Fittest in Cape Town Shakes Things Up A Bit

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is brought to you by Beyond Macros.

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“Do the right thing. The ethical path can be lonely, hard, costly…But you’ll never lose self-respect, and that’s priceless and fragile.” — Waylon Lewis

Freakin’ CrossFit is Saving My Life Right now

By: Erin-Kate Aleksak

My CrossFit box is saving me right now.  It sounds like an exaggeration, but it is not. Freakin’ CrossFit in Pembroke Pines is literally keeping me from falling apart.

You see, my husband is an active duty Coast Guard member.  This is our 8th duty station and we will be transferring to our 9th this summer.  Like all Coasties, he is working harder than ever before to keep his part of our country safe with less help than ever and zero funding, all while not being paid himself. It really does not matter which side of the debate you’re on; real people are hurting.

CrossFit is really the one thing keeping me sane right now.  It’s tough, working for no pay.  It’s tough telling your kids that they can’t do things because you don’t know how long your dwindling savings will have to last.  The uncertainty just might be a heavier burden to carry than the withheld pay.

But when I show up at Freakin’ CrossFit, none of that matters. Warming up, getting a barbell, counting reps, fixing my form; in the box, this is all that matters. The fears I carry around outside are not allowed to follow me in.

Trading the uncertainty that this government shutdown has caused for the certainty that I can handle anything is an unexpected reprieve that comes from showing up at CrossFit.

We have been through shutdowns before. We have weathered the storms. But this one is through uncharted waters.  With no end in sight, tough choices are being made. I made the decision that I needed to stop going to CrossFit.

Continue Reading.

GAMES NEWS.

Cape Town Shakes Things Up

We’re off and running.

Two days down, two to go at the CrossFit Fittest in Cape Town, and anyone expecting a run of the mill individual competition has certainly had the script flipped on them up until this point.

Through four workouts, twists and surprises have been in abundance for athletes, with very little “Classic CrossFit,” to sink their teeth into.

Mixing things up.

The closest thing to a normal WOD thus far is the beach workout that closed out Day 2. Think about that, four workouts in to a (presumably) ten workout competition and the most familiar thing we’ve seen includes 30 bar muscle ups, 60 single arm overhead squats, and a 900-meter water leg that would make it the longest swim in CrossFit competition history. That is, if it actually ended up being a swim.

The tone was set immediately for the Individuals in Day 1 when they were transported to a nearby school and told their work for the day would be two obstacle course races with very different physical demands. The first brought memories of the 2012 games and the Pendelton obstacle course. The second had hints of Ninja Warrior and put a priority on grip strength.

“Lots of monkey business on day one. Hopefully I can use those climbing skills on the leaderboard,” joked Alessandra Pichelli in a post to Instagram following Day 1.

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Coffee Break Conversations

What’s to do when you don’t know what to get your girl for your anniversary…

Food. Always food. Lucky for you it’s FlapJacked’s sixth anniversary and to celebrate, their offering 26% off (that’s cute) your order for the next 24 hours when you use discount code “HAPPY6”.

When the best thing about Super Bowl Sunday is the food…

You’re onto something here. Have a game plan this Super Bowl Sunday and know what you’re bringing to the party. And come prepared with this fun fact: Things that didn’t exist when the Rams and Patriots first met in the Super Bowl 17 years ago: iPhone, iPad, Android, Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, Uber and YouTube.

Things To…

WATCH: Diabetic Dad Levels Up

We first met Junior Smithen in June 2018 when he decided to manage his diabetes with CrossFit instead of the pills and insulin his doctors prescribed. Now, Smithen is faced with another difficult decision: undergo invasive surgery or stay on track with his lifestyle goals.

TREAT THE ISSUE NOT THE SYMPTOMS.

HEAR: Nicole Biscuiti on the Compete Every Day Podcast

Nicole Biscuiti, Founder of the Chestee, sits down with Jake Thompson on the Compete Every Day podcast to discuss the power of relationships, finding mentors who excel where you’re lacking, and learning to listen.

SIDE HUSTLE TURNED FULL HUSTLE.

DO: Sign Up for the 2019 CrossFit Open

The 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games Open is the largest fitness competition on Earth and an exciting showcase of the CrossFit community. Athletes push themselves further than they ever thought possible over a five-week period. It’s fun and is a great way to measure your progress annually.

ARE YOU READY?

EAT: Chile Chicken Nachos 

These nachos hinge on this chile chicken recipe that you can steal and use for tacos, burritos, rice bowls, salads, whatever. With a maxed-out chile sauce that the shredded rotisserie chicken soaks up, you get hot, sweet, and smoky chicken that stays juicy even when you pop these babies in the oven to get that perfect cheese topping.

WIN SUPER BOWL SUNDAY.

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is brought to you by

Chalk Up Community

• NEW LOCATION– Timeless CrossFit in Franklin, MA just expanded into a new, larger space. Their grand opening was January 26th and they are officially open for business. 
• LEAD LOVE LEGACY — The Lead Love Legacy event will be held at the Total Health & Fitness Expo in Sacramento, CA February 9 -10. The goal of this event is to equip fathers to lead their families in the area of health and fitness. There will be workouts for dads and families who want to sweat.
• OUTWOD LEADERBOARD — The OUT Foundation has launched an OPEN+LGBTQ leaderboard, the first and only all-inclusive CrossFit Games leaderboard for the LGBTQ+ community to promote friendly competition between LGBTQ+ athletes and allies and to raise funds for programs supporting the community.
• DROPPING IN AT CROSSFIT IRON LEGION — Cameron Bucek, the CrossFit Nomad, got to drop-in at CrossFit Iron Legion in Ocala, FL. Here’s everything you need to know about dropping in there. 

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

Tia-Clair Toomey did an Adaptive Athlete workout with Michael Mills • Vin Kampf does five sets of pause squats • Chase Long gets a 400 pound front squat PR • Happy birthday Jason Warner • Sara Sigmundsdottir has partnered with Lysi • Fourteen-year-old Rökkvi Hrafn gets a 183 pound snatch PR on his birthday • Tommy Marquez does a legless rope climb from the floor.

…and below zero temps or not, you can still get a WOD in.

Brazil CrossFit Championship — The deadline to submit your 19.3, 19.4a and 19.4b scores for the Brazil
CrossFit Championship is Monday at 11:00 AM PT. 

Camille Leblanc-Bazinet on Failure — Camille Leblanc-Bazinet shared a bit about how she views failure with Front Office Sports. “I don’t want people to think because some people are good at something it’s because it magically comes to them. It’s people who fail more. You likely won’t succeed at first, and it’s OK.”

— “Sports are a great way to find oneself as it forces people to fail a lot. Failure is a catalyst for growth. It’s when hard work and failure coexist that a person can truly find themselves and appreciate their own worth.”

— “I like that you’re never good enough, and the beauty is the day you think you start being good, they start throwing something that brings you back down.”

“One Man’s Quest to get The Rock to do Murph with Him,” by Jessica Danger, Morning Chalk Up 

On January 7th, David Barnett did Murph. He did it again on January 8th. Then again on January 9th and 10th and 11th. In fact, David has vowed to do Murph every single day until Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson does Murph alongside him.

He’s doing it to give back to service members and veterans by raising funds for a nonprofit organization called Soldiers’ Angels. “When you get to a certain point in your life you start to think about what really matters and why my daughter gets to wake up safe in bed every morning. It’s because of service members and I simply want to give back to them,” Barnett said.

That’s a great cause.

It is, but why The Rock? “I’ve made a list of some of the reasons for choosing The Rock but in short, I chose him because I’ve always been able to relate personally to his pursuits and I thought he would be the best fit to help garner attention and support for veterans…His positive attitude and energetic personality is infectious. He displays a passion for giving back regularly.”

1/29 – 2/2: Fittest in Cape Town (Cape Town, South Africa)

2/1 – 2/2: Battle of the Brave III (North Kansas City, MO)

2/2: Golden State Games (Stockton, CA)

2/2: Left Coast Classic Competition (Laguna Niguel, CA)

2/2: Golden State Games (Stockton, CA)

2/2: A League of Their Own (San Antonio, TX)

2/2: True Paw III Crossfit Competition (Annapolis, MD)

2/2 – 2/3: Project 6ix 2019 (Mississauga, Ontario)

2/3: Masters League Partner Throwdown (Adelaide, AUS)

2/3: Coffland Hero WOD (Norwalk, CT) 

2/9: The Garage Games Master of the Masters (Suwanee, GA)

2/9: Cupid’s Roar Partner Competition (Melbourne, Australia)

2/9: 3rd Annual Black Ops Partner Competition (Wheaton, IL)

2/9: Bedrock Heart Breaker (Calgary, AB)

2/9: Can’t Stop Brock Event (Mankato, MN)

2/9: Battle of the Ages (Jacksonville, FL) 

2/9: Battle for Bae 2019 (San Mateo, CA)

2/9: Battle of the Fittest 6: NYC Throwdown (New York, NY)

2/9: My Bloody Valentine (Vidalia, OH)

2/9: 2nd Annual Battle of the Ages (Fruitland, ID)

2/9 – 2/10: The CF Circus (Des Moines, IA)

2/9 – 2/10: The Chitown Throwdown 2019 Masters Edition (Emhurst, IL)

2/15 – 2/16: 2nd annual Tough Love Competition (Louisville, KY)

2/16: Valentine’s Day Massacre (Kilgore, TX)

2/16: The Garage Games Xs & Ys (Valdosta, GA)

2/16: Couples Clash 2019 (Pensacola, FL)

2/16: Tuff Love (Boulder, CO)

2/16: Valentine’s Day Massacre (Selma, TX)

2/16: Winter War Games (Spanish Fort, AL)

2/16: Vicious Valentine’s Partner Throwdown (Carlisle, PA)

2/16: Ice Breaker 3 at Unbreakable Athletics Academy (Plainfield, IN)

2/23: Amicus Ambush: Mixed Teams (Dickinson, ND)

2/23 – 2/24: Strength in Depth (London, England)