48 Days Until the CrossFit Games

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, June 1, and this is your Morning Chalk Up. Did we miss something? Send us a tip at [email protected]ngchalkup.com.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Believe me, the reward is not so great without the struggle.” – Wilma Rudolph

THE COMPETITION FLOOR

Only 48 days until the CrossFit Games.

Here are the 80 men and women heading to Carson, CA.

WHO ON EARTH IS BRENT FIKOWSKI?

At the West Regional, Brent Fikowski took almost 4 seconds to walk the 10 feet between his barbell and the finish mat after Event 6’s last 225-lb. overhead squat. He could’ve taken 17 seconds longer and still won the event; his leisurely finish at 10:06.74 also swiped the event record from Noah Ohlsen, who finished almost 4 seconds slower. The 25-year-old accountant won the West Regional by a margin of 70 points, taking two event wins, five top-three finishes and never placing outside the top seven.

COPING WITH DISAPPOINTMENT

Kristine Andali: “What happened to me this year is by far the hardest one for me to swallow, it hurt me so bad mentally and physically and filled me with ALOT of rage. Firstly, all the work Iv put in coming back from recovery to have it taken from me again. And secondly, not wanting to let the people close to me or my fans down. The anger and sadness I felt was almost unbearable, for a bit I contemplated never doing this again. That changed VERY quickly.”

SIGMUNDSDOTTIR & GUDMUNDSSON COACH BANNED FROM REGIONALS

Erik Lau Kelner: “Over the next few days I learned that it was a combination of my interviews from Behind the Scenes coupled with a very critical post in my private Facebook group Weightlifting 101 about a week ago on the judging in CrossFit. This ban, however, was a blessing in disguise. It gave me a life lesson in humility that I deserved, needed and will never forget. The truth is that I have very much regretted doing those interviews and felt quite embarrassed when they came out. I meant what I said in them but the direct and confrontational style has served to ostracize people that I would like to know and in some cases perhaps work with.”

SPEED READ

IN 2 MINUTES…

Which CrossFit Games athlete has the most popular Instagram account? This athlete’s failed snatch attempt is going around the Internet like wildfire. Everyone looking for someone to blame can blame the athlete not the sport. Ever wonder about the history of rowing in CrossFit? Well thanks to Dark Horse Rowing, we now know that the fourth workout ever posted on CrossFit.com included rowing, among many other run facts. The Granite Games released a hint for online qualifier WOD #1: a ladder. Julie Foucher interviews Dave Castro on lessons learned as a Navy SEAL, his daily routine and the CrossFit Games. Dan Bailey was hanging out in Madrid. Rich Froning looks so young with a clean shaven face. CrossFit HQ recaps the Meridian, East and Central Regionals. Brooke Wells recovers from Regionals by riding a bicycle in a bikini. SPOTTED: Sam Dancer sporting the guilt-face while crushing a donut.

HEALTH & MOBILITY

JUST LAUNCHED: The Athlete Daily, a new website dedicated to helping educate athletes about being smart about their fitness, nutrition and recovery. They’re kicking off launch week with some specials from Chris Hinshaw, Ben Bergeron and Sean Lind, (and our favorite) some giveaways from Progenex and ROMWOD.

WHAT YOU’LL WANNA BUY

NEW RELEASE in the fitness clothing world, Box Beast Apparel, offers some of the most unique clothing designs to hit the Crossfit community. You can get 10% off using code “10%CHALKUP.”