“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.”- Eleanor Roosevelt
CROSSFIT GAMES
2023 CrossFit Games Preview: Teen Division
The past few years have proven that the future of the sport of CrossFit is here.
With past teen champions Emma Lawson, Emma Cary, and Dallin Pepper all preparing for another run in the individual division, there’s no doubt that the teenage division can produce future stars. This year, another set of 40 up-and-comers will take the competition floor. Here’s who to look out for in Madison, WI this year and for years to come.
14-15 Girls: With only one returning athlete from last year’s Games and nine rookies, the 14-15 division seems like a shoo-in for Marissa Nichols. But a handful of young talent might just give her a run for her money.
Nichols is the only athlete with Games experience, and she placed ninth at last year’s Games. She recently made the switch and is now a Mayhem athlete, and says that her favorite movements are yet to come. She’s consistently placed third and fourth throughout the season, though, and will face a tough challenge if she wants to secure her spot on top.
Miley Wade, at only 14-years-old, has quickly become a favorite this season. Second place finishes across the board in the Open, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals, as well as a second place finish at Wodapalooza in January, make an impressive resume for such a young athlete. Plus, with her older sister Delaney Wade, a Games athlete in her own right, lending her tips, the young athlete has lots of experience on her side.
Guatemala-native Maria Granizo has placed first in every single stage of competition thus far, making her the third contender for the top spot at the Games if she’s to continue her winning streak. With plenty of years in the sport already under her belt, this first trip to the Games is sure to be a dream come true, and with some live competition experience mixed in, she’s bound to make a splash.
14-15 Boys: With a relatively unknown field of players, all rookies, the 14-15 boys division is open for any one of the ten young athletes to make a move and set themselves up for success in the years to come.
15-year-old Jeremie Jourdan is one of only two athletes in the division to have consistently held a top three position in each of the season’s competitions this far–third, third, and second in the Open, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals respectively. Though still untested in a live competition setting, his calm level-headed demeanor has made him a formidable competitor thus far. With a listed height of 5’2 and weight of 130 pounds, strength is evidently his weakness, but he’s able to make up for any challenges with an impressive aerobic motor.
Canadian Dayne Indraji: On the Semifinals leaderboard, only 124 points separated first from tenth place, making the competition extremely close. However, he pulled through for a first place finish with 385 points, seven more than second place. The 15-year-old finished tenth and eighth in the last two stages of competition, so his first place finish could either signify workouts that played to his favor or great improvement throughout the season. In 2022, he finished his season with Semifinals where he placed 29th.
Kulani Subiono, who just barely missed the Games by seven spots last year, already has a family legacy to live up to with two older brothers, Ka’eo and Elijah, both multi-year Games athletes. Luckily, he secured a second place finish in a stacked Wodapalooza field in January and has a first, first, and fourth place finish in the Open, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals so far this season. He’s likely the most experienced athlete in the field, and is a strong contender for the top of the podium. (Plus, you can watch him and his brother prepare for the Games on their YouTube channel.)
That’s exactly what Dena Garner, Ph.D. first thought when her research started to show the impact a mouthpiece could have on breathing during workouts. Like all good scientists though, she then spent years trying to disprove her findings. But she couldn’t.
In fact, she found even more evidence that using an AIRWAAV Performance Mouthpiece during workouts is scientifically proven to increase strength, endurance and recovery.
It sounds too good to be true, but the science speaks for itself.
Drug Testing Update: CrossFit reported last week that Trent Williams, a member of team CrossFit 10 Star Hybrids, the third-place finisher at the Africa Semifinal (The REBEL Renegade Games) tested positive for Clomiphene, a banned substance according to CrossFit’s Drug Testing Policy. The athlete received a four-year sanction ending on May 21, 2027.
Overcoming the Odds: Adaptive athlete and CrossFit Games qualifier, Amea Reyna was featured in this local news story. Reyna suffered a stroke in utero and developed scar tissue on the right side of her brain leading to a diagnosis of left hemiplegia. During her senior year in high school, Reyna from CrossFit Exodus and while still in her first year in the sport, will be heading to Madison, WI in August.
⏱️ 🕰️ Power Hour: CrossFit Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, NC was featured in a local news story for its “Power Hour” class. The class meets twice a month and offers a mix of warm-up games and exercises for athletes ranging from teenagers to masters with cognitive and physical disabilities and their families. Learn more.
ICYMI:Jake Douglas leans on family and hard work in his rookie year.
CROSSFIT GAMES
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
How Much do CrossFit Games Cuts Really Matter?
With all of the controversy and discussion surrounding the recent announcement of this year’s cut schedule at the CrossFit Games, we wanted to look at this news from a different angle and ask an interesting question.
How much do cuts actually matter in the grand scheme of things?
Please note that an exhaustive study of the impact of cuts across the 68.75% of CrossFit Games that have used cuts (including 2023) has yet to be done. For our purposes in this article we limited our data set to the 2022 Games. This is the beginning, not the end of a discussion.
Kris Shyne Chooses not to be a “Statistic,” Sheds 80 Pounds, Ditches Blood Pressure Meds With CrossFit Allendale’s Help
Two years ago, while on a flight home from Daytona Beach, FL, Kris Shyne’s wife started showing him pictures from their vacation.
“And the only thing that came to my mind was how large I had gotten,” said Shyne, 47 at the time.
And so for the rest of the four-hour flight, Shyne did “a lot of digging deep in my own mind.
When he got home, Shyne, who was on medication for high blood pressure at the time, stood on the scale for the first time and weighed in at 297 pounds at 5-foot-11.
He had been worried about his health for a while now, but he had often chalked it up to genetics. His father passed away young, and many on his mother’s side of the family had heart problems.
But something changed that day. Shyne realized he could do something about it. He didn’t need to become “just another statistic in my family,” he said.
Making the Decision
At first, Shyne decided to take action on his own. As a former Marine, competitive wrestler and high school wrestling coach, he knew what he needed to do: focus on diet and exercise.
So he cut out alcohol and sugar completely, stopped going out for meals for lunch and dinner nearly everyday, stopped guzzling diet Pepsi throughout his workday, and began eating a high protein, lower calorie diet.
He lost 10 to 15 pounds quickly, and then added exercise to his routine, which he did for a while, but wasn’t seeing the results he wanted.
That’s when his buddy told him about CrossFit.
Before taking the plunge, Shyne, who was nervous, did some serious research, including trying out a handful of different gyms in and around the area he lives in Michigan. Eventually, he came across a testimonial from a member named Dave of CrossFit Allendale.
Dave sounded just like him. Dave was about the same age as Shyne, and had faced the same obstacles Shyne was facing before CrossFit helped him transform his health.
So Shyne checked out CrossFit Allendale in April 2022, and the moment he met owners Josh and Kate Connelly, he “felt at home,” he explained.
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Everyone’s favorite mindset coach Ben Bergeron shared his views on reacting versus responding, and if you feel attacked then you need to reflect on his wise words.
Instead of worrying about your hand care AFTER you rip, why don’t you prevent ripping in the first place? That’s what CALICURE is here for. Their tools are here for you to use for gentle sanding of your calluses on a regular basis so you can avoid skipping workouts because you have torn up hands. Use code “MCU” for 10% off your order!
If you bring the barbell from overhead back into the front rack and your body is about to crumble, you probably aren’t reracking the barbell like a weightlifter would. Use these easy tips to rerack like a pro, and to save your poor collarbone.
Maria Granizo, the Girls 14-15 Quarterfinals and Semifinals Champion in 2022, shared this throwback as a reminder that we all start somewhere.
Congratulations to Zach Durkee and Danielle Alewine from AAYMCA CrossFit in Anderson, SC for qualifying for, and competing in the Fittest of South Carolina.
Congratulations to Camille Papadopoulos of Keystone Heights, FL on earning her L1 certification and a snatch PR in the same week.
👏 Mayhem Athleteraised over $30,000 for their 31 CrossFit Games athletes and teams across the world through t-shirt and jersey sales.
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