How Can Your Affiliate Help Make A Difference During Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

October 5   |   POWERED BY

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• The IF3 crowns winners at Masters and Youth World Championship
• How can you filter screentime to improve your health?
• Lindsay Marcelli and Compete for a Cure offer suggestions for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Nominate your gym for affiliate of the month and be sure to include a note about why we should feature it.

“It means so much to give these athletes an opportunity to come and compete against athletes from all over the world. There’s not any other thing right now in our sport where every country has the opportunity to send athletes if they want to.” - Gretchen Kittleberger, IF3

IF3 Masters and Youth World Championship Crowns Worldwide Winners

At the opening ceremonies of the International Functional Fitness Championship, president Gretchen Kittleberger welcomed 345 athletes from 24 countries, as they traveled to Richmond, BC, Canada, nea Vancouver,  to compete in the IF3 Masters and Youth World Championship.

The championship involved multiple tests, including Endurance, Skill, Bodyweight, Strength, Power and Mixed–the tests varied, depending on the age group and division and after three days of competition, podiums were set.

Remind me: A non-profit, independent international governing body for functional fitness as a competitive sport, the International Functional Fitness Federation, (IF3), strives to provide leadership, structure and resources as it promotes functional fitness and its growth throughout the world. It is IF3’s mission to see functional fitness included in the Olympic Games.

The details: While the IF3 World Championship is held separately, in Oslo, Norway, November 24-26th, the Masters and Youth World Championship was held over three days, last weekend. The athletes competing qualified in different ways, depending on their countries’ stipulations and process.

• The athletes from the United States qualified by their scores from the 2023 CrossFit Age Group Quarterfinals, for example, other countries like Costa Rica had four unique qualifying workouts, mimicking those of the IF3 format, and other countries hosted live events for their qualifying process.

The country with the largest representation at the World Championship was Sweden, followed by the United States, then Mexico, Canada and Germany.

On hosting the event, Kittleberger expressed her desire to create a powerful and lasting memory for the competitors and fans.

• “We want to create an experience that’s important to (the athletes), that’s meaningful and is something that they can be proud of, particularly with the masters and the juniors, I feel like those are underserved populations right now, so we want to highlight them and really support them and help the sport grow in those age groups,” said Kittleberger.

The athletes representing their countries shared their gratitude for the opportunity to do so. The youth athletes look forward to the journeys that lie ahead and they are hopeful that their choice to compete in functional fitness will inspire others to do so as well. When asked what it means to them to compete on such a high level as representations of their countries, they shared the following sentiments:

• “It feels incredible and I hope to do it for the next couple of years,” said 2nd place finisher in the Youth 13-14 division, Gia Griffith, from the United States. “It means that I need to train hard everyday, to represent America, because I know everyone is going to be fighting for that one spot.”
• “It’s a far journey to get to the competition but it’s worth it,” said Melker Lundin, Swedish 3rd place finisher in the Youth 17-18 division. “I took the opportunity to meet and compete with better athletes in my age group. You develop a lot, not only as an athlete but also as a person.”

Lundin went on to express his hope that the sport and recognition for it can grow.

• “The sport of functional fitness has to grow and I’m a part of its future. Hopefully I can contribute and inspire more youth to be a part of something bigger. I’m still a young athlete but I hope to inspire others with my performance,” said Lundin.

The masters athletes expressed that they are grateful to have a space to compete with like-minded athletes, and men and women that while they have been in the sport for many years, the fire of competition still burns bright. Many of them are honored that they are still doing what they love to do, while representing their country amongst so many others.

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Raptis Out for Rogue: In a heartfelt Instagram post this week, Games athlete Alexis Raptis revealed that she has been battling Colitis, an autoimmune disease that affects the colon. A recent flare-up of the disease has caused her to withdraw from the Rogue Invitational. Currently, she is raising money for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.

• Raptis: “It is with a heavy heart I’ll have to withdraw from one of the best events out there @rogueinvitational But to make a dark situation a little bit lighter, I’m raising money for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation to help support their mission. For every $25 donated, I’ll walk a mile.”

🎟️  🎟️ Grab your TYR Wodapalooza tickets, on sale now! And don’t forget, for guaranteed seating for elite events at Flagler and Bayside, select “Elite Passes” or “VIP Passes” for even more options and perks.

“We Rise”: Fitness apparel brand LSKD announced the “We Rise” campaign to help raise awareness about breast cancer this month. Learn more now.

💪 🏋️ Meet Coach B: Coach Mike Burgener and the Burgener Strength team will be hosting CrossFit Weightlifting seminars at CrossFit Mayhem in Cookeville, TN (October 14-15) and CrossFit Invictus in San Diego, CA (October 21-22). Sign up now to earn your CrossFit Weightlifting certificate and 13 CEUs.

ICYMI: What do Google search trends tell us about CrossFit’s growth or decline?

Have a Speed Read you think we might like? Hit us up.

Five Filters to Use For Less Screen Time and Better Health

If you’re reading this, our guess is you have no trouble avoiding the candy bars in the checkout line at the grocery store. You have no issue driving past McDonald’s, even when you’re hungry.

It’s time we brought that same level of restraint for low-quality, high-calorie foods to our information diet.

• The health effects of too much screen time aren’t much different than if we were to load up our shopping carts with sodas, ice cream, and potato chips.

According to Statista, the average American spends about 7 hours a day on the Internet. We scroll social media for 2 hours, watch videos and TV for 4 hours, and spend the remaining hour playing video games. The numbers for kids aren’t very different: The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates kids between 8 and 18 spend about 7.5 hours a day in front of screens for entertainment.

We lay all that out simply to ask the question:

"How to Make The Most Of Breast Cancer Awareness Month In Your Affiliate and Beyond: An Interview With Lindsey Marcelli Founder of Compete For A Cure"

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

While it’s easy to get lost in the sea of pink and the seemingly endless fundraisers and awareness campaigns that the month brings, whether you are an affiliate owner, coach, or athlete, there are many ways to make meaningful contributions to the breast cancer community in the month of October and beyond.

One big thing: This week, we sat down with Girls Gone Rx and Compete for a Cure founder, Lindsey Marcelli, to ask her some questions about how those in the CrossFit community can help to fundraise and bring awareness for breast cancer during the month.

What is your biggest piece of advice for box owners looking to host a breast cancer fundraiser?

• Marcelli: “Plan and prepare and try to get volunteers within your community. Consider fitness-related events like our benchmark workout, a run/walk, or a competition, as these align with your box’s community. Make it memorable for all participating and incorporate breast cancer into the event; whether that is highlighting members who are survivors, their family members, wearing pink, etc.”

How can box owners continue to support the breast cancer community beyond their individual events, throughout the month of October and beyond?

• “Breast Cancer Awareness should be year-long, not just in October. Encourage your coaches to take our Free Breast Cancer Basics course, connect with your local Breast Health Center or Oncology Center, and continuously seek feedback from your community to understand their needs and preferences regarding breast cancer support and awareness initiatives,” Marcelli replied.

How can coaches continue to support breast cancer survivors beyond their affiliate’s event?

• “So many ways! Our best advice is to meet the survivors where they are at, find out what they need and want, that will best support them. Take the free course we have, provide individual programming needs, and check in regularly with them. Facilitate a support group within your community, and continue to ensure they thrive.”
• Marcelli: “Coaches who provide ongoing support to breast cancer survivors can make a significant impact on their physical and emotional recovery, helping them lead healthier and more fulfilling lives beyond the initial event.”

You have a few event ideas on your website. What is your personal favorite?

• “We love a community event that brings everyone together, so a workout with a barbecue is our favorite. We strive to ‘sweat for something more than yourself’ so seeing the fitness community do just that, while supporting our mission, has been beyond incredible and empowering to survivors around the world.”

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Seven Nutrition Tips to Optimize Performance

Ready to optimize your nutrition to help you perform your best in the gym? Use these tips to help!

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

• 🎂Happy birthday to Dragana Ullern.
• Happy 10 year affiliate anniversary to CrossFit Winter Park in Winter Park, FL.
• 🍼Congratulations to Sarah and Josh Johnson of CrossFit RSG in Rochester, NY on the birth of their daughter.
• Happy affiliate anniversary to CrossFit Portrero in Portrero, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
• 💍Congratulations to Bree Masters on her engagement to Matt Rizzo.

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