Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. We are only two days away from the start of the 2020 CrossFit Games finals and today Tommy Marquez recaps the rollercoaster ride that was the 13-month-long COVID Games season. And, get ready for the Games by watching all the training videos and interviews we could round up (57 to be exact). Loud And Live Sports made a big announcement this week, laying out an international online competition coming this December-January called “The Trials,” Patrick Clark has more.
Also, Clarkston, Georgia’s CrossFit Liminal is one of the newest affiliates in the CrossFit community, but unlike most others, it focuses specifically on providing affordable access to fitness training for a large refugee community. Kay Wiese profiles the gym below.
Thank you again for all the quote suggestions, story tips and PRs. Keep them coming at tips@morningchalkup.com.
“Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games.”- Babe Ruth
2020 CrossFit Games Stage Two Updates
The final stage of the 2020 CrossFit Games kicks off this Friday at 8:00 AM PT. Event descriptions and other Games news is dropping at a steady pace, here’s everything you need to know right now:
All the CrossFit Games stage two events are streaming live for free and there are multiple Internet platforms hosting the stream. Plus, CBS Sports will air a live, two-hour block of Games coverage on Saturday from 12:00-2:00 PT. CBS Sports will also televise two 30-minutes shows leading up to the Games as well as a two-hour documentary later this fall.
Event News:
Here is everything we know about the first seven events of the 2020 CrossFit Games final stage:
Event 3:The CrossFit Total. According to Dave Castro’s Instagram story, it looks like this event will take place outside, similar to 2018.
Event 4: Handstand walk event. We don’t have the details, but Dave Castro posted this teaser photo of Kristi Eramo O’Connell handstand walking at the Morgan Hill Soccer Complex.
Event 5: Trail Run. We don’t have the details, but Dave Castro posted this teaser photo of the trail run. This appears to be the fifth and final scored event on day one.
Final Event – “Atalanta”: Castro revealed the name of the final event saying it “will be the most difficult final of any Games, if not the most difficult event, to date.” In Greek mythology, Atalanta was a virgin hunter and follower of Artemis, goddess of the hunt.
We know that there are ten time blocks on the schedule, but it’s possible that multiple scored events will be programmed inside the same block.
Scoring Notes:
There are a couple of key points to take note of for the 2020 CrossFit Games stage two scoring.
Each event in the finals will have a point value assigned to it and the final five athletes in each division will have their point totals from stage one reset to 0.
For each event in the finals, the scores will be awarded as follows: first place — 100 points, second place — 75 points; third place — 55 points; fourth place — 35 points; fifth place — 15/0 points.
Importantly, according to the CrossFit Games scoring page: “For Stage 2, last place (fifth place) can earn 15 points or zero points. If it is determined that an athlete is no longer providing their best effort to complete an event, the competition team may award them zero points for their last-place finish rather than 15.” This point is significant because if an athlete is clearly having a bad event and in the back of the pack with no chance to improve, they will have to maintain a high level of intensity or potentially lose even more points based on a judges’ ruling.
The CrossFit Games YouTube channel has posted preview videos highlighting each of the final five athletes in the men’s and women’s divisions.
The 2020 CrossFit Games Finals Demo Team will be Saxon Panchik, Chandler Smith and Danielle Brandon.
According to Dave Castro’s Instagram stories, all of the athletes will have their own trailer/lockerroom space on-site at the Morgan Hill facility.
Everything Else:
Be careful as you prepare to watch the Games livestream. According to a CrossFit subreddit thread, there are multiple bootleg or fraudulent streams that could potentially compromise any information users provide. Here is our official guide to Games coverage.
CrossFit LLC unveiled a newly revamped CrossFit.com website on Monday.
Stock Up On Supplements While Supporting Your Gym. Puori is Giving 20% Off and Donating 50% of Profits Back to Gyms 🙌
In April, we shared 50% of profits from online sales with gyms across America in the first Community Coalition. But local facilities still need help facing the difficulties of 2020, so we’re back at it again by pledging 50% of our profits to all participating gyms in the Community Coalition Fall 50/50 Pledge campaign.
From now until 10/31 (at 11pm ET) checkout the pledge site, find your gym’s unique code, and enter it at checkout on puori.com to automatically get your gym paid 💰
The CrossFit community will finally be able to close the book on the 2020 CrossFit Games season after 13 arduous months splintered by a global pandemic, socio-political friction, and the welcomed arrival of a new regime leading CrossFit LLC.
How we got here: Stage two officially kicks off in about 48 hours, but before we settle in for the home stretch for the crowning of the fittest on earth, I think it’s important to take a step back and take in the full scope of events that brought us to the doorstep of the season’s finale.
Road To The Games: All The Pre-Games Athlete Videos You Need To Get Fired Up For Stage Two
Stage two of the 2020 CrossFit Games is just around the corner. Get ready to watch the “Final Five” men and women take on their competition by catching up on how they prepared for the Ranch.
Men
Mathew Fraser
Watch Fraser and Toomey take stage one, and catch up with the duo before stage two in this video, both by the Buttery Bros.
Loud And Live Sports Introduces "The Trials" International Online Fitness Competition
Loud And Live Sports announced on their Instagram page the debut of “The Trials,” an online international fitness competition that starts December 4 with Regional qualifiers and concludes in January with a live broadcast of the finals.
The details: The competition begins with region-specific qualifiers, broken up into three regions; Latin America, Spanish and the United States Trials for a total of 73 Countries.
The competition features nine divisions for both men and women; Elite, Rx, Scaled, Master’s 35-39, Master’s 40-44, Master’s 45-49, Master’s 50+, Teens 13-14 and Teens 15-17.
CrossFit Liminal Makes Transition a Positive Thing
Deep in the heart of Georgia lies a small town with a big heart. For the past twenty-five years, Clarkston, GA has welcomed thousands of refugees fleeing 40 different nations and speaking nearly 60 languages.
But the city has become more than just a place to stay for these refugees and CrossFit Liminal head coach Nick Johnson is making sure of that. This year, he set out to provide people from all walks of life with the opportunity to be part of a community and live a healthier and happier life.
Finding fitness: In 2017, Nick Johnson found himself out of shape and overweight. A former high school athlete, he was looking for a way to pull himself back to what he used to be. That’s when he found CrossFit.
How Poised Kari Pearce is for Her Best Games Finish Ever
Recently, the three-time fittest woman in the United States, Kari Pearce, sat down with Dr. Julie Foucher-Urcuyo to discuss her collegiate gymnastics career, some of her defining moments in CrossFit and how she's navigated the COVID season.
All-Natural Supplements That Help Your Body…And Your Local Gym!
Puori is working with a number of brands participating in the Community Coalition Fall 50/50 Pledge Campaign and offering 20% off the purest, most natural supplements around, while also donating 50% of profits back to local gyms. From now until the end of the month, check out the pledge site, find your gym’s unique code, and enter it at checkout on Puori.com and have the funds automatically sent to your box.
More About the Fall 50/50 Pledge From the Community Coalition
In this brief episode, Armen Hammer recaps the spring 50/50 Pledge and the current 50/50 Pledge from O2 and the Community Coalition. Tune in to learn more about how you can get some great deals on products and services, and 50% of all profits will go to your local gym.
Today through November 10 we have an exclusive code that will drop the price of the Nano 9 to just $59.99 (Over 50% off). Use the code "NANO59" at checkout to snag the deal. (US Subscribers Only)
This weeknight-friendly recipe is made all in the same big skillet. It's not the classic beautiful layered lasagne you may be used to, but the mixture of milk, creme fraiche, and lemon zest thickens up and creates a creamy and hearty dish the whole family will love. Make sure to use a big enough skillet or dutch oven, and pop it under the broiler for a crispy top.
Congratulations to Ben T., who was the first to correctly answer how many athletes competed as Individuals at the Ranch in the 2009 and 2016 CrossFit Games. The correct answer was six athletes – Ben Smith, Spencer Hendel, Annie Thorisdottir, Stacie Tovar, Rebecca Voigt Miller, and Christy Adkins.
Todays’ question: “How many CrossFit Games did not have a rookie on the final individual podium and which Games?”
Good Read: Youth Movement Nipping at Heels of Veterans
The South China Morning Post ran an opinion piece entitled “Youth Movement Nipping at Heels of Veterans as Finalists Set for Showdown,” by Patrick Blennerhassett and it’s a pretty good read. In the piece, Blennerhassett argues that trends in CrossFit map alongside other professional sports in that the average age of athletes is trending younger. But, he notes, we shouldn’t count out experience just yet. Here are some key takeaways:
“An interesting theme emerges when you look at the ages of the 10 athletes who will be vying for the two titles this weekend at the 2020 CrossFit Games in Aromas, California. While reigning champion Mat Fraser is 30, and women’s champion Tia-Clair Toomey is 27, there is a distinct trend with some of the remaining competitors.”
“On the men’s side there is 24-year-old Samuel Kwant, 21-year-old rookie sensation Justin Medeiros and 26-year-old Jeffrey Adler, who will join Noah Ohlsen, 29, in trying to unseat Fraser. On the women’s side it is a similar story, with 25-year-old Brooke Wells and, of course, 19-year-old Haley Adams. The two will be joined by 31-year-old Kari Pearce and 27-year-old Katrin Davidsdottir. In 2018, CrossFit blog Morning Chalk Up noted the average age of a male competitor at the Games was 27, and for women it was 28.”
“Looking at accumulated data from the previous years, this average age has stayed relatively the same, with some obvious outliers on both sides. Looking at the wider sporting world, there is a distinct trend in virtually all major leagues: youth is starting to trump experience.”
“What does all this tell us? For one, it is impossible to ignore the trend that athletes across the professional sporting world are getting younger, faster, fitter and experience is counting for less in some respects.”
“When it comes to individual sports like CrossFit, youth is definitely the future. But the game is still controlled by battled-hardened veterans such as Fraser, Toomey and former four-time champion Rich Froning, who at 33 is still a beast when it comes to the team division.”
There are a lot more comparisons and analysis in the piece, so please give it a full read.
This email may contain affiliate links. We make a small commision off of purchases made via our affiliate links to help support this newsletter. If you no longer wish to receive the Morning Chalk Up newsletter, unsubscribe here.
