Read the latest Morning Chalk Up articles on BarBend
Your Coffee is ready.

Chemotherapy to Quarterfinals for Colleen Grote

 
Morning Chalk Up

March 30   |   POWERED BY

Web

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • Colleen Grote completes chemotherapy and then Quarterfinals
  • James Newbury details his six workout weekend, before completing a triathlon
  • Leah Storen is here and she is making a name for herself
  • GORUCK wants you to compete in the GORUCK games
 
QUOTE OF THE DAY + Send us a Quote

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” - Albert Einstein

 
PROFILE
  Colleen Grote: From Chemotherapy to Quarterfinals  

Colleen Grote: From Chemotherapy to Quarterfinals

Like many Quarterfinals competitors who completed five grueling workouts last weekend, 35-year-old Colleen Grote will rest, recover and get some treatment done on her body this week. The difference for Grote is that her treatment is for cancer.

Last year, just a week after the CrossFit Open wrapped up, Grote, who noticed a lump in her breast and was diagnosed with Stage 2A breast cancer which rocked her to the core.

Just a week before, the member of CrossFit 151 in Marion, IA and mother of two children had narrowly missed making the Quarterfinals cut and was more motivated than ever to train for 2022.

Now, her priority was just staying alive.

“I had two tumors, one was two centimeters and the other was 1.8 centimeters, and I was what they call triple positive. I needed to have 12 rounds of chemotherapy,” said Grote, who underwent a double mastectomy last August.

Today, Grote is cancer-free, but she continues to go for drug infusions once every three weeks to help reduce the chances of reoccurrence, and to kill “anything microscopic” that might still be there.

Continue Reading...
 
SPONSORED Web
Great Sleep is a One Way Ticket to The Games

Great Sleep is a One Way Ticket to The Games

Top CrossFit athletes, such as self-proclaimed “sleep queen” Brooke Wells, trust Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro Cover to create the optimal sleeping environment.

With dynamic heating, cooling, and biometric tracking, the Pod Pro Cover simply fits over your mattress, and results in restful sleep tailored for you.

Unlock your maximum potential during Quarterfinals and you just might find yourself in Madison, WI this August.

Sleep as hard as you train with up $150 in savings on the Pod Pro Cover.

 
SPEED READS

CrossFit has emailed team Quarterfinal invites! 🥳

In case you missed it, Lauren Kalil, the host of The Bottom Line, was joined by Chase Ingraham and Patrick Clark to recap quarterfinals and all the madness that went down.

The second annual #MayhemForFreedom event goes April 23. if you would like to help Rich Froning and company continue the fight against human trafficking, and fight for human freedom, go to their website.

Ricky Garard has joined TYR, adding to an impressive roster that already includes Pat Vellner. TYR is clearly not shying away from the athlete’s past in signing him:

  • “Following the 2017 Crossfit Games, Ricky Garard was banned from competing professionally. Acknowledging his mistake, Ricky took it as a point of growth and maintained his determination to continue training, reflecting, and improving. Now, he is ready for redemption.”

Can our eating rhythms impact our mental health? Interesting piece in Big Think about when you should eat and why.

 
PROFILE
  James Newbury Finishes Triathlon Day After Completing Quarterfinals  

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

James Newbury Finishes Triathlon Day After Completing Quarterfinals

James Newbury was a busy guy this past weekend.

On Friday, the four-time CrossFit Games athlete did four workouts, partially completing the quarterfinals. One of them was a repeat actually.

  • “It was the GHD workout,” said the 31-year-old Australian, referring to Workout 2 which included three rounds for time: 30 alternating single-leg squats, 30 GHD sit-ups and 10 muscle-ups. “My camera didn’t work, so I had to do it again.”

But he was just getting started: Newbury got up on Saturday, hammered out two more workouts, then drove for over an hour to Melbourne from his home gym to host a three hour CrossFit seminar. Then he went home, ate and went to bed, but he was far from done.

  • “The next day I was super sore all over my hips and core area from the GHD sit-ups,” said Newbury, who currently sits in 25th in the Oceania region. “And then I went and did my first Olympic triathlon, which was cool.”
Continue Reading...
 
PROFILE
  James Newbury Finishes Triathlon Day After Completing Quarterfinals  

Leah Storen Makes a Name for Herself After Second CrossFit Open

Every year there are names that pop up on the Open leaderboard after one workout that the average person doesn’t recognize. Typically, those athletes are what we call “specialists” in a certain workout, and most of the time, their names don’t come back up.

But then there’s the other scenario. The one where their name pops up more frequently, making us think this may be the next up and coming athlete, and as sports analysts, we take note. After 18-year-old Norwegian athlete Leah Storen’s Open performance, she may be someone who could very well stick around.

“When my name was in the top five and I was with Tia-Clair Toomey, it was absolutely mind blowing, I couldn’t really understand it. It was like a dream waiting for you to wake up and then you realize no, this is not a dream, this is really happening.”

Continue Reading...
 
COMPETITION
  GORUCK Games Bringing Competition and Community to Jacksonville  

GORUCK Games Bringing Competition and Community to Jacksonville

A new fitness competition will take over Jacksonville, FL, on April 23-24. GORUCK will use unique workouts and equipment to test athletes during the inaugural GORUCK Games. One hundred competitors (50 male and 50 female) will take part on the first day as they battle for spots in the 16-person finals on the second day.

Remind me: There is a wide assortment of athletes that will take part in the GORUCK Games. Some examples hail from the CrossFit world, such as Emily Rolfe and Cody Anderson. Others such as Allison Grubbs and Hunter McIntyre focus on OCR (obstacle course race) events.

  • $50,000 is on the line for the participants in the GORUCK Games. First place in each division will walk away with $15,000 while the runner-ups will each secure $5,000 each. Third place will take $2,000, fourth will take $1,000 and fifth through eighth will each get $500.
  • The GORUCK Games will take a different approach than the CrossFit Games or other fitness competitions. There will not be barbells. Instead, the competitors will take on events built on a foundation of tactical-style fitness.

An air of mystery: There are some details available about what the athletes will face during the weekend in Jacksonville. There will be a rucking event, obstacles created by Savage Race, and some special equipment from Rogue Fitness.

  • The athletes will find out the first workout on Friday, April 22, during check-in. They will complete this workout the following morning, and then they will learn the rest of the Saturday events that will whittle the list down of competitors.
  • Those that qualify for the final round on Sunday, April 24, will still face some unknowns. They will learn the final workouts just before taking part and battling for the prizes.
Continue Reading...
 
THINGS TO...
 

...WATCH

A Day in the Life of Baylee Rayl

Go behind the scenes with the 18th Fittest Woman on Earth and see how she prepared for the Quarterfinals. Lots of fitness, friends, and of course...food.

HOW DO WE GET A BRACELET?
     

SPONSORED

...KNOW

The Not-So-Secret Benefits in Each Can

Whether you're training for the Games or prepping for Murph, you deserve a drink that works as hard as you do. Each can of KILL CLIFF is packed with the vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and plant-based extracts your body needs--especially when it comes to fighting inflammation. Added bonus...they actually taste good.

USE CODE 'LASERS' TO SAVE 50% ON A SECOND PACK.
     
 

...START

Your Eight Week Murph Prep

Progressively increase your capacity leading up to the WOD with the Beyond eight-week prep course, 100% of the profits donated to the Lt. Michael Murphy Foundation. Sign up and you'll also get exclusive entry into giveaways from Born Primitive, Driven Nutrition, Treign, and O2 Recovery.

PREP STARTS ON MONDAY.
     
 

...SNAG

A Free WHOOP Strap 4.0 and Free Month

Gain unparalleled insight into your body and training with a free WHOOP Strap 4.0 and a free month of membership for new members. WHOOP measures your body's data over 100 times a second to provide personalized feedback on your recovery, strain, and sleep.

START TRACKING NOW.
     
 

...KNOW

Should You Release Your Hook Grip When Snatching

Hook grip might be the best way of keeping your hands on the bar in a heavy lift, but what about when you want to get your hands off the bar? Watch this video explaining the exact moment you should look to switch up your grip.

DON'T GET HOOKED.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise. Send us a highlight.

Our Instagram feed is flooded with Quarterfinal PRs 🤩

  • Amanda Barnhart hit a new clean PR of 275 pounds/124.5kg. She unofficially sits 9th overall in the 2022 Individual Quarterfinals.
  • Our very own Brian Friend from CrossFit PFT in Highwood, IL hit a lifetime PR snatch of 185 pounds/84kg.
  • Jessi Harper from CrossFit New England got three new PRs in Quarterfinal Workout 4: 230 lb/104kg clean, 180 lb/81.5kg bench, and 225 lb/102kg overhead squat.
  • 🤯 Andre Houdet cleaned 396 pounds/180kg for a 10kg PR.
  • Kelsey Kiel hit a new clean PR of 282 pounds/128kg.
  • Christine Kole of CrossFit 417 got two new PRs in Quarterfinal Workout 4 with a 280 pound/127kg clean, and 255 pound/115.5kg overhead squat.
 
LOCAL COMPETITIONS + Submit an Event
3/9: The Valkyrie Fitness Competition (Tampa, FL)
3/16: Upper Hunter Strongest Novice (Muswellbrook, Australia)
3/16: Shamwod & Shenanigains (oceanside, ca)
3/16: Oceanside CrossFit 1st Annual Shamwod & Shenanigains (Oceanside, Ca)
3/16: Shamwod & Shenanigains (Oceanside, Ca)
3/23: CFL Teen Take Over (Lorton, VA)
3/23: Masters Distinguished Games (Fort Wright, KY)
3/23 - 3/24: Beach Brawl (Spring) (Pensacola Beach, FL)
4/6: Best Babes Wyoming (Cheyene, Wyoming)
4/6 - 4/7: SeaDog Summer Showdown (Jupiter, Florida)
4/6: Girls Gone Rx Minnesota (Austin, Minnesota)
4/6: Girls Gone Rx Kentucky (Richmond, Kentucky)
4/6: Girls Gone Rx Ohio (Lancaster, Ohio)
4/6: Best Babes Decatur (Decatur, Alabama)
4/6: Best Babes 608 (Janesville, Wisconsin)
4/6: Best Babes South Carolina (Beufort, South Carolina)
4/6: Best Babes Houston (Houston, Texas)
4/6: Best Babes Tampa (Tampa, Florida)
4/6: War Off I-4 (Deland, FL)
4/6 - 4/7: No Pain No Game (Legnano, Italy)
4/6 - 4/7: Shack Team Edition (Rome, Italy)
4/6: Best Babes South Carolina (Beaufort, SC)
4/6: Best Babes Decatur (Decatur, AL)
4/6 - 4/7: Landifornian Battle (Seignosse, France)
4/6: Two Peas in a Pod: Mixed Gender Partner Comp (Burlington, MA)
4/13: Queens of Oly East Tennessee (Bulls Gap, TN)
4/13: Queens of Oly Rockledge (Rockledge, FL)
4/13: Fittest on Main (Boaz, AL)
4/19 - 4/21: Crash Crescendo (Spartanburg, SC)
4/20: Festivus Games (Clermont, FL)
4/20: Barbells For Bullies: Community Workout Savannah (Savnnah, Georgia, US)
4/20: Festivus Games @ CrossFit Plattsburgh (Plattsburgh, NY)
4/20: Festivus Games @ CrossFit Masiphumelele (Kommetjie, Cape Town, South Africa)
4/20: Festivus Games (Goderich, Canada)
4/20: Festivus Games @ The Gym – CrossFit Kilo (Cedar Falls, IA)
4/20: Festivus Games @ CBM Sirens (Caledonia, MS)
4/20: Festivus Games @ Coyote Valley (San Jose, CA)
4/20 - 4/21: Okanagan Valley Throwdown (Penticton, British Columbia)
4/20: The Fittest 4 (Sunshine Coast, Australia)
4/20: Embrace the Challenge (Mentor, Ohio)
4/20: Festivus Games @ CrossFit Pagosa (Pagosa Springs, CO)
4/20: First EVER Adaptive Festivus Games Competition (Waterford, United States)
4/20: Festivus Games (WAUKESHA, WI)
4/20 - 4/21: BGR Contest Spring Edition (Bergerac, France)
4/20 - 4/21: Okanagan Valley Throwdown (Penticton, British Columbia, Canada)
4/26 - 4/28: Crash Crescendo (Spartanburg, SC)
4/27: Cap Crown Throwdown (Gladstone, Australia)
4/28: 249 Spring Throwdown (Sittingbourne, Kent, England)
5/4: Team Challenge Texas (San Antonio, Texas)
5/4 - 5/5: Italian Bulls Games (Lido di Ostia, Italy)
5/4 - 5/5: Pavia Spring Challenge ’24 (Pavia, Italy)
5/4: The Strong and Courageous (Cullman, Alabama)
5/4: CHLKDUP Classic (Nashville, TN)

See all upcoming events

 
Your Coffee is ready.