Listen up, Chyna Cho has something to say

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is fueled by Working Against Gravity, the Official Sports Nutrition Sponsor of the Morning Chalk Up.

How do you keep on track during the holiday season without skipping out on the fun? Get WAG’s 2018 Holiday Guide for free tips on handling common holiday situations, powerful portion control, delicious macro-friendly recipes with mouth-watering food photography and convenient coupon codes…and who doesn’t love coupon codes?

“All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible.” — Orison Swett Marden

How Marilyn Zosia Discovered She Was an Adaptive Athlete

Some background.

Marilyn Zosia survived a traumatic brain injury in 2005. Left with severe memory loss and no sense of self, she woke up every morning in a daze.

“I woke up every day and had to reintroduce myself to my own life,” she said in an interview. “I didn’t have resources to turn to for help. It was very isolating.”

Five years later, Zosia decided to work her way back into the gym. Physical fitness, it turned out, helped her feel at home in her own mind and body again. She remembers seeing a CrossFit video with an Army veteran, also a survivor of a traumatic brain injury, who called himself an adaptive athlete. “I thought, is this me? Am I an adaptive athlete?” Zosia said.

An eye-opener.

So, she opened a gym and co-founded “I Am Adaptive,” the resource she wished she’d had when she began her recovery. The nonprofit organization mission statement is to work to educate, socialize, and mobilize adaptive athletes: trauma survivors, injured veterans, and anyone who needs to approach movement differently.

Their website defines adaptive as, “anyone who must adapt to a situation related to their fitness goals and needs. The meaning of Adaptive is such a broad spectrum including but not limited to Athletes with: amputations, paraplegia, muscular dystrophy, special needs, scoliosis, traumatic brain injuries, blindness, deafness, lactic acidosis, cerebral palsy, and so on!”

So how does it work?

They are always looking for volunteers for Adaptive Ambassadors. They also have a large I Am Adaptive Competitive team that travels extensively to help educate the sports and fitness world on adaptive athletes, and speak on ways to support adaptive athletes in your community.

“These people don’t need to feel limited,” Zosia explains. “They need to be empowered.”

ATHLETE FEATURE.

“Changing the Games Doesn’t Change a Thing” by Chyna Cho

I was devastated when I heard CrossFit was getting rid of Regionals. I love Regionals—it’s my favorite and also most hated competition on the planet.

I hated it because everything rode on those three days. It was the most stressful time ever. But the feeling of being at Regionals is unlike any other. I don’t even think the Games can compare to it. The Games are just such a big show, and I never get to see my family, I never get to see my friends.

Ever since they put the teams in the morning at Regionals, the individuals only had to be there for three to four hours each day. I got to eat dinner with my friends, have breakfast with my coaches, and see people at the arena. You get to be a part of the community and still compete, and at the Games you are in a briefing, you have the workout, you have to do interviews. The big show is great, but you don’t get the same feeling you get at Regionals, so when they announced there were no more Regionals I was really sad.

However, you just have to roll with the punches. I’ve dealt with changes before. First the Regionals changed from NorCal and SoCal into California, and we went from six spots to five spots—at the time I was terrified of that. Then we went from the California Regional to the West Regional, and we went from 10 spots down to five spots.

Continue reading…

Coffee Break Conversations

What to say to your friend who just cleaned out her closet…

Pull a Lauren Fisher and give it all away. She just cleaned out her storage room and found a big old bag of unworn Nike clothes. So, she’s taking one for the team and hosting a giveaway. You’ve got to follow her and Grown Strong on IG, tag a few friends, and like her post before today at 1:00 PM PT to be entered to win.

Things To…

WATCH: Lift Up for Kim Murray

Kim Murray, a CrossFit athlete at 12 Labours CrossFit, fell on hard times after a brain aneurysm left her medically incapable of working. With bills mounting, Kim struggled to take care of her family and her three kids and she became homeless for a time. Currently living in a one bedroom apartment, the single mother is struggling to make ends meet. That’s when her 12 Labours CrossFit family stepped in to help.

A LABOUR OF LOVE.

HEAR: Brooke Wells on AMRAP

Will Edmonds’ first episode of AMRAP is out. His guest is four-time CrossFit Games athlete Brooke Wells, who discusses the changes to the Games, her much-debated “are-they-aren’t-they” relationship with Alec Smith and what it’s like to have fans tattooing themselves with her likeness.

WELL ARE THEY?

EAT: Golden Coconut Chicken Lentil Soup

Wonderful golden chicken lentil soup made with creamy light coconut milk, turmeric, ginger, garlic, and cumin. Full of delicious fall flavors, but with minimal ingredients, it boasts so much flavor this soup will be your new favorite!

SIMMER DOWN NOW.

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

Chalk Up Community

• FREE PROTEIN — FNX is giving away free tub of Orange Dreamsicle Restart AM protein for their “7 Pull Challenge”. The goal is to find the highest wattage you can put on the erg in seven strokes. Check out the full video and the scores to beat. Use #7pullchallenge and FNX will even feature you in their story!
• CROSSFIT FOR ALL — South Slope CrossFit in Asheville, NC, has partnered with the Buncombe County Recreation Services and Special Olympics of Buncombe County to offer free programs each Wednesday at 3:00 PM for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.“It is our belief that every single person is an athlete, whether they realize it or not,” says Scott Mirkin, owner of South Slope CrossFit. 
• ICE HOCKEY AND CROSSFIT — CrossFit Prince George, in British Columbia, has programs that cater specifically to hockey players like Chris and Steven Jandric who both play for the University of Alaska Fairbanks team.
• 24 HOURS OF HERO WODS — Steamtown CrossFit is hosting 24 Hero workouts for Veterans Day this weekend, from Saturday at 3:00 PM through Sunday at 3:00 PM. A $20.00 donation is requested to participate in the workout.
• CROSSFIT GYM MOVING — CrossFit Hit and Run’s Midtown location in Memphis, TN will move early next year to Crosstown.

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

Happy one year anniversary of TriForce CrossFit • Vanessa McCoy did Fran in 2:06 • Happy birthday Claire Fikowski • Congratulations to Big Dawgs Head coach Mike Lee on the birth of his son • Hunter McIntyre completed WOD 3 for Fittest in Cape Town Online Qualifier.

…and just in case you were wondering how to make a pegboard even more difficult, here ya go. 

Don’t Forget — Scores for the Fittest in Cape Town Online Qualifiers are due this Sunday at 1:59 PM PT. You can read the submission guidelines and follow the leaderboard. 

2018 Team USA World Championships to Wrap Up — Jenny Arthur (81 KG) lifted Thursday morning, going 5/6 on her lifts and taking fourth place, just missing the podium in Ashgabat. But her 4th place finish in total was Team USA’s best finish in an Olympic Qualifying World Championships since 1999.

The last two weightlifters for Team USA are on deck for the weekend. Here’s how to follow along and see who is in the lead.

— Friday: Wes Kitts (109 KG) Friday at 1:25 AM PT, Keiser White (+109 KG) at 7:00 PM PT, and Caine Wilkes (+109 KG) at 11:00 PM PT.

— Saturday: Sarah Robles (87 KG) at 1:25 AM PT Saturday.

Sneak Peak — NOBULL dropped a sneak peak commercial of their much anticipated Black Friday campaign. Last year, their Black Friday trainer sold out very, very quickly. When we were in New York City at their launch, the staff was coy about their plans for 2019 but hinted at something special.  We do know that Brooke Wells, Aspen Parks and Sydney
Wells filmed a spot in Brooklyn.

Pip Malone On Body Image and CrossFit — Pip Malone, who just earned a qualifying spot in Dubai and then headed over to IWF 2018 World Championships to lift for Australia, shared
that her relationship with her body has only improved since she left gymnastics, “where there was an expectation to be small, for weightlifting, where I know my body is serving a purpose and it is a rare thing and I may as well embrace it.

“I walked into a [CrossFit] gym where there were girls who looked exactly like me and they were being praised for it,” she says.

“The continued crackdown on drugs is important for her sport, she says. ‘You’re now going to see a lot more natural athletes coming out of countries that haven’t excelled in weightlifting before, and it is paving a way for the media to see that we don’t all have beards and moustaches and we’re just normal athletic girls who can lift really heavy weights.”

“Kara Saunders Announces Pregnancy, Out for 2019 Season,” by Tommy Marquez, Morning Chalk Up

The loaded field of women at the CrossFit Games will be missing one of it’s top podium threats in 2019.

Kara Saunders, 4th place at the 2018 Reebok CrossFit Games, and 2nd fittest woman on earth in 2017, will forgo the 2019 season due to pregnancy.

Saunders made the announcement Monday via instagram. In true CrossFit fashion, she posted a photo of herself alongside husband Matt Saunders, sporting weight vests and an adorable stuffed Koala, with a whiteboard sign stating “Baby She Bear, Due May 2019.”

While Saunders spends the new year growing her family, the women’s competition will have a spot at the top of the leaderboard up for grabs in her absence.

Saunders has finished in the top-10 at the games for 4 consecutive seasons, including three top-5 finishes, and a podium in 2017.

She’s done so behind stellar event performances as well, winning at least 1 event each of the last five years, the only woman to accomplish that feat.

At 29-years-old, there’s still plenty of time for her to pick back up where she’s left off. “I love competing,” says Saunders “So I’m sure I’ll be back out there in some capacity in no time.”

11/9: Veteran Games ABQ (Albuquerque, NM)

11/10: The Battle at Branded One (Las Vegas, NV)

11/10: Emerald Coast Honor Games (Destin, FL)

11/10: Patriot Games (Rochester Hills, MI) 

11/10 – 11/11: Extreme Games (Piauí, Brazil)

11/10 – 11/11: South Loop Games (Chicago, IL)

11/10- 11/11: Southie Showdown (Boston, MA)

11/10 – 11/11: Florida Grid League Championship (Fort Myers, FL)

11/10: Metcon 4 Hope (Reno, NV)

11/10: Best of the Wurst (New Braunfels, TX)

11/10: Warrior Affiliate League Delta Force (Duarte, CA)

11/10: USA Powerlifting Veterans Day Championship (Philadelphia, PA) 

11/10: Blue Cooler Throwdown (Deland, FL)

11/10: Bromageddon 2018 (Chandler, AZ)

11/10: Garage Games Masters Tour 2018 (McKinney, TX)

11/10: First Annual Sergeants Fitness Patriot Games (Caldwell, ID)

11/10: Boobs and Bells (Schaumburg, IL) 

11/10: Barbell for Boobs at CrossFit Composure (Boise,ID)

11/11: Bonsai Brawl (Philadelphia, PA)

11/11: CFF Team Marathon Row 2018 (Metuchen, NJ)

11/15: Push Pull for Pancreatic Cancer @ Hybrid Athletics Bridgport (Bridgeport, CT)

11/16 – 11/17: Veterans Day Bash at CrossFit Wild West (Lubbock,TX)

11/17: MetCon Mashups CrossFit Lubbock (Lubbock,TX)

11/17: CrossFit TIG Turf Wars (Brighton, MI)

11/17: 2018 Energy Games (Houston, TX)

11/17: MetCon Mashups (Tulsa, OK) 

11/17: Green Valley Clash of the Fittest (Green Valley, AZ)

11/17: Push Pull for Pancreatic Cancer @ Invictus Boston (Boston, MA)

11/17: North County Fall Brawl (Watertown, NY)

11/17: BCF for Homeless Kids Kettlebells4Kids Fundraiser (Derry, NH)

11/17: Team SuperFit Charlotte (Charlotte, NC)

11/17: 2nd Annual Well Seasoned Masters Competition (Burlington, MA) 

11/17: Guardian Games National Championship (Ashland, VA)

11/17: Femme Royale (Raleigh, NC)

11/17: Metcon Mashups (Columbia, MO)

11/20: Ben Marconi Memorial WOD (San Antonio, TX)

11/25: Carpathian Games II (Kosice, Slovakia)

11/30 – 12/16: Naughty or Nice Toy Drive (Online)

11/30 – 12/2: Rogue Winter Classic (Cleveland, OH)

12/1: The Grinch Games #2 (Lawrenceville, GA)

12/1: New England Co-Ed Classic (Bedford, NH)

12/1: Rock It CrossFitMas Classic (Fort Worth, TX) 

12/1: Barbell Massacre IV (Dahlonega, GA)

12/1: Barbells For Bootstraps (Beverly, MA)

12/1: Push Pull for Pancreatic Cancer at CrossFit Pawling (Pawling, NY)

12/8: Fittest Alive in the 845 (Poughkeepsie, NY)

12/8: The 2018 Reindeer Games Finale (Del Mar, CA)

12/8: The Fall Series Throwdown (Monza, Italy)

12/8 – 12/9: WOD Godz (Shreveport, LA)