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The CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown Cancels

 
Morning Chalk Up

April 13
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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. By our reporting, a staggering 96% of US affiliates and 88% of global affiliates are currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And, according to the CrossFit Games rule book, the AGOQ video review should wrap up today and athletes should be notified very soon. Today:

  • An update on US and global affiliate closures.
  • The AGOQ video review deadline looms.
  • The CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown is the third Sanctional to officially cancel in 2020.

Is your affiliate closing permanently? Please let us know.

Don’t forget to hit us up with PRs, quotes of the day, out-of-the-box highlights and story tips at [email protected].

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” – Haruki Murakami

 

UPDATE: 96% of U.S. Affiliates Closed, 88% Globally

  UPDATE: 96% of U.S. Affiliates Closed, 88% Globally  

The gym toll has risen steadily since last week as new state-wide mandated closures took effect and more locations voluntarily closed their doors. Nearly all U.S.-based affiliates are now closed, 96% according to our study. A handful of states have not issued shelter-in-place or statewide business closure orders. Worldwide closures have now reached 88% fueled by Brazil’s country-wide closure as reported by the Seeking Growth Podcast. The Morning Chalk Up has been unable to verify this information but it tracks closely with the picture painted by outside news sources.

Topline stats:

  • 88%, or 13,135 of the 14,790 affiliates worldwide are closed.
  • 96%, or 6,651 of the 6,915 affiliates in the U.S. are closed.
  • Interact with our full map of closures.

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AGOQ Video Review Deadline Looms for CrossFit HQ

  AGOQ Video Review Deadline Looms for CrossFit HQ  

Today is CrossFit HQ’s self-imposed deadline to complete the video review process for the Age Group Online Qualifier. One hundred and sixty athletes spread across eight age group divisions wait to learn their CrossFit Games fate as the final AGOQ leaderboard will be finalized once the video review is complete. The final date to finalize the leaderboard is April 27.

  • Rulebook Section 2.05: “The video review process for these videos will be completed by April 13, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. PT.”
  • Rulebook Section 2.06: “Starting on April 15, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. PT, the top 10 men and 10 women in each age-group division (including teenage divisions) will qualify to compete at the Games…The Games qualification process for age-group athletes will be completed by April 27, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. PT.”

Why it matters: With the specter of a Games cancelation looming large, how HQ handles the AGOQ deadlines could be a key indicator for whether they intend to move forward with the summer Games. Multiple age group athletes confirmed that Games officials requested multiple videos to begin the review process.

  • The Morning Chalk Up reached out to many of the athletes currently in qualifying spots in their respective divisions. Each responded that HQ requested videos three days after the end of the AGOQ on March 19.
  • The HQ video review team requested videos of workouts one and six of the AGOQ. Within a week, the athletes said that they received an email from HQ saying that the score of their submission for event six was accepted.
  • The athletes we talked to said they had yet to hear back regarding their event one submission.
  • The AGOQ occurred right when the world began to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether the spread of the deadly virus since then has affected the timeline of the video review process will be determined tomorrow if HQ announces that the AGOQ leaderboard is finalized and if invitations are sent out for those athletes in the top ten of each division.
 

The CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown Cancels Bringing Tally to Three

  The CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown Cancels Bringing Tally to Three  

On Saturday, the CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown officially canceled its final event for 2020, making it the third Sanctional to cancel. It was originally scheduled to take place May 29-31 in Apeldoorn, Netherlands.

One big thing: The CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown joins the French Throwdown and Rogue Invitational as the third Sanctional to officially cancel. The French Throwdown left the door open to the possibility of holding an event in some format later in the year, while the Rogue Invitational will host an online competition June 13-15 without awarding any CrossFit Games invitations.

From the announcement: “We all hoped that the situation would improve, but these are still very uncertain times and we feel that it is not responsible to organize an event during a crisis like this. Therefore we had to make an extremely difficult decision. It is with a heavy heart that we have to announce the decision to cancel the 2020 final event of the CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown.”

  • “Our priority is the health and safety of all people involved. We want an event where everybody feels safe without hesitation. Taking this into account and the current measures in place, we would be unable to guarantee the expected quality of the event.”
  • “We understand that the cancellation of this year’s final is not what everybody was hoping for but we believe that this is the best decision we could make.”
  • “Take care of yourself and each other, don’t forget to support your local box and your community. Thanks for your support, we hope to welcome you back in 2021.”

The elephant in the room: A season already imperiled seems all but certain to scuttle at this stage. There remain only two Sanctionals on the schedule that have yet to announce a postponement or new date — the Asbury Park Summer Games (June 20-21, Asbury Park, NJ) and the Mayan CrossFit Classic (July 3-5, Riviera Maya, Mexico). And, the CrossFit world awaits official word on whether or not the Games will be held. They are currently scheduled to kick off on July 29 in Madison, WI.

 

THINGS TO…

…WATCH

Proving Grounds: Jeffrey Adler in Dubai, Episode 4

At the 2019 Dubai CrossFit Championship, the Morning Chalk Up crew followed Canadian national champion Jeffrey Adler through four-days of competition to take fans behind the scenes as one of CrossFit’s rising stars competes at one of the premiere CrossFit competitions of the season.

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HIGHLIGHTS…

 

COMMUNITY

Community Roundup Analyze Analyze Headline

Here are a few cool things going on around the CrossFit community that we have our eyes on now:

  • The GIVE Program: The GIVE Program with athletes Meg Reardon, Kari Pearce and more are working hard to provide boxes of food for New York City and Long Island coaches and fitness professionals who have been affected by COVID-19. How it works: you purchase a high-quality protein box that includes chicken, beef and seafood, and they donate $25 back to the gym or trainer of your choice.
  • 1,948 Burpees for the NHS: The National Health Service in the UK was established on July 5, 1948 and on April 25, 2020, CrossFitter Matt Fleming will complete 1,948 burpees to raise money for NHS workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. All of the money raised will go directly to the Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Charitable Fund. Fleming will broadcasting the event on Instagram Live.
  • Repping for Zani: In 2017, Willow Way CrossFit member Zani Roos courageously fought and beat skin cancer. A few weeks ago, following a routine check-up, Roos learned that this cancer had returned, this time in her lungs. Willow Way CrossFit has created a fundraiser to help her with her medical expenses as the 27-year-old takes on cancer for the second time.
  • Addict to Athlete: The active recovery group, Addict to Athlete, which operates out of the CrossFit affiliate Stay Invincible Colorado, is working hard to remain a pillar of support for those recovering from substance abuse in Pueblo, CO and elsewhere. Co-founders Rob and Sheena Archuleta are hosting shared at-home workouts on Facebook and will soon host a virtual 5K and 10K run to commemorate Addict to Athlete’s 11th anniversary. They will also begin hosting ZOOM support group meetings, for more, see the schedule on their website
 
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