“The dog that trots about finds a bone.”- Golda Meir
COMPETITION
Justin Medeiros and Laura Horvath Take 2022 Rogue Invitational
Considering their 2022 CrossFit Games finishes, the reigning Fittest Man on Earth Justin Medeiros and bronze medalist Laura Horvath had to be considered the favorites heading into the 2022 Rogue Invitational. And after seven events, both athletes sat in a great position to live up to the hype.
Horvath started Sunday with a 75-point lead over Gabriela Migala, while Medeiros sat in second place, but was only 10 points out of first behind Roman Khrennikov.
When all was said and done, both Horvath and Medeiros came out on top, but the road to the title was far from easy for either of them, and ultimately came down to the final event.
AIRWAAV Athletes took the stage at the Rogue Invitational this weekend, raising one familiar question:
“What’s the red thing in their mouth?”
Since being introduced to AIRWAAV, Danielle, Anikha, and Sam won’t train or compete without it. And while we cannot guarantee you’ll end up competing at Rogue, if it’s good enough for them…it’s good enough for us.
Research shows that by correcting your jaw and tongue position with the AIRWAAV Performance Mouthpiece, you can significantly increase muscular endurance, reduce respiratory rate, and even boost strength.
In case you missed it: Lauren Kalil, the host of The Bottom Line, was at the 2022 Rogue Invitational all weekend and, of course, crushing it along with our senior manager of content, Preslie Hirsch. Check out Morning Chalk Up’s YouTube page for a full rundown of the whole weekend.
Just amazing: Dale King is most definitely doing his part in his hometown of Portsmouth, Ohio. For National Substance Abuse Prevention Month he was interviewed Kelly Clarkson Show about his battle to help people overcome opioid addiction through the power of CrossFit.
Comp update: The first World Military Functional Fitness Challenge will take place July 3-8 in Warendorf, Germany. This event is open to active military in countries that are CISM members (even if your country does not currently have an iF3 recognized National Federation). 🫡
Explanation: Kristi Eramo O’Connell dives into why she didn’t compete this past weekend in Texas at Rogueand had to pull out.
Inside the mind: Interesting interview with CrossFit’s new marketing director Keith Knapp.
Local love: Great story in The Greeneville Sun about 15-year-old Samuel Hall qualifying for the TYR Wodapalooza in January.
COMPETITION
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
The Good, The Great and The Awesome From The 2022 Rogue Invitational
The 2022 Rogue Invitational is in the books and oh boy, was it a weekend to remember. Things got off to a crazy start with an added event Thursday as athletes were bussed out to a private ranch, no media, no coaches, and then things just got even crazier from there.
We can’t possibly encapsulate all of the goodness that took place on and off the Dell Diamond field, but wanted to document a few notable moments. With that in mind here’s a breakdown of all the things you need to know from what went on at Dell Diamond Stadium: the good, the great and the awesome for good measure.
Don’t Call it a Comeback: Chandler Smith Crushes 2022 Rogue Invitational
“This is like the least deserved video series in history,” Chandler Smith said in the first seconds of the Buttery Bros’ mini-documentary, “In the Arena,” on his 2022 CrossFit Games run through Semifinals.
“I think the initial interest was because I was poised to do well, and I didn’t do well,” he concluded.
While it’s true, Smith failed to qualify for the CrossFit Games in 2022, it’s safe to say that his comeback campaign was in full swing at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, TX.
Remind me: A name to watch entering Granite Games in 2022, Smith’s season was derailed by a battle with asthma likely caused by pollen in the Upper Midwest air.
Smith kicked off his comeback tour with a win at the CanWest Games in Coquitlam, British Columbia. He then headed to Austin, TX for the 2022 Rogue Invitational.
A fast start: Smith kicked off the competition with a sixth-place finish in the surprise “Texas Trail,” a 30+-minute trail run event that included a ruck pack and sandbag lifts.
He then followed up that grueling event by winning his heat of Ski Bar on Friday, which ultimately turned into a second-place finish.
Extra motivation: The heat win in Ski Bar was unique for Smith. The Rogue Invitational marked the first time that his dad, NFL veteran and current Dallas Cowboys strength and conditioning coach Cedric Smith, has been in the stands for a CrossFit competition.
“This is the first event he’s ever seen me compete live,”Smith told MCU’s Lauren Kalil after Ski Bar. “So it was really special to be able to do that with him here.”
Smith’s weekend continued with some mid-pack finishes, which dropped him in the standings. He took ninth in “Back Attack,” a vicious workout featuring heavy back squats and box jump overs. He then finished 12th in “DT With a Spin” and 16th in “The Turtle.”
By the end of Friday evening, Smith had amassed 275 and was tied for sixth place with Samuel Kwant and 25 points behind a third-place podium position by 25 points.
For the second year in a row, the Rogue Invitational offered up the single largest prize purse outside of the CrossFit Games, and with it comes the added bonus of hotel accommodation and airfare, courtesy of Rogue. The total prize purse was $1,272,490.
One big thing: This year’s prize purse paid the winner $46,512 less than last year.
One key difference between 2021 and this year is the removal of payouts for finishing an individual event in 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
Unlike any other event in CrossFit, the prize pot is comprised of a blend of cash prize, bitcoin and percentage of ticket sales, which allows the purse to grow as both the value of bitcoin increases and more tickets are sold.
No barbell? No problem. If you are experiencing pain during barbell deadlifts don’t try to grit through it, instead train smarter with one of these five substitutes.
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Snatches are a complex Olympic lift and require a lot of steps. That’s why this list of seven checkpoints will help you break down the movement and focus on key elements of the list.
Reebok is selling Nano’s for as low as $69.97. Yes, you read that right. The sale ends today so you better get to it because the scariest thing about Halloween will be missing this sale.
If you see rope climbs in the workout and want to take a rest day, it’s a sign that you should be practicing some rope climb progressions. Practice makes perfect, so start climbing!
ICYMI: Dani Speegle clean and jerked a 215-pound/97.5kg log in Saturday night’s “Texas Oak” event at the 2022 Rogue Invitational in Round Rock, TX.
Congratulations to 13-year-old Alexis Burt from Canis Athletics in Southbridge, MA on the 200-pound/90.5kg deadlift PR.
Games athlete Christian Harris from Team Move Fast Lift Heavy snatches 280 pounds/127kg for two reps.
SpaCity CrossFit in Hot Springs, AR hosted a Meters for Meals fundraiser with proceeds benefitting Jackson House Crisis Intervention, Inc. Local videographer and CF-L3 Trainer Christophir Smith created a short film highlighting the organization and fundraiser.
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