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Roza Discusses Firing with Staff

 
Morning Chalk Up

January 12   |   POWERED BY

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • Roza discusses firing with CrossFit staff on Zoom.
  • Nine athletes test negative for PEDs.
  • A look back at some of Castro’s more controversial programming.
  • Wodapalooza starts tomorrow. Here’s what you need to know.
  • Gym owners express struggle to stay fit.
 
QUOTE OF THE DAY + Send us a Quote

“First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you're inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won't. Habit is persistence in practice.” - Octavia Butler

 
NEWS
  Eric Roza Gives CrossFit Staff Reasoning For Dave Castro Firing via Zoom Call  

Eric Roza Gives CrossFit Staff Reasoning For Dave Castro Firing via Zoom Call

CrossFit CEO Eric Roza organized his second all-hands staff Zoom call Monday to further explain why Dave Castro was fired last week from his position as general manager of Sport. The overall CrossFit community has been deeply divided as to Castro’s firing as some feel it was the wrong move concerning the direction and integrity of the CrossFit Games given Castro’s long history with the sport, however others applauded the chance to start a new era.

One big thing: Roza offered his most straightforward rationale for Castro’s firing on this second call, according to a staff member who attended and spoke to Morning Chalk Up on condition of anonymity.

The big picture: Castro retains a lot of loyalty among many at CrossFit Home Office, especially among the CrossFit Games staff and training department, which he co-led for years alongside Nicole Carroll, as well as a large fan base across the community.

  • One staff member from Home Office on the Zoom described it as a “very closed off and insincere” response. The person said only Roza was visible and he primarily read from prepared remarks and questions submitted ahead of time.
  • “It felt very rehearsed and insincere.  The call was scheduled for 30 minutes and exactly at the 30-minute mark, he cut it off, the person said.  No other questions besides what was emailed to him were taken,” the staff member added.

According to an audio excerpt that was played back for Morning Chalk Up, Roza underscored a need for CrossFit’s leadership to be highly collaborative, to be open to other perspectives and to listen and learn from others.

  • Roza: “While I have infinite respect for Dave’s contributions to partnering with so many of you to build CrossFit, I did not feel he was the right fit to build this collaborative leadership role for the sports team going forwards. This simply is the why, there is no other reason. While not all of you may agree with my decision, my hope is that you will understand and respect my right to make it.”

The bottom line: In Roza’s original email to staff announcing the departure, he said the decision was “to best support CrossFit’s go-forward plans.” According to the staff member, no further vision or plans for the Games was offered on the call.

 
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SPEED READS

Wodapalooza starts tomorrow. Here’s your primer:

  • Status update: Manon Angonese and Gui Malheiros have withdrawn from competition.

Preview videos to watch:

Quick links:

Nine athletes test negative: CrossFit released the names of nine Games athletes who recently tested negative for performance enhancing drugs.

  • Andrea Nisler, Gabriela Migala, Laura Horvath, Sara Sigmundsdottir, Ricky Garard, Roman Khrennikov, Guilherme Malheiros, Zack George and Jeffrey Adler.

Nominate Tia-Clair Toomey for Australian Sports Women of the Year.

🤔 A CNN tweet: “People who are overweight or obese are at a much higher risk of much more severe disease and even death from Covid-19 — and one new study suggests that losing weight can reduce that risk.”

 
CROSSFIT GAMES
  From Pegboards to Pec Tears: A Look Back at Dave Castro’s Controversial Programming Moments  

From Pegboards to Pec Tears: A Look Back at Dave Castro’s Controversial Programming Moments

As a writer who doesn’t hesitate to write about controversial subjects, I take it as a compliment when people get emotional, even if they’re angry or offended by what I wrote. Because no reaction is a whole lot worse.

I have often thought that this attitude influenced Dave Castro’s programming decisions through the years: that one of his goals was to create dialogue, discussion and disagreement, and ultimately to stir all kinds of emotion in the community.

And that he did. Brilliantly.

Let’s take a look at some of the most debated workouts Castro programmed through the years.

7 Minutes of Burpees of 2012

Never has such a simple, seemingly mundane workout, caused such debate as when Open workout 12.1 was announced: 7 minutes of burpees. The short-statured, short-limbed, well-conditioned athletes rejoiced, while others argued it was an unfair workout, as it made up 20 percent of the Open events. Thus, it would skew the leaderboard by giving an opportunity for less well-rounded CrossFit athletes to flourish in just one workout, wreaking havoc on others in the process, who would be bumped too far down the leaderboard to recover to qualify for Regionals.

Continue Reading...
 
COMPETITION
  The New Year Kicks off in Miami With Wodapalooza Fitness Festival  

The New Year Kicks off in Miami With Wodapalooza Fitness Festival

Over 3,000 CrossFit athletes across 24 divisions will converge onto the grounds of Bayfront Park in Miami, FL starting this Thursday for the tenth installment of the Wodapalooza Fitness Festival. The last major off-season event will provide one last test for those athletes under the sun and the lights of the Miami skyline prior to the start of the 2022 CrossFit Open on February 24.

What’s on the line: With a total prize purse available for athletes totalling over $500,000, Wodapalooza offers the opportunity for those competing in the Elite divisions to earn a nice paycheck. Elite individual winners will take home $100,000, the third largest prize purse behind just the Games and the Rogue Invitational and the most money the competition has ever paid out to the champions.

Individuals also have the chance to earn an additional $1,000 for event wins.

Overall Elite Individual Finish Payouts

  1. $100,000
  2. $35,000
  3. $20,000
  4. $10,000
  5. $7,500
  6. $5,000
  7. $4,000
  8. $3,000
  9. $2,000
  10. $1,000

The teams will also have an opportunity to earn some cash as WZA will pay out the top five finishers in the Elite Teams of 3 division.

Continue Reading...
 
LIFESTYLE
  Examining an Unspoken Challenge: Staying Fit as an Affiliate Owner  

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Examining an Unspoken Challenge: Staying Fit as an Affiliate Owner

The story is a similar one for many affiliate owners: They fall in love with CrossFit, develop a passion to help others transform their lives, and then open a gym expecting gym ownership will ensure their personal fitness will flourish long into the future.

In reality, this is generally true for a little while, but then many gym owners discover that the stressful and time-consuming life of a gym owner leads them down a slippery slope, one where it becomes harder and harder to prioritize their own training.

“I think most owners have dealt with that issue and I think some (feel) like they can’t talk about it as we think that as a gym owner or coach we’re supposed to just want to train all the time and be super motivated,” added Nick Ashcroft, the owner of The Hive CrossFit Ahuriri in Napier, New Zealand.

The reality for many, however, is this just isn’t always the case.

Continue Reading...
 
VIDEO
  Examining an Unspoken Challenge: Staying Fit as an Affiliate Owner  

Wodapalooza Preview: Which Teams Have the Chance to Make the Podium?

Watch Now...
 
THINGS TO...
 

...WATCH

A CrossFit vs. Bodybuilding vs. Powerlifting Strength Test

A CrossFitter, a bodybuilder, and a powerlifter walk into a bar… and they push press the hell out of it. Watch Noah Ohlsen represent us in this battle of strength against some of the biggest names in bodybuilding and powerlifting.

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Roman Khrennikov's 30 Day Training Plan

See what it takes to train at the highest level of our sport with this 30 day training Roman Khrennikov used leading up to winning the 2021 Dubai CrossFit championship. This is the exact program he used, and it's not for the faint of heart.

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30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Why have one recipe when you can have 30? Take a look at this collection of delicious slow cooker meals that are sure to warm you up on a cold winter's night, and fuel you to crush your next WOD.

SLOW AND STEADY.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise. Send us a tip.

  • 🍼Congratulations to Kenneth Leverich and Emily Frazier on the birth of their baby girl on January 8, 2022.
  • Congratulations to Jasmin Nivasalo from CrossFit Meri-Lappi in Keminmaa, Finland on her first bar muscle-up.
  • Kevin McCaffrey from CrossFit Augusta in Evans, GA also got his first (four) bar muscle-ups.
  • 😳 Watch adaptive athlete Victor Assaf rep out these single arm wall balls.
  • Congratulations Stephen McLeod from CrossFit Carnivore in Bonaire, GA on the 305 pound/138kg front squat PR.
  • Congratulations Jose Cruz from Lightning CrossFit in Okaloosa County, FL on the clean and jerk PR at 295 pounds/134kg.
 
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3/23: The Phoenix hosts Hero WOD “Dork” (Boston, MA)
3/23 - 3/24: Beach Brawl (Spring) (Pensacola Beach, FL)
4/6: Two Peas in a Pod: Mixed Gender Partner Comp (Burlington, MA)
4/6 - 4/7: SeaDog Summer Showdown (Jupiter, Florida)
4/6: Girls Gone Rx Minnesota (Austin, Minnesota)
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4/6: Girls Gone Rx Ohio (Lancaster, Ohio)
4/6: Best Babes Decatur (Decatur, Alabama)
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4/6: Best Babes Tampa (Tampa, Florida)
4/13: Queens of Oly East Tennessee (Bulls Gap, TN)
4/13: Queens of Oly Rockledge (Rockledge, FL)
4/13: Fittest on Main (Boaz, AL)
4/19 - 4/21: Crash Crescendo (Spartanburg, SC)
4/20: Barbells For Bullies: Community Workout Savannah (Savnnah, Georgia, US)
4/20: Festivus Games @ CrossFit Plattsburgh (Plattsburgh, NY)
4/20: Festivus Games @ CrossFit Masiphumelele (Kommetjie, Cape Town, South Africa)
4/20: Festivus Games (Goderich, Canada)
4/20: Festivus Games (Clermont, FL)
4/20: Festivus Games @ The Gym – CrossFit Kilo (Cedar Falls, IA)
4/20: Festivus Games @ CBM Sirens (Caledonia, MS)
4/20: Festivus Games @ Coyote Valley (San Jose, CA)
4/20: The Fittest 4 (Sunshine Coast, Australia)
4/20: Embrace the Challenge (Mentor, Ohio)
4/20: Festivus Games @ CrossFit Pagosa (Pagosa Springs, CO)
4/20: First EVER Adaptive Festivus Games Competition (Waterford, United States)
4/20: Festivus Games (WAUKESHA, WI)
4/20 - 4/21: BGR Contest Spring Edition (Bergerac, France)
4/20 - 4/21: Okanagan Valley Throwdown (Penticton, British Columbia, Canada)
4/20 - 4/21: Okanagan Valley Throwdown (Penticton, British Columbia)
4/25 - 5/12: Raised by Grace (Virtual, )
4/26 - 4/28: Crash Crescendo (Spartanburg, SC)
4/27: Cap Crown Throwdown (Gladstone, Australia)
4/28: 249 Spring Throwdown (Sittingbourne, Kent, England)
5/4: CHLKDUP Classic (Nashville, TN)
5/4: Masters Equalizer Co-Ed Team of 4 Comp (Oceanport, United States)
5/4: The Battle on Bedford (Lynchburg, VA)
5/4 - 5/5: Pavia Spring Challenge ’24 (Pavia, Italy)
5/4 - 5/5: Italian Bulls Games (Lido di Ostia, Italy)
5/4: Team Challenge Texas (San Antonio, Texas)
5/4: The Strong and Courageous (Cullman, Alabama)
5/11 - 5/12: Finest City Weightlifting Open – Presented by The Strength Tank (San Diego, CA)
5/11: True Fitness Trials (Cherry Hill, NJ)
5/11: Queens of Oly Hawaii (Wailuku, Hawaii)
5/11: Queens of Oly Hudson (Hudson, NY)
5/11: Queens of Oly Philadelphia (West Chester, Philadelphia)
5/18: Thrive Throwdown (Lynchburg, VA)
5/18: Imperial CrossFit’s Spring Fit Fest (Kent, WA)
5/18 - 5/19: The Rainhill Spring Trials (Manchester, UK)
5/18: Luminate the Day (Nonprofit comp for Windy Willow Foundation) (Grand Rapids, MI)
5/18: Girls Gone Rx Chicago (Alsip, Illinois)
5/18: Girls Gone Rx Wilmington (Wilmington, North Carolina)
5/18: Girls Gone Rx San Antonio (San Antonio, Texas)
5/18: Girls Gone RX Wilmington (Wilmington, NC)
5/18: Code 3 Clash (Eagle, ID)

See all upcoming events

 
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