The CrossFit Open Starts in 30 Days

January 25   |   POWERED BY

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• Chandler Smith and PUMA donate $25,000 to Tankproof.
• The CrossFit Open kicks off in 30 days.
• Our take on the newly announced semifinal events.
• Tommy and Brian break down Dave Castro’s legacy of programming the CrossFit Games.

“Let your light shine.” - Unknown

Chandler Smith Partners With PUMA for $25k Charitable Donation

Chandler Smith joined the PUMA family ahead of the trip to Miami for Wodapalooza. Following a successful competition where The Boys stood atop the podium, he is partnering with the apparel company to make a $25,000 charitable donation to an organization of his choosing.

The details: Smith made a deal with PUMA where if he secured a spot on the podium, his sponsor would make a donation to a charitable organization of his choice. The initial total was $10,000, but Smith revealed on January 21 that the amount is now $25,000.

• The recipient of the charitable donation is Tankproof, a Baton Rouge-based organization that provides zero-cost swimming lessons for children in order to decrease the risk of childhood death by drowning.
• Tankproof also provides food to youth homes, veteran’s homes, and homeless shelters. The organization has partnerships with large grocery chains, supermarkets, and locally-owned restaurants that help battle food insecurity.

“I’m honored to be a part of a brand that supports more than just athletic success and am looking forward to more podiums that serve to make an impact off the comp floor,” Smith wrote in his announcement post on Instagram.

Putting on a show: The Boys – the team featuring Smith, Noah Ohlsen, and Travis Mayer – made the donation possible with a dominant performance. The trio of Games veterans won four of the eight events and only finished outside of the top three one time, a sixth-place finish in the WZA OC Remix event.

• The Boys put on such a strong performance that they entered the final event with an nearly insurmountable lead. They could still win with a 20th-place finish. The Boys captured sixth place in the final event and ended the weekend with a 45-point advantage over Thunder From Down Under.

The bottom line: Already a fan-favorite CrossFit athlete, Smith is using his new partnership to support deserving organizations every time that he hits the competition floor. He will battle for medals, as well as the opportunity to provide another massive donation to a charitable organization of his choosing. If Wodapalooza is any indication, PUMA will provide more payouts in 2022.

Need Help Running Your Open Event?

Overwhelmed by the Open? SugarWod, Zenplanner and Uplaunch have put together this revamped 2022 guide to take you through the entire planning process.

Here’s what’s inside:

• Ways to encourage Open registration.
• Tips for preparing your gym.
• Checklists for before, during, and after the event.
• Sample emails, texts, & social media posts.
• And more.

They also outline the importance of the Open as a community-building tool. Customize your event to encourage athletes of every fitness level.

You’ve got a month left to prepare. Make it a meaningful one and grab the 2022 Open Guide today.

…30 days until the 2022 CrossFit Open kicks off. Register today. 

Introducing Adapt and Overcome Fridays at Mossy Creek Fitness in Jefferson City, TN. Adaptive Games athlete Amy Bream is helping introduce new modified workouts for able-bodied athletes to complete a workout like they have a specific physical adaptation.

Just dropped: James Newbury’s new eBook Functional Ironman, a 10-week program to help CrossFit athletes prepare for an Ironman.

The U.S. Army Warrior Fitness Team is holding tryouts for members of the Army from February 1 – 12, 2022.

• Athletes will perform four total workouts, one every three days.
• Register.

Rogue Fitness is hiring for 30+ positions including Director of Talent and Workforce Development, Director of Quality, engineers and product managers.

Initial Thoughts on Release of Semifinals | The Bottom Line

Dave Castro's Programming Legacy: The CrossFit Games

Finally, we reach the pinnacle event, and the pinnacle of Dave Castro’s programming; the final stage of each competitive season since 2007: the CrossFit Games. However, if you haven’t read the previous two pieces about the Open and Regionals we encourage you to go back and do so, many implements from the Games have borrowed from the qualifying stages, and many elements of the Games have similarly found themselves in earlier stages of the competition a few years down the road. So for the most comprehensive understanding of the genius and continuity of Castro’s programming legacy, go check those out and we’ll see you back here shortly.

• Dave Castro’s Programming Legacy, Part 1: The Open
• Dave Castro’s Programming Legacy, Part 2: Regionals

The Unknown and Unknowable

Is there really any place to start but here? These four words are synonymous with the CrossFit Games, especially for those that were around when it all began, at Dave Castro’s Ranch in Aromas California in the summer of 2007 with the second CrossFit Games workout of all time: The Hopper.

This workout, and this concept are so important and iconic for both the sport and the methodology of CrossFit. And, as we’ve been discussing, Castro has managed to maintain the integrity of baseline CrossFit principles even as the sport has exploded in the 15 years since.

...FIX

Your Crooked Push-Ups

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The First To Try A R.A.D Pair Of Shoes

After two years of development, tests, and tweaks, The R.A.D® ONE launched in person last week at Wodapaolooza and was a huge hit. Now available online in the U.S.A and Canada, hit the link below to get your hands on a pair. Extremely limited quantities available so act fast.

...WATCH

Annie Vs. Katrin In "The Battle Of The Balloon"

Two titans of our sport battle it out in the matchup everyone has wanted to see. Who can keep three balloons up the longest. Find the answer, and a ton of other WZA content, in the Buttery Bros latest video.

...GRAB

New Reebok Leggings and Joggers For Just $19.99

From comfy joggers to leopard print leggings, Reebok has you covered. Refresh your wardrobe for spring with some new leggings and joggers at a huge discount with code "PANTS19".

...MAKE

No-Bake Superfood Brownies

The best no bake brownies packed with healthy fats, fiber, and protein from four types of nuts, dried fruit and chia seeds. These superfood brownie energy bars are vegan, gluten free, naturally sweetened, and taste just like a fudgy brownie. The perfect nutritious treat or snack.

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

• 🎂 Happy birthday Mat Fraser and Logan Aldridge.
• Congratulations to Aron Parker from CrossFit Boynton Beach in Boynton Beach, FL on the 205 pound/93kg push press PR.
• 😳 Roman Khrennikov split jerks two reps at 353 pounds/160kg.
• CrossFit Invictus Jorge Fernandez does a heavy thruster EMOM from The Fittest Experience, 3 reps at 260lb/118kg – 275lb/125kg – 290lb/131.15 – 305lb/138.5.
• Alec Smith gets gymnasty with rings, a barbell, and floor tumbling.
• Congratulations Freja Heuckendorff from CrossFit Aalborg in Demark on a new squat clean PR at 170 pounds/77kg.
• 😱 Congratulations to 18-year-old Olivia Reeves from Tennessee on a 436.5 pound/198kg back squat PR.

See all upcoming events