MACC Holds Moment of Silence for Becky Conzelman

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“You know, sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage, just literally 20 seconds of embarrassing bravery, and I promise you something great will come of it.” — Benjamin Mee

ROAD TO THE GAMES.

Reardon, Hethcock, Invictus X win the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge

Headed to Madison.

The sixth Sanctional of the 2019 CrossFit Games season is in the books, as the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge (MACC) has wrapped up three days of competition at the historic D.C. Armory in Washington D.C.

When the dust settled, Meg Reardon, John-Paul Hethcock and Invictus X stood atop the podium and earned themselves an invites to the 2019 CrossFit Games in August.

How’d the men do?

The MACC men’s competition may have just provided the underdog story of the year. Less than a week ago, John-Paul Hethcock was planning on being at the MACC, but as a spectator and coach supporting his girlfriend Tammy Wildgoose who was also competing.

But when Taylor Self withdrew from the competition due to injury, Hethcock was extended an invite to compete as he was the next athlete in line from the online qualifier.

Once there, he notched five top-five finishes in the first nine scored events, and as an athlete who technically wasn’t supposed to be competing a few days earlier, he earned his very first trip to the CrossFit Games as champion of the MACC.

And the ladies?

Five wins over the course of the weekend weren’t enough for Dani Speegle to walk away with the victory as a resurgent Meg Reardon overtook the top spot in the final event and bested Speegle by just four points.

Three was the magic number for Reardon, a 2016 Games qualifier, as she finished six of the ten scored workouts in third place. She never finished lower than 5th in any workout, and her consistency paid off.

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• THE FACTORY ATHLETIC CAMP — The Factory in Brea, CA is holding an open house on April 17for anyone interested in the Factory Prep Academy School for Athletes for fall sports, open to students in fourth through eighth grade in any sport. 
• O2 IS HIRING — O2 is hiring Brand Ambassadors in Michigan and Ohio. And you get unlimited O2!
• QUADS AND CROWNS — CrossFit Tactical Strength in Fort Wayne, IN held Quads and Crowns on Saturday, where 34 teams of three women each competed in a fundraiser WOD to benefit the Fort Wayne Police Department’s victims assistance program.
• FITVILLE ARUBA –– Registration is now open for 2019 Fitville Aruba, a three-day fitness festival in Aruba September 27 – 29. The online qualifier WODs will be announced April 30. 
• DAVID VS. GOLIATH — On Sunday, April 28 Anthony Pavao, a coach at CrossFit Marshfield in Marshfield, MA will take on Super Bowl champ Rob Ninkovich in a charity WOD for the Chris Long Foundation, whose mission is to support bright futures for communities and the
  individuals that make up those communities.

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

Happy 30th birthday Alyssa Ritchey • BK Gudmundsson hang snatches 286 pounds for a PR • Hilary Ronnfeldt gets her first pull-up • Amanda Deller snatched 220 pounds • Margaux Alvarez cleans 200 pounds for two • Happy ten year anniversary to Three Kings Athletics in Noblesville, IN •  Happy one year anniversary to CrossFit ATX in Rochester, NY • Eva Mostaert clean and jerks 210 pounds • Spencer Murphy back squats 500 pounds.

…and seriously, everything about this was a mistake. 

Becky Conzelman Honored at Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge — Gretchen Kittelberger, Christy Adkins, Gary and Alea Helmick took the floor during the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge to give a speech honoring Becky Conzelman. Then, they held a twenty second moment of silence for Becky before letting everyone in attendance know how they could support her through FAITH RXD.

— “The fiercest of competitors with the biggest of hearts, Becky was a warrior and a leader on and off the competition floor. As an athlete Becky was amazing, but as a person, a community leader, a wife, a daughter, a mother, and a friend Becky was unparalleled.

— “Her love for this community was matched only by her love for her family. She was an amazing mother to Kylie and Tyler and a wonderful wife to Jim.

— “This weekend we ask you to embody Becky’s spirit and compete fiercely but love your fellow competitors wholeheartedly.”

…and gyms all over the Denver, CO area did “Champion” in honor of Becky on Saturday. 

FitCon Works with Make-A-Wish — On Saturday, FitCon teamed up with the Make-a-Wish Foundation to team kids up for a WOD with some of their favorite CrossFit athletes like Mat Fraser, Brooke Wells and Josh Bridges. 

Confirmed for Brazil CrossFit Championship — Will Moorad is confirmed for the Brazil CrossFit Championship. 

Granite Games Open Week One Scores Due — Scores for week one of the 2019 Granite Games Open are due today by 5:00 PM PT. The week two Open WODs will be announced Wednesday, April 17 at3:00 PM PT. 

CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown Qualifier WODs Due — Scores for the CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown online qualifier WODs are due today by 7:00 PM PT. 

Pat Sherwood on Training 60 Plus Athletes — At an MDL1 last month with the Derelict Doctors Club, Pat Sherwood spoke to the group about effectively training sixty-year-old athletes. 

— “Their reasons for wanting to workout are very different from those CrossFit athletes in their 20s, 30s and 40s, some of which include: ‘I want to be able to dress myself, go to the bathroom, walk around the grocery store, get up off the ground, improve balance, prevent falling’ and more.

— “Sherwood said it takes a whole lot of courage for a 75-year-old to take the leap and give the training a try. However, them taking the leap can lengthen their ability to do functional movements longer. As a trainer, that means knowing how to train them correctly.”

“Sanctionals Qualification, We Need a Better System,” by Justin LoFranco, Morning Chalk Up

The 2019 CrossFit Open is all but wrapped up, but we still have two-and-a-half months and 10 Sanctionals remaining in this new expanded season and one of the clearest lessons  we’ve learned over the course of this year is that the Sanctionals qualification process needs to be streamlined and simplified.

All but one of the 15 Sanctionals have held a qualifier and nearly all have offered some kind of wildcard invite or qualifier exemption. In some instances, this has led to a process that could be described as less than transparent, and in some instances not entirely fair.

Take Fittest in Cape Town for example.

According to their rules, all athletes were required to do the online qualifier. Athletes competed, qualified, accepted and committed to a fairly large price tag to travel and compete in Cape Town, South Africa.

It was only after those athletes accepted and began purchasing flights and accommodations that they found out two powerhouse athletes, Cole Sager and Katrin Davidsdottir, were going to be there. That realization is probably why a few big name athletes decided they’d sit that one out.

Fittest in Cape Town isn’t alone either. You can see this same process unfolding at Asia CrossFit Championship, Reykjavik CrossFit Championship and Brazil CrossFit Championship where unexpected invited athletes are being announced weekly.

Athletes deserve a system where the rules are clear and the process is transparent, and I think it’s clear that the athletes who accepted their invite didn’t have a complete picture.

To be fair, this is a new season and Sanctionals are doing their best to put on events in tight timeframes and limited budgets. Having a ‘Dottir’ compete at your event brings eyeballs, fills seats and makes money.

But why are some athletes doing qualifiers others don’t have to?  What criteria determine an exemption and who decides to apply it?

The process is confusing, inconsistent, and frustrating, and if CrossFit is going to professionalize we need a better system.

4/10 – 4/24: Granite Games Online Qualifier (Online)

4/15 – 4/27: Top Of The Box Online Qualifier (Clarksville, TN)

4/19 – 5/1: CrossFit French Throwdown Individual Online Qualifier (Online)

4/20: The Wodfather VII 2019 (Keller, TX)

4/20: Rookie Rumble at Bucktown CrossFit (Chicago, IL)

4/20: Barnyard Throwdown (Ohatchee, AL)

4/26: Rookie Rivalry at CrossFit Nashua (Nashua, NH)

4/26 – 4/27: Gameday Competition (Mankato, MN) 

4/26 – 4/28: CrossFit Italian Showdown (Milan, Italy)

4/26 – 4/28: The Sun Coast Fitness Festival (Kwa-Zulu Natal, SA)

4/27: 4th Annual Spring Fever Partner Masters Comp (Souderton PA)

4/27: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit KOA (Cranford, NJ)

4/27: The Gnardog Challenge (Reedley, CA)

4/27: Festivus Games (Worldwide)

4/27: Raising the Bar for Charlotte (Medina, OH)

4/27 – 4/29: Asia CrossFit Championship (Shanghai, China)

4/27: Autism Rocks and Rows (San Clemente, CA)

4/27: Garage Games Xs and Ys (Hiram, GA)

4/27: The Explode Individual Classic (West Chester, PA)

4/27: Fast Times at West Tech High (Las Vegas, NV)

4/27: Tyler’s Voice CrossFit Competition (Jefferson City, TN)

4/27: SWFL Sharks Semi-Pro Grid Combine (Cape Coral, FL)

4/27: Explode’s Independent Classic (West Chester, FL)

4/27: Festivus Games at Crossfit Sav-up (Petaluma, CA)

4/27: 4th annual Apple Town Throwdown (Cornelia,GA)

4/27: Kettlebells for Cojones (Montgomery, TX)

4/27: Spring Fever Partner Master Competition (Souderton, PA)

4/27: Best of the Midwest Team Series Part 1 (Westfield, IN)

4/27: Officer Christopher Goddell Memorial WOD (Walkdwick, NJ)

4/27: Pose Method Run RX Course (Lake Havasu City, AZ)

4/27: Battle of the Boxes (Newport,KY)

4/27: 2019 Pensacola Beach Brawl (Pensacola, FL) 

4/27: Festivus Games at Camel City Crossfit (Winston-Salem, NC)

4/27: Festivus Games at CrossFit LaCrosse (LaCrosse, WI)

4/27: 2019 Growler Games (Lexington, NC)

4/27: The Spring Fling (Knoxville, TN)

4/27: Stepping Into Summer (Fairfield, OH)

4/27: REDLINE.Venice A PAINKLLR Competition (Venice, CA)

4/28: David Vs. Golitah (Mansfield, MA)

5/3 – 5/4: Tough As Nails (Lubbock, TX)

5/3 – 5/5 The Fittest Experience (Austin, TX)

5/3 – 5/5: Appalachian Games (Asheville, NC)

5/4: 2nd Annual Heavy Day Morgan (Oak Ridge, TN)

5/4: Battle at the Lab 2019 Cinco De Mayo (Clarksville, TN)

5/4: Border Open Part V (El Paso, TX)

5/4: Desert Warrior (Scottsdale, AZ)

5/4: The Jurassic Classic (Kennewick, WA)

5/4: Lifto De Mayo 2019 (Eagan, MN)

5/4: Rookie Rumble Pittsburgh at Arsenal Strength (Pittsburgh, PA)

5/4: Girls Gone RX Delaware (Middletown, DE)

5/4: Girls Gone RX DC (Alexandria, VA)

5/4: Black and Brewed 2019 (Huntsville, AL)

5/4: Row for Wishes (Telluride, CO)

5/4: The Locomotive Games IV (Youngstown, OH)

5/4: Breaking Boundaries Competition (Greer, SC)

5/10: Beast Mode Games 2019 (Greenville, SC)

5/11: 2019 Moco Throwdown (Bethesda, MD)

5/11: Butchertown Cleaver Classic (Louisville, KY)

5/11: Girls on Girls X (Bridgeport, PA)

5/11: Battle of the Gulf Coast (Port Neches, TX)

5/11: Femme Royale So Cal (Orange, CA)

5/11: Squat for Guate (Hickory, NC)

5/11: Left Coast Classic with 5.11 Tactical (Laguna Niguel, CA)

5/11: Southside Showdown (Jenks OK)

5/18 – 5/19: Big Impact Games (Kaukauna, WI)

5/18: 2019 Barbells in the Burbs Team Comp (Carol Stream, IL)

5/18: 2019 Tough Temple CrossFit Super Total (Bethseda, MD)

5/18: Mad Hatter Games (Danbury, CT)

5/18: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit Chester Springs (Chester Springs, PA)

5/18: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit PTV (Redmond, WA)

5/18 – 5/19: Shred Fest (Orlando, FL)

5/18: Cindy-a-Thon (San Leandro, CA)

5/18: Fallout in the Falls (Wichita Falls, TX)

5/19: Heroes and Heroines Team Throwdown (Pawtucket, RI)