“I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.”- Anne Frank
PROFILE
Honoring Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis: Deployed Soldiers Come Together With August 28 Workout
On August 28, members of the 2-22 Infantry Battalion, 10th Mountain Division, will take part in a workout honoring Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis, who died in 2013 while saving the life of a fellow soldier. This will be the debut of the workout, and it will feature roughly 50 American soldiers participating along with multiple foreign soldiers.
Remind me: SSG Ollis was a Non-Commissioned Officer in B Company 2-22 IN. On August 28, 2013, an attack on Forward Operating Base Ghazni in Afghanistan took place involving grenades, mortars, rockets, and a 3,000-pound bomb.
SSG Ollis lost his life after heroically shielding Polish Army Lieutenant Karol Cierpica from a suicide bomber, which took place after the two soldiers stood side-by-side and defended the base armed with only their rifles. SSG Ollis incapacitated the insurgent, but the vest detonated and mortally wounded him.
SSG Ollis posthumously received the Silver Star, which was upgraded in 2019 to the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest military honor that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army. SSG Ollis also posthumously received the Polish Armed Forces Gold Medal.
In 2016, New York City introduced the Staff Sergeant Michael H. Ollis, an $85 million ferry that was the first vehicle added to the fleet since 2005. This was the first of three new ferries set to enter service in 2022, all known as the Ollis-class vehicles.
Carbs are the key nutrient you need to fuel a tough WOD…but finding the right option is tough.
Most carb-rich foods are heavy on the stomach, especially early in the morning
Traditional sports nutrition with sugar and fast carbs doesn’t deliver energy that sustains you
UCAN‘s energy foods are powered by LIVSTEADY™, a patented, steady-release carbohydrate originally developed as a life-saving medical food to maintain stable blood sugar with no crash.
Now UCAN fuels the best CrossFit athletes like Tia-Clair Toomey and age-group champions like Rudy Berger with long-lasting energy that’s easy on the stomach.
In case you missed it: Lauren Kalil, the host of The Bottom Line, spoke to the one and only Noah Ohlsen about is future in the sport and where he is headed next season.
“I plan on competing after next year, whether it’s in the individual division or not.”
Rest up bro: Former CrossFit Games alternate team competitor Adam Klink recently took on the Leadville 100 and was unable to complete it, and is now recovering from rhabdomyolysis.
CrossFit webinar: CrossFit Health will be hosting a webinar with Dr. Jaime Seeman on August 30 where she will be discussing “improving health and fitness in the general female CrossFitter, but will also touch on how to train and eat for optimal performance and competition.” 💪
Local love: Great story in the Green Bay Press-Gazette about 60-year-old Tom Fameree, a former football star, about his latest CrossFit Games appearance.
He’s in!: Jason Khalipa has confirmed for the 2022 Rogue Invitational and that means the Legends division is back as well.
Signing: Anikha Greer is part of the LSKD team: “I live as presently and freely as I can, always chasing my goals and bringing 100% of myself into my craft.”
PROFILE
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Athletes Offer High Praise for Noah Ohlsen After First Spirit of the Games
The CrossFit community had just finished watching what has become one of the most iconic and memorable CrossFit Games events ever—the Capitol—and the very last athlete, rookie Rebecca Fuselier, had just crossed the finish line at the stairs of the Wisconsin State Capitol Building.
“I’m not going to lie, I was out of it,” Fuselier said about how she felt when she finished the event after struggling with her 150-pound Husafell Bag at the end of a grueling almost hour-long workout.
That’s when nine-time Games veteran Noah Ohlsen approached the disheartened rookie.
“If it means anything at this moment, I think you just got the coolest CrossFit Games picture,” Ohlsen offered as encouragement.
What Does it Take to Broadcast the CrossFit Games?
32 cameras, two drones, a camera in a car, and a camera in a boat. That’s what it took to make The Capitol Event come to life on the CrossFit Games Livestream. And don’t forget…that was just one event! Morning Chalk Up’s Lauren Kalil sat down with one of the masterminds at the forefront of the CrossFit Games broadcast, Mike Roth, to get an inside look at how the broadcast has evolved over the last 11 years, the interworkings of his team with the Games programming, and why certain decisions are made when it comes to which athletes get air time.
Patrick Vellner on CrossFit Games Future: “I’m Not Going Anywhere.”
In a reel posted on his Instagram account, eight-time CrossFit Games athlete and four-time podium finisher Patrick Vellner announced that he would return to compete for that elusive title of “Fittest” in the 2023 season.
“Well it’s been a trip!” said Vellner in the post. “Time to move past the 2022 CrossFit Games and set my sights on 2023! I’m not going anywhere.”
Why it matters: Vellner headed into this past season as one of the favorites to challenge current champion Justin Medeiros for the Games title after placing second in 2021, the highest finish in his career.
Vellner finished lower than expected in sixth overall in what he called a “disappointing finish”.
The Canadian was the second oldest man in the Games field, at 32-years-old, yet he still competed at a high level, earning his sixth top-10 finish in seven trips to the Games as an individual.
Depending on how he’s feeling post-Games, it’s likely he’ll return to compete at the Rogue Invitational in late October–he finished second to Medeiros there last year.
The bottom line: Some may say that Vellner is closer to retirement than he is to the podium but he’s just one year removed from his silver medal finish at the Games where he and Medeiros battled it out for the championship.
Vellner admitted in his Instagram event recaps that he struggled with some of the new movements introduced at the Games and preparation for each of the events, elements that he vows he will learn from and improve on.
If he indeed does follow through on those promises there’s no doubt that he will once again be considered a title contender in 2023.
LIFESTYLE
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Coffee Break Conversation with Jason Khalipa
I’m excited to share that we’re bringing back Coffee Break Conversations — a weekly 30-ish minute chat with someone in the industry where we’ll dive into a particular topic that you can use in your training and/or business. These interviews are exclusive to RX members only and will take place every Friday live on YouTube, with the replay available afterward.
Today at 8AM PDT we’re kicking things off with 8x CrossFit Games athlete, father, author, philanthropist, host of the Effort Over Everything podcast, and founder of NCFIT, Jason Khalipa. We’ll be discussing the real costs of running a gym, how to make smarter financial decisions as an owner and implementing scalable solutions within your affiliate.
PushPress Aims To Support Gym Owners by Securing $11 Million in Funding
PushPress has just taken another step to support gym owners. The company has secured $11 million in Series A funding that will help it grow, build better products, and further educate its clients.
The details: The efforts actually began back in November 2021. PushPress founder Dan Uyemura worked on the fundraiser on Thanksgiving Day, which included researching the thousands of potential investors and determining which would be the best possible fit.
Altos Ventures led the Series A fundraising along with some participation from Mucker Capital. Both companies chose to lend their support–and money–after noting the relationship between PushPress and the list of clients.
“When we first evaluated PushPress, the passion they had for their customers really stood out,” said William Hsu, Mucker Capital co-founder. “Upon interviewing hundreds of their clients, we found that PushPress had one of the highest customer satisfaction rates and advocacy of any company we’ve seen in the SMB software space.”
Today’s workout is programmed by two-time Games champion Casey Acree. The upper-extremity adaptive athlete is coming off a dominating performance in Madison, WI where he became just the second athlete and first man to win every workout within their division at the Games. In two years of competing in the adaptive division, Acree has won 14 out of the possible 15 events at the Games.
Casey Acree
Every 5:00 for 6 Rounds
Buy-In each round: 24 calories on C2 Bike and 21 GHDSU (increase Bike/GHDSU pace every round)
Scale Bike Cals and/or GHDSU reps each round to ensure completion in under 2:00.
Scale weight in DB squat snatch to have potential to stay unbroken.
Some advice from Casey: “The goal here is to increase overall intensity each round, despite the increasing loading on DB movements. Therefore, starting at a steady and sustainable pace is vital to make sure you don’t redline too quickly. Last two rounds should be near max effort.”
To inquire about submitting an upcoming workout of the week, shoot us a note.
SHOP
Morning Chalk Up Merchandise is Back
Morning Chalk Up merchandise is back for another two-week, limited edition run.
These tanks and tees will only be available only until next Friday, September 2 at 6:00 PM PT. Oh and we’re also shipping worldwide to most countries.
You might not know this, but each one of these shirts goes directly to support the team covering this global support and community. Plus they’re uber soft, like teddy bear soft.
There are some movements where momentum is your friend. Bar muscle ups are definitely at the top of the list. Learn how to use your momentum to your advantage to start popping right up onto the bar.
Vellner. Malheiros. Khrennikov. Garard. BKG... and that's just to name a few. Trusted by the best athletes in the world, the CXT-1's were worn during 15 event wins. Pre-sale to get your very own pair is happening NOW... and they are selling fast.
Squats have so many benefits, but one unfortunate side effect can be tight hip flexors. It is also a hard area to specifically target for strengthening and mobilizing exercises...but it is possible. Here's how to work your hip flexor muscles and build strength in your lifts.
A Free WHOOP Strap 4.0 and Extra Month's Membership
WHOOP measures your body's data over 100 times a second to provide personalized feedback on your recovery, strain, and sleep. Morning Chalk Up readers can get a free strap and an extra month's membership when you sign up at the link below.
CrossFit Health’s Webinar on Training and Nutrition for the Female Athlete
Where all the ladies at? Dr. Jamie Seeman, author of “Hard to Kill”, is leading a webinar about improving the fitness and nutrition of the average female CrossFitter. Dr. Seeman has devoted her life to health and fitness and is just an overall baddie. Tune in to learn from her.
💍 Congratulations to Sam Cournoyer and his new bride Dominique on their August 20th wedding.
Congratulations to Ben Bailey from Ballston CrossFit in Arlington, VA on repping out a new gym record of 13 strict bar muscle-ups.
Lucy Campbell gets real in a personal recap of CrossFit Games Event 12: Back Nine.
Joshua Al-Chamaa of Team CrossFit Invictus jerks 405 pounds/184kg again, and again, and again.
Wayfare CrossFit in Westmoreland County, PA raised over $1000 for Penn Trafford Ambulance through their WOD in the Woods event in honor of Cam, a child in their community fighting orbital rhabdomyosarcoma for the second time.
This email may contain affiliate links. We make a small commision off of purchases made via our affiliate links to help support this newsletter. If you no longer wish to receive the Morning Chalk Up newsletter, unsubscribe here.
