Rich Froning Just Accepted His Individual Invite

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“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” — John D. Rockefeller

OMG.

Rich Froning Accepts Individual Invite to Compete at 2019 CrossFit Games

After repeated calls to return to individual competition, Rich Froning has finally decided to give the fans what they’ve been asking for.

In an exclusive interview, the four-time CrossFit Games champion revealed that he has accepted his individual invite to compete at the 2019 CrossFit Games.

• Froning: “After 2014, I really needed a break from individual competition. Leading three teams to Affiliate Cup championships has actually made me a better all around athlete without the wear and tear on my body. Now I’m ready to get back to it, and I have no plans on walking away without the top spot in Madison.”

Froning’s Open Performances by the Numbers:

— 2011 Open: 3rd

— 2012 Open: 1st

— 2013 Open: 1st

— 2014 Open: 1st

— 2015 Open: 2nd

— 2016 Open: 2nd

— 2017 Open: 11th

— 2018 Open: 10th

— 2019 Open: 10th

Under the new rules, Froning’s 10th place Open finish worldwide grants him an automatic berth to the 2019 CrossFit Games.

Continue reading…

COMEBACK STORY.

Third Time’s a Charm: Travis Mayer is Going Back to the Games

Five hours to redo 19.5 for a third and final time.

Just five hours to recover, refuel, refocus. 300 minutes for your legs to feel fresh, for your ripped hands to heal. 18,000 seconds to summon all your strength, heart, nerve and sinew for one final push. Just five short hours to qualify for the 2019 CrossFit Games.

That was the prospect facing Travis Mayer at 11am on Monday, March 25th.

Mayer had opened his 2019 Open campaign with 5th, 19th and 61st place finishes solidifying a seemingly rock solid bid for a Games invitation. Then a 210th place finish in 19.4 and suddenly plans for the first week in August seemed a little premature. It would all come down to the final week.

Flash forward to Monday morning, 11am and Travis (sometimes known as Trevor) is looking to improve on his respectable, if not dazzling, opening 19.5 gambit of 9:10. A Monday redo would surely get that well under 9:00, no problem. But not this week. Not this workout. With 9 reps to go, Mayer saw he was way off his Friday pace and stopped.

So what now? Was 9:10 enough? Do it again? Is there enough time? Do I have enough energy?

Continue Reading… 

Coffee Break Conversations

What to tell your friends after Friday night’s get together…

We should really do that again, which is exactly what 95-year-old veteran Ernie Andrus said when he decided he’d run across America…again. Back in 2016, then 93-year-old Ernie became the oldest person ever to run across America. He ran from San Diego, CA all the way to Saint Simons Island, GA. He loved it so much he’s doing it again. 

And if Ernie gives you a case of wanderlust…

Get after it and let CrossFit improve your travels when you drop into some boxes on the way.

Things To…

WATCH: Team Richey with Greg Glassman

Craig and Jas of Team Richey sit down with Greg Glassman. Together the three discuss what’s happening with CrossFit, Greg shares his thoughts on Jillian Michaels upset and his thoughts on the sport of fitness as a whole.

IT’S A SPORT.

HEAR: Making Nutrition Simple

Precision Nutrition coach Brian St. Pierre joins Michael Cazayoux on the Brute Strength podcast to discuss his current diet regimen, how to keep nutrition simple and stay consistent while getting the most out of doing the least amount of work.

WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER.

DO: Sign Up for the Granite Games Open 

The Granite Games Open is kicking off April 10 when the first WOD is released, the second WOD on April 17. Register now to compete as an individual or on a team, win some cool stuff and earn your way to the Granite Games. Code “MORNINGCHALKUP-GRANITEGAMES” gets you $5 off registration.

BE AN ATHLETE.

EAT: Gluten-Free Chicken Fingers

These gluten-free chicken fingers are coated in crunchy chia and flax seeds and adds a dose of healthy fats and fiber to your childhood fave. Your kids will love them and they’re super delish in a way adults like too. 

PASS THE KETCHUP.

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is brought to you by

Chalk Up Community

• OFFICER HONORED — On Saturday, CrossFit Brigade in Chattanooga, TN honored fallen officer Nicholas Galinger with a memorial WOD in his honor.
• CRU’S CRUSADERS — OC Athletix in San Clemente, CA raised over $1,000 during a fundraiser WOD Saturday for Cru Mercuro, a six-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. All funds raised will go towards an advanced spinal surgery that could result in him walking unassisted.
• BRUTE STRENGTH IS HIRING — Brute Strength is hiring a Sports Performance Coach to join the Brute Strength staff. Applications are being accepted from candidates with a minimum of two years experience in the coaching field, both in person and remotely, including the strength and conditioning field.
• NOBULL ALSO HIRING — NOBULL is also hiring for several positions in Boston, MA and also New York City.
• FOOD DRIVE A SUCCESS — CrossFit 460 in Blacksburg, VA held a food drive all five weeks of the Open. In total, they donated 485 pounds of food to the Interfaith Food Pantry. 

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

Happy fifth birthday Doughnuts & Deadlifts • Good Dudes Rich Froning, Dan Bailey, and Josh Bridges have a coffee line coming out • Kate Nye clean and jerks 290 pounds for a PR • Bethany Shadburne hang snatches 190 pounds • Brent Fikowski is at the Roam Ranch with EPIC • Colleen Fotsch does a max power clean to overhead at 240 pounds • Barni Bojte gets a 331 pound
clean and jerk PR • Stefi Cohen deadlifts 440 pounds for 3 sets of 3 with a stiff bar • Olivia Vollmar hits a 205 pound deadlift PR • Alex Anderson is expecting a baby girl. 

…and when you’re shopping for new gear, it’s important to test drive it first. 

Asia CrossFit Championship Roster — The roster is finalized for the Asia CrossFit Championship, which will take place in Shanghai April 27 – 29. Names to pay attention to:

— Men: Lukas Esslinger, Kristof Horvath (Laura Horvath’s brother), Matt McLeod, Josh Woodhull, Zeke Grove, Jacob Heppner and Brent Fikowski.

— Women: Kristin Holte, Eik Gylfadottir, Haley Adams, Pip Malone and Alethea Boon.

— Teams: Team Invictus Grown Strong, Misfit 852, Project X, CrossFit Mayhem Independence and TeamBlack.

— And event three is: Yesterday organizers announced Event 3 of the Asia CrossFit Championship: A C2 Triathlon. 

Reykjavik CrossFit Championship Roster — The official roster for Reykjavik CrossFit Championship, which will take place May 3 – 5, was announced yesterday. There are places for Wild Card picks and there are also some familiar names listed:

— Men: Streat Hoerner, Jacob Heppner, Tim Paulson, John Coltey and Lefteris Theofanidis.

— Women: Dani Speegle, Anna Fraghou, Carole Castellani, Sol Sigurdadottir and Lea Smith.

— Teams: Invictus Boston, Superhero Project, and 12 Labours Big Dawgs.

Becky Conzelman Update — Updates on Becky Conzelman are now being posted on her official athlete page. “Angiogram showed no signs of vasospasm which is a blessing. Becky is experiencing ‘storming’ which triggers her body to tense periodically. She’s going through a period of high somnolence which makes her much less interactive, and feels to the family like a setback, but the medical team sees it as an unsurprising part of the process which is being carefully monitored.”

“Open Journal: Dani Speegle Analyzes Her Performance and Strategy Week-by-Week,” by Tommy Marquez, Morning Chalk Up 

The first ever Open in the new era of the CrossFit Games has ended and, following video verification, the next batch of CrossFit Games qualifiers will be determined.

Dani Speegle is currently in line to qualify as the United States National Champion, and now that the Open is in the rearview, she took the time to reflect on each workout and the major takeaways from each week.

19.1: Score: 344 Reps – 13th Worldwide, 13th place Overall after week 1

Dani’s Take: The first attempt of 19.1 was fantastic because it was during the SiD competition. Being out on the competition floor always inspires good scores so it was a great time; with a lot of amazing athletes. For me the wall balls were the easy part so as I would start, I would relax 1-2-3-4 ok this isn’t so bad…breathe. 14-15-16 damn I have to get back on the rower really soon.

The redo on this one was rough. Going straight from the competition to a box to redo 19.1 was mentally, emotionally, and absolutely physically draining. I was burnt out from the competition, my body was tired, and my mind was not ready for 15 more minutes of pain. I went into the Open saying I wanted to qualify for the Games through a top 20 spot.

Of course, I would have ecstatically accepted a passed down sanctioned event invite; but I wanted to really “earn” it. In my head that validated that I deserved to be at the games. So I strapped in for 15 more minutes. During that redo the whole time I just kept one thing on repeat, “Don’t do it for nothing.”

4/5 – 4/7: Iron Sharpens Iron Camp (Nashville, TN)

4/1 – 4/8: Northern California Classic Online Qualifiers (Online)

4/1 – 4/11: The Liege Throwdown Online Qualifiers (Herstal, Belgium)

4/3 – 4/8: 2019 Rogue Invitational Qualifier (Online)

4/6: Feed, Clothe, Love and Lift (Amarillo, TX) 

4/6: St. Peters CrossFit Fitness Awards (Saint Peters, MO)

4/6: Powerstroke Partner Throwdown 2019 (Fallon, NV)

4/6: Metcon Meltdown (Flemington, NJ)

4/6: Two Peas in a POD Competition (Burlington, MA)

4/6: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit Diversion (Williamstown, NJ)

4/6: Rise of the Machines IV (Austin, TX)

4/6: Bay Area Beatdown 2 (Webster, TX)

4/6: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit Cornerstone (Cincinnati, OH)

4/6: WOD 4 Trent (Phoenix, AZ)

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

4/11 – 4/14: CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown Online Qualifier (Online)

4/12 – 4/13: Capstone Caveman Clash and Cook Off (Lubbock, TX)

4/12 – 4/14: Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge (Washington, D.C.)

4/12 – 4/14: Athens Throwdown (Athens, Greece)

4/13: The Craic Throwdown (Norwood, MA)

4/13: Capacidad De Dos Amigos (San Antonio, TX)

4/13: Warrior Affiliate League Deuces Wild (Chino, CA)

4/13: Battle of the Ages (Pineville, NC)

4/13: 5th Annual Battle for the Mountain (Dawsonville, GA)

4/13: The Requisite Masters Classic (Philadelphia, PA)

4/13: HandSTANDUP for Haiti (Smyrna, TN)

4/13: WOD Wars Fit Fest (Dunedin, FL)

4/13: CFL Loganville Lockdown (Loganville, GA)

4/13: CrossFit Katy Team Classic (Katy, TX)

4/13: Rescue Road: Obstacle Course Event (Alpharetta, GA)

4/13: Quad Wars at CrossFit Adversary (Williamstown, NJ)

4/13: First Annual McClaren Cup (Rio Rancho, NM)

4/13: Garage Girls 2019 Tour at CrossFit Grit (St. Simons Island, GA)

4/13 – 4/14: Freakin Throwdown 6 (Miramar, FL)

4/13: Burden Games at CrossFit Morgantown (Morgantown, WV)

4/13: Bryan Hall Memorial WOD (Frisco, TX)

4/14: To Hill and Back 2019 (Albemarle, NC)

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 Rumble 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)