“With realization of one's own potential and self confidence in one's ability, one can build a better world.”- Dalai Lama
COMPETITION
Wodapalooza Introduces New LatAm Cup for 2024 Season
TYR Wodapalooza announced a new and unique division is joining the annual Fitness Festival this January. The LatAm Cup will gather 20 of the best athletes from competitions across at least seven Latin American countries to throw down live at TYR WZA Miami 2024 and crown a male and female champion.
Joaquin Pérez Borrego, WZA Competition Director: “The idea was born from the need to evolve what was done the previous year, in order to improve.”
Remind me: In 2023, WZA introduced a renewed two-day competition format for teams and individuals. It was also the first year that TYR took over as title sponsor for the 11th iteration of the Miami, FL competition. This year, more changes have been introduced, including the addition of Masters Teams of 3, one singular Qualifier Leaderboard, and updates to the Scaled and Individual divisions. As one of the first major CrossFit competitions to include adaptive divisions, evolving is a part of the WZA DNA.
The LatAm Cup will operate as an independent division, in which athletes will compete in the same workouts as the Rx individual division, with the same standards, and will have their own leaderboard and podium ceremony. The LatAm Cup will take place Thursday, January 11th, 2024, and Friday, January 12, 2024 at Bayfront Park Miami.
“We did not want to give a direct pass to the Elite category, or any other category, simply by making an alliance with competitions in Latin America,” explained the Competition Director.
When looking at the athletes qualifying to Miami, however, there seemed to be something missing, “It seemed to us, that we were not giving a place to (Latin American) athletes who were trying to reach Miami through the Online Challenge & Qualifier.”
Josh Bridges is a legend in the CrossFit community; he’s reliably kind, humble, and all-out hard working. For Josh, physical strength comes from his mindset. Here’s how he stays mentally fit to conquer anything that comes his way:
Real toughness shows itself in what you do when no one is watching.
When things don’t go as planned, the ability to adapt is where you find your full potential.
See an injury as an opportunity to come back stronger.
Don’t get dehydrated. Drinking lots of water (with sodium in it) keeps your mind sharp and your body healthy.
🎓 Emma Lawson graduated from high school this week. The 2022 6th Fittest Woman on Earth and Rookie of the Year will be back in Madison this summer after taking 4th in the North America East Semifinals last month.
Masters Champion Rudy Berger joins the TYR Sport team.
New Offering in Southeast Wisconsin: CrossFit Syndicate in Waterford, WI is now hosting ‘Uniquely Abled‘ CrossFit classes for athletes with disabilities.
🌴 Relax, Retreat, and WOD: CrossFit Siargao on Siargao Island in the Philippines has launched a 9-day CrossFit and Health Retreat kicking off this October 8-16, 2023. This is another step in the ongoing rebuilding processafter Typhoon Odette destroyed the affiliate in December 2021.
Enter to win a summer of good for you and your bestie in our giveaway with Thirdzy!
COMPETITION
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
How To Host The Perfect Summer Throwdown: PR, Press, & Communications
In the previous pieces in this series, we talked about important elements of planning a competition, including logistics, finances, and programming. Now, it’s time to get the word out. If you haven’t read the previous parts of the series, you can head back to part one here.
One big thing: How you communicate all elements of the competition is critical in garnering athlete registration and ensuring a positive overall athlete experience. Here are a few questions to think through when planning your communication and marketing strategy for your throwdown.
CrossFit Milford Team Conquer Gears Up For 2023 CrossFit Games After Taking Last Qualifying Spot at North America East Semifinal
When competition concluded for the teams at the 2023 North America East Semifinals, the majority of those at the top knew they had made the cut for the summer’s CrossFit Games in Madison, WI. But not CrossFit Milford Team Conquer, who only learned during the formal announcement on Saturday that they officially secured the 10th and final qualifying spot.
Tears of joy and relief were visible from all team members—Tony Facchini, Jay Adams, Nicki Torreggiani, and Sierra Cameron—when the announcement came. It was an emotional moment, especially for Adams, who has been trying to get to the Games for over ten years. The team only came together a year ago, but after a lot of work and long training sessions, it all paid off.
Remind me: CrossFit Milford Team Conquer was tied with 8th Day CrossFit in points for the 10th place spot, however it came down to the Team Test 5 tie breaker, which would ultimately give CrossFit Milford Team Conquer the advantage. The team took 10th place in Quarterfinals, 23rd worldwide.
“We really came together as a team and we did literally everything we possibly could. We didn’t have another point to spare,” said Facchini.
“It was super emotional. All of that hard work that we put in all this season. All the time spent traveling and everything that we have done up to this point, it really hit us all right at that moment when they announced our name.”
“I would say it was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had as an athlete.”
Facchini is the only Games veteran on the team, he competed on Team CrossFit Milford in 2022 and they took 14th place. Team member Sierra Cameron said, “My biggest motivation during the long training days, and over this past season, was to bring each one of these people to the Games.” Cameron, who is a full-time registered nurse, has been trying to qualify since 2018 and says this “is an absolute dream come true.”
Today’s workout is programmed by Welsh Semifinalist Tayla Howe. While she has not yet punched her ticket to Games, Howe has been knocking on the door for several years, including finishing eighth at Strength in Depth in 2022 and 21st in the packed field at the Europe Semifinal this year. She also represented Wales in the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
Every 4 minutes for 6 rounds:
15 Wall-Facing Strict Handstand Push-Ups
15 Overhead Squats, 135/95 pounds (60/43kg)
15 Bar-Facing-Burpees
Scaling Options:
Wall-Facing Strict Handstand Push-Ups: This is a large number of reps–if you have to perform these in more than 3 sets, either reduce the number, or switch to regular strict handstand push-ups, kipping or piked on a box.
Overhead Squats: Choose a weight which you can perform unbroken each set.
Advice from Tayla: “Aim to complete each round as quickly as possible so you can capitalize on more rest so your body (in particular your shoulders) has more time to recover. If you have to break the handstand push-ups, don’t go to failure in your sets as you will have to wait a while before kicking up for your next rep. Prioritize getting into a strong and stable overhead position with the barbell before squatting it, to avoid feeling like you have to break at any point.”
You can now complete the Morning Chalk Up Workout of the Week in the WOD Proof app!
To inquire about submitting an upcoming workout of the week, shoot us a note.
REVIEWS
Review of the Week: Ritual Vitamins
If you’re like me, you are wondering what vitamins you actually need to be taking. If you go down the rabbit hole of vitamins and supplements on the internet, you will be left more confused than when you started your search.
I had heard of Ritual and knew they were legit, but I finally decided to pull the trigger and give some of their supplements a go. I snagged myself the Women’s Multivitamin 18+ and the Synbiotic+. Here are my key takeaways.
Wodify is back with their behind the numbers report, this time about Memorial Day Murph! Learn more about how many people attempted the brutal workout this year for the first time, and more interesting stats.
Think that melatonin is the only natural ingredient that helps sleep? Then you need to check out this article from Thirdzy about improving sleep quality in a variety of ways... without melatonin.
Summertime Squatting with Caffeine & Kilos: A FREE Program
This year over at Caffeine and Kilos, they are running a 4-week squat program called Thick Thigh Summer! This program is designed to help you achieve solid and powerful legs just in time for summer. Use this exclusive code “THIGHSOUT” to get the program absolutely free.
Wondering what kind of vitamins you should actually be taking? OLLY knows what you should be taking depends on what you need. That’s why they make vitamins based on your goals. From reducing stress, supporting healthy skin and nails, or strengthening your joints: there’s an OLLY vitamin for that. Buy now and get 20% off any ultra strength softgels using code “SUMMER23”.
This rule is a good thing to keep in mind for athletes who are learning how to do freestanding handstands and handstand walks. Use this principle to train yourself to find a vertical position in your handstand.
Torrance Training Lab in Torrance, CA hosted a community fundraiser WOD to support Jennifer Kawaguchi, who qualified to compete in the Women’s 55-59 division at the 2023 CrossFit Games.
Northville Athletix in Northville, MIis hosting a 4 Autism CrossFit Charity Event this Saturday, June 24th, and the Core City CrossFit Kids from Detroit, MI are ready to tackle the competition.
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.
