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Downtown Affiliates in Limbo

 
Morning Chalk Up

October 13
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Red H Nutrition

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Some downtown CrossFit affiliates in metropolitan areas have struggled during the pandemic. Even as restrictions have begun to ease, members have continued to work remotely and away from their offices or even moved to less densely populated areas, learn more below. And, following a tragedy, the CrossFit Cask Strength community has stepped up to help fight substance use disorder.

  • Also, Tommy Marquez breaks down some of Jeffrey Adler’s past performances in events and workouts outside traditional CrossFit box programming to see where he might be able to score points against a stacked men’s field at the Ranch.   

Thank you for all the quote suggestions, story tips and PRs. Keep them coming at [email protected].

We need your help: The Morning Chalk Up, Triib and True Coach are conducting a CrossFit community-wide poll to get your feedback on a broad range of topics facing the community today. Tell us your thoughts.

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed, is more important than any other one thing.” – Abraham Lincoln

 

Remote Work and Suburban Flight Puts Downtown Affiliates in Limbo

  Remote Work and Suburban Flight Puts Downtown Affiliates in Limbo  

“It’s quiet.”

That’s how Keith Hurd, owner of CrossFit Wall Street, described the current situation in the financial district of New York City. He’s been in the area for 12 years and has seen it grow and change into a vibrant place of restaurants and families. However, since COVID-19 the district has become a ghost town, its nightlife is gone and many small businesses are shutting their doors permanently.

Behind the trend: It’s not just because people are afraid of going out — it’s because they are leaving entirely. 

  • An April 2020 Harris Poll revealed that “39% of urban dwellers” were considering leaving the city for less crowded places because of COVID-19.
  • In late August, The New York Times reported a 44% increase in demand for homes in the suburbs around New York City; simultaneously, the number of properties sold in Manhattan dropped 56%.
  • On the west coast, The Seattle Times reported since March that 126 downtown businesses have permanently closed over growing concern of the area’s economic recovery.
 

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CrossFit Cask Strength Steps Up for Substance Abuse

  CrossFit Cask Strength Steps Up for Substance Abuse  

In late July, tragedy struck the CrossFit Cask Strength community in Bardstown, KY. Coach Danielle Barnett lost her 24-year-old sister Abby when she was tragically murdered.

  • “It was so horrible. It was all over Facebook. It was really rough on the family,” said CrossFit Cask Strength owner Craig Davis.

For years, Abby had been battling a heroin addiction. After going through rehab, she “had been doing well and was about to start training with us,” but then she relapsed “before she had a chance to start,” Davis explained.

  • “All of the coaches were out socially a while ago and Danielle was talking about how worried she was about her sister, and we were all so excited to bring her into our community. Danielle’s other sister and her mom workout here too,” he added.
 

CrossFit Ranch Round-Up: Jeffrey Adler

  CrossFit Ranch Round-Up: Jeffrey Adler  
 

THINGS TO…

…IMPROVE

Your Dumbbell Thruster Efficiency

If the dumbbell thruster is significantly more miserable for you than the barbell, it may have a lot to do with how you position the dumbbells on your shoulders. In this short video from MisFit Athletics, learn how to maximize the power you generate from your hip drive by using the proper shoulder position.

  Morning Chalk Up  

SPONSORED

…ACHIEVE

The Ability to Touch Your Toes

Have you ever thought, “I wish I was more flexible…It would be cool to be able to touch my toes…My hamstrings are so tight…”

LIFTOFF Body’s Four-Week Flexibility Program is exactly what you need. You’ll get five 20-minute sessions each week with Coach Chelsea McKinney to work on lengthening and strengthening your muscles, all for just $29. Use code “GETFLEXIBLE” at checkout for an additional $10 off!

  Morning Chalk Up  

…LEARN

How to Make Bar Contact in Oly Lifts

The contact points in the Olympic lifts differ due to the size of the load, the length of the pull and the importance of stability when receiving the barbell. This video from California Strength breaks down where your contact points should be and how to achieve that contact.

  Morning Chalk Up  

…KNOW

The Nano X Is On Sale

Today through October 18, select colorways of the Nano X are on sale for just $85. Use the code “HELLYEAH50” at checkout to snag the deal. If the Nano X isn’t your jam, the code will also bump most items down by 50% and drop the Nano 9 to just $60. (US Subscribers Only)

  Morning Chalk Up  

…EAT

White Chicken Chili Pie with Pumpkin Cornbread Crust

This hearty and warming recipe tastes like fall in a cast iron pan. It’s easily gluten-free, dairy-free, and the perfect mix of sweet and savory. And, it’s a great dinner idea for the whole family.

 

HIGHLIGHTS…

  • Alexander Fallek cleans 325 pounds.
  • Johan Roberts clean and jerks 308 pounds.
  • Katie Brockman snatches 150 pounds.
  • Noah Verdy snatches 220 pounds for a PR.
  • Kiaran McCormack deadlifts 435 pounds for 2.
  • Mandy Krumnow deadlifts 175 pounds for 5.
  • Osvaldo Altamirano Jimenez hits 3 PRs: a 210 pound snatch, a 250 pound power clean, and a 190 pound power snatch.
  • Happy birthday to Michael Michaelides, owner of CrossFit Downtown Atlanta.
  • Happy birthday to Nick Shaw, founder of RP Strength.
 

COMMUNITY

Spotlight on Sportsmanship: Gabriella Dispenza

It’s often said that in a CrossFit gym or a CrossFit competition, the person who finishes last gets bigger cheers than the person who wins the workout. It’s about a community struggling together to do difficult things and lifting one another up. Last week, CrossFit teen athlete Gabriella Dispenza did exactly that when she carried a cross-country rival who injured her ankle to the get help.

  • Dispenza, who found CrossFit 2 years ago placed 144th in the world in the 16-17 year-old division and 75th in the United States in the 2020 CrossFit Open.
  • She’s been using cross-country to help her condition for lacrosse and CrossFit. She’s also a junior explorer at the Getsville Volunteer Fire Department. 

What happened: At a high school cross-country tri-meet last week in Western New York, Paige McGorry, running for Sacred Heart High, fell and injured her ankle in a remote, wooded part of the course. Dispenza, running for Mount St. Mary High saw her injured opponent and, forfeiting her own position in the race, calmed McGorry and carried her until help could be found.

  • It doesn’t hurt that Dispenza has recorded a deadlift of 290 pounds, a back squat at 245 pounds and a 185 pound clean and jerk.

It was a wonderful display of being prepared for the unknown and unknowable and of sportsmanship — the heart of what CrossFit teaches.   

 
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LOCAL COMPETITIONS

+ Submit an Event

10/12 – 10/18: The Padawan Games (Norman, OK)
10/17 – 10/18: First Timers XIX (Køge, Denmark)
10/17: The Sacred Pine Throwdown (Ladson, SC)
10/24: The Garage Games Masters Tour (McKinney, TX)
10/24: Fittest in the Fall (Indianapolis, IN)
10/28 – 11/10: The Fittest Experience Online Qualifier (Austin, TX)
10/31: Barbells for Boobs (San Antonio, TX)
10/31: Come as You Aren’t (Jacksonville, FL)
10/31: BOA – Season 5 – Challenge of The Decades (Bensenville, IL)
10/31: Halloween Havoc | Kids + Masters Competition (Cedar Falls, IA)
10/31: CrossFit Imagine’s Wodtober Fest (Smyrna, TN)
10/31: WOD-o-WEEN (Minnetonka, MN)
11/6 – 11/7: Strength Wars 2020 (Blacktown, Australia)
11/7 – 11/8: The Bay Games [Unstoppable (online) Edition] (Jervis Bay, Australia)
11/7: The Garage Games Masters Tour (Bedford, TX)
11/7: The Garage Games Masters Tour (Columbia, SC)
11/7: Kilo Crushfest (Hampton, VA)
11/7: The Battle at Branded One 2020 (Las Vegas, NV)
11/7 – 11/8: Barbells & Bacon (Erlanger, KY)
11/7: Battle at the Bridge (Windsor, ON, Canada)
11/7: The FORGE Partner Challenge 2020 (Plantsville, CT)
11/7: 2020 FTX Open (Wheaton, IL)
11/7: Turkey Throwdown (6th Annual) (Limestone, TN)
11/7: The Garage Games Masters Tour (Conroe, TX)
11/11: WOD for Warriors (Waite Park, MN)
11/14: The Garage Games Masters Tour (Fort Wayne, IN)
11/14: The Garage Games Masters Tour (Canton, TX)
11/14 – 11/15: The Clang and Bang Vol 4 (Topeka, KS)
11/14: Warrior Affiliate League Gruesome Twosome (Chino, CA)
11/14 – 11/15: SugarMeltdown 2020 (Odense, Denmark)
11/14: 2020 Trident Fitness Festival (Suffolk, VA)
11/14: Girls Gone Rx Dallas (Dallas, TX)
11/14: One Fifty One Throwdown (Douglas, GA)
11/14: Girls Gone Rx Iowa (Des Moines, IA)
11/15: Southpaw’s Murph Swim Challenge (McKinney, TX)
11/20 – 11/21: GAME TIME (Brisbane, QLD, Australia)
11/21: 2020 Vehement Barbell Festival (Oxnard, CA)
11/21: AKL MASTERS LEAGUE FROM LOCKDOWN TO THROWDOWN PAIRS EVENT (Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand)
11/21: WLG MASTERS LEAGUE FROM LOCKDOWN TO THROWDOWN PAIRS EVENT (Elsdon, Porirua, New Zealand)
11/21: Fit Chicks (Whitehouse, TX)
11/21: Manion WOD 2020 (Waite Park, MN)
11/22: TFL2020 Autumn Edition (Tournai, Belgium)

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