Brooke Wells Leaves CompTrain — Powered by Element 26
November 21 |
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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Continuing the theme of innovation from yesterday, Kay Wiese profiles several gyms that have adapted in pivotal ways both before and after the pandemic. And, the fifth Fittest Woman on Earth, Brooke Wells, is making a big move.
We love those story tips, quotes and PRs. Keep them coming at [email protected].
“It’s not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what’s required.”- Sir Winston Churchill
Worth Noting
Product News
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Born Primitive will donate $10 to Project Purple from every item sold from its Project Purple Collection during the month of November. And, on Veteran’s Day, Born Primitive donated 50% of its profits to the Navy Seal Foundation and the Adaptive Training Foundation.
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Changes Continue for Brooke Wells; Leaves CompTrain
In an Instagram post on Friday, Ben Bergeron announced that six-time CrossFit Games athlete Brooke Wells will depart his CompTrain stable to pursue other training opportunities. Wells has not announced who her new coach will be or what programming she will follow.
One big thing: Wells departure ends a successful relationship that lasted over four years and culminated last month with Wells finishing fifth at the 2020 Games, her best finish in her career. It also continues the theme of change this year for Wells who moved from Tulsa, Okla. to Nashville, Tenn. in July to continue her training for the Games.
Why it matters: Bergeron stated in his post that “Brooke has let me know that the time has come for her to explore new opportunities with a new coach.” His post and her subsequent reply show the mutual respect and friendship that the two share. The move for Wells was not based on anything negative or any strife between the two but rather it signals possibly bigger things are in store for her and that her partnership with Bergeron had run its course.
In 2001, CrossFit opened its first affiliate in Santa Cruz, CA. Since then, CrossFit has grown to more than 14,000 gyms in over 120 countries (at the high water mark, there were over 15,000). To give you some context, there are currently more CrossFit Gyms in the world than Dunkin Donuts. But perhaps the most surprising thing about the CrossFit affiliate model is that little has changed in the 19 years since CrossFit began.
Walk into your average CrossFit gym on a weekday night, and you’ll find that it doesn’t look that much different than it did ten years ago. Most CrossFit affiliates still employ part-time coaches and run 5-7 group fitness classes each day. While the athletes have gotten fitter, it seems the business model is still stuck in 2001.
Early Season Predictions: How The 2021 Season Event Partners Could Line Up
Last week we covered some potential details regarding the 2021 CrossFit Games season, including the status of the middle portion of the season, previously composed of 28 Sanctionals, and before that nine Regional competitions. As we reported, and as Eric Roza has mentioned in various media appearances, the middle portion will act essentially as Regionals, but will be operated by “event partners,” that were previously Sanctionals.
With approximately 12 event partners slated for 2021 and Open registration determining the number of events in each region, the truest representation of the greater CrossFit community’s numbers is the 2018 Open when participation was at its peak, and closer to Roza’s stated 2021 goal of 500,000 registered athletes.
The proposed events: 5 in North America, 3 in Europe, 1 in Australia, 1 in Asia, 1 in Africa, 1 in South America.
2018 Open registration by region: North America 62.7%; Europe 19.2%; Australia 6.8%; Asia 2.5%; Africa 2.6%; South America 6.2%
The CrossFit Open Adaptive Division: What We Know Now
In an interview with the Talking Elite Fitness podcast on November 11, CrossFit’s new CEO Eric Roza, stated (seemingly kind of leaked) that he’s excited for the inclusion of a new Adaptive Division in the 2021 CrossFit Open. This may not be an official announcement from CrossFit, but for everyone who has been hoping for this addition, it was a day to celebrate.
One big thing: CrossFit is now more than ever aware of the need to be inclusive and accepting of everyone within the fitness community, and the introduction of an Adaptive Division to the Open represents a major development for adaptive athletes around the world.
In reaction to the announcement, Logan Aldridge, co-founder of Adaptive Training Academy, Nike sponsored athlete, and reigning world’s “Fittest Adaptive Athlete” from 2018 and 2019 said, “as a competitive adaptive athlete, I’m absolutely thrilled that there is going to be an official Adaptive Division in the sport of CrossFit! But what’s more exciting to me is the trickle down effect this will have for the community as more people with disabilities see that CrossFit training is something they can, and should be doing.”
Do you have to move your feet between your pulling stance and receiving stance? Most people widen their stance between pulling and receiving the bar, but it's not an absolute. Learn more about how to dial in your footwork in your Olympic lifts in this article from Greg Everett and Catalyst Athletics.
Staying safe is more important than ever these days, and for many of us that means finding ways to workout at home. But with gym equipment hard to come by, it can be impossible to build the setup you need. That's why 2POOD is giving away a FULL home gym setup complete with a rig, rack, barbell, and plates. Not to mention additional winners will receive gift cards and gear. Enter soon because this giveaway ends tomorrow!
The Buttery Bros Get Their CrossFit L-1 with Eric Roza
In this episode, Marston Sawyers and Heber Cannon travel to Boulder, CO to earn their CrossFit Level One certification with CEO Eric
Roza and other special guests. Check out how they did and learn more about the certification course has changed.
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Tight hamstrings are the bane of most athletes' existence and it seems like no amount of stretching fixes the problem. To make matters worse, tight hammies can lead to all sorts of chronic pain and imbalances. The problem for most of us begins in the hip flexors. Give these four exercises a go and begin to fix that tight posterior chain!
Chalk Up Highlights is our section dedicated to celebrating our community’s wins in the gym. Follow @ChalkUpHighlights and submit your highlight to [email protected] or tag us in #chalkuphighlights for a chance to be featured.
Our final community round-up this week features a gym that stepped up to fill a void for adaptive athletics, a Thanksgiving food drive and a quick recap of a fundraiser to honor a fallen hero:
Underground Fitness for Adaptive Athletes: In Asheville, NC, South Slope CrossFit closed its doors in the spring and as the home of an Adaptive CrossFit program, it left a void in the community. Underground Fitness stepped in and took on the program, partnered with Buncombe County Special Olympics. Learn more about their great work in this profile.
Turkey Day Throwdown:Excel Health and Fitness in Manteca, CA will host its annual Turkey Day Throwdown competition and frozen turkey drive. Two-person teams will complete one workout with two scores and heats begin every half hour between 9 am and 3 pm. The entry fee is one frozen turkey per individual which will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank.
Murph Challenge Fundraiser: Last weekend, Babylon CrossFit in Babylon, NY held a Murph fundraiser to benefit the LT. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation. Murphy, a Navy Seal from nearby Patchogue, NY, was killed in Afghanistan during Operation Red Wings in 2005, he was awarded a Medal of Honor. CrossFitters across the United States traditionally honor Murphy on Memorial Day by completing his namesake Hero WOD “Murph.” Learn more and see pictures from Babylon CrossFit’s event.
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