Devin Ford Declines His Games Invite

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is fueled by RP Strength.



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“Act as if you make a difference. It does.” — William James 

Driven to Forty; My Journey to Health

By Ruben Taveras

Part One: My old normal

It was June 2017. I was 242 pounds at 6 feet, over 30% body fat, 36 waist, XL shirts and my cholesterol was consistently over 254. I had headaches weekly and stomach issues that doctors couldn’t figure out. I was always tired, always. I’d come home from work, eat, sleep and start my day over. I had no energy for anything else. My six-year-old son began sports and I couldn’t keep up. I was on a path of health destruction.

One of my best friends, Robert, kept inviting me to work out with him. I’d always say yes, but never show up. The reality was that I was too busy with life. My job was extremely demanding. I had two kids and a wife that also needed my attention and time. I just didn’t have time to workout. It was going to be too much strain on my ability to manage work and family time.

Part Two: Okay, fine. I try it.

Robert didn’t give up. He devised a clever way to get me to workout with him. He was getting married in December 2017 and asked me to be part of his wedding party. He wanted for “us” to look good in our tuxedos so, to support this endeavor, I unwillingly decided to workout with him. He made a simple plan: Run, push-ups, air squats, pull-ups. No need to touch a single weight or even step into a box.

Here is something about me. I was a college athlete with a body fat under 7%. I could run for days. But, those runs, push-ups, air squats and pull-ups truly humbled me. I ran 200 meters and you’d think I had just finished a marathon. I could only do one push-up and one pull-up at a time. I was a hot mess. However, my friend never gave up on me.

Part Three: Down to business.

At one month away from the wedding, I realized it was time to get serious. Robert took me to CrossFit and I did my first WOD. The very next day, I officially joined the community that would change my life forever.

Continue reading…

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT.

The Professor Makes his Play in China

This weekend Brent Fikowski will make his sanctioned event debut as a heavy favorite taking the competition floor at the Asia CrossFit Championship in Shanghai, China.

The competition represents the halfway point of the sanctional schedule, but for the man dubbed “The Professor” the stakes make this weekend’s test is more of a final exam than a midterm.

Fikowski does not have a spot at the Games yet and failed to earn one from the CrossFit Games Open. Admittedly, he’s not a great “Open athlete,” and typically shines in the live competition environment of Regionals and the Games.

It’s the reason why he planted his flag firmly in China before the season started, stating his intent to compete in the sanctioned event there before all the finals details of the competition were even released.

At first glance it was another strategic maneuver by the Professor to give himself an edge in making it back to Games. As the season has unfolded however, he may have painted himself into a difficult corner if he doesn’t win in China.

After this weekend there will be seven sanctioned events left where Fikowski could potentially compete again if he needed too. Unfortunately, the timing and rules of those events realistically narrows it down to two upon further inspection.

Continue reading…

CASE CLOSED.

Devin Ford Declines His Games Invite

Devin Ford took to YouTube in this 23:37 minute video to share his side of the story. In the video, Ford goes through a long-winded explanation of the situation, detailing the back-and-forth emails between Ford and CrossFit HQ which led up to the 1:10 penalty assessed to his 19.3 score. 

Some key quotes: “I’ve already decided in my head I know what I’m going to do if I get that invite…I will decline the invitation,” Ford said.

• “Needless to say, I didn’t even look at my first and third workouts, I was so focused on the one workout I didn’t even have a video for.” 
• “Ironically…handstand pushups, in particular, is actually one of my best movements.” 
• “I got an email a little later that they reviewed the third workout and I missed ten reps — I only did 40 of the 50 handstand push-ups…I was like ‘there is no way I made that dumb of a mistake.’” 
• “People saying the quality of my reps sucked, which could be a valid argument, or that I purposefully cheated by reducing 10 of the reps of the handstand push-ups, I’m not really sure how that makes any sense. If I was going to cheat, I wouldn’t just not do reps and hope they don’t look at it. And also, if I was going to skip reps it would be the damn box step ups.” 
• “It was a dumb mistake but in no way was I trying to cheat.” 
• “…saying my box step-ups didn’t count, which I don’t know may be valid. I’m not arguing one way or the other. I just sent all my videos in for review. The Games hit me with a major penalty. I don’t know what to say about any of that. It’s not even in my hands. It’s not like I can give myself a penalty.”

​The direct implication of Ford declining his invite:

• Assuming Rich Froning (10th) declines his invite to compete on a team, then both Bartek Lipka and Patrick Vellner would receive invites.
• With Vellner receiving a top 20 invite, the Wodapalooza Sanctional invite would pass onto Noah Ohlsen, who’s currently doing damage control at the CrossFit Italian Showdown this weekend in Milan.
• Bartek Lipka and Milosz Staworzynski are tied for Fittest in Poland and their videos are still under review. If Lipka ends up national champion, then the invite passes down to Tim Paulson.

Things To…

WATCH: SoCal Sun with Sara Sigmundsdottir and Brooks Laich. 

Heber Cannon and Marston Sawyer head down to San Diego to meet up with Sara Sigmundsdottir for an afternoon workout and a surf session. Then the Buttery Bros head to L.A. to workout with up with former NHL player Brooks Laich. They wrap this one up with a trip to the YouTube offices before driving Laich’s Tesla home.

DAY JOB STUFF, NBD.

HEAR: Guys, Adult Decisions are Hard

This week on Girls Gone WOD, Joy and Claire finally go into detail about what made Claire decide to have kids and Joy decide not to, how they each approach these types of decisions and what ultimately leads us to the choices we make. Claire also talks about her first postpartum workout and how she’s been rehabbing her core and body after pregnancy.

ADULTING 101.

WIN: Tickets to the CrossFit Games

Win two CrossFit Games tickets, floor seats in the coliseum and festival packages, with Dani Speegle and HowUdish. There are eleven ways to enter to win your tickets.

ENTER TO WIN.

GET: ButcherBox Breakfast Bundle

Have you guys seen what Sammy has been whipping up on Feeding the Frasers? She’s killing the game with ButcherBox and you can too, especially with their breakfast bundle. New customers who sign up will receive two pounds of pork breakfast sausage and two packs of bacon for free.

BE LIKE SAMMY.

EAT: Cheesy Potato and Egg Breakfast Casserole

This cheesy ptato and egg breakfast casserole is the best weekend brunch recipe. Leftover mashed potatoes, mixed with two cheeses, baby spinach, and crispy bacon that’s topped off with eggs and baked. Finish the casserole off with a sprinkle of everything bagel spice and fresh herbs and you’ve got the easiest, most delicious, feed-a-crowd breakfast.

SUNDAY BRUNCH.

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

Chalk Up Community

• WOD AND NUTRITION SEMINAR — CrossFit Columbus Circle in New York, NY is hosting a free 45-minute workout and a one hour nutrition seminar on Saturday, May 4.
• MINUTE TO WIN IT — Red Wolf CrossFit in Huntington Beach, CA is holding Minute to Win It, an awesome evening of family games, on Friday May 3.
• HELEN FOR HOUNDS — CrossFit Tidal Wave in Galveston, TX is holding Helen for Hounds Saturday, April 27. All proceeds and donations will go to the Galveston Island Human Society. Your box can host a Helen for Hounds event to benefit a local shelter, to by reaching out to Reps For Rescues.

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

Happy one year anniversary to CrossFit Severance • Chase Long got a 245 pound snatch PR • Brooke Wells has partnered with Macro Meals Online • Mia Edgar gets 20 strict pull-ups • Adaptive athlete Logan Aldrige push presses 155 pounds for a PR • Jamie Hagiya front squats 260 pounds for three • Taylar Stallings front squats 345 pounds for a PR • Zach Sowder power cleans 330 pounds outside in the sun • Happy second birthday Trice Froning • Sean Hutchinson front squats 335
pounds • Win a week of free meals from Eat the 80. 

…and we bet this is not the type of fetch your dog wants to play.

Margaux Alvarez and Dan Bailey in Las Vegas — Margaux Alvarez and Dan Bailey will be at Total Wine & More in Boca Park, NV today from 3:00 – 6:00 PM PT pouring the G.O.A.T wine.

— Can’t make it: You can still stock up on Margaux Alvarez’s the Vine Yard Wines with code “CHALKUP” for 20% off a spring case or a case of G.O.A.T.

Brazil CrossFit Championship — CrossFit Games athlete Paige Semenza is confirmed for the Brazil CrossFit Championship.

CrossFit French Throwdown — Week two online qualifier WODs for the CrossFit French Throwdown will be released today.

Wodapalooza Transformation Challenge — The 4th Annual Wodapalooza Transformation Challenge kicks off on April 29 to dial in your fitness, nutrition, and mental health. The challenge is $20 for all eight weeks. Prizes for winning range from a total of $10,000 cash, travel, lodging, and VIP tickets for two to the 2020 Wodapalooza Miami.

NOBULL Signs Deal with West Virginia Quarterback Will Grier — Yesterday, NOBULL announced they have signed a deal with Will Grier, who is expected to be among the top quarterbacks selected in this week’s 2019 NFL draft. His line of NOBULL’s will run you $160.

— “NOBULL is a training brand for people who work hard and don’t believe in excuses. That philosophy perfectly aligns with who Will Grier is as an athlete and person,” said Marcus Wilson, cofounder of NOBULL.

Team USA Weightlifting — Yesterday at the 2019 Pan American Championship, Mattie Sasser went five out of six on her lifts, taking first place in the clean and jerk for the 64kg division with her 129kg/284 pound clean. Christian Rodriguez Ocasio went five out of six on his lifts. Mattie Rogers and Kate Nye were both in the 71kg class. Kate Nye went six for six, taking both Junior and Senior Pan American snatch records and the Junior Pan American clean and jerk record. Mattie Rogers made three of her six lifts, but still managed to take 2nd in snatch, clean and jerk and also total. Jordan Cantrell made four of his six lifts, sweeping 2nd place in his weight class and John Downey made five of his six lifts.

— Lifting Today:

— 9:00 AM PT Jason Bonnick

— 11:30 AM PT Jenny Arthur

— 2:00 PM PT D’Angelo Osorio

— 6:00 PM PT Wes Kitts

— Lifting Saturday:

— 11:00 AM PT Caine Wilkes and Keiser Witte

— 1:00 PM PT Sarah Robles

CrossFit Italian Showdown — The CrossFit Italian Showdown kicks off Friday in Milan. Here’s the full scedule of events.

— How to Watch: The event will not be livestreamed, but updates will be posted on CrossFit Italian Showdown’s Instagram and Facebook.

Asia CrossFit Championship — The Asia CrossFit Championship takes place this weekend also, from April 27 – 29. Here’s the schedule and events. 

— How to Watch: You can watch the live feed hosted locally within China on YouKu and also on YouTube for the rest of the world. They will also post a daily update show with Tommy Marquez and Rory McKernan on their Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

“Elite Athletes Call for Improvements to HQ’s Video Review Amid Devin Ford Controversy,” by Justin LoFranco, Morning Chalk Up 

A story that appears to only be gaining speed instead of slowing down has more CrossFit Games veterans and notable stakeholders weighing in.

Quick recap: Tuesday, CrossFit HQ released the penalties and final confirmation of the top 20 athletes worldwide. One of the penalties and athletes who qualified for the CrossFit Games — Devin Ford — only completed 40 of the 50 required handstand push-ups in 19.3. 

CrossFit HQ has been levying some heavy penalties this year during the Open, a move which has been met with near universal applause in the elite athlete community. Ford was technically assessed a major penalty of 1 minute, 10 seconds added to his time — essentially 7 seconds for every missed rep — but several in the elite community don’t think that goes far enough.

What they’re saying: “As far as I’m concerned, his score, his workout ended on the 40th handstand push-up…his score in 19.3 should be 130…his workout did not meet the standards of what is acceptable to earn yourself a qualifying spot to the CrossFit Games,” Tommy Marquez said on Talking Elite Fitness.

Carolyne Prevost: “His entire 19.3 video is tough to watch. He lunges and cuts distance on every single 25ft (never makes it fully passed the line). Then starts the next length stepping way over the line and cutting more distance. Box step ups bad too. HSPU missing reps. And he cuts the [handstand walk] short also with his hands over the line. 1 min extra should be an invalid score.”

4/15 – 4/27: Top Of The Box Online Qualifier (Clarksville, TN)

4/19 – 5/1: CrossFit French Throwdown Individual Online Qualifier (Online)

4/20: The Wodfather VII 2019 (Keller, TX)

4/20: Rookie Rumble at Bucktown CrossFit (Chicago, IL)

4/20: Barnyard Throwdown (Ohatchee, AL)

4/26: Rookie Rivalry at CrossFit Nashua (Nashua, NH)

4/26 – 4/27: Gameday Competition (Mankato, MN) 

4/26 – 4/28: CrossFit Italian Showdown (Milan, Italy)

4/26 – 4/28: The Sun Coast Fitness Festival (Kwa-Zulu Natal, SA)

4/27: 4th Annual Spring Fever Partner Masters Comp (Souderton PA)

4/27: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit KOA (Cranford, NJ)

4/27: The Gnardog Challenge (Reedley, CA)

4/27: Festivus Games (Worldwide)

4/27: Raising the Bar for Charlotte (Medina, OH)

4/27 – 4/29: Asia CrossFit Championship (Shanghai, China)

4/27: Autism Rocks and Rows (San Clemente, CA)

4/27: Garage Games Xs and Ys (Hiram, GA)

4/27: The Explode Individual Classic (West Chester, PA)

4/27: Fast Times at West Tech High (Las Vegas, NV)

4/27: Tyler’s Voice CrossFit Competition (Jefferson City, TN)

4/27: SWFL Sharks Semi-Pro Grid Combine (Cape Coral, FL)

4/27: Explode’s Independent Classic (West Chester, FL)

4/27: Festivus Games at Crossfit Sav-up (Petaluma, CA)

4/27: 4th annual Apple Town Throwdown (Cornelia,GA)

4/27: Kettlebells for Cojones (Montgomery, TX)

4/27: Spring Fever Partner Master Competition (Souderton, PA)

4/27: Best of the Midwest Team Series Part 1 (Westfield, IN)

4/27: Officer Christopher Goddell Memorial WOD (Walkdwick, NJ)

4/27: Pose Method Run RX Course (Lake Havasu City, AZ)

4/27: Battle of the Boxes (Newport,KY)

4/27: 2019 Pensacola Beach Brawl (Pensacola, FL) 

4/27: Festivus Games at Camel City Crossfit (Winston-Salem, NC)

4/27: Festivus Games at CrossFit LaCrosse (LaCrosse, WI)

4/27: 2019 Growler Games (Lexington, NC)

4/27: The Spring Fling (Knoxville, TN)

4/27: Stepping Into Summer (Fairfield, OH)

4/27: REDLINE.Venice A PAINKLLR Competition (Venice, CA)

4/27:  One Mind 1 Force (West Deptford, NJ)

4/27: FOXWod 2019 (Worldwide)

4/27: Burpees For Bellies (Williamston, MI)

4/28: David Vs. Golitah (Mansfield, MA)

5/2 – 5/6: Age Group Online Qualifier (Online)

5/3: Lift For Lee (Williamston, MI)

5/3 – 5/4: Tough As Nails (Lubbock, TX)

5/3 – 5/5 The Fittest Experience (Austin, TX)

5/3 – 5/5: Appalachian Games (Asheville, NC)

5/3 – 5/5: Reykjavik CrossFit Championship (Reykjavik, Iceland)

5/4: 2nd Annual Heavy Day Morgan (Oak Ridge, TN)

5/4: Battle at the Lab 2019 Cinco De Mayo (Clarksville, TN)

5/4: Border Open Part V (El Paso, TX)

5/4: Desert Warrior (Scottsdale, AZ)

5/4: The Jurassic Classic (Kennewick, WA)

5/4: Lifto De Mayo 2019 (Eagan, MN)

5/4: Rookie Rumble Pittsburgh at Arsenal Strength (Pittsburgh, PA)

5/4: Girls Gone RX Delaware (Middletown, DE)

5/4: Girls Gone RX DC (Alexandria, VA)

5/4: Black and Brewed 2019 (Huntsville, AL)

5/4: Row for Wishes (Telluride, CO)

5/4: The Locomotive Games IV (Youngstown, OH)

5/4: Breaking Boundaries Competition (Greer, SC)

5/4: Cura Sapulpa Fundraiser (Sapulpa, OK)

5/4: NYC Heart Health and Nutrition Seminar (New York, NY) 

5/5: Cupid’s Spring Fling (Medina, OH)

5/10: Beast Mode Games 2019 (Greenville, SC)

5/11: 2019 Moco Throwdown (Bethesda, MD)

5/11: Butchertown Cleaver Classic (Louisville, KY)

5/11: Girls on Girls X (Bridgeport, PA)

5/11: Battle of the Gulf Coast (Port Neches, TX)

5/11: Femme Royale So Cal (Orange, CA)

5/11: Squat for Guate (Hickory, NC)

5/11: Southside Showdown (Jenks OK)

5/17 – 5/19: ACA Throwdown 2019 (Johannesburg, SA)

5/17 – 5/19: Down Under CrossFit Championship (Wollongong NSW)

5/17 – 5/19: Brazil CrossFit Challennge (São Paulo, Brazil)

5/18 – 5/19: Big Impact Games (Kaukauna, WI)

5/18: 2019 Barbells in the Burbs Team Comp (Carol Stream, IL)

5/18: 2019 Tough Temple CrossFit Super Total (Bethseda, MD)

5/18: Mad Hatter Games (Danbury, CT)

5/18: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit Chester Springs (Chester Springs, PA)

5/18: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit PTV (Redmond, WA)

5/18 – 5/19: Shred Fest (Orlando, FL)

5/18: Cindy-a-Thon (San Leandro, CA)

5/18: Fallout in the Falls (Wichita Falls, TX)

5/18: East Coast Battle ( Hanover, MD) 

5/18: Meshugge CrossFit Summer Melee 2019 (Overland Park, KS)

5/18: Backstreet Brawl 3 (West Bend, WI)

5/18: Flower City Throwdown Women’s Division (Rochester, NY)

5/18: Warriors Hope (Greenwood, IN)

5/18: WODding to Hear (Elizabethton, TN)

5/18: Fifth Annual Guns N Hoses Competition (Anaheim, CA)

5/18: Barbells and Beers (Berkeley Heights, NJ)

5/18: OUTWOD Morristown (Morristown, NJ)

5/18 – 5/19: Rogue Invitational (Columbus, OH)

5/19: Heroes and Heroines Team Throwdown (Pawtucket, RI)

5/21: Brady’s Border2Border Ruck March (Beach, ND)

5/24: 24 Heroes in 24 Hours (Ardmore, PA)

5/30 – 6/2: Granite Games (St. Cloud, MN)