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Cutting the Field, But At What Cost

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

Ideas without action aren’t ideas. They’re regrets.” — Jeff Haden

Cutting the Field, at What Cost?

 

Three hundred thirty eight CrossFitters (148 men, 134 women, 14 teams) will soon arrive in Madison boasting the prestige of being a CrossFit Games athlete.

Despite the fact that there are more than a million USD on the line – for those who’ll be cut before the weekend — just showing up could be an expensive badge of honor. With 236 national champions punching a ticket, there are literally athletes commuting to compete from across the globe.

Ireland’s Emma McQuaid crunched her numbers for the Morning Chalk Up and not taking into account food, her flights ($1,200), accommodation ($2,600) and hire car ($800) —  the weekend won’t come cheap (nearly $5,000).

Australia’s Brandon Swan will travel over with team Project X, but recalls: “My first trip to the Games (Individual, 2012) I had zero sponsors and the trip cost me $10,000 (AUD).”

“Flights to Madison from Australia are about $2500-3000 (AUD) return. Accommodation, hire cars, food etc and I think it’s safe to assume that the cost of the trip for the team would be nearing $30-40K,” he said.

This time around the team’s travel will be covered by sponsors; it’s a similar story for team CrossFit Alioth, who’s staying in a big villa with the whole team, to cut down on costs.

“I think it’s a cheaper option rather than staying in the athlete hotel,” CrossFit Alioth’s Mia Akerlund said.

Continue reading…

CrossFit Affiliates Become Community Lifeboats to Combat Childhood Obesity

 

Every summer, parents put their ears to the ground looking for programs to keep their kids busy: Sleepover camp, YMCA, VBS, science camp, junior lifeguards, play dates with neighborhood families.

Now, we can also add CrossFit Summer Camp to the list. And a few are adding key nutritional education as well to combat a nutritional and fitness deficit being offered to young kids.

Since 1970, the percentage of children and adolescents affected by obesity has more than tripled. In 2016, one out of every five children was obese. And today, across the nation, recess is becoming a thing of the past coupled with fast, processed food and sugar-stocked vending machines only contributing to the problem.

Greg Glassman said, “You thought it was about the fitness, it’s really not. Each box, each gym, is a lifeboat in what is a tsunami of chronic disease.” That’s not just for adult athletes, it’s for kids too.

As of August, 2018 there were 3,500 CrossFit Kids registered programs at affiliates and more than 1,200 CrossFit programs in schools. Who better to meet the needs of the kids in their community than CrossFit affiliates?

How to be a community lifeboat.

There are several programs up and running that are getting kids into boxes for CrossFit, teaching them about nutrition, and preparing them to make positive change, on their own, once they go home.

Continue reading…

Things To…

 

WATCH: Yours Truly, Tia Clair Toomey Part 2
True Protein hung out with Tia-Clair Toomey and husband and coach, Shane Orr for a day of training in Cookeville, TN. They start the day with coffee and chatting before heading to Rich’s barn for the first part of training, followed by a second session at CrossFit Mayhem after lunch.
SHE RESTS ON THE RUNS.

 

HEAR: Super Mega CrossFit Games Preview Extravaganza
Sean Woodland and Tommy Marquez run down their picks for the 2019 CrossFit Games, welcome guest Brian Friend to analyze some numbers including performance between Rich Froning and Mat Fraser, and they talk about how they’re both going to help provide coverage in Madison this year. 
ALL THE STATS.

 
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THE BEST PART OF COOKIES.

 

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is brought to you by

Chalk Up Community

 
  • CROSSFIT HEALTH CONFERENCE — The 2019 CrossFit Health Conference will take place Wednesday, July 31 at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, WI. Tickets are $40 each.
  • BURPEES FOR FOSTER KIDS — Jamie Bond has pledged to do one burpee for every dollar raised in her fundraising campaign for Place of Hope in West Palm Beach, FL, a nonprofit organization that works to provide a stable and loving family environment for children.
  • CUTTING WEIGHT WITH RP — Our Managing Editor, Jessica Danger, finished week two of nine, cutting weight with the RP Diet App.

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

Ben Alderman snatches 286 pounds barefoot • Becca Voigt  has partnered with NOCCO • Happy fifth wedding anniversary to Jacob and Kelli HeppnerHappy birthday Rich Froning • Valerie Boileau deadlifts 300 pounds for a PR • Congratulations to Cody Anderson on his recent engagement to KaylaRoman Khrennikov tries wake surfing for the first time • Katherine Nye snatches 246 pounds for a PR • Mia Akerlund back squats 330 pounds • Thuri Helgadottir overhead squats 248 pounds • Sean Sweeney gets a 100 pound dumbbell strict press for a set of four.

…and there’s always one in every class.

SouthFit Joins International Online Qualifier — SouthFit, a Sanctional set to take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina in December, just joined the International Online Qualifier

— Other Sanctionals: Other Sanctionals using the International Online Qualifier are Filthy150, Wodapalooza, and CrossFit Atlas Games.

Jason Carroll Prepares for Madison — Jason Carroll makes his return to the 2019 CrossFit Games ranked 27th in our Power Rankings. Morning Chalk Up caught up with Carroll for one of his last training sessions before leaving for Madison.

— “Well, everything has always just been a surprise this whole season, and just like anybody else, it’s a little stressful, but at this point you’re so close to the CrossFit Games you’re either rolling with the punches or going with the flow and seeing what happens…I feel like I’m gonna make a good showing out there and make some people proud and display my fitness out on the world stage.”

Not Your Average Teenager — Maddy Espinoza was just featured on the Chestee blog, where she shares her perspective on being bullied at school for devoting her free time to her training, recovering, and planning how she is going to make it back to the CrossFit Games.

On unkind remarks about physique: “Last year was terrible. It wasn’t really the girls as much as it was guys giving me a hard time for what I looked like. I wasn’t even that muscular. I am way more muscular now.”

— P.S. Maddy made the 2019 youth Pan American Team to represent USA in Guayaquil, Ecuador at the end the August and is running a GoFundMe to help get her there.

Sounds familiar: Up and coming teen athlete Kelsey Schulte shared similar experiences with us when we sat down with her in Fallon, NV. 

— “Once I got into Freshman and Sophomore year I’ve really developed my arms, my legs. When I’m walking through classes people notice. It’s different to see, especially to see girls with muscles…I’ve had a bunch of people say ‘you look like a man’, ‘why are you doing this?’ ‘You don’t look like a female anymore.’ I don’t look at that to be discouraging. I find that to be motivation to me. This is a compliment to me…I’m sorry if that’s not the look you want, but this is my passion.”

Reads
CHALK UP READS

“An Open Letter About the Need for Greater Awareness of Caffeine Levels in Energy Drinks,” Dr. Aaron Hinde, Morning Chalk Up 

As appeared in the San Jose Mercury News.

An open letter about the need for greater awareness of caffeine levels in energy drinks may come off as hypocritical from the co-founder of a functional and energy drink brand. But I’m also a father to two teenagers who, along with their friends, can easily have too much of any energy drink — drinks that are sold everywhere and marketed to younger consumers. It was important for me personally and professionally to go on the record.

When Red Bull® launched a generation ago, the brand introduced us to a new kind of beverage: the energy drink. Other brands have since followed suit, including LIFEAID Beverage Co., the beverage line I co-founded with Orion Melehan in Santa Cruz, California.

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that kids between the ages of 12 and 18 should not consume more than 100 milligrams of caffeine per day. The average cup of coffee contains around 90-120 milligrams of caffeine. But many of today’s energy and “pre-workout” drinks contain as much as 300 milligrams of caffeine in a single can. Unfortunately, many teens are consuming not one but multiple of these types of drinks daily. And we’re just talking about the concern of caffeine levels in these drinks. Some brands use sweeteners like sucralose, which is under scrutiny for its impact on gut health.

Reads
CHALK UP CALENDAR

7/26 – 7/28: CanWest Games (Coquitlam, BC)
7/27: The Mountain Meltdown (Arapahoe Basin, CO)
7/27: 7th annual Dog Days of Summer Competition (Roswell, GA)
7/27: The CF Summer Circus (Des Moines, IA)
7/27: 2019 Summer Meltdown (Birmingham, AL)
7/27: Masters Tour (Travelers Rest, SC)
7/27: The WoDer Games (Ontario, Canada)
7/27: Girls Gone RX Waco (Waco, TX)
7/27: Rock the Ages at CrossFit Templum (Carrollton, TX)
7/27: The Meshugge Melee (Overland Park, KS)
7/27: All Gave Some, Some Gave All (Whitesboro, NY)
7/27: EVF “Stronger Together” Challenge (New York, NY)
7/27: X’s and Y’s (Lilburn, GA)
7/29 – 8/4: The 2019 CrossFit Games (Madison, WI)
8/2: Pirate Supporters Friday Night Light Kick Off (Lefors, TX)
8/3: OUTWOD Kansas City at CrossFit FIF (Kansas City, MO)
8/3: War of the WODs Summer Series (Greensboro, NC)
8/3: Riverport Rumble (Louisville, KY)
8/3: 31 Heroes (Norfolk,VA)
8/3: G’Town Throwdown – Chapter 3 (Georgetown, MA)
8/3: Brawl in the Burbs (Bridgeport, PA)
8/10: CFE’s Sugar & Spice Co-Ed Partner Competition (Burlington, MA)
8/10: Best of the Midwest Team Series at CrossFit 9 Degrees (Brownsburg, IN)
8/10: OUTWOD Charlotte at Silver Wolf CrossFit (Charlotte, NC)
8/10: OUTWOD Phoenixville at CrossFit Lock 60 (Phoenixville, PA)
8/10: Sparrow Classic 2 Scaled Partner Competition (Pearland, TX)
8/10: Summer Battleground 2019 (Farmingdale, NY)
8/10: Goddess Games (Charlotte, NC)
8/10 – 8/11: No Surrender Survival Games (Wooster, OH)
8/11: The Rise of The Resilient (Hopkinton, MA)
8/16: OUTWOD Charlotte (Charlotte, NC)
8/16 – 8/17: WodFest 2019 (Joplin, MO)
8/17: Fittest in the Fork (Ft. Sill, OK)
8/17: Barbells For Bullies at CrossFit QDA (Buffalo, NY)
8/17: CrossFit Sua Sponte’s Summer Slam (Raleigh, NC)
8/17: The Fossil Games (Denver, CO)
8/17: Warhorse Games KC (Kansas City, KS)
8/17: CrossFit Shatter Summer Slam (Albany, NY)
8/17: The Syndicate Series Presents The Battlegrounds (Columbia, MD)
8/17: Poore Beer and CrossFit Benefit (Hendersonville, NC)
8/17: Unbroken Series Adaptive Games (Marion, NC)
8/17: 6th annual Babes and Bros (Grand Rapids, MI)
8/18: Red Raider Backyard Brawl III (Coatesville, PA)

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