“If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.”- Milton Berle
GOOD
CrossFit WOD Raising Money for Suicide Prevention and Dedicated to Late Veteran Grandfather
If there’s one thing the CrossFit community knows how to do well, it’s showing up for each other when it matters most. Time and time again we’ve seen examples of members, affiliate owners and gym families coming together in the spirit of something bigger than themselves, and Mark Moss’s story is no different, but special in its own right.
In April 2013, Moss’s retired veteran grandfather committed suicide. Every year since, his family has gotten together to do a walk in his honor. But this year, Moss was called to do something more substantial.
“I have always felt like the walk we always go to is very emotional for my family. It’s close to the date my grandfather took his life, so I always walk away feeling heavy from it. I wanted to do something to bring forth my story and make my family’s negative a positive for someone else looking in,” he said.
“The CrossFit community is truly special. I actually found CrossFit as a result of my Grandad’s passing. So having this event in the community has really been a way to share two of my main passions…helping others and fitness.”
This year, it started with an idea to do a workout with a few friends at his local box.
“Once I began telling a few people what I was going to do, I quickly realized how many other people were eager to get behind the cause. Almost immediately messages started flooding in from people who had lost friends and family to suicide, from suicide survivors, and even messages from people telling us that they themselves had been thinking of taking their own life, and what a difference and reminder our message of hope meant to them,” Moss said.
The word spread quickly and other key partners got involved, setting this up to be the best tribute for Moss’ late grandfather yet.
“That’s when I partnered with CrossFit Masters Athlete Justin King and The EMOM Company and ‘UPLIFT’ was born. Together, we came up with a CrossFit workout and shirt design. We set the workout for October 8th and decided to open shirt sales for everyone with 100% of the profits going to the American Foundation For Suicide Prevention,” Moss said.
“Our hopes for this is not only to raise money for such a necessary cause, but to really raise up the CrossFit community so those who have lost, those who have survived, and those who want to support can have an outlet to come together.”
Hiring notice: Rogue is looking for staff for multiple positions for their Columbus, OH headquarters, including customer service representative and a forklift operator.
Comp notice: Registration is now open for the 2023 Invictus Boston Invitational Qualifier.
Comp update: For teams looking to qualify for The TYR Wodapalooza Elite/Rx division, here’s the breakdown: Elite Team: 1st to 30th qualify and Rx Team: 31st to 70th qualify. ⛱
Local love: Great local newspaper piece about a CrossFit gym that just opened in Old City Williamsport, PA:
“CrossFit is exciting. There’s never the same routine. It challenges, it pushes you to try new things, it’s satisfying to measure the results,” said Stacey Kadenas, co-owner of Lumber Capital Athletics, a new CrossFit gym in Williamsport.
Interesting read: A new study maps the genes and cellular pathways that contribute to exercise-induced weight loss.
LIFESTYLE
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Which Protein Powder is Best for You and What are CrossFit Athletes Using?
First and foremost, let’s start off by asking if you even need to start implementing a protein powder? Full transparency, no. Some people feel better getting all of their protein sources from real whole foods, such as beef, bison, chicken, pork, fish, eggs, etc. More so, the variety of protein you can get from intaking different real whole food types is important so you don’t create deficiencies of valuable nutrients.
When I’m working with a client and determining if they should add in a protein shake, I start by looking at their food choices and the amount of calories they are consuming. For example, my client is someone consuming ~3000-3500+ calories a day, I can see a shake being very convenient, cost effective, and time saving. Especially with the amount of food they have to eat. However, for someone in the ~1400-2900 calorie range per day, I don’t believe it’s as challenging to get all your protein sources from real whole foods.
Furthermore, even if you do fall within the lower calorie intake range, one shake a day can be helpful for someone just starting out with increasing their protein intake or help them better evenly distribute their protein intake because they are able to get about thirty grams of protein from a shake right after their workout every day. Regardless, whatever you can do successfully consistently is what is going to be best for you. Start there!
Where’s the Money? Athletes Still Waiting on Payouts from Multiple Competitions
After confirming that athletes have yet to receive their prize money from two off-season competitions, CanWest and the European Championship, more athletes have come forward stating they too had not been paid from their respective Semifinals.
Morning Chalk Up’s Lauren Kalil sits down with Justin LoFranco and Emily Beers to break down what’s actually happening when it comes to athletes not receiving their payouts and whether those prize purses should be reliant on ticket sales.
Why is Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Athletes So Common?
Statistics show that athletes have a higher risk of developing drug and alcohol addiction. The risk is even higher for athletes participating in team sports, according to a new medically reviewed post on Alcohol Rehab Help.
One big thing: According to numerous studies, amateur and professional athletes have a higher rate of drug and alcohol abuse in relation to the general population. The studies are further broken down in the article:
Alcohol use is widespread among athletes at all levels. For example, between 71 and 93 percent of male college athletes report drinking alcohol in the last year.
More than 50 percent of professional football players in the US have used opiates at some point in their career. And, more than seven percent of that 50 percent report misusing drugs at some point in their career.
Astrid Merkt, a psychologist who has worked with athletes from a variety of sports and backgrounds, said there are a multitude of reasons athletes can gravitate towards addiction. The post on Alcohol Rehab Help notes that athletes face a high-level of stress in their careers, and put in a lot of work for what can be little reward.
“Another prevalent (reason) I know is that many pro athletes never really had a childhood either,” said Merkt, who uses breathwork with athletes as part of mindfulness plans to help them cope with the stresses of their careers. “So they get to a point where they overindulge in drinking and self destruction to seek the escape of finding their lost youth. It’s like a little kid trying sugar for the first time after being deprived throughout most of their childhood. Once they find it they go to the other extreme.”
Many athletes have been open about their drug and alcohol use, and getting sober including golfer John Daly, former NFL player Lawrence Taylor, and of course, retired five-time CrossFit Games champion Mat Fraser, who detailed his early journey to sobriety where he started drinking in the fourth grade and quit at 17:
“I was doing all this to fill this void, I just felt like I had to do something in excess. I didn’t realize then, (but) I look back at it now and I’m like, ‘Oh, I was just feeding my addiction with something else’,” Fraser said in the video. “It was the start of me identifying that having this addictive personality can be a benefit if I’m addicted to things that have a positive outcome. I’m not just an alcoholic, I’m a -holic. Everything I do, I’m going to do to the extreme.”
Merkt said this is precisely the world athletes have to inhabit in wanting to pursue their dreams.
“And since they are used to going to extremes with training and regimented routines and restrictions, this extreme seeking personality can easily overdo it in both the healthy and unhealthy behaviors.”
Jenny Long with Alcohol Rehab Help said the most important thing is to make sure athletes are heard.
“It can be heartbreaking and overwhelming to witness an athlete battle an alcohol or drug addiction. There are no right or improper words to say, in my opinion. As individuals, we must be certain that we have heard them,we see them, we educate them, and be there to help them.”
For more information, or to seek help for a drug and alcohol addiction, please go to Alcohol Rehab Help’s website.
THINGS TO...
...PREP
Your Clean and Jerk with this Primer Routine
Hitting a heavy clean and jerk is a feeling like no other *insert bar slam*. However, if not warmed up properly, we can kiss those heavy weights goodbye. That’s why you need to try this clean and jerk primer to get you ready to move heavy weight.
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Congratulations to Alex Premier from Cameroon on the 198 pound/90kg power clean and jerk.
Kym Dekeyrel makes the impossible possible— born with a degenerative eye condition, she felt “lost in the darkness” until she found CrossFit. Now, she is the Fittest Blind Female on Earth.
Jessica Alvarez and her friends Anna and Christina banded together to take on MAHSA, a workout programmed by Fee Saghafi in honor of Mahsa Amani.
This past Sunday, October 2nd, Cynergy CrossFit in Ashland, MA hosted a fundraiser workout in honor of Kitt, a K9 killed in the line of duty in June 2021. Donations can still be made at the K9 Kitt Foundation website.
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