Juggling for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital

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“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” — Lao Tzu

Juggling for St. Jude Children’s Hospital

The story.

Hollis Belger is 13 years old, and she’s been playing soccer for as long for as she can remember.

When she was only nine, her mother told her about the kids at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, and she was so moved she decided she wanted to do something for them. The first thing that came to mind was soccer.

Oh, that’s cool!

Totally. So, she decided to juggle a soccer ball with her feet to raise money for kids with cancer. Hollis got a kick of out it, so she decided to do it again the following summer, bringing her combined donated total to more than $72,000 in just two summers. Juggling for Jude was officially a thing.

How does she do it?

Her rules for juggling are that she has to alternate feet and cannot use her thighs, making it more challenging but also more helpful for her soccer skill development. Now Hollis also does it for time, beating her record every chance she gets. And on June 25 she got a new juggling record of 3,215 alternating left to right feet. It took her 34:22 and she filmed the whole thing.

Dang!

That’s right. More than half an hour of straight juggling. Hollis said, “I was shaking for the last few minutes, my shoes had both come untied, and there was a bee circling around me. But, I thought about the kids at St. Jude…I kept going until I reached 3,000 and then kept going a little more.”

Hollis and her family have made it their mission to raise funds and awareness for St. Jude’s. They’ve started a Juggling for Jude Challenge. Just record yourself juggling and post it using #jugglingforjude. You can also donate to Hollis, anything from a penny to a dollar per juggle,  because this kid is still Juggling for Jude.

Coffee Break Conversations

What to tell your buddy who thinks traveling is a reason to stop training…

Bodyweight, bro. You can still get a killer workout without a gym or weights. Bodyweight workouts are super effective, you can still gain core strength, and they will help keep you flexible after that long plane ride stuck in the middle seat.

What to tell your mom the next time she heads to Trader Joe’s…

First, let’s start with “Thanks, Mom.” For those of us lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe’s grocery store, we know the snack selection can be overwhelming. Glorious, but overwhelming. The next time she’s headed out, ask dear old Mom to pick up these eleven healthy packaged snacks. 

Things To…

WATCH: Sara Sigmundsdottir Trains for 2018 Games

Sigmundsdottir takes her Games training outside with coaches Phil Mansfield and Josh Hodge. Together they power through a skills day of swimming, obstacle course trail runs, and triple-unders. 

WATCH THIS.

HEAR: Finding Balance in Fitness and Family 

The West Coast Advantage Podcast has on guests Pat and Taz Barber to discuss how to identify goals, the importance of finding others with the same passion, and their secrets on balancing family life with work and training.

TUNE IN. 

KNOW: How to Pick the Perfect Melon

A crossfitters post-wod dream, melons are a great summer fruit. But they can be tricky. They might look great on the outside but how do you know for sure? Does thumping them actually work? Do I want a heavy one or a light one? What’s the best way to cut them up? 

NOW YOU KNOW. 

EAT: Watermelon and Fennel Salad

This refreshing side salad is all you need on a summer day. With sweet watermelon and crunchy fennel, you’ll look forward to this dish all season. Plus, it keeps well so go ahead and make a big batch.

MIX IT UP.

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

Chalk Up Community

• BRUTE STRENGTH FOR TEENS — The Brute Teen Program, created by elite coaches, is for competitive athletes ages 13-17 that want a little bit more than the usual after-school workout program. It’s the best in every area of fitness, so there’s no babying here.
• FUNDRAISER FOR DELANEY — On Saturday, July 28 CrossFit BattleReady in Evans, CO will host a fundraiser for six-year-old Delaney who was recently diagnosed with Wilm’s Tumor. She is currently undergoing radiation and chemotherapy for the next 31 weeks. Event proceeds will go towards Pediatric Cancer Awareness.
• NEWEST CROSSFIT NEIGHBORS — Chicago has a new place to get some fitness in. CrossFit Severance has just opened in Chicago. And Fresno, CA welcomes CrossFit KBC. Drop by, say hello, and get a WOD in.

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

CrossFit Resolute owner Alex Villanueva is running for Sheriff of Los Angeles, CA • Performance Edge CrossFit  welcomes new member Shannon
Mills • CrossFit 228 does the Hero WOD Daniel for the Fourth of July • Dj and Charity Kanatzar make a CrossFit themed baby announcement • Nicole
Zapoli does a WOD in out in the wilderness • Enter to win a Yeti cooler with Kill Cliff • Jessica Richenbacher gets a PR on Hot Shots 19 at Cocoon CrossFit • Games athlete Tennil Reed-Beuerlein gets some Games training in with a triathlon at Bartlett Lake • Aaron Medina hits a 265 pound snatch PR • Zachary Huse gets a 185 kg/407 pound jerk PR. 

….and oh, so you got deficit handstand push-ups this week? 

Community Supports Member in Need — At 62, Trish Gibson has signed into Trident CrossFit 672 times since 2011 when she discovered CrossFit. Six months ago, Gibson was diagnosed with stage four urethral cancer. A rare form of cancer, Gibson has already required five blood transfusions. Her CrossFit community wanted to help, so they held a blood drive at Trident
CrossFit in her honor. They even had shirts made to show their support. The shirts read, “Granimal,” a mix of Grandma and animal, her nickname in the gym. 

ASL CrossFit Class in Utah — CrossFit instructor Jamie Hardman has partnered with CrossFit Aether to offer American Sign Language CrossFit classes in Sandy, Utah. Hardman saw a need for CrossFit in the deaf community and decided to fill it. “The community actually really wants it, it’s something they constantly talk about, but don’t have access,” Hardman said. She currently teaches ASL CrossFit two to three times a week with
her next program starting in August.

“When Motivation Wanes, Rely On Discipline Instead” by Meredith Atwood, Women’s Running Magazine 

When I started out as an adult-onset runner, I created goals and those goals motivated me, for sure. I was “motivated” by the fear of falling down and embarrassing myself. I was “motivated” by the sheer panic a race would inspire. Fear is certainly a motivator.

However, it was the bridge I built between that fear and the goal that is key. That bridge is the concept and execution of discipline. Once we admit to ourselves that motivation is not an intrinsic thing—that it’s up to us to go after our goals—we are able to frame our perspective a little differently.

I always tell my athletes: discipline over motivation. You aren’t motivated? Doesn’t matter. Be disciplined instead. Realize that action is the key—that moving forward and doing the motions of running or working out—no matter how we feel—is the key difference.

My challenge for you is to extricate the word “motivation” from your daily language and insert “discipline.” To me, that changes the entire frontier of our conversation when we substitute discipline for motivation. I think we are hard-pressed to say, “I completely lack discipline”—no one wants to admit that! 

7/6: Garage Games Firebreather 5k (John’s Creek, GA)

7/6 -7/8: The UG Games (Collingswood, ON)

7/6 – 7/8: The Garage Games Jr. Champion’s Invitational 2018 (Roswell, GA)

7/6 – 7/8: Garage Games Junior Champions Invitational (Roswell, GA)

7/7: CrossFit Elgin Beach Brawl 2018 (Port Stanley, ON)

7/7: Capitol Takeover 2018 (Springfield, IL)

7/7: 2nd Annual Liberty Dash (Johnston, PA)

7/7 – 7/8: Railyard Riot (Lincoln, NE)

7/7: Barbellas (Anaheim, CA)

7/7: Annapolis Strong Community WOD (Annapolis, MD) 

7/7 – 7/8: Tribal Clash UK 2018 (Kingsbridge , Devon)

7/8: Croatia with VoyEdge RX

7/13 – 7/15: Beach Throwdown 2018 (Schevening, Netherlands)

7/14: Mischief Revolution: Battle of the Brewery (Chicago, IL)

7/14: Mountain Town Summer Throwdown (Breckenridge, CO) 

7/14: Espirit De Corps 2018 (Vancouver, WA)

7/14: Belmar Beat Down (Belmar, NJ)

7/14: Atomic Throwdown (Kennewick, WA)

7/14: Fitness for Faith (Livingston, TN) 

7/14: Sweat Angel Showdown (Indianapolis, IN) 

7/14: Barmageddon (Oklahoma City, OK)

7/14: Red, White, and Blue Showcase (Kearney, NE)

7/14: CrossFit for Hope 2018 (Peoria, IL)

7/14: Team SuperFit Charlotte (Charlotte, NC)

7/14 – 7/15: 2018 Freshcoast Games (Muskegon, MI)

7/14: RX’Mas in July (Urbana, OH)

7/15: The Buckeye Games (Akron, OH)

7/15 – 7/16: Lubbock Summer Games (Lubbock, TX)

7/21: Second Annual Summer Showdown (Nicholasville, KY)

7/21: Swole Wars II (Burleson, TX)

7/21: Sacred Pines Invitational (Ladson, SC)

7/21: Battle at the BallPark (Peoria, IL) 

7/21 – 7/22: The Rubicon (Centerton, AR)

7/21: Summer Partner Throwdown (Hammond, LA)

7/21: The Freedom Games (Greenwood, SC)

7/22: Iceland with VoyEdge RX

7/28: Garage Girls Hard Core Fit (Watkinsville, GA) 

7/28: Garage Girls CrossFit HardCore (Boca Raton, FL) 

7/28: AZ FitCom Competition (Phoenix, AZ)

7/28: Summer Knights Showdown (Springfield, IL)

7/28 – 7/29: CF Summer Circus (Des Moines, IA)

7/29: Summer Sizzle (Wadsworth, OH) 

7/30: Legends of Lebo (Pittsburgh, PA)

8/4: Lumberjack Lift Off (Buckley, WA) 

8/4: G-Town Throwdown (Georgetown, MA) 

8/4: US National Parks Tour with VoyEdge RX