“If fear is cultivated it will become stronger, if faith is cultivated it will achieve mastery.”- John Paul Jones
PROFILE
Athlete Who Suffered Stroke at First CrossFit Games Plans to Return Next Year
Around 3pm on the first day of competition at the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games, Master’s athlete Dave Rempel’s rookie appearance would take a dramatic turn.
He has just completed the second event of the day and following opening ceremonies, he began warming up to take the field again.
“I felt a little bit off, I thought ‘Maybe my lunch isn’t sitting very well.’ So I took it easy and had a couple of recovery drinks, trying to get some water and electrolytes in me. That run and rope climb workout was pretty demanding, it took a toll on me for sure. I grabbed my rope and was heading over to an air bike to warm up a little bit because there were double-unders in the next event, and on the way over there, it fell out of my hand,” he said.
“I was like ‘How did I drop my rope?’. And then it happened again. As I turned around, I stubbed my foot on a mat in the athlete area and stumbled a little bit. One of my competitors, Richard (Stevenson) who was right there, saw it and grabbed me and quickly sat me down on a box that was available.”
Rempel’s coach since 2016 and owner of CrossFit VO2 Max, Ernie Stewart, knew something was off immediately as he approached the 51-year-old athlete regrouping on the box.
“(When) I went up there I could see one side of his body was completely limp. And I remember looking at the other guys and it’s like we all just knew, or at least I was thinking it anyway, it was a shock that oh my, he’s having a stroke,” Stewart said.
At the Games, or watching at home, two questions were on everyone’s lips…
What are those shoes I keep seeing? And, where do I get a pair?
Worn by over half the elite competition field, TYR made their mark at the Games with the launch of the new Limited Edition CXT-1 Trainers. You’ve no doubt seen them, as Team TYR took home:
In case you missed it: Lauren Kalil, the host of The Bottom Line, spoke to sensation Arielle Loewen about her 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games experience.
Relive the memories: CrossFit’s official Instagram page has a great highlights video in case anyone wants to travel back in time to Madison one last time. 🏋🏻♂️
Rolfe recap: Canadian Emily Rolfe, who had to pull out of the Games due to injury, recapped the one event she actually did complete.
Partner up: Penn State University Athletics has partnered up with WHOOP to support Student-Athlete Holistic Wellness.
Registration open: The online qualifier for the 10th edition of the ELFIT CrossFit Competition kicks off today.
PROFILE
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Isles of Man’s Aimee Cringle Talks Battling Self Doubt, Getting Better and Turning off Instagram
Aimee Cringle is heading to the European Championships to defend her title, but her biggest opponent is herself.
The Briton, from the Isle of Man, is racked with self-doubt and imposter syndrome, despite tangible evidence, like last year’s European Championships title, to bolster her confidence. This is not new, she has always been self-deprecating, and even when she competed in athletics she would compare herself to others.
“I’ve always thought they are better than me, even on the start line I’d ask what their PB was,” Cringle said. “I obviously didn’t need to do that. If it was better than mine, what was I going to do? I can’t get fitter in the next 10 seconds. If I beat them, I’d say ‘see, I can do this, so I don’t need to think that way’ but I still do.”
The European Championships are taking place from the 19th to the 21st of August in Nottingham.
Cringle is working with a mindset coach to shake off her doubt. With her coach she sets intentions for the day–a performance intention, a recovery intention and a lifestyle intention. The pair come up with long and short term goals.
Nick Mathew: “I kind of talked out of my butt a little bit and was like, I’m gonna win this one.”
Rookie of the Year, Nick Mathew, can be spotted pretty quickly on the competition field. Yes — by his really swift jump rope and gymnastics skills, but even more notable — his crop tops. Morning Chalk Up’s Lauren Kalil sits down with Mathew to discuss his rookie year at the Games, how he got the nickname “crop top Nick” and even some exciting apparel you can expect to see coming soon…
CrossFit Saved Michael Hicks’ NASCAR Pit Crew Career
How does one maintain a high level of performance and keep calm while working in a stressful sport? There are several options, but Joe Gibbs Racing pit crew member Michael Hicks uses CrossFit.
Some details: Hicks has been the rear-tire changer for 48-time NASCAR Cup Series winner Denny Hamlin for a decade, and he has been in the sport since 2006. He has one of the most stressful jobs considering that he has to switch out two wheels and get the new ones tight in a matter of seconds. Any mistakes can lead to lost positions out on the track or a lost wheel, which equals a possible four-race suspension for him, the jackman, and the crew chief.
Hicks and the No. 11 pit crew were the fifth-fastest out of nearly 40 teams in 2021. Their performances helped Hamlin remain consistent, capture two wins, and secure a spot as one of the four drivers fighting for the championship trophy in November’s finale race.
The No. 11 pit crew played a major role in Hamlin’s first win of the 2022 season. They changed four tires and filled the Toyota Camry with fuel in 9.4 seconds during the final pit stop at Richmond Raceway, which kept Hamlin ahead of fellow contender Kevin Harvick.
Hicks follows the CrossFit Mayhem programming, and he works out with a consistent group from Joe Gibbs Racing. Some are from the No. 11 team while other members of the group work on different JGR Toyotas.
“We hit it pretty hard during the week, and it’s a lot of fun. I mean, CrossFit is fun, period. Right? I mean, you do Metcons and it’s competitive and then you get these partner workouts going and it’s just a lot of fun, man. I love that it’s never the same thing twice.”
One example was a Mayhem partner workout featuring double-unders, clean and jerks, and 400-meter runs. The JGR crew took their equipment out into the field and did the workout in the North Carolina heat and humidity. This helped them attack their fitness while preparing for the summer at the various NASCAR tracks.
The first round of invitations to compete at the 2022 Rogue Invitational have been sent out. A total of 20 male and female athletes will compete October 28-30, 2022 at Dell Diamond stadium just outside of Austin, Texas.
Who gets an invite: Based on conversations with multiple managers and athletes, the first round of invitations includes only the top 10 finishers from the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games so far.
Justin Medeiros | Tia-Clair Toomey
Roman Khrennikov | Mallory O’Brien
Ricky Garard| Laura Horvath
Samuel Kwant | Danielle Brandon
Jeffrey Adler | Brooke Wells
Patrick Vellner | Emma Lawson
Jayson Hopper | Kara Saunders
Lazar Đukić | Gabriela Migała
Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson | Haley Adams
Guilherme Malheiros | Alexis Raptis
How they’ll fill the remaining spots: In previous years, they’ve extended invites further down the line after athletes decline. Rogue is also bringing back the online qualifier, which takes place from August 26-28, and they have committed to filling at least five male and female spots from the qualifier.
The big picture: Since it was first started in 2019, the Rogue Invitational has quickly catapulted to being the pinnacle off-season CrossFit competition, awarding more than $250,000 each to the winners from a current prize purse of $1.25 million.
Rogue also offers travel stipends for airfare, free hotels and no registration fees, at least for invited athletes, something which no other competition, including the Games, offers.
Rogue also pays out all athletes competing with the last place finishers earning $5,000.
In the past Rogue also paid out $5,000 to event winners.
THINGS TO...
...TRY
A Patient Approach to Nutrition and Training
Sometimes more doesn’t always mean more. Invictus Fitness follows a “patient” approach to nutrition and training by using their plan to create small and sustainable changes so that athletes gradually increase their workout days and nutrition goals.
When the six time Games champion needs a mid-workout boost, she relies on UCAN Edge for steady-release carbs without the crash. "Taking an Edge energy gel halfway through allows me to attack my training and keeps my energy high throughout," says Toomey. Save 25% off today using code "TIA".
Your running list of “podcasts to start” just got a little longer with these 10 podcasts geared towards business owners in the fitness industry. Stories include technology, mindset and anecdotes from successful business owners and entrepreneurs in the functional fitness world.
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