The Definitive Spectator’s Guide to the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games -Rx

July 27   |   POWERED BY

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up premium subscriber edition.

In today’s edition:

• Check our definitive spectator’s guide to the 2023 CrossFit Games
• How to approach competition day nutrition, with Training Think Tank’s Becky Rogers
• Brent Fikowski and the PFAA have been especially active since Semifinals; Learn what they’ve been up to below
• Could we see triple under at the 2023 Games, Rx Smart Gear’s Dave Newman has some thoughts
• Fan favorite Kara Saunders on her new KS 2.0 drop and her future in the sport

The countdown is on: There are only 5 days until the 2023 CrossFit Games begin in Madison, WI.

“Somebody gives you an opportunity, say yes to it. So what if you fail? You won’t know if you fail or succeed unless you try.” - Ann Meyers

The Spectator’s Guide to the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games

It’s almost here. That time of the year when Madison, WI, is overrun with the Fittest on Earth.

It will be the sixth year that the city has played host, and every year it welcomes with open-arms athletes, young and old, from across the world. And it’s not just the athletes heading to Madison. We are looking at spectators, affiliate owners, brand representatives, volunteers, and more.

Here is the definitive spectator’s guide to the 2023 CrossFit Games.

Madison

As soon as The Games moved to Madison in 2017, it seemed like a perfect fit. The second largest city in Wisconsin screamed fitness; surrounded by five lakes, hundreds of miles of biking and hiking trails, and an average high temperature of 80 degrees in August, it is the perfect host for a week of fitness. If you want a place to start, check out the best things to do in Madison.

What to Expect at the 2023 CrossFit Games

Getting There

If you are driving to the venue daily, on-site parking is free, but space is limited. If you are staying near the venue, it will probably be faster to ride-share or walk!

Once On Site

Here is the basic schedule for the week at The Games (all times Central).

There are two critical Apps to download to help streamline your spectator experience.

• CrossFit Games Event Guide – for fans on-site 
  • This is the virtual home to the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games in Madison–use this as your home base if you are on site.
  • Access venue maps, competition schedules, vendors, local Madison info, and more.
• CrossFit Games App
  • Follow the entire season and get news alerts and live streams from your device.
  • You can use the app to set reminders for Games events and follow your favorite athletes.

Eat, Drink and Recharge

As usual, there will be a big selection of food vendors and places to relax and recharge at the Alliant Energy Center.

• Jocko Re/Fuel Station: Enjoy all things Jocko while watching the action on a massive screen.
• Food Court: Expect coffee, juice, brats, and more.
• Perfect Hydration is the Official Water Partner of the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games and is available at concessions across the venue.
• There will be YETI water refill stations placed all around the venue so you can use refillable bottles all week.
• There will be a signature 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games 20-oz YETI rambler for sale at the concession stands. Open to all ticket holders 21 and older, the first 180 fans with the signature cup will receive discounted alcohol refills!
• Looking to beat the heat? Check out the Ice Barrel booth on Sponsor Row to experience cold therapy.
• Over at the Mayhem Athlete Compound, make sure to visit the lounge where you can relax in the shade, watch fitness on the big screens, and enjoy brisket from PitBoss.
  • It’s all free for everyone that has a Mayhem VIP Wristband.
  • Stay up to date with the schedule by following @mayheminmadison23 on Instagram.

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Garard to Take on HYROX: In his first competition back after a nasty shoulder injury earlier this season, Australian Ricky Garard, the 2022 Third Fittest Man on Earth will take on a HYROX race in Sydney, Australia on August 12.

• Underdogs Athletics Head Coach, Justin Cotler: “It’s a great way for Ricky to get back on the competition floor and quench his competitive spirit a little bit without compromising his shoulder rehabilitation.”
• Underdogs Athletics is now offering a HYROX training track as well. Learn more and sign up!

The final two ELFIT CrossFit Championship Online Qualifier workouts have been released. Here they are:

• EQ23.3 (Scores should be submitted through Competition Corner. The deadline is Monday, July 31 at 11:00 PM [GMT+3])
  • On a 14-minute clock (score is total reps):
    AMRAP 4 (0:00-4:00)
    6 Deadlifts (Weight 1)
    12m Handstand Walk
    36 Double UndersRest 1 minute and weight change
    AMRAP 4 (5:00-9:00)4 Deadlifts (Weight 2)
    12m Handstand Walk
    36 Double UndersRest 1 minute and weight change

    AMRAP 4 (10:00-14:00)2 Deadlifts (Weight 3)
    12m Handstand Walk
    36 Double Unders

    Deadlift Weights
    Men – 100kg/220 pounds, 125kg/275 pounds, 147.5kg/325 pounds
    Women – 70kg/155 pounds, 85kg/187 pounds, 97.5kg/215 pounds

• EQ23.4 (Scores should be submitted through Competition Corner. The deadline is Monday, July 31 at 11:00 PM [GMT+3])
  • Presented by The Morning Chalk Up
  • 23.4A
    For time:
    50 Chest to Bar Pull-Ups
    40 Strict Handstand Push-Ups
    Time Cap: 7:00
  • 23.4B (Part B begins immediately after athlete completes Part A)
    Find a 1RM Clean
    Time ends at 10:00
• Registration is closed, but send all questions here.

🎒 🎒 Official Gym Bag Sponsor of the CrossFit Games: Yesterday CrossFit announced that Haven Athletic is the new “Official Gym Bag of the NOBULL CrossFit Games.”

• “We have built our foundation through CrossFit, so it’s an honor to form this official partnership with the NOBULL CrossFit games,” said Caleb Ulffers, co-founder of Haven Athletic. “The bag is perfect for these athletes — We overbuilt it, we have a five-year warranty, it’s super gnarly, it’s super durable, it’s super unique and when people touch it they are convinced instantly.”

Check out this short profile of 22-year-old Games rookie, Kalyan Souza, “The Brazilian CrossFit Cowboy.”

ICYMI: Who to watch in the 2023 CrossFit Games Team Division.

Also, ICYMI: CrossFit announced partnerships with HWPO Training, Mayhem Athlete, and PRVN Fitness yesterday.

Competition Day Fueling with Training Think Tank’s Becky Rogers

The 2023 CrossFit Games is upon us. With the spirit of competition, we are diving deep into competition fueling with this one!

For those of you who don’t know Becky Rogers, you should. She is a Training Think Tank (TTT) Coach and the Founding Nutrition Coach at TTT. Her CrossFit journey started all the way back in 2010 and before then she was a collegiate soccer player. Now she has worked with a wide range of athletes from the postpartum mother returning to training to the competitive CrossFit athlete. She is a mother of two and absolutely crushing balancing being a coach, a wife, a mother of two, and mastering the erg machines!

Below are the ways in which prepping your nutrition for game day can help you be more successful and has worked well for many athletes with some highly recommended suggestions from Coach Becky Rogers.

PFAA Survey Shows Athletes, Coaches, Agents Don’t Support Athletes Cuts at the CrossFit Games

Following this year’s Semifinals, the PFAA (Professional Fitness Athletes’ Association) conducted a survey with athletes, coaches and agents addressing various topics—largely around safety and standards at CrossFit competitions—in hopes of garnering support from CrossFit HQ to comply with their requests.

And while CrossFit and the PFAA were in agreement on many of the topics, they diverged when it came to athlete cuts at the CrossFit Games.

The PFAA does not support athlete cuts at any stage of competition at the Games, but this sentiment didn’t stop CrossFit from implementing two rounds of cuts at the upcoming Games. (The field will be reduced from 40 men and 40 women to 30 of each after the first two days of competition, with just the top 20 men and women advancing to the final day on Sunday).

• “Every athlete I have spoken to that’s competing (at the Games) and most coaches as well, we don’t want cuts at all,” said seven-time Games competitor Brent Fikowski, one of the PFAA’s Executive Committee members.

Remind me: The PFAA was born in July 2020 and was officially incorporated as a Washington-based non-profit. The intention was to collectively organize so they could put forth a unified front representing the athletes’ voices and interests.

• For Fikowski, one of the major goals is to help continue to professionalize the sport of CrossFit, which today means focusing on athlete safety, competition fairness and the future of the sport.

Triple-Unders at the 2023 CrossFit Games?: Predictions from Rx Smart Gear Founder Dave Newman

Individual athletes at last year’s CrossFit Games were hit with a surprise during the third event. The double-under crossover was introduced for the first time ever, and not since the pegboard has a piece of equipment so thoroughly devastated the field. Only five competitors finished all 25 reps, and only 2 completed the event.

That experience proves that the jump rope, one of CrossFit’s most basic training tools, is also perhaps its most versatile as well. And as we approach the Games, rumors are swirling about what could be in store. Crossover singles? More crossover doubles? Or even the long-awaited triple-unders?

No leaks have come from CrossFit HQ (yet), so we asked Dave Newman, the founder of Rx Smart Gear, and the very first official jump rope partner of CrossFit back in 2016.

Newman has been making jump ropes since 2008, longer than any other CrossFit native company, and he’s personally coached nearly every big name in the sport, including Fraser, Toomey-Orr, Froning, Ohlsen, McQuaid, Speegle, Thorisdottir, Sigmundsdottir, and the Panchik brothers.

Below, Newman explains why crossovers were (and are) a great skill to test, recounts how he turned his zany hobby into the sport’s most recognizable jump rope company, and gives his prediction for what jump rope skill we can expect at this year’s Games.

The conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Kara Saunders on her New KS 2.0 Signature Sunglasses, Pregnancy and the Future

Ten-time CrossFIt Games athlete Kara Saunders is launching the second edition of her signature sunglasses—the KS 2.0—today.

Saunders, who is almost eight months pregnant with her second child, tested her new KS sunglasses at last summer’s Games and has spent the last year perfecting them before going to market.

Remind me: Saunders started ACTIV Eyewear in July 2020, but has since rebranded her company to become ACTIV Lifestyle Co. (ALC), as they now also offer performance apparel, including shorts and pants, tees and hoodies, sports bras and even kids clothes.

Part of the reason Saunders started her company was because she couldn’t find any sunglasses on the market that were effective for training, especially gymnastics training. In this sense, her sunglasses aimed to “fill a gap of something that didn’t exist at the time,” she said.

• “So that we could do CrossFit workouts outside…and be inverted and do muscle-ups and have something that would stay on your face. Because I would compete and I felt like there was never anything that would stay on me,” Saunders explained.

Shopping Guide: Getting Ready for the Games

Are you gearing up to go watch your favorite athletes compete in Madison? Us too! While you are in Madison, you’ll want to be prepared for all the fun ahead.

We’ve gathered up some of our favorite products to help make your 2023 trip to the Games the best possible experience imaginable!

Morning Chalk Up is doing it big this year for the 2023 CrossFit Games by partnering with amazing brands like Reebok, Momentous, goodr, Thirdzy and Kineon Labs to give away amazing prizes each day of the CrossFit Games.

Entry is FREE and you can start building up chances to win NOW through the final day of the CrossFit Games.

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Your Boring Old Sunglasses

Excited for the games in Madison?! Athletes don't get to that level without putting in the work. Stay motivated to crush it by rocking goodr sunglasses during outdoor workouts. No Slip. No Bounce. All Polarized. All Fun. You'll shine so much the sun will be jealous.

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An OURA Ring

Wearable trackers just got a whole lot smaller. You love wearing rings as an accessory, now you can wear one to look good, but also track your sleep, recovery and activity levels. The OURA ring is the smallest wearable accessory that gives you important information about your wellness. Check them out!

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Ten Things Humans Aren’t Meant to Do

Our pal Ben Bergeron shared his list of ten things that humans are not meant to do, and some of them might surprise you.

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

• 🎂 Happy birthday, Wykie Estebeth.
• 🎉 Happy 3-year affiliate anniversary, CrossFit Siargao on Siargao Island, Philippines.
• Congratulations Amanda Barnhart on the 210 pound/95.2kg squat snatch.
• Congratulations Jamie Hagiya from Torrance, CA on this summer’s transformation—10 pounds and 10% body fat down in 4 months.
• Congratulations Josh from 3-46 Grit CrossFit in Gresham, OR on the max height box jump PR.

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