“Trust yourself, you know more than you think you do.”- Benjamin Spock
COMPETITION
Hope in the Desert Looks to Bring Exercise Opportunities to Women in Palestine
While some events are created to crown the fittest, others are to create earning opportunities for athletes, and some for a bit of friendly competition — this throw down is for a cause that hits close to home for many in meaning, albeit quite far across the globe for most.
As a completely free online competition (Dec. 2-4, 2022) comprised of a single parter workout, Hope in the Desert was created to help bring accessibility to fitness for women in the Palestinian city of Jericho. Located just east of Jerusalem, the community population is about 23,000, half of which is female, with little to no access to safe sports facilities or exercise programs.
For some background, this project is one of many initiatives by The Athletes’ Table, a non-profit organization founded in 2020 and made up of current and former athletes aiming to bring access to sport opportunities for people around the world in a way that’s “SIMPLE”: safe, inclusive, mentored, public, local and equitable.
Their mission is to “ensure that all people on the planet have access to that uniting power of sport and the community transformation that it cultivates and that it brings,” according to co-founder and The Athletes’ Table President, Jonah German.
The World Health Organization reports that over a quarter of the global population is insufficiently active, and this causes negative impacts on health systems, economic development, quality of life and the environment.
“It’s not just a problem that is facing the global south or third world or disadvantaged communities, which we often associate these problems with,” German said. “This is a problem that’s facing every corner of our planet.”
TYR, the leader in swimwear, has partnered with WHOOP to bring the first-ever smart swimsuit.
The TYR x WHOOP Swimsuits hold the WHOOP 4.0 sensor flush against the skin for data collection during training and feature premium fabric that is 100% chlorine proof, 100% colorcast so that color will not fade, and fully lined antimicrobial properties.
Aka… this swimsuit is legit.
Reduce the risk of drag that slows swimmers down in the water with this sleek swimsuit from TYR without sacrificing the performance data you’ve come to love from WHOOP.
HQ update: CrossFit has posted an explainer on its Worldwide Rankings System and Strength of Field that will be a new part of the 2023 season.
Drug suspension update: Kuwait’s Nasser Alruwayeh spoke directly to Morning Chalk Up about his drug ban being reduced from four to two years after an appeal.
American boy: Alec Smith is partnering up with American Eagle for an athletic fit jeans campaign this fall.
Roman’s reign: Great piece from CrossFit on Roman Khrennikov and all that he has been through, just to finally make it to the CrossFit Games this past season.
Fist bump: Props to former CrossFit Games athlete and all around cool dude Jacob Heppner for winning The Tactical Games this past weekend in Texas. 🔫
LIFESTYLE
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Reframing “Bad” Training Days with Weightlifting Coach Aimee Anaya Everett
When training isn’t going as planned, how do you refrain from getting discouraged and stay invested in the process?
Particularly for newer athletes, it’s very common to hit a PR every time you re-attempt a 1-rep max. As you’re getting accustomed to the movement and improving your technique and body awareness, it can be expected to see significant improvements rather quickly. That is, until you become more proficient, reach a ceiling, and make much more incremental gains over time; the common experience of seasoned or elite competitors.
As the first female weightlifting coach at the Olympics, lifting coach to the first female CrossFit Games winner (Jolie Gentry) and head of HWPO’s new LIFT program, Aimee Anaya Everett has a wealth of experience helping athletes reach their full potential both on and off of the platform.
The Plot Thickens: What's Going on with the European Championship?
New details emerge from the European Championship, an off-season competition that has yet to pay its podium athletes, judges, and media. Morning Chalk Up’s Lauren Kalil sits down with Jason Croxon, the man behind Jason CF Media, to peel back the layers of how the competition is planning to pay its people for the event in 2022, through a competition in 2023…and how the athletes are apparently not supporting it.
Team Shut Up & Row Set to Row Atlantic Ocean for The Big Fish Foundation
Starting in December, Brian Nicholson, James Hein, Brian Chontosh, and Chriss Smith will take on a significant challenge. They will row across the Atlantic Ocean while raising awareness and financial support for The Big Fish Foundation, Tosh’s non-profit dedicated to making an impact on Veteran suicide.
Remind me: The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge will begin in December. Numerous teams will start their 3,000-mile journey at San Sebastian in La Gomera, Canary Islands. They will then row to Nelson’s Dockyard English Harbour, Antigua and Barbuda.
There are multiple categories for this grueling event – ranging from solo to five-person teams. Team Shut Up & Row will be in the four-person category.
There are only two teams from the United States in the four-person category – Team Shut Up & Row and Fight Oar Die, which also features Veterans raising awareness for Veteran Suicide and Veteran PTSD.
Team Shut Up & Row has multiple goals. Finishing the grueling event while raising funds and awareness for The Big Fish Foundation is at the top of the list. There is also another that would make history. If the four-man team maintains its desired pace, it will have the opportunity to become the first all-American team to take a spot on the podium.
Get involved: The four-man team will raise awareness and funds during the 3,000-mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Community members can show their own support by taking part in a three-day fundraising event.
Created in partnership with Wodify, the event will take place November 11-13. Community members can get on their own rowers every day, put in some time, and log it in the app.
The goal is to see how many times they can virtually row across the Atlantic Ocean. Team Shut Up & Row hopes to have 1,500 people row 1,500 meters each day for three days.
O2 Shifts Focus After Investor Issues: “So now, once again O2 is doing the hard thing”
O2, the hydration company co-founded by Dave Colina, has encountered a hurdle in its fundraising campaign. Its lead investor has pulled out after the scheduled close date of the Series B fundraising campaign.
The details: Colina provided the news near the end of October in an investor update. He explained that O2 had reached the minimum on its $7 million Series B fundraising campaign, which put the company on pace to close in September.
The investor pulled out on October 8, four months after signing a term sheet with O2. The reasoning provided by the investor listed a downturn in capital markets, as well as the approach to the Series A campaign that ended on April 8.
This sudden change by the now-former lead investor left O2 with around $3.5 million in investor dollars, which the company will “smartly leverage” while preventing other people from derailing its progress.
Major costs: As Colina explained, there were significant costs for O2 as the company focused on securing this lead investor. The legal fees alone were major, and now they are on O2’s books as the company shifts its focus to a new path forward.
“These guys aren’t chuckleheads from Ajax Investing – this is a prominent multinational investment firm that signed a term sheet,” Colina said in an O2 blog about the sudden departure. “Kind of a big deal, and we racked up big $$$ in legal fees getting it to the one-yard line, only for them to bail at the last minute for no good reason.
“So now, once again O2 is doing the hard thing: changing plans, refocusing efforts, surviving, and ultimately thriving – because that’s what we do. As Tosh [Brian Chontosh] says, ‘Hard people do hard sh*t.’”
Where does O2 go from here? There are multiple options. Colina noted that the board is hard at work trying to find another lead investor that can fill the gap left by the sudden departure.
If they are unable to achieve this goal, O2 will close out the Series B campaign at a lesser amount and revise the strategy for growing the business.
Colina and the board of directors have concluded that there is still a “tremendous amount of upside” in O2’s business, which will become available to any other investor that joins the fold.
Another round: The Series B campaign is the second that O2 has launched in the past calendar year. The hydration company capped off 2021 by launching a Series A crowdfunding campaign on SeedInvest.
According to the SeedInvest site, O2 raised $1,592,282.46 during its Series A crowdfunding campaign.
One of the prominent figures that took part in the initial campaign was Joe De Sena, the founder of Spartan Race. He joined in March, weeks prior to the end of the Series A campaign.
THINGS TO...
...READ
Ten Things That Are Hard to Hear, But True
Sometimes the things we need to hear aren’t the things we necessarily want to hear. So on that note, here is some light reading to help you grow and get out of your comfort zone.
Looking for an endurance boost in your next WOD? Peer-reviewed research shows that by correcting your jaw and tongue position with the AIRWAAV Performance Mouthpiece, you can significantly improve your breathing, increase endurance, and even boost strength.
A few calories in on an Assault Bike, we know that feeling of burning that starts in our legs and never stops. When you are biking, are you utilizing your upper body to help take some of the strain off of your legs? Use this tip to help you let those arms help those poor legs.
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One of the more complex gymnastic movements, the pull-over, builds coordination and skill to get up and over the bar. Give this movement a try and see if you are up to the test!
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