2018 CrossFit Games Winners Reflect

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition was fueled by FlapJacked, the Official Breakfast Sponsor of the Morning Chalk Up. 

Did you try one of FlapJacked’s new Mighty Muffin flavors at the CrossFit Games? For the next 24 hours, they’re offering a flash sale on a limited edition variety pack — Peanut Butter & Jelly, Banana Caramel, and Triple Berry. That’s six Mighty Muffins for $9.99 with free shipping. Grab some today!

“Be so good they can’t ignore you.” — Cal Newport 

Two Podiums for Coach Michele Letendre

What’s the story?

Six-time CrossFit Games veteran Michele Letendre coaches four individual Games athletes: Patrick Vellner, Laura Horvath, Will Georges, and Carol-Ann Reason-Thibault.

At the close of the 2018 CrossFit Games Letendre’s athletes had the following placements: Both Vellner and Horvath placed 2nd,  Georges placed 9th, and Reason-Thibault placed 19.

That’s impressive.

So was Laura Horvath’s performance all week. Clearly, Letendre’s training is serving Horvath well. Horvath was awarded CrossFit Games Rookie of the Year after she took first in three events: Aeneas, Two-Stroke Pull, and the Battleground. But out of all twelve events of the 2018 CrossFit Games, Horvath had a dozen top ten finishes.

We repeat. Only two were not top ten finishes for the Hungarian rookie.

But Horvath is not Letendre’s only impressive newcomer. She also coaches Willy Georges. Georges placed first in Bicouplet 2 and second in Bicouplet 1 and wrapped up the week with a top-ten finish, placing ninth overall.

They’re not all rookies.

Pat Vellner, no stranger to the podium, placed fourth last year but was awarded third when Ricky Gerard tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Vellner, having just finished the Bicouplet events, ran over to Horvath just before she took the floor to perform and whispered something to her.

Like a team.

“Pat’s always been very helpful,” notes Letendre. “Pat and Laura get along very well. They’re not competing against each other so they see themselves as a team. They’ve been trying to help each other out all weekend.”

Letendre and Vellner sat down at CrossFit Games East Regional to discuss her coaching style. “I don’t see her as a woman coach. She’s a coach who was an athlete, with experience on the floor which is super valuable. She’s good at the things that I’m not.”

Things To…

WATCH: The Gathering of Athletes 

Kelly Starrett sat down with Noah Ohlsen, Ben Smith, Emily Bridgers, and Scott Panchik sat down together to capture an inside look at what it means to be a CrossFit Games athlete and how elite athletes handle intense training and recovery.

WATCH THIS. 

HEAR: Mindfulness and Sport 

The West Coast Advantage Podcast sat down with Nicki Clark, a former CrossFit Games athlete, to share how she turned her love of surfing into a successful business, Marin Outdoor Adventure, an experience company specializing in surfing, hiking, and mountain biking.

TUNE IN.

EAT: Guacamole Tuna Sandwiches

This take on tuna salad sandwiches replaces mayo with heart-healthy mashed avocado instead, fresh cilantro, and a scoop of black beans for added taste and texture. 

PACK YOUR LUNCH.

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

Chalk Up Community

• ROGUE GEAR FOR GRABS — Rogue Fitness put some gear out on an intersection in Madison and posted it’s location. First one to get to it got to keep it. 
• FRASER GETS GOLD NIKES — Nike gifted Mat Fraser a pair of Nike Metcon 4s in black and gold. 
• ANNIVERSARY PARTY — CrossFit North Beach just celebrated one year of business with an anniversary party.  

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

Master athlete Armando Garcia-Besne goes home after a second place win • James Newbury deadlifted 545 pounds during the CrossFit Total • Alexa Georgoulis found a way to keep her daughter busy while she snatched • Lindsay Siolka gets a 200 pound snatch PR.

Tia-Clair Reflects — “Part 1. I want to start by congratulating each athlete and to their support teams who took part in the 2018 games. Every year the competition gets tougher and the events more gruelling. The quality of athletes competing makes it impossible to take any event lightly, even so much so that the slightest of slip ups and you’ve fallen down the leaderboard. Even more important though is the quality of camaraderie and respect amongst the athletes, who all continue to push each other even though they’re competing amongst one another for the top spot. You all did an amazing job and
it was inspiring to be a part of.”

Mat Fraser on Keeping his Title — “It never gets easier but it’s always worth it.“

Neal Maddox on Making it as a Master — “It took eight long years of training to finally figure it out. It’s been a long journey of mine to be the fittest. I tried six times as an individual, but came up short. Was close in the 35-39 division, but just fizzled out. All those years of competing and being in the Games realigned my views of what I needed do and move forward. At the beginning of this year, I put my head down and went to work. I started by making sure I had a strong, positive supporting cast around me. This 1st place hardware isn’t for me, it’s for the three most important women in my
life. Their commitment, support and love gave me the drive to push to become a champion. Love you Mom, Aubrey, and Tracy.”

Margaux Alvarez on What’s Next — “This weekend was not how I wanted it to turn out. This week I will take some time to decide on either to focus on the business harvest and retire or find an investor outsource the grapes and train full time. This sport is getting harder each year, so I’ll take a couple days and then I’ll follow my heart. Thanks to CrossFit, Rogue Fitness and all the volunteers and judges for putting up and amazing show
this year, it was incredible.”

Sam Briggs To Be Continued — “So many thank you’s. I’ll start with all the volunteers, judges and CrossFit Games staff that make it all possible. Hi-five you, guys are amazing without you we wouldn’t have our proving grounds! Secondly, fist bump to all the people in the stands and watching at home. You guys make going into the dark place worth while. Your shouts and messages of encouragement make it all seem easier!”

“WARNING: Iron Gods is a Complete Scam” by Jessica Danger, Morning Chalk Up 

If it’s too good to be true…

Then it probably is.

When we heard about the website Irongods.com selling used Assault Bikes for only $199, we got really excited about the idea of having one at Morning Chalk Up HQ, so we went ahead and hopped online to check it out.

The website seemed totally legit. It was easy to use, all of the products had high quality images and full descriptions. We picked out the bike we wanted, that supposedly 542 other people were looking at at the same time. All the reviews were positive, and shipping was free! What’s not to love?

We ordered one assault bike and paid for it on the boss’s credit card. We got an email confirmation immediately.

The confirmation email came from a man named Steve Rogers from a Gmail address. There was no shipping information on the confirmation email. So we replied to them, like good little consumers that are accustomed to Amazon Prime’s effective speediness, to ask what the shipping window looked like and were given a shipping date.

So, we waited…

And waited. And then we started hearing from other readers.

8/11: Red Raider Backyard Brawl (Coatesville, PA)

8/11: 2018 Rimrock Ruckus (Billings, MT)

8/11: Survival Games 2018 (Wooster, OH)

8/11: The Warhorse Games (Kansas City, KS)

8/11: War of the Roses (Pasadena, CA) 

8/18: Bladium CrossFit Fossil Games (Denver, CO) 

​8/18: The Revolution: Articles of Confederation (San Antonio, TX)

8/18: Summer Slam Royal Rumble (Oakdale, CA)

8/18: CrossFit Krypton’s Compete for a Cure (Chesapeake, VA)

8/18: CrossFit Endure Granite Games Throwdown (Windsor, CO)

8/18: MKT CrossFit Granite Games Throwdown (Columbia, MO)

8/18: Rocky Mountain Throwdown (Fort Collins, CO) 

8/18: Crossfit Krypton’s Compete for a Cure (Chesapeake, VA)

​8/18: Mayhem on the Mountain (Pelham, AL)

8/18: Crossfit Charlevoix Granite Games Throwdown (Charlevoix, MI) 

8/18: Battle in the Boro (Washington, NJ)

8/18: Troy CrossFit Granite Games Throwdown (San Diego, CA)

8/18: Babes & Bros ( Grand Rapids, MI)  

8/18: ​CrossFit Shatter 2018 Summer Slam (Albany, NY) 

8/18: CFBD Summer Showdown 2018 (East Longmeadow, MA)

8/19: Battle on Broadway (Garnder, MA) 

8/25: Iron Belle and Femme Royale Women’s Competition (Austin, TX) 

8/25: CrossFit Sua Sponte Summer Slam (Raleigh, NC) 

8/25: AMRAP For Autism (Waxhaw, NC)

​8/25: CrossFit Decathlon (Indianapolis, IN) 

8/25: Best of the West Summer Event (Bend, OR)

8/25: 2018 Firewall Frenzy (Holliston, MA)

8/25: The Hero Games 2018 (Farmington, AR)

8/25: 2018 Rivertown Throwdown (St. Cape Girardeau, MO)8/25 – 26: Battlegrounds Nevada (Reno, NV) 

​8/31: Greece with VoyEdge RX

9/1: Battle At The Base 3 (Oklahoma City, OK)

​9/8: Midwest Fall Classic (Tulsa, OK)

​9/8: The Sugar Skull Showdown (Agawam, MA)

9/8: I Can CrossFit Competition (Georgetown, TX)

9/8: Global Aftermath 2018 (online)

9/8: The Catalyst Games (Bastrop, TX) 

9/8: BoxLife Games (Bunnell, FL)

9/8: Booties in Action (Wilsonville, OR) 

9/8 – 9: The Vermonster Team Challenge (Berlin, VT)

​9/16: 5th Annual North East Masters Classic (Plainville, MA)