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Morning Chalk Up

January 6
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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. You have probably heard about the bushfires in Australia, but today Brittany Kleyn outlines what the local affiliate community is doing to help, and we have some more information about how you and your box can get involved.  Today:

  • Elite athletes in Australia bring attention to disaster and ask for community help.
  • The Morning Chalk Up launches new podcast network.
  • Mayhem Classic releases athlete roster.
  • CrossFit German Throwdown announces application process for top athletes.

Learn more and donate to those fighting the fires down under.  And, as always, hit us up with tips and stories at [email protected].

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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“Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.”


— Omar N. Bradley, Senior Officer of the U.S, during WWII

 

Burpees For BushFires: The CrossFit Community Rallies Behind those Affected in Australia

   

Unprecedented bushfires are burning in Australia, prompting overwhelming support from the entire CrossFit Community.

The bushfire crisis by the numbers:

  • Thousands of homes have been destroyed and the fires have burned through a landmass larger than the size of the Netherlands or Belgium.
  • More than 20 people have been killed–including several firefighters–and it’s estimated 500 million animals have also been burned to death.
  • Thousands of firefighters are currently battling fires with 3000 (and counting) of the country’s defense force deployed into the fire zones.
  • Over the weekend, dozens of fires remained at an emergency level or “watch and act” with residents in several towns told it’s too late to leave, having to stay and defend their own properties.

The hard part is temperatures are soaring to 40 degrees celsius (104 degrees fahrenheit) with high winds; there is little rain or relief in sight.

A clean sweep of the top Australian CrossFitters have issued a call to arms to assist in both the firefighting and recovery effort.

  • Fittest Woman on Earth Tia Clair Toomey wrote: “I’m stumped for words as I read all the tragedy that is happening back home in Australia. There is just TOO MUCH sadness for the people and animals affected.” James Newbury has posted the same heartbreaking image of a koala clinging to a firefighter.
  • Kara Saunders said: “Land, homes and LIVES have been lost and we’re not even close to being in the clear. Please help however you can.”
  • Games qualifier Khan Porter also described the devastation: “There has never been a fire in recorded history as devastating as what we are in the midst of right now.”

Affiliates are also doing their part with boxes organising fundraising efforts and collection points for clothes and food donations.

Surveying social media there’s almost too many for us to mention, but a vast array are being advertised on the Australian CrossFitters Facebook page.

Several boxes in one state have rallied together encouraging members to complete #BurpeesForBushFires and donate cash for their efforts.

How you can help:

The above charities have detailed that giving just $35USD can provide essentials for a family who’ve been displaced from their homes in the midst of the ongoing disaster.

 

A Fresh Cup of Fitness and Open Gym Spearhead New Podcast Network

   

A few months ago, the Morning Chalk Up soft-launched a new podcast network and now we are ready to make it official. With two new episodes every week, we are helping improve your commute or fill your airwaves at any time.    

  • A Fresh Cup of Fitness: Jessica Danger, a college English professor, writer, editor, and all-around bad@ss mama, and Brittany Marsh, a CrossFit Level Two coach, address mindset, health, nutrition and fitness every Thursday.  
  • Topics: They started things off on October 7, 2019 with an episode on surviving a weight cut, and since then have interviewed “Drop-In” Doc, Adam Schulte, Sanctionals athlete, Amanda Hardeman and tackled topics from imposter syndrome and goal-setting to body image and keeping your nutrition on track while traveling.
  • What people are saying: With 12 episodes already available, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.  A Fresh Cup of Fitness has a 4.5 out of 5 rating on Apple Podcasts. One reviewer wrote: “I love how easy the girls are to listen to, they jive so well; and I so appreciate how they are raw, candid and thoughtful.”

Building on that success, we added a second series, this one helmed by Patrick Cummings, the producer and co-host of the Chasing Excellence podcast with Ben Bergeron. Cummings was one of the founders of Again Faster equipment and after parting ways with the company in 2015, started a consulting firm called Functional Branding to help CrossFit affiliates elevate their marketing.

  • Open Gym: Already six episodes in, Cummings offers a weekly interview, released every Tuesday, focusing on various aspects of running a gym or business in the fitness world. Should more gyms cater to women specifically?  Why is embracing diversity good for business? What does it mean to curate a professional culture?  Tune in to find out.
  • Early reviews: With a 5.0 out of 5 rating, it’s safe to say that people are enjoying Open Gym’s insights. One reviewer commented: “Even if you aren’t a coach, gym owner, or competitive exerciser this is good stuff.  Patrick Cummings finds the story, the excellent, and the interesting in every interview.”

Keep your eyes and ears open as these podcasts update weekly. And don’t forget to give them reviews and ratings. How to listen:

  • The Morning Chalk Up podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.    
 

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THINGS TO…

…WATCH

Inside the Life of Kristin Holte

Nate Edwardson sits down with the second fittest woman on earth, Kristin Holte, and opens up about finally making into onto the CrossFit Games podium after her sixth trip to the Games.

  Morning Chalk Up  

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  Morning Chalk Up  

…HEAR

Loneliness and the Power of Groups

Dr. Joseph Geller joins Dr. Julie Foucher on the Pursuing Health Podcast to share how loneliness plays a role in our health, how he’s implemented group visits in his own practice over the past 23 years, and some of the biggest lessons he’s learned along the way.

  Morning Chalk Up  

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HIGHLIGHTS…

 

COMMUNITY

Mayhem Classic Roster Announced + Sanctionals Roundup

The Mayhem Classic, the fifth Sanctional of the 2019-2020 season, kicks off January 11, just five days from now. The event is hosted by Rich Froning at CrossFit Mayhem in the CrossFit mecca of Cookeville, TN. Here are your confirmed athlete rosters in the men’s and women’s divisions:

  • Men: Jeffrey Adler, Tyler Christophel, Dylan Pettit, Scott Tetlow, Cam Crockett, Austin Spencer, Austen Bolen, Connor Duddy, Brenden Willis, Spencer Panchik, Luke Schafer, Drew Wayman, Nick Mathew, Dylan Martin, Colten Mertens, Matt Hewett, Brandon Swan, Marquan Jones, Hunter Holifield, Mitch Spjut, Cole Greashaber, Kyle Bernier, Samuel Cournoyer, Alexandre Caron, Chandler Smith, Josh Miller, Tola Morakinyo, Ben Smith, Will Moorad, Saxon Panchik.
  • Women: Tia-Clair Toomey, Becca Miller, Steph Chung, Danielle Brandon, Brooke Haas, Kristi O’Connell, Caroline Conners, Feeroozeh Saghafi, Paige Henry, Cheryl Nasso, Evie Hollis, Ashley Shaeffer, Leah Irons, Hilary Steele, Alison Stall, Alexys Dtiole, Hayley Murillo, Amanda Hardeman, Marie-Pier Bonneau, Rebecca Fuselier, Nikki Matarazzo, Paige Powers, Nicole Chovan, Sarah Viets, Bridget Erickson, Veera Koskelainen, Bailey Meraviglia, Chey Black, Selina Paupert, Sarina Ruggiero.

The CrossFit German Throwdown will take place in Berlin, Germany, on March 28-29, 2020.  Here’s some information about qualification and prize purse:

  • Athletes who placed in the top 40 at the 2019 CrossFit Games or top 50 in the 2020 CrossFit Open can apply for a direct starting spot at the final event. Games finishing position will be placed higher than Open position (e.g. 40th at the 2019 Games will get a spot before 1st in the 2020 Open). Application deadline is January 9, 2020.
  • Athletes who did not place in the top 40 at the 2019 CrossFit Games or top 50 in the 2020 CrossFit Open can enter the CrossFit German Throwdown online qualifier, January 10-27, 2020. 
  • Prize Purse in each division (elite women, elite men, elite team) will be 1). $4466, 2). $2233, 3). $1116 
  Morning Chalk Up  

Burpees for Bushfires Update

Above we brought you Brittany Kleyn’s story on the bushfires that have been devastating Australia since September and the local CrossFit community’s efforts to raise funds in support of those fighting the fires, saving animals and evacuating families. As the story mentions, several boxes in Australia have banded together in a fundraising effort they are calling #burpeesforbushfires, here is some more information on how to get involved, even from afar:

  • Brett Duffy from CrossFit Hoppers Crossing, the organizer of “Burpees for the Bush Fires” brought together 17 local gyms to raise money.
  • They have raised $15,552 in just four days.  All the funds go to “The Trustee for Country Fire Authority and Brigades Donation Fund,” 
  • What can we do: Your box can participate in the fundraiser and contribute to the cause at the “Burpees for the Bush Fire Relief” Facebook page. After January 18, 2020, participating gyms will seek to accumulate, as a community, an equivalent number of burpees to the amount of dollars raised.
  • From the donation page: For the amount of dollars we raise, will be the amount of burpees we will complete as a facility for the cause and we challenge all fitness facilities to donate what they can and also complete the amount of burpees rasied and hashtag #BurpeesForTheBushFires. No matter how small the donation, will be a MASSIVE step forward. Thank you for your support.”
 

LOCAL COMPETITIONS

+ Submit an Event

1/11: Unbroken Ocala (Ocala, FL)
1/11: Strongfit Fundamentals Course (San Diego, CA)
1/11 – 1/12: CrossFit Ft Vancouver Championship (Vancouver, WA)
1/11: 3rd Annual In-Law Competition (Keene, NH)
1/17: A Grand Day at Frantic (Cannington, Australia)
1/18: The Force Wars 2020 (Pembroke Pines, FL)
1/18: 3rd annual Battle For The Axe (Brainerd, MN)
1/18: Row For Reveille (Poulsbo, WA)
1/18: NCK Throwdown 2020 (Concordia, KS)
1/18: Lone Star Shootout (Dallas, TX)
1/18: CrossFit Krypton V.2 (Chesapeake, VA)
1/25: The Blizzard Brawl (Waite Park, MN)
1/25: Cerberus Powerlifting (Blue Springs, MO)
1/25: Reindeer Gainz III (Donna, TX)
1/25: 2020 Winter Swolestice (Fayetteville, AR)
1/25: Lost River Rumble II (Bowling Green, KY)
1/25: Cold Steel Classic (Oswego, IL)
1/25: HYROX Chicago (Chicago, IL)
1/25: Battle of the Ages (Norwood, MA)
2/1: Krypton’s Compete for a Cure (Chesapeake, VA)
2/1: Warrior Affiliate League Fantastic 4 (Chino Hills, CA)
2/1: Wodi Gras 2020 (New Orleans, LA)
2/8: Thoroughbred Throwdown (Ocala, Florida)
2/8: A League of Their Own Challenge 7 (San Antonio, TX)

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