refocused on maintaining his fitness for longevity and spending more time with his family. He’s also returned to coaching more often at CrossFit Park City.

Over the course of a decade, Spealler has accumulated invaluable knowledge, some of which he shared during a recent visit to CrossFit HQ in Northern California.

Reads

CHALK UP CALENDAR

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)

4/15: The last day to sign up for Croatia with VoyEdge RX

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)

4/21: Famously Hot Showdown (Columbia, SC)

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: Brew-N-Brawl 2018 (Lenoir, NC)

4/28: CrossFit Cheltenham Throwdown (Gloucestershire, United Kingdom)

4/29: Three of A Kind (Gloucestershire, United Kingdom)

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 – 5/5: Throwdown in Joe Town (St. Joseph, MO)

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 – 5/6: Manila Throwdown (Manila, Philippines)

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)

5/5: Masters of the Shed (Roxbury, NJ)

5/9 – 5/10: The Heartland Games 2018 (Chicago, IL)

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)

5/12: Soho Brawl (Tampa, FL)

5/12: Fallout in the Falls (Wichita Falls, TX)

5/18 – 5/20: East Regional (Albany, NY)

5/18 – 5/20: Europe Regional (Berlin, Germany)

5/18 – 5/20: South Regional (Salt Lake City, UT)

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: Spring Fling Partner Throwdown (San Anselmo, CA)

5/19: SilverFox Masters Competition (San Clemente, CA)

5/19: Ultimate Fitness Championship (Kennewick, WA)

5/19: Warriors Hope 2018 (Greenwood, IN)

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

5/25 – 5/27: West Regional (Del Mar, CA)

5/25 – 5/27: Central Regional (Nashville, TN)

5/25 – 5/27: Latin America Regional (Rio de Janiero, Brazil)

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

6/1 – 6/3: Atlantic Regional (West Palm Beach, FL)

6/1 – 6/3: Meridian Regional (Madrid, Spain)

6/1 – 6/3: Pacific Regional (Sydney, Australia)

6/2: Kegs and Kilos (Manhattan, KS)

6/3: Summer Sizzler Individual Masters Competition (Burlington, MA)

6/9: Beastette Bash at CrossFit Ananda (Arlington, TX)

6/16: Battle on the Creek (
Johns Creek, GA)

6/16: Full Battle Rattle (Robinson, IL)

6/23: Garage Girls CrossFit Grit (St. Simons Island, GA)

6/23: 2018 Summer Swolestice (Gresham, OR)

6/23 – 6/24: Asbury Park Summer Games (Asbury Park, NJ)

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