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Ben Smith is BACK

Happy Monday morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. After three weeks and eight regional competitions, the 2017 CrossFit Games field is finally set. Your author is tired so he’s taking the next two days off to recoup. Next week we’ll resume the regular Monday through Friday schedule.

Today’s edition is fueled by FITAID, the Official Recovery Drink of the CrossFit Games. Affiliate owners, here’s your chance to get a FREE sample pack of all LIFEAID products plus learn how you can get a free fridge for your gym.

Everyone else, grab a case of FITAID for $15 off with code “MORNINGCHALK.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Champions keep playing until they get it right.” — Billie Jean King

REGIONALS RECAP

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.

Heading to the Games…

Atlantic

  1. Noah Ohlsen  |  Cassidy Lance-McWerter  |  12 Labours Lions
  2. Alec Smith  |  Emily Bridgers  |  Hustlehard CrossFit
  3. Ben Smith  |  Mekenzie Riley  |  CrossFit Balance
  4. Travis Mayer  |  Whitney Gelin  |  CrossFit Revamped
  5. Ryan Elrod  |  Anna Tobias  |  336 CrossFit
West
  1. Brent Fikowski  |  Carleen Mathews  |  CrossFit Fort Vancouver
  2. Samuel Kwant  |  Regan Huckaby  |  Cascade CrossFit
  3. Cody Anderson  |  Emily Abbott  |  CrossFit Marysville
  4. Cole Sager  |  Carly Fuhrer  |  Work Hard Live Lift
  5. George Sanchez  |  Casey Campbell  |  Lane 5 Athletics

BLEACHER REPORT

  • Ben Smith pulled it off, and to the best of our knowledge the Smith brothers become the first brothers from the same region to qualify in the same year. Ben Smith is also heading to his 9th CrossFit Games. He’s the only male individual competitors left to have competed at the Games in Aromas, CA.
  • CrossFit Fort Vancouver qualifies for their 9th CrossFit Games.
  • Cody Anderson set the Event 5 record, beating Mathew Fraser with a time of 6:03.18.
  • Veteran Games athletes Christy Adkins, Gary Helmick and Alea Helmick return to the Games on their teams CrossFit Balance and CrossFit Revamped. Revamped made up 31 points on the final day to earn their qualifying spot.

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU HIT THE BOX

Advice for your Monday…This is how you save a 507 pound clean and jerk.

This is how Jamie Hagiya watches Regionals. Mark your calendars, Jason Khalipa’s second annual blood drive is coming up this summer. Think you’ve got some serious grip strength? Emily Bridgers: “This is for anyone who thinks they can’t change their life.” Christmas Abbott shoots a .50 cal.

Talayna Fortunato on Pec Injuries“The standards in 2014 were also the same, people probably did even fewer ring dips in their programming then, and the guys were arguably still stronger than the women…Event 1 and then the other movement in Event 2 (dumbbell snatches) were unfortunately coupled in the right way (or wrong way) to fatigue all of the other anterior stabilizers of the shoulder, leaving the pec major vulnerable. Maybe even more vulnerable by week 3, considering how many times some of the athletes may have tested the workouts at home by now. I’d account the injuries coming into the event to this.”

WHAT TO TELL YOUR FRIEND WHO JUST POURED THAT GLASS OF CABERNET…

I’ll take one too please, but hold the sugar. Little did you know but American winemakers have been adding sugar to wine to balance out its acidity. According to the NY Times, more than 60 different additives can be legally used without being disclosed making it hard to tell. In case you really want to dive in more, the Agriculture Department says that a typical glass of red has 0.7 grams of sugar, white 1.4 grams and sweet desert wine as much as 7 grams.

THINGS TO…

WATCH: Road to the Games, EP 4

This episode follows Kristi Eramo and Sam Dancer as they train to take on Regionals. Even though Dancer failed to qualify and Eramo is headed to Wisconsin, this episode is a great window into the life of a Games-level athlete.
WATCH.

HEAR: Redefining Adversity

Some things are outside your control, but how you respond to adversity is entirely up to you. This episode of Chasing Excellence with Ben Bergeron focuses on adversity and how he coaches his athletes through failure.
TUNE IN.

DO: Facebook Live with Dani Horan

From just barely missing the Games in 2016 to coming back and redeeming herself in 2017, Dani Horan has a great story to tell. Today at 3PM Central, she’ll be taking your questions live.
LET’S DO IT LIVE.

EAT: Slow Cooker BBQ Beef and Jackfruit

Number one reason why slow cooker recipes are our favorite is because they’re easy to make and there’s always extras for Tuesday through Thursday.
BBQUEUE.

CHALK UP AFFILIATES

“I was a heroin addict…”
Dan Vandenberg is like every other person that walks through the doors of Phoenix Multisport. It is a sober community for those recovering from substance use disorder, commonly called addiction.

Phoenix offers CrossFit, boxing, weightlifting and other fitness classes 7 days a week for free to anyone who’s been sober for at least 48 hours.

“You might do therapy and treatment and a 12 step program but finding the supportive network of people you find in here,” says Scott Strode, the gym’s founder. “I kind of think about it like finding a new tribe that supports you in your recovery.”

CHALK UP READS

“Triathlon Tips to Take You Through Your Work Week” by Gameplan-A

When the 5:00 am Saturday morning alarm sounds, it immediately transforms my state of blissful rest into focused determination. It’s race day and there’s no turning back.

I’ve always believed that the activities we do ‘outside’ work have a profound impact on us ‘inside’ work. The year was 2014 and I signed up for my first sprint triathlon; ¼ mile open water swim, 10 mile bike, 5K run. I’d been thinking of completing a tri for at least 10 years. As I approached my 5th decade of living, trying a triathlon seemed like a great idea. I was getting antsy and was looking for a new way to challenge myself. And so I did.

The more I’ve raced the more I’ve realized that lessons learned through triathlon competitions are called upon in virtually every aspect of my job. Triathlon has many parallels to the work week, whether sloshing through the open water swim, pushing the pedals to scale the incline of the hills, or the “pound on the ground” run. Living, learning, and pushing boundaries reaches new heights with each medal earned.

“Vikings and Gladiators” by Andréa Maria Cecil, CrossFit Games

On the competition floor, it’s the effort that matters—not your good looks. Except if you’re on a Swedish gladiator show. Then they matter.

“I had a leather skirt and really good hairdos and makeup,” Bjork Odinsdottir said of her time on the Swedish TV series “Gladiatorerna.”

Minutes earlier, the Meridian Regional competitor had finished Event 1—a 1,200-meter run followed by 12 rounds of 4 strict handstand push-ups, 8 chest-to-bar pull-ups and 12 squats while wearing a 14-lb. vest. She was sweaty and some strands of her hair were out of place after finishing the event in 19:22 at La Caja Mágica in Madrid, Spain.

“Nobody cares what you look like out there,” Odinsdottir quipped, pointing in the general direction of the competition floor while standing in an athlete lounge.

For three years, the 29-year-old has been a star on “Gladiatorerna,” which is similar to the show “American Gladiator” that aired from 1989 to 1996 in the United States.

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