Castro drops more Games event details

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is fueled by FlapJacked, the Official Breakfast Sponsor of the Morning Chalk Up. 

It’s peanut butter jelly time! Peanut butter gel-eh! That’s right, we’ve secretly released a Peanut Butter & Jelly Mighty Muffin on Amazon and you’re the first to know. Grab a 12 pack now for just $29.99 or try a sample next week when you see us at the CrossFit Games!

Six days until the CrossFit Games. 

“Pay attention to the things you are naturally drawn to. They are often connected to your path, passion, and purpose in life. Have the courage to follow them.” — Ruben Chavez 

Gaming for Good with Gamers Outreach

What is Gamers Outreach?

Founded by high school student Zach Wigal in 2008, Gamers Outreach is a charity organization that provides equipment, technology, and software to help kids cope with treatment while in the hospital.

That’s a great idea.

Isn’t it? They started as a group of high schoolers who loved playing video games…naturally. After spending an afternoon in a local hospital, they realized that video games would be a cool thing for kids to do if they had to stay in the hospital.

Why it’s important.

Having to stay in the hospital is bad enough as it is, but for kids it can be scary. Gamers Outreach helps aid the process by providing relief, socialization through gaming, and a sense of normalcy to kids and families forced to spend longer stints in the hospital.

Volunteers, called Player Twos, also visit the hospitals to play together with patients. Since rolling out the program in 2015, they’ve partnered with several hospitals, getting volunteers (called Player Twos) to distribute games to patients, provide minor tech support, and playing games with kids.

Sounds like a fun time.

Our friends over at LIFEAID thought so too and, they’ve teamed up with Gamers Outreach and Loot Crate, a monthly subscription box for gamers, to raise some money via a live stream this Saturday, July 28th at 12:00 PT. You can win prizes, chat with popular gamers
like Jared Gilmore and Naomi Kyle. If you’re going spend all weekend playing video games, at least game for some good.

Run a Ragnar at the CrossFit Games

Wait, what?

Why not? While reveling among the fittest of the fit, squeeze in a Ragnar 1.4 Relay, where you and three friends, or two for an ultra team, will run relay style on a 1.4 mile course, at the CrossFit Games in Madison, WI.

When?

Get all your fitness checked off nice and early during the CrossFit Games weekend. The Ragnar 1.4 Relay is Thursday, August 2, 2018 at 1:00 PM at Quann Park, right next door to the Alliant Energy Center. 

What do we do?

Your team will finish after each team member has completed the loop once. Only once! When you’re done, stick around to learn about the new Ragnar CrossFit Division for worldwide events. And, the best part? It’s totally free to spectators of the CrossFit Games.

Coffee Break Conversations

What to say to your SO the next time you look up to see him scrolling Insta for the fourteenth time during dinner…

Put the phone away. Like away, away. Brigitte Zeitlin, a registered dietician, just wrote an article outlining the top five things most people think are healthy, but are not. She says that all the nutritional hype on the Internet is mostly BS anyway so put the phone away and order dessert, because that’s another thing she lists. Being too restrictive and always saying no to dessert, and other things you might crave, can backfire. 

Things To…

WATCH: Emotions of the 2018 Regionals 

As you get ready for the CrossFit Games, look back at all the highs and lows from Regionals. CrossFit put together a video of the emotional moments of each event. Spoiler: There are tears.

WATCH THIS. 

KNOW: How Much Protein Do I Actually Need? 

Protein, probably the most widely debated macronutrient, is vital for almost everything in the body. But how much do you need? How much is too much? What are the best types of protein? And how to know if you’re not getting enough?

NOW YOU KNOW. 

EAT: Plum Cardamom Crumble with Pistachios 

The crumble is kind of the underdog of desert. But we love a good underdog, and we also love plums, so this was a natural choice for us. With a buttery brown sugar crumble and summer plums with cardamom, this dessert will soon be a favorite.

SOUNDS GOOD.

BUY: Official CrossFit Games After Party

Come celebrate with your favorite athletes and friends at “The Official 2018 Reebok CrossFit Games After-Party”, presented by PARTYAID. Hosted at Liquid in Madison, 10:00 pm Sunday Aug 5, tickets are $25 each and available now. 

SEE YOU THERE. 

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

Chalk Up Community

• PRO-TIP — Jared Enderton schools you on the hookgrip, why it’s important, and why you should stop complaining that it’s uncomfortable and just do it. 
• DELANEY STRONG FUNDRAISER — This Saturday at CrossFit Battleready in Evans, CO come support six-year-old Delaney’s battle with cancer. 
• ARIZONA GIVEAWAY — Enter to win a five day supply of Nature’s Purpose meals with Tennil Reed-Beuerlein. Go like her post and tag a friend before Friday, July 27th. 
• BOISE CROSSFIT UPDATE — We told you about CrossFit Boise earlier this week. While hosting a community fundraiser, their donation jar was stolen. Since the story broke, they’ve raised more than five times the amount that was stolen.
• FAMILY FRIENDLY CROSSFIT — CrossFit Oakdale in CA pride themselves on being family friendly. “It’s super important to us,” owner Alison Huberty said of the family atmosphere. “We never wanted it to feel like a shark tank. We want people to be able to bring their kids.” The gym offers a kids class, teen class, as well as a pre-school class for children ages three to five.

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

Dave Castro reveals a hint for Individual Event 3 and drops details for Team Event 1 • Scott Panchik joins the SteadyMD team • Chris Spealler does a bear crawl with 50 pound dumbbells • Jared Enderton gets a 405 pound overhead squat • Rogue Fitness has already shipped 32 of 40 full trucks of equipment and gear to Madison.

…and the next time you think box jumps are just impossible, remember this kid. 

Dave Castro’s Hint Got Some Jokes — Yesterday, Dave Castro revealed a hint for Individual Event 3 and offered a free pair of Reebok Nanos to the first person to guess the actual workout. All seriousness aside, some of these were too funny not to share. Here are our five favorites that are definitely worth an LOL with your second cup of coffee:

1. “Poker tournament.” — @brunordn
2. “Max distance frisbee throw.” — @andrewporteous1
3. “Add the weight up in your head. No calculators allowed. Test the mental game.” —  @linkcons
4. “Organizing plates based on weight and color for time.” — @levi_g_anderson
5. “Plate jenga.” — @hannah_cho56

Later on in the evening, HQ dropped the full deets. Looks like the CrossFit Total is making its appearance for the first time since the 2007 CrossFit Games. 

2007 CrossFit Total Top 5:

— Men: 1). Connor Banks 1225 pounds, 2). Josh Everett 1133 pounds, 3). Evan Von Qualen 1025 pounds, 4). Dale Saren 1005 pounds, and 5). Jeremy Thiel 974.8 pounds. 

— Women: 1). Nicole Dehart 530 pounds, 2). Jolie Gentry 496 pounds, 3). Tara Muccilli 475 pounds, 4). Mary Rigney 465 pounds, and 5). Nora Grant 462 pounds. 

Our dark horse candidates for top lifters are Jared Enderton and Mekenzie Riley.

Stacie Tovar on why she works out…”Why do I workout? It’s fun. It makes me feel free. It clears my mind, boosts my energy, and keeps my enthusiasm for life high. I love the challenge. It leaves me feeling confident, inspired, and motivated. It’s me time. I am worth it – you are worth it. Keep going.”

Emily Bridgers Counts Down — Emily Bridgers continues to count down to her final CrossFit Games. Here’s memory number five, “The 2014 CrossFit Invitational. Representing Team USA! Competing with three CrossFit legends: Rich Froning, Julie Foucher, and Jason Khalipa and being coached by another legend Becca Voigt. Jason made it loud and clear that winning was the only option and we had a great time doing just that!” 

Ten Years of Team Invictus — As the 2018 CrossFit Games approaches Karen Martin, the self-titled CrossFit Invictus Team Mom, looks back on ten years of Team Invictus. 

Adaptive Athletes at CrossFit Games — Want to volunteer to do an Adaptive CrossFit workout on the competition floor at the CrossFit Games in Madison? CrossFit is looking for adaptive athletes that would like to volunteer to do an Adaptive CrossFit Workout on the competition floor Saturday, August 4th at 4:00 pm. If you’re interested, let them know.

Panchik Brothers on the Road — Scott and Saxon Panchik are documenting their days leading up to Madison for the CrossFit Games. Yesterday they discussed training and how it changes from competing in the Open to the CrossFit Games.

“How Emily Bridgers Turned CrossFit Into a Career” by Tess DeMeyer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A childhood dream of owning a gymnastics facility was reshaped into a vision of her own CrossFit gym after coaching at various locations. She holds an exercise science degree from UGA, which fits her current career path perfectly, as she is the head coach at CrossFit Terminus and assists her clients in various aspects of fitness and nutrition.

“It’s as much being good coaches as it is just knowing how to relate to humans and trying to make everyone happy all the time,” she said. “I love it. It’s a really cool profession to have.”

Bridgers seems to be succeeding in her attempts to satisfy customers. CrossFit Terminus houses around 175 members, and there are numerous testimonials on the gym’s website praising its comfortable environment that welcomes all ages, body types and skill levels. She points to being involved in “anything that makes a positive impact on (someone’s) life” as her favorite part of being a coach.

So far, Bridgers has conquered every bump in the road and still manages to “hang with the pack” of CrossFit athletes who solely train for competitions in favor of traditional employment. But she won’t be running with the herd much longer as she announced her retirement from competition May 31, meaning the 2018 CrossFit Games in August will be her last.

7/21: Second Annual Summer Showdown (Nicholasville, KY)

7/21: Swole Wars II (Burleson, TX)

7/21: Sacred Pines Invitational (Ladson, SC)

7/21: Battle at the BallPark (Peoria, IL) 

7/21: Summer Partner Throwdown (Hammond, LA)

7/21: The Freedom Games (Greenwood, SC)

7/21: The Duel: Competitor vs. Cancer (Nevada, IA)

7/21 – 7/22: The Rubicon (Centerton, AR)

7/21 – 7/22: Fit Nation Thunderdome (Fort Myers, FL)

7/22: Iceland with VoyEdge RX

7/27-29: CanWest Games (Coquitlam, BC)

7/28: Garage Girls Hard Core Fit (Watkinsville, GA) 

7/28: Garage Girls CrossFit HardCore (Boca Raton, FL) 

7/28: AZ FitCom Competition (Phoenix, AZ)

7/28: Summer Knights Showdown (Springfield, IL)

7/28: Savage Wolves CrossFit Classic (Nazareth, PA)

7/28 – 7/29: CF Summer Circus (Des Moines, IA)

7/29: Summer Sizzle (Wadsworth, OH) 

7/30: Legends of Lebo (Pittsburgh, PA)

81 – 8/5: The CrossFit Games (Madison, WI) 

8/4: Lumberjack Lift Off (Buckley, WA) 

8/4: G-Town Throwdown (Georgetown, MA) 

8/4: US National Parks Tour with VoyEdge RX

8/4: War at the Shore (Neptune City, NJ)

8/5: Sure Shot Shootout (Greenville, OH)

8/11: Red Raider Backyard Brawl (Coatesville, PA)

8/11: 2018 Rimrock Ruckus (Billings, MT)

8/11: Survival Games 2018 (Wooster, OH)

8/11: The Warhorse Games (Kansas City, KS)

8/11: War of the Roses (Pasadena, CA) 

8/18: Bladium CrossFit Fossil Games (Denver, CO) 

​8/18: The Revolution: Articles of Confederation (San Antonio, TX)

8/18: Summer Slam Royal Rumble (Oakdale, CA)

8/18: CrossFit Krypton’s Compete for a Cure (Chesapeake, VA)

8/18: CrossFit Endure Granite Games Throwdown (Windsor, CO)

8/18: MKT CrossFit Granite Games Throwdown (Columbia, MO)

8/18: Rocky Mountain Throwdown (Fort Collins, CO) 

8/18: Crossfit Krypton’s Compete for a Cure (Chesapeake, VA)

​8/18: Mayhem on the Mountain (Pelham, AL)

8/18: Crossfit Charlevoix Granite Games Throwdown (Charlevoix, MI) 

8/18: Battle in the Boro (Washington, NJ)

8/18: Troy CrossFit Granite Games Throwdown (San Diego, CA) 

8/19: Battle on Broadway (Garnder, MA) 

8/25: Iron Belle and Femme Royale Women’s Competition (Austin, TX) 

8/25: CrossFit Sua Sponte Summer Slam (Raleigh, NC) 

8/25: AMRAP For Autism (Waxhaw, NC)

​8/25: CrossFit Decathlon (Indianapolis, IN) 

8/25: Best of the West Summer Event (Bend, OR)