The Brooke Wells controversy and why it matters

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“A well built physique is a status symbol. It reflects you worked hard for it. No money can buy it, you cannot borrow it, you cannot inherit it, you cannot steal it. You cannot hold onto it without constant work. It shows discipline, it shows self-respect, it shows patience, work ethic, & passion. That is why I do what I do.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

THE BROOKE WELLS CONTROVERSY AND WHY IT MATTERS.

Background.

As a part of the video verification process, Brooke Wells submitted her video of 18.4 to CrossFit HQ. This is a requirement for all Regionals qualifiers before they can receive an invitation to Regionals.

Why do they do this?

According to the CrossFit Games rulebook: “At the end of the Open, the top athletes in each of the 18 Open regions will be required to submit a complete video of one or more of the Open workouts…The submitted video(s) must demonstrate the athlete has the work capacity required to achieve their original posted Open score(s).”

So what’s the issue?

Brooke Wells’ 18.4 video, which was posted publicly to YouTube before being removed, caused quite a stir on Reddit mainly because of the poor angle and distance it was filmed from and what appeared to be some obvious no reps.

In responding to these comments on Reddit, CrossFit HQ admitted that Wells missed some reps but also wasn’t going to adjust her score to reflect the no reps:

“The video is shot at a poor angle, which makes review difficult. There do appear to be HSPU reps that miss the line,” HQ wrote in the post. “In rare, egregious cases, score adjustments based on quality of movements or massively miscounted reps can be made. It was determined that this video did not represent one of those cases.”

Over the next few days, more than 450 mostly negative comments were posted across three different threads (Thread 1, Thread 2, and Thread 3) discussing HQ’s decision not to adjust the score.

Why it matters?

We reviewed the video before it was taken down and in all fairness it did not appear to meet the “egregious” case standard outlined. And even if HQ shaved off a few seconds due to some no reps it wouldn’t have affected the leaderboard.

But here’s why it matters. By CrossFit’s own admission, the video submission is for verifying an athlete’s capacity and not doing a rep-by-rep review to validate a judge’s score. But then they publicly acknowledged the no reps and chose to count them anyways, and they’re the governing agency responsible for upholding the integrity of this sport. 

It’s worth noting too that for those arguing that it’s just cause it’s Brooke Wells, CrossFit HQ has a track record of penalizing popular athletes. Back in 2016, they issued a 15% penalty on Josh Bridges’ 16.4 score and completely invalidated Dani Sidell’s 13.2 score for not upholding the standard on box jumps.

THINGS TO…

WATCH: Miracle Cure for the Mid-Life Health Crisis

Ron Reed’s story is similar to many of our own. Plagued by ailing health due to high-weight and chronically poor diet choices, Rob had a decision to make: end up in an early grave or find a solution.

WONDER WHICH ONE HE CHOSE.

HEAR: Assessing Health by Measuring Fitness

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, Ben Bergeron talks about going to the doctor, why how many burpees you can do in a minute is an indication of more than just your fitness, and the difference between being a swim coach and a lifeguard.

TUNE IN.

EAT: What to Cook When You’re Stuck Between Winter and Spring

That awkward month or two when it’s hot, then cold, then hot again, then it snows, then it freezes the snow, then the whole city turns into an oven. Yeah that. Bon Appétit is here to help.

CAN IT JUST BE WARM ALREADY?

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CHALK UP COMMUNITY

• FALLEN STATE TROOPER — Several local affiliates sent groups to Tolland CrossFit this weekend to honor Connecticut state trooper Kevin Miller. Miller died last month in a car accident while on duty. Tolland raised $2,000 to support Miller’s family. 
• THE NEXT GEN — A local tv station profiled 15-year-old Ashley Schroeder of CrossFit TNT in St. Charles, MO. She finished the Open ranked 15th worldwide and is preparing for the age group qualifier which starts Thursday. She got into CrossFit eight years ago when her mom joined TNT. 
• HONORING LOCAL HEROES — CrossFit 302 and Fit Strong United CrossFit in Victoria, TX hosted the fourth annual Battle for the Monument, an annual fundraiser for Honor361, an organization working to build a local monument to honor those who served and died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The organization needs $200,000 to build the monument. 

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

Conor Murphy and Spencer Hendel of Reebok CrossFit One ran the Boston Marathon yesterday through the pouring rain • Thuri Helgadottir does 10 unbroken
strict muscle-ups • Josh Bridges declines his invitation to complete the age group qualifier to compete as a Master’s athlete • Kristin Holte hits four back squats at 275 pounds • Brooke Wells will curate the next Gainz Boz. 

…and this is how to motivate your athletes to run faster. 

Inspiring Words: Logan Aldridge — “The ‘It’s Just an Arm’ moto became a way for me to remind myself that perception is the first step to realizing that (life is) an opportunity and you have the power of choice to determine how it goes.”

— Logan Aldridge lost his left arm in a wakeboarding accident as a kid. He’s also a World Record holder for the “most one arm one leg push ups in one minute” (26), and he’s a CrossFit Seminar Staff member with the CrossFit Specialty Course: Adaptive Training.

On a sad note, and something we missed — On April 4, Jessica Lucero shared on an Instagram photo of her five weeks pregnant. She also revealed that her and Christian had a miscarriage: “It’s sad, very sad for both me and my husband because this is our second experience with miscarriage and this one we actually had a few weeks to figure out a game plan and get excited. As an athlete though the emotions are honestly very confusing to say the least. Now it seems like I could just get back to work – well, it’s not that
easy. I’m not really 100% sure what I feel and where to go from here but I know God has a reason and I trust Him. Staying positive through all the ups and downs of life & sport is hard work but we just have to keep our faith and know that anything is possible. Our family was faced with an unplanned pregnancy that could have given us a baby. I would have loved it with my whole heart and it would have given us the opportunity to teach him/her how to chase a dream through any obstacle relentlessly. It just wasn’t meant to be and that wasn’t the lesson I was meant to teach.”

— On Sunday, the couple held a little ceremony to honor their child . They said a prayer and let a balloon go. 

“Letter to My Younger Self” by Coach Mike Burgener

Dear Fifteen-Year-Old Michael,

What are you even doing? Deliberately disobeying your father like that.

Dad hates weightlifting. He wants you to stay focused on football so you can get into college. It’s 1961 and lifting weights isn’t all that popular in those days. On the other hand, being an All-American football player, just like Dad was, is every young athletes’ dream.

“Helping on the farm will make you as strong as you need to be,” Dad’s always saying. He thinks lifting weights will make you muscle bound, stunt your growth.

On this one thing, and only this one thing son, he is wrong. And you have a choice. Either you can lie to him about what you’re doing, or lie to yourself about what’s in your heart.

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