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Annnnnd we’re going upside down in 19.3

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is fueled by RP Strength.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” — Earl Weaver

Another Gym in Trouble After Noise Complaints

 

Some background.

In January, Crossfit Amber Valley in Derbyshire, UK was warned by the Amber Valley Borough Council to lower their noise emission.

The notice states: “Following a number of complaints from residents about noise emissions…this notice requires the noise from weights crashing, amplified music and raised voices or shouting to be abated, by whatever means the operator chooses, within 12 weeks.”

What happened?

CrossFit Amber Valley tried their best, altering opening hours, turning the music down, and spoke to consultants. 

Turns out, it would have cost the owners about $40,000 to have the acoustics in the gym fixed to meet the council warning. 

That’s steep.

Judith Gration, co-owner and coach, said “As a small business we cannot afford that…We have fought so hard, but we needed to make a decision as time is running out. We are absolutely gutted and so sorry it has come to this.”

We’ve heard this tune before.

We have. This is the third instance that CrossFit gyms have found themselves in trouble with a city over noise pollution. CrossFit Horsepower in Hermosa Beach, CA was practically put out of business over it and is now suing the city.

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Lauren Fisher and Alessandra Pichelli doing 19.3 last night at Diablo CrossFit in Pleasant Hill, CA.

Coffee Break Conversations

 

What to say the next time your kids ask if dinner is ready yet…

Good things take time kids, just like tried and true coaching experience. We all know that fad diets and quick fixes don’t work when it comes to healthy weight loss. Here are some sensible weight-loss tips from a long time coach. 

Things To…

 

WATCH: Brute Showdown Episode 3

In Episode 3 of the Brute Showdown, bodybuilder Dana Linn Bailey, CrossFit athlete Brooke Ence, powerlifter Maddy Forberg and weightlifter Mattie Rogers meet Christine, one of CrossFit’s notorious Benchmark Workouts.

A BENCHMARK WOD.

 

HEAR: Stephen Douglas on the Pursuing Health Podcast 

Julie Foucher has on Stephen Douglas who, inspired by athletes he saw while watching the CrossFit Games on television, began to make small changes that helped him lose over 85 pounds. In the process, he was able to lower his blood pressure, lessen his asthma symptoms and get in the best shape of his life.

A GAME CHANGER.

 

EAT: Saucy Baked Pumpkin Pasta 

A new take on baked ziti with this lightened up saucy baked pumpkin pasta with creamy pumpkin puree, ground turkey sausage, red bell pepper, mushrooms, marinara, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, parsley and your favorite pasta.

MAKE US THIS PLEASE.

 

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

Chalk Up Community

 
  • LADIES NIGHT — Arena Nevada CrossFit in Nevada, IA is hosting the Women Owning Wellness night on Friday, March 29. All proceeds from the $5 admission will go directly to the Hold Your Breath for Karen fundraiser, which benefits local resident and
    teacher
     Karen Niblock who needs a double lung transplant.
  • CROSSFIT KIDS STARTS — The CrossFit Kids program at CrossFit Martha’s Vineyard in Vineyard Haven, MA starts next week. 
  • TOMMIE TOUGH — On March 16, CrossFit Mt. Lebanon in Pittsburgh, PA will hold the 2019 Shamrock Showdown, an event to benefit four-year-old Thomasina DeSantis as she fights neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of pediatric cancer.
  • GRAND OPENING — BayState CrossFit in Plymouth, MA is open for business and holding a  grand opening party this Saturday, March 9. 
  • AFFILIATE REVIEW — Cameron Bucek, the CrossFit Nomad dropped into CrossFit Kings Point in Orlando, FL and wrote an affiliate review

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

Congratulations to James Patterson on his first bar muscle-upWolf Critton gets a 315 pound back squat PR • Margaux Alvarez auditioned for America Ninja Warrior yesterday • Sixty-year-old Sharon Leew deadlifted 190 pounds for four reps • Lucas Parker got a 298 pound snatch PR at Strength in Depth • Nikolai Kaganovitch hang cleaned 350 poundsKari Pearce overhead squats 264 pounds for a PR.

…and Jacob Heppner is pretty pumped for 19.3.

19.3:

For time:

200 ft. dumbbell overhead lunge (50/35 pounds)

50 dumbbell box step-ups (24/20 inches)

50 strict handstand push-ups

200 ft. handstand walk

Time cap: 10 minutes

Strategy Guides:

— Cole Sager

Team Soul

— Anarchos Training Methods

WODPrep

— And leave it to CrossFit Games Head Judge Adrian Bozman to list three critical pieces to look for when judging strict handstand push-ups in 19.3.

— Submitting 19.3 Scores — Scores for 19.3 are due Monday by 5:00 PM PT.

…and if you missed our live coverage from Diablo CrossFit in Pleasant Hill, CA you can see it all from our Facebook page and catch up on the 19.3 Live Blog.

Early Leaderboarding…Unofficial as of 10:00 PM PT last night:

1. Benjamin Frazer — 9:20 | Lauren Fisher — 171

2. Kevin Schuetz — 158 | Alessandra Pichelli — 165

3. Darren Marks — 150 | Allison McKail — 161

4. Eric Hudson — 144 | Danielle Resha — 145

5. Ian Jones — 142 | Morgan Manning — 120

6. Nicholas Birdsall — 140 | Nina Bowen — 100

7. Bader Masri — 132 | Sophie Hinks — 95

8. Chris Mobbs — 131 | Anastasiya Cotton — 90

9. John Joseph — 127 | Ulanda Anderson — 90

10. Mark Bounader — 127 | Ilyse Palomo — 90

— Planning Ahead: CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown announced they will also host a 19.4 Open live announcementBrazil CrossFit Championship will also hold a 19.4 live announcement

Greg Glassman on CrossFit’s New Direction — In an interview with Box Pro Magazine, Greg Glassman spelled out why he’s made such sweeping changes to the CrossFit Games.

— “It was as though the cotton candy machine and clown you put in the parking lot to entertain kids at the car dealership had turned into 10,000 clowns and you couldn’t see the cars. I love a festival and I like tacos. I like people and I like the crowds. All that part is fun; and I love training people, but I don’t know if I like watching people exercise. It is what it is; it was my idea. I did this; I love it. But I love what happens more when you unlock the door and people come through the door. That’s much more than the Games. The Games is a summer festival; life isn’t a summer festival,” Glassman said. 

Brute Strength Launches New Training Program — Brute Strength, represented by athletes Jared Stevens, Brooke Ence and Miranda Oldroyd, has launched a new program called Outside the Box. The program is for anyone looking for 30-minute workouts that can be
done in the backyard, park, garage, and home gym.

National University and Under 25 Championships — The USAW sanctioned meet in Las Vegas starts today and Team USA will have a strong presence to follow. You can follow along via the livestream.

— Friday: Alyssa Ritchey (49kg) 11:40 AM white platform; Taylor Turner (55kg) 1:50 PM red platform; Brey Kobashigawa (55kg) 1:50 PM white platform; Jordan Wissinger (67kg) 6:00 PM white platform.

— Saturday: Caitie Hogan (59kg) 12:10 PM blue platform; Sara McLendon (59kg) 12:10 PM blue platform; Camille Leblanc-Bazinet (59kg) 12:10 PM blue platform; Maddy Myers (64kg Team Invictus) 12:10 PM red platform; Jessica Lucero (64kg) 2:20 PM red platform; Hunter Elam (64kg) 2:20 PM red
platform; Kristin Pope (64kg) 2:20 PM red platform. 

— Sunday: Jordan Cantrell (89kg) 12:00 PM white platform; Mattie Rogers (76kg) 12:00PM red platform; Jenny Arthur (81kg) 2:10 PM white platform; Nathan Damron (102kg) 4:10 PM red platform.

— Not on the start list: Kathleen Winters won’t be there due to an injury she sustained during her blood draw for the required drug test. 

Reads

CHALK UP READS

“Sticking With CrossFit Through Cancer,” by Jessica Danger, Morning Chalk Up 

Ben Laekas was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2016. Since then he’s undergone hospitalizations, been bedridden from chemotherapy treatments, and completed high-dose radiation treatments.

Laekas has several major surgeries, one to have a softball-size tumor removed from his body, only for another tumor to return just above that same spot.

More radiation treatments await, and so do possible surgeries. But one thing Laekas has scheduled for sure is his regular CrossFit class.

“Going to CrossFit doesn’t provide an escape, but you don’t feel sick anymore. It changes your ideas,” Ben said in an interview. “When you get diagnosed with cancer, you think about cancer all the time. I didn’t want that. With the first round of chemotherapy, as soon as I got off the bag, I would head straight to the gym.”

Julie Beaumont, who owns CrossFit de l’Ouest where Laekas has trained for more than five years, was so inspired by Laekas’s story that she hosted a fundraiser for him, raising over $7,000.

His doctors at McGill University Health Centre are just as inspired as his box. “I think he gives motivation not only to other patients but to doctors like myself,” said Dr. Jamil Asselah, Laekas’s oncologist. “He motivates me in my work because your goal as a physician is to see your patient live a normal life despite the treatments.”

Reads

CHALK UP CALENDAR

3/14: Open Announcement 19.4 (Online)

3/16 – 17: The Tactical Games (Burnet, TX)

3/21: Open Announcement 19.5 (Online)

3/23: Down for Donuts (Ocala, FL)

3/24: The Rockwell Championships Series Team Qualifiers (Online)

3/30: Game of Barbells (Houston, TX)

3/30: Row for a Reason 2019 (Nashville, TN)

3/30: Reps For Rescues at CrossFit Hanover (Hanover, PA)

3/30: Crossfit Redoubt Open Competition (Slovakia)

3/30: Cru’s Crusaders Fundraiser WOD (San Clemente, CA)

3/30: Burritt Built Throwdown (Port St. Lucie, FL)

4/1 – 4/8: Northern California Classic Online Qualifiers (Online)

4/1 – 4/11: The Liege Throwdown Online Qualifiers (Herstal, Belgium)

4/6: Feed, Clothe, Love and Lift (Amarillo, TX) 

4/6: St. Peters CrossFit Fitness Awards (Saint Peters, MO)

4/6: Powerstroke Partner Throwdown 2019 (Fallon, NV)

4/6: Metcon Meltdown (Flemington, NJ)

4/6: Two Peas in a POD Competition (Burlington, MA)

4/6: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit Diversion (Williamstown, NJ)

4/6: Rise of the Machines IV (Austin, TX)

4/6: Bay Area Beatdown 2 (Webster, TX)

4/10 – 4/24: Granite Games Online Qualifier (Online)

4/11 – 4/14: CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown Online Qualifier (Online)

4/12 – 4/13: Capstone Caveman Clash and Cook Off (Lubbock, TX)

4/12 – 4/14: Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge (Washington, D.C.)

4/13: Capacidad De Dos Amigos (San Antonio, TX)

4/13: The Craic Throwdown (Norwood, MA)

4/13: Warrior Affiliate League Deuces Wild (Chino, CA)

4/13: Battle of the Ages (Pineville, NC)

4/13: 5th Annual Battle for the Mountain (Dawsonville, GA)

4/13: The Requisite Masters Classic (Philadelphia, PA)

4/15 – 4/27: Top Of The Box Online Qualifier (Clarksville, TN)

4/19 – 5/1: CrossFit French Throwdown Individual Online Qualifier (Online)

4/20: The Wodfather VII 2019 (Keller, TX)

4/20: Rookie Rumble at Bucktown CrossFit (Chicago, IL)

4/26: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit Nashua (Nashua, NH)

4/26 – 4/27: Gameday Competition (Mankato, MN) 

4/26 – 4/28: CrossFit Italian Showdown (Milan, Italy)

4/27: 4th Annual Spring Fever Partner Masters Comp (Souderton PA)

4/27: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit KOA (Cranford, NJ)

4/27: The Gnardog Challenge (Reedley, CA)

4/27: Festivus Games (Worldwide)

4/27: Raising the Bar for Charlotte (Medina, OH)

4/27 – 4/29: Asia CrossFit Championship (Shanghai, China)

4/27: Autism Rocks and Rows (San Clemente, CA)

4/27: Garage Games Xs and Ys (Hiram, GA)

4/27: The Explode Individual Classic (West Chester, PA)

+ Send us an event
Is there something we missed? Email us at [email protected].
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