“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”- Henry David Thoreau
GOOD
Ardent CrossFit Offers Refuge to Members Amidst Freezing Temperatures, Power Outages
The forecast was calling for a storm to hit Stafford, VA on Sunday, January 2, but it was hard for Ardent CrossFit owner Kasey Fulwider to imagine the havoc that was about to hit her city, as it was a warm 70 degrees out at the time.
But the predictions were right. The temperature swung to freezing levels and the storm hit in a big way. By Monday morning 400,000 people were without power and many areas without cell service.
“I have never seen so much snowfall in such a short amount of time. It snowed 16 inches in four or five hours, and this area isn’t well equipped to handle snow like that. It was so dense, so heavy, so many trees were down. It looked like a tornado had come through…some people were stuck on the interstate for 24 hours,” said Fulwider, who opened Ardent CrossFit with her husband Ryan Fulwider eight years ago.
The silver lining: Miraculously, Ardent CrossFit was one of the only places in the area that managed to maintain its electricity. So on Tuesday, when they realized how severe the power outages were, the Fulwiders and their two kids decided to camp out at the gym and extended the invite to their members.
A number of members came by, including a mother and her son, both of whom spent the night at the gym with the Fulwiders. “She only joined the gym two weeks ago and she showed up, and her 2-year-old ran around the gym for a couple hours,” Kasey said.
The following day, another 30 members came by to either shower and get warm, or to work, or just to hang out, play cards, and eat in a warm building.
“It was a cool day at the gym. There were people who just hung out all day, and we also had one couple who got stuck at the gas station, so someone drove to them and jumped their car and then they came to the gym to shower and workout…It was just so nice to see people helping people,” Kasey said, adding that other members of the community shared generators with each other to stay warm at home in the following days.
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SPEED READS
Wodapalooza starts on Thursday. Here’s a quick roundup:
How to watch…P.S. all divisions and heats will have a livestream.
Masters athlete and competing at Wodapalooza? The male and female winner of each division will receive an automatic invite to the 2022 Masters Fitness Collective in October.
MUST WATCH: Bethany Shadburnesits down before Wodapalooza on her 1 year anniversary on moving to Las Vegas to train under Justin Cotler. Her 2021 Games season ended when she tested positive for COVID-19 just days before the Games was set to start.
On Wodaplooza: “I didn’t want to go basically a whole year before semifinals. That’s not that smart to do. This is a good one to dust the rust off a little bit, get on the stage…see where your weakness are and see what you need to improve on.”
On changes for 2022 season: “I’m trying to approach it a lot differently than I ever have before. Every year, I’m injured. Just happens. I realize what it is, I love training, it’s a problem. Overtraining is a problem…What I’ve realized is doing too much junk volume. It catches up with you. I realize there’s a time and a place for it…In my career really I have to take the approach less is more.”
Norwegian news station TV 2 pays tribute to Kristin Holte, who will be competing in her final competition on a team of 3 this week.
Fans arriving at the Coliseum for the 2021 CrossFit Games got a surprise in the form of signage and sizable branding from new sponsor Monster Energy. Over the next week of competition athletes and event staff could be seen with cans in hand that included specially wrapped Monster-branded cans of water.
Monster Energy’s Director of Marketing for Combat Sports and CrossFit, Hans Molenkamp, joined the Talking Elite Fitness podcast to discuss the details of the brand’s decision to become a sponsor of the Games and revealed some of their future plans for involvement in the sport as a whole.
But first, the initial involvement from Monster Energy was polarizing for some given the company’s ties to Coca-Cola, and it is important to note some of the details considering the rumors that have developed as a result.
Coca-Cola initially purchased a 16.7% stake in the Monster Beverage Corporation that included two seats on Monster’s board of directors, and gave Monster access to Coca-Cola’s global distribution. Coca-Cola’s stake has since risen to 19.3%.
The relationship has had rough patches, as the two companies went to task over Coca-Cola’s launch of its own energy drinks, which Monster initially felt violated the terms of its agreement.
CrossFit Affiliates Weigh in on Firing of Dave Castro
Less than a week ago, Dave Castro was suddenly let go as the general manager of sport for CrossFit – a position only run by Castro since the inception of the Games 15 years ago. Since then, we’ve seen several people within the CrossFit community speak out about the news, most, not agreeing with CEO Eric Roza’s decision.
One big thing: With CrossFit Home Office looking to have another year of growth after gaining nearly 1,400 affiliates in 2021, it’s unlikely that the firing of Castro will have much direct impact to the majority of affiliates. However – for those who house high-level athletes, L1 seminar staff and longstanding affiliates, they too want answers.
What they’re saying:
“I was extremely shocked and a bit upset. To me, Dave is the CrossFit Games and to have him not there just doesn’t feel right,” said Jason Leydon, founder and head trainer at CrossFit Milford.
Leydon has coached more than 30 Games athletes with over nine podium finishers, so he’s seen the direct impact Castro’s programming has had on athletes over the years.
“I have been at the Games since the ranch days, the first days in Carson and now in Madison. I have always enjoyed Dave, the workouts, the programming, the tests, and his dedication to finding the fittest.”
“Not having Dave there will be a change, as to what side the change will be on we will have to wait and see. It’s tough not knowing the details as to the why. I’m hoping the plan that they think is correct will be one that will keep CrossFit and the CrossFit Games on the right path, but at this moment it’s hard to see it without him being involved,” Leydon concluded.
Do you have a hard time feeling your glutes working? Know there must be some power in there somewhere, but it isn't showing? Here are some pro tips for switching on your butt and better bias your glutes when performing lower body exercises.
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