Dave Castro Reveals Individual Event 2

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is powered by Brute Strength, the Official Online Training Sponsor of the Morning Chalk Up.

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Nine days until the CrossFit Games.

“The law of attraction is this: You don’t attract what you want. You attract what you are.” — Wayne Dyer 

CrossFit is Saving Lives Left and Right

How so?

It was a regular old 9:00 am Friday class at CrossFit Factory Square when coach Ivo Wesseling sent four of his members out for an 800-meter run while the remaining athletes opted for scaled movements. But then a few minutes went by. And a few more. The scaled athletes moved forward in the workout. No athletes were running back. He was starting to worry.

Where were they?

Dan Sotto, a firefighter, was leading the run when he saw an elderly man in distress. The man was sitting in a chair on the city sidewalk, blue in the face, trying to get his dentures out of his mouth. Angela De Leon, a registered nurse, was only a few meters behind Dan. Dan and Angela looked at one another and then stopped their run to go to the man’s aid. Shannon, who was running behind them and had been using her phone for music, called 911.

What was wrong?

The man was blue in the face and showing obvious signs of medical distress. Rod Capobianco, the last of the runners, ran into a nearby cafe to get gloves in case they needed them. Dan and Angela assessed the man. He had a pulse but was not breathing. They lifted him out of his seat and onto the ground and was able to clear his airway and talk to him a bit.

That’s terrifying.

Coach Ivo, back at the gym was panicking. Trying to keep the other athletes calm, he continued the class and watched for the others from the door. Dan, Angela and the others stayed with the man until paramedics arrived.

Then what?

You guessed it. The four CrossFitting Good Samaritans ran back to CrossFit Factory Square and finished their workout. But Rod, who only just started CrossFit three months ago, spent the rest of the day in disbelief. “Never would I ever have imagined I would even be doing the stuff I’m doing in CrossFit, let alone that I would be saving someone’s life.” CrossFit, amiright?

Coffee Break Conversations

What to tell you Uncle Carl who constantly tells you he’d go Paleo but he just loves bread too much…

Now is your time to shine, Carl. Archaeologists just found a 14,400-year-old bread-making site in northeastern Jordan. This means that ancient hunter-gatherers were making and eating bread 4,000 years before the introduction of agriculture. So, add it to the menu and if any naysayers try to prove you wrong, grab some breadsticks and point them towards of Ötzi, a corpse of a man, frozen in the ice of the Eastern Italian Alps. The body turned out to be 5,300 years old
and his stomach contained wheat. 

Things To…

WATCH: All In with Brent Fikowski

In Episode Three of the Brent Fikowski documentary, follow Brent as he travels to San Diego for West Regional. Brent walks us through each event and how he felt he did in them.

MUST SEE.

Hear: Warrior, Monk, and Firebreather

On this episode of the Better Human Project, we hear from Gregory Amundson on actively seeking growth and mentorship and the difference between the short term pain of discipline and the long- term pain of regret.

TUNE IN.

KNOW: How to Pick the Best Tomatoes

One of the best things about summer is all the fresh produce. But picking tomatoes sometimes feels like rocket science. Here’s how to pick the perfect one each time instead of those imposter jerks that ruin a perfectly good salad.

PICK IT REAL GOOD.

EAT: Tomato Avocado Toasts

A great way to use those tomatoes, especially if you add some fresh basil and as much garlic as possible, these delicious little gems can pass for any meal. Easy to make, even easier to eat.

LET’S DO THIS.

BUY: Personalized 2018 Games Gear

Reebok just released their 2018 CrossFit Games customizable shirt. For just a couple of extra bucks, you can add your name and a number and feel like a CrossFit Games athlete. 

LIKE A CHAMP. 

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• LONGEVITY CLASS — CrossFit Pick Axe in Grass Valley, CA offers a longevity class every Monday thru Friday at 10:45 am. The class is meant for real-life needs and movements modified for any mobility need or previous injury. 
• DESPITE ALL ODDS, HEADED TO GAMES — At 57-years-old Gus Vandervoort never thought he’d be headed to Madison for the CrossFit Games. “At my age, you can’t go like you are 25,” Vandervoort said. “We have to listen to our bodies when it whispers.”
• TEEN ARRESTED IN VANDALISM — Last week we told you that the memorial for Michael Murphy was vandalism. Over the weekend an arrest was made. 

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

Dave Castro reveals Individual Event 2 • Happy birthday Rich Froning • Left Coast Vibes released their new line of shorts today • Clarence Kennedy gets a 227.5kg / 501lbs Clean PR • Jacob Anderson gets a 505-pound deadlift • NOBULL is hiring • Brooke, who is visually impaired, works with coach Chase Knight and gets a 130 pound back squat PR. 

…and this kid is the true example of helping the last ones in. 

What’s in Store as CrossFit Games Returns to Old Format? — “From 2012 – 2016, individual competition at the CrossFit Games kicked off with anywhere from two to three events on Wednesday. In all years except for 2016, where there was one event on Thursday, opening day was followed by a rest day.

Moving to a new city and venue in 2017, Dave Castro and the Games team broke from tradition and pushed athletes through four-straight days of competition starting on Thursday…CrossFit Games officials recently indicated they’re moving back to a tough Wednesday, followed by a rest day on Thursday, then Friday through Sunday format. So what could that mean for 2018 day 1?” …continue reading.

CrossFit Omaha Changes Lives — Stacie Tovar coaches a class specifically for brain and spinal cord injury rehabilitation at CrossFit Omaha. They’ve had much success recently like one woman finally reaching her toes and another man doubling the weight of his dumbbell in a workout. 

Emily Bridgers Continues Her Top Twelve Games Memories — Bridgers, who is set to retire after the 2018 CrossFit Games, is counting down with her top twelve best memories. Her second memory is winning the 2014 Southeast regionals and her third memory is last day of the Games in 2014.

Emily Abbott Tells Her Side — Emily Abbott appeared on the Barbell Shrugged Podcast to tell her side of the story. She teared up several times while explaining her take on her recent drug test failure. “I abhor the idea of putting artificial chemicals into my body. I don’t even take birth control. This accusation goes against my entire nature as a being. I chose CrossFit because I actively seek hardship in my life because I know I can
overcome it. And I guess maybe this situation is similar, but I chose CrossFit because I know how to work hard. I grinded for five fucking years. I went through an entire process of just working hard. To enter into the realm of cheating never even occurred to me. Why would I want an easy way out? It goes against everything that I am.”

Hunter McIntyre Does Regionals — OCR champion Hunter McIntyre thinks he’s fit enough to go to the CrossFit Games. We’re in Kansas to live streaming Hunter as he takes on all six Regionals events. We kicked off Event 1 and Event 2 yesterday. Event 3 is happenng today at 9:00 pacific time. 

“Violence or Disease: What’s Killing Americans” by Jason Cooper, The CrossFit Journal

We live in a time of unrelenting media coverage of war and cataclysmic weather events. But what’s killing the majority of Americans? Is it violence? Is it weather and natural disasters? Is it war?

Let’s look at the data.

The most populous cities in America are New York, New York; Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; Houston, Texas; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The combined population of all five cities is just over 19.1 million people, who represent roughly six percent of the U.S. population.

In 2014, the leading causes of death in New York City were heart disease, cancer, influenza and pneumonia, chronic lower respiratory diseases, diabetes, strokes, accidents, kidney disease, drug overdose and Alzheimer’s disease. 

In 2012, the leading causes of death in Los Angeles were heart disease, strokes, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, pneumonia, colorectal cancer, liver disease and hypertension. Violence and significant weather events didn’t make top ten.

This is America. This is what is killing us. And so many of these deaths can be prevented with proper nutrition and exercise.

Violence and natural disasters kill Americans, too, but we can do far more good by focusing our efforts in the kitchen and the gym. The numbers don’t lie.

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)

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 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) 

8/18: Gainesville’s Battle of the Boxes 2018 (Gainesville, FL)

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

​8/25 -8/26: Oregon Crossfit’s Best of the West (Bend, OR)