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First Takes on Strength in Depth Semifinal Seeding

 
Morning Chalk Up

April 27   |   POWERED BY

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • Michele Bick helps save CrossFit Spartan Shield in Kuwait
  • Khan Porter on fashion and branding in the sport of CrossFit
  • Can CrossFit athletes benefit from cupping?
  • First take on the Semifinal seeding for Strength in Depth
 
QUOTE OF THE DAY + Send us a Quote

“Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” - George Halas

 
GOOD
  Why Michele Bick Devoted her Deployment in Kuwait to Saving CrossFit Spartan Shield  

Why Michele Bick Devoted her Deployment in Kuwait to Saving CrossFit Spartan Shield

Last summer, CrossFit Spartan Shield—a military affiliate located at Camp Buehring in Kuwait—lost both of its coaches and was on the brink of having to close their doors.

The non-profit affiliate first opened their doors in 2014 and has acted as a temporary home away from home for thousands of military and civilian CrossFit enthusiasts during their nine to 12-month deployment at Camp Buehring.

Because of the transient nature of Camp Buehring, the gym has relied largely on volunteer coaches who have come and gone through the years, but last summer they found themselves in the uncharacteristic position of having zero coaches to service the 8,500 people living at the military camp.

What Happened Next

Michele Bick, a 34-year-old CrossFit athlete and mechanical engineer from Iowa who was on a nine-month civilian deployment in Kuwait, caught wind of the situation and acted quickly.

Bick had just gotten her CrossFit Level 1 certificate three months prior to arriving in the Middle East in May 2021 and quickly saw how important CrossFit Spartan Shield was, both to herself, and to the soldiers living at the camp.

She knew she was capable of coaching group classes, but couldn’t do it on her own, so she quickly recruited a handful of other members, all soldiers, who expressed interest in volunteering as coaches.

The first step, however, was deciding whether or not it was even realistic for these inexperienced coaches to keep the gym alive.

Bick called a meeting and the first thing she said was, “This meeting might be very short, or very long, depending on the answer to the question, ‘Do we want to keep Spartan Shield alive?’”

“How were we going to stay alive as an all volunteer coaching group? What was our coaches’ schedule going to be so we didn’t get burned out? How were we going to continue to recruit new coaches to keep moving forward?,” she explained of the challenges that would lay ahead should they choose to remain open.

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SPEED READS

In case you missed it, Patrick Clark of The Bottom Line was joined by Morning Chalk Up writer Ava Kitzi to talk about the Age Group Quarterfinals and moving onto Semifinals. The two were joined by a number of guests on the show including Lucy McGonigle, Trista Smith, Chyna Cho, Caleb McClure, Olivia KerstetterJenn Ryan and of course, Tommy Marquez.

Ava Kitzi is at it again, as she has also just signed on to be the Elite Teen Throwdown Social Media manager.

On May 2, volunteer registration for the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games will officially open.

Turns out, the kids are alright, at CrossFit. Check out this video from the CrossFit Games Instagram account featuring the next generation of competitors at The Pit Fitness Ranch.

He’s Batman. 🦇

 
PROFILE
  Khan Porter on Fashion as a Form of Self-Expression: “I’m not styling myself for anyone except myself”  

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Khan Porter on Fashion as a Form of Self-Expression: “I’m not styling myself for anyone except myself”

Khan Porter knows fashion is seen as an outward expression of one’s self, however it’s pretty clear the Australian CrossFit athlete doesn’t really care what anyone thinks about how he looks.

“I’m not styling myself for anyone except myself,” said the 32-year-old. “It’s to create a mood and a vibe for myself rather than for the crowd. Sorry, crowd, but how I dress is for me.”

Porter is well known on the competition floor, having qualified for the CrossFit Games six times. His all-or-nothing commitment to workouts, either winning or going down in flames, has made him a fan favorite along with his unique style and openness as both an athlete and person.

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LIFESTYLE
  Five Benefits of Cupping for CrossFit Athletes  

Five Benefits of Cupping for CrossFit Athletes

It all started with American swimmer Michael Phelps back at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro when he was spotted with distinct purple markings on his body while competing.

While the ancient art of cupping dates back centuries, its foray into modern culture was more recent, and now, athletes of all walks of life use the alternative therapy as a form of recovery. The practice uses cups placed on the skin to create suction, sometimes aided by flame, and can be performed either as a wet or dry procedure.

Scientific literature on cupping is not fulsome, however most large-scale studies do show some medically proven benefits from the alternative form of therapy including the “elimination of toxins trapped in the tissues”.

Meanwhile, anecdotal evidence is plentiful and Jen Lee, a Las Vegas based registered massage therapist and has previously worked on CrossFitters among other professional athletes. She outlined five potential benefits from the practice that CrossFit athletes may find from the therapy, which has little risk and side effects, outside of the distinct circular marks left on a person after a session.

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CROSSFIT GAMES
  Five Benefits of Cupping for CrossFit Athletes  

VIDEO: First Take on Strength in Depth Semifinal Seeding

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HIGHLIGHTS

Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise. Send us a highlight.

  • 👰‍♀️ Congratulations to Christmas Abbott on her last hurrah as a bachelorette last weekend in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
  • Mayhem athletes Guilherme Malheiros and Haley Adams are preparing for the unknown and unknowable TikTok CrossFit Games.
  • Jorge Fernandez from Team CrossFit Invictus hit a push jerk PR of 385 pound/174.5kg.
  • Congratulations to Rodrick Lopez, Owner of Rolo Athletics in San Diego, CA on the 255 pound/115.5kg snatch balance PR.
  • 🔥 Games athlete Feeroozeh Saghafi back squats 315 pounds/142.5kg for a PR.
  • Congratulations to all CrossFit Soul Kids’ Barbell Club members that participated in last weekend’s Iron Game Open in Miami, FL.
  • Games vet Dan Bailey deadlifts 526 pounds/238.5kg for the first time in four years.
 
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4/6: Best Babes Tampa (Tampa, Florida)
4/13: Queens of Oly Rockledge (Rockledge, FL)
4/13: Queens of Oly East Tennessee (Bulls Gap, TN)
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4/19 - 4/21: Crash Crescendo (Spartanburg, SC)
4/20: Barbells For Bullies: Community Workout Savannah (Savnnah, Georgia, US)
4/20: Festivus Games @ CrossFit Plattsburgh (Plattsburgh, NY)
4/20: Festivus Games (WAUKESHA, WI)
4/20: Festivus Games @ CrossFit Masiphumelele (Kommetjie, Cape Town, South Africa)
4/20: Festivus Games (Goderich, Canada)
4/20: Festivus Games (Clermont, FL)
4/20: Festivus Games @ The Gym – CrossFit Kilo (Cedar Falls, IA)
4/20: Festivus Games @ CBM Sirens (Caledonia, MS)
4/20 - 4/21: Okanagan Valley Throwdown (Penticton, British Columbia)
4/20: The Fittest 4 (Sunshine Coast, Australia)
4/20: Embrace the Challenge (Mentor, Ohio)
4/20: Festivus Games @ CrossFit Pagosa (Pagosa Springs, CO)
4/20: First EVER Adaptive Festivus Games Competition (Waterford, United States)
4/20 - 4/21: BGR Contest Spring Edition (Bergerac, France)
4/20 - 4/21: Okanagan Valley Throwdown (Penticton, British Columbia, Canada)
4/20: Festivus Games @ Coyote Valley (San Jose, CA)
4/26 - 4/28: Crash Crescendo (Spartanburg, SC)
4/27: Cap Crown Throwdown (Gladstone, Australia)
4/28: 249 Spring Throwdown (Sittingbourne, Kent, England)
5/4: Team Challenge Texas (San Antonio, Texas)
5/4 - 5/5: Italian Bulls Games (Lido di Ostia, Italy)
5/4 - 5/5: Pavia Spring Challenge ’24 (Pavia, Italy)
5/4: The Strong and Courageous (Cullman, Alabama)
5/4: CHLKDUP Classic (Nashville, TN)
5/11 - 5/12: Finest City Weightlifting Open – Presented by The Strength Tank (San Diego, CA)
5/11: True Fitness Trials (Cherry Hill, NJ)
5/11: Queens of Oly Hawaii (Wailuku, Hawaii)
5/11: Queens of Oly Hudson (Hudson, NY)
5/11: Queens of Oly Philadelphia (West Chester, Philadelphia)

See all upcoming events

 
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