Introducing the new 2018 CrossFit Regionals

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is powered by FlapJacked, a high-protein, natural food company. Oh wait, you can’t eat cupcakes because you’re trying to eat healthy? Well, think again! FlapJacked teamed up with the nutrition experts at RP Strength to bring you this FREE Sweet & Savory, Macro-friendly Recipes e-cookbook. It’s got everything from quick meal prep dishes, to super easy breakfast favorites, and even some guilt-free desserts! Download the free cookbook here.

“Dig deep into that inexhaustible well of grit, guts and determination.” — Ken Chlouber

SAY HELLO TO THE 2018 CROSSFIT REGIONALS

Remind me.

Just a few weeks back, Dave Castro announced a few changes coming in the 2018 CrossFit Games season, most notably 1) the number of athletes on a team reduces from six to four, 2) Europe is getting a second regional, 3) California and the West regionals are being combined, and 4) Latin America is getting their own regional but only one spot at the Games.

OK, so what’s new?

We now know how this is all going to play out.

• The Australian Region has been renamed to Australasia. Not kidding.
• Californians will compete at the West Regional.
• Central and North Europe will compete in the Europe Regional and South Europe, Africa and the Middle East will compete in the Meridian Regional.
• There are now 18 regions (up from 17) and these are the new ones: South Europe, Central Europe, North Europe, Central America, South America (formerly Latin America) and the West Coast (encompassing California and the North West).
• For the complete breakdown of how many spots each region will get at Regionals, take a look.
• Each Regional will feature 40 men, 40 women and 30 teams.

Why all these changes anyways?

The simple answer is to balance out the number of competitors vying for a spot at Regionals. As FloElite has repeatedly pointed out, there has been a growing imbalance between the number of open competitors across the globe. Take NorCal for example, which had 5,250 female athletes vying for one of 20 spots at Regionals. In Europe, that number rises to 21,750.

In CrossFit’s own words: “We have made these changes so that each Regional is backed by approximately 40,000 Open participants.”

They’ve done something like this before, most recently in 2015 when they dropped from 17 Regionals to 8.

Anything else?

Week 1 of Regionals kicks off May 18 with the East, South and Europe Regionals.

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES

Roundup — The Australian Barbell Company celebrates 75 years in business, and their HQ is just an hour south of Melbourne. CrossFit Mayhem’s Thin Red and Thin Blue Line t-shirts helps raise money for local fire and law enforcement. Lots of new colorways released for the Nike Metcon 4s. Someone turned off gravity when Adrian Mundwiler did these strict muscle-ups. 

…and it’s almost the final day to purchase a pair of “Worth of Love Leggings.” For every legging sold, Four Athletics is donating one legging to Saving Innocence for victims of sex trafficking.

The Liftoff — In case you missed it, you can rewatch on Facebook.

— Chelsey Grigsby: 174.2 pound snatch (PR), 233.7 pound clean and jerk (PR).

— Alessandra Pichelli: 194 pound snatch, 246.9 pound clean and jerk.

— Becca Voigt: Failed both snatch attempts, 224 pound clean and jerk (PR).

— Jamie Hagiya: 194 pound snatch, 255.7 pound clean and jerk (PR).

— Devyn Kim: 154.3 pound snatch, 209.4 pound clean and jerk.

— Garret Fisher: 319 pound snatch (PR), 363.8 pound clean and jerk.

— Elijah Muhammad: 286.6 pound snatch, 341.7 pound clean and jerk.

— Tommy Vinas: 297.6 pound snatch, 352.7 pound clean and jerk.

P.S. Don’t use fractions of pounds; they’re not allowed but this is how HQ displayed their lifts. 

The IWF Worlds — 

— Caitlin Hogan hits an 83kg/182 pound snatch and a 111kg/244 pound clean and jerk to set a new American Record with a 194kg total.

— Bjork Odinsdottir hits a 109kg/240 pound clean and jerk and 85kg/187 pound snatch.

— Up Next: Angelo Bianco lifts at 2PM, Jessica Lucero at 5:30 PM and CJ Cummings at 8PM. 

COFFEE BREAK CONVERSATIONS

What to tell your friend who’s itching to show off their gains…

How about doing a competition? It just so happens there’s one right around the corner, and it’s online just like the CrossFit Open. Oh and it’s hosted by CrossFit Invictus — you know that San Diego affiliate who’s fans look like a sea of green cheering on their fitness pals like Lauren and Garret Fisher. From December 18 – 20, they’re inviting the global CrossFit community to throwdown for a few days and test your fitness before the 2018 season kicks off. The entrance fee costs all of zero dollars so you have no excuses. 

What to tell your friend who’s never seen The Godfather…

Be my friend, Don Corleone. Sunday on Shark Tank, Mark Cuban made Ashley Thompson and Kat Thomass an offer they couldn’t refuse; $300,000 for 10% of Mush — a San Diego-based food startup championing the movement away from sugar and preservative-laden snacks with their delicious cold oatmeal. Their overnight oats don’t have any added sugar, dairy, eggs, soy, thickeners or preservatives, kinda like how your grandpa used to eat it: all natural. 

THINGS TO…

WATCH: Rory McKernan in Ireland, EP 1

Last year, Rory McKernan took a trip to Ireland to get to know the Irish CrossFit community. Follow Rory on his real world struggles like stepping in poop, buying a tux with jacked legs and getting out-lifted by a 17-year-old. 

TRAVEL WITH RO.

HEAR: How to Be Successful 

Ever look over at others around you and wonder — what makes them so successful? We’ll be the first to admit that sometimes others make it just look so darn easy. Amy and Olivia tackle self-doubt and the topic of success in this episode of The Nasty Girls Podcast. 

TUNE IN.

EAT: Pumpkin Pie Granola

Don’t throw away that extra pumpkin pie, turn it into tasty granola instead.

PAIR WITH SOME ALMOND MILK.

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is powered by

CHALK UP AFFILIATES

Quick Hits —

• On Giving Tuesday, affiliates across Indianapolis raised money for Artie Stevens’ family. Artie was a local chef who sold pre-made healthy meals to CrossFit boxes and other gyms in the area. He died suddenly a few weeks back.
• CrossFit Lakewood Ranch lost their space in Lakewood Ranch, FL two months ago, so owner Alexis Pennington teamed up with Drive SRQ, a personal trainining and fitness gym. 

“How Sami Mansfield Fights Cancer With Fitness” by Brittney Saline, CrossFIt Journal

“I’ll never be like them,” Karen Hand thought miserably to herself, watching a pair of joggers zoom by as she shuffled along a trail near her home in Kansas City, Missouri.

Several weeks earlier, in August 2013, doctors had discovered five malignant tumors spanning a total of 8 cm in her left breast, enough to warrant a Stage 3 breast-cancer diagnosis. Though Hand was only 42 years old at the time and loved to bike and hike, the chemotherapy—six rounds every three weeks—left her feeling weak and exhausted.

“It gets in your head that ‘I’m so weak. My life is never gonna be normal again,’” said Hand, now 46. “It just beats you down.”

After Hand underwent chemotherapy and a double mastectomy, surgeons scooped out flesh from her abdomen to reconstruct her breasts. The hip-to-hip scar seared with pain whenever she tried to lift her 4-year-old son or simply lie flat.

12/1 – 3: Atlas Games (Montreal, Canada)

12/2 – 3: Rogue Winter Classic (Cleveland, OH)

12/2 – 3: Winter Classic V4 (Macon, GA)

12/2: Anthem CrossFit’s Reindeer Games (Pensacola, FL)

12/2: Vekter Games IV (CrossFit ReVamped, Columbia, MD)

12/9: Ho Ho Ho CrossFit Kids Competition (Riverside, CA)

12/9: The 2017 Reindeer Games (Del Mar, CA)

12/9 – 10: WOD GODZ 2017 (Shreveport, LA)

12/18 – 20: 6th Annual CrossFit Invictus Online Competition (Online)

1/6: BrickYard Brawl (South Windsor, CT)

1/11 – 14: Wodapalooza Fitness Festival (Miami, FL)

1/13: Abominable Snowdown II (Orem, UT)

1/13 – 14: War of the Wods (Greensboro, NC)

1/27: Winter Chiller (Fairmont, WV)

1/27: NorCal Masters 2018 (Richmond, CA)

1/27 – 28: The Fittest Experience (Austin, TX)

2/3: No Weak Links “V” (Whitesboro, NY)