The field is tightening up

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is powered by Working Against Gravity, the Official Sports Nutrition Sponsor of the Morning Chalk Up. Working Against Gravity’s free 40+ page Nutrition Guide will teach you everything you need to know about tracking your macros, what foods to use in the kitchen and the best choices when eating out. 

“Refuse to allow the success of others to make you believe you are inferior; their success doesn’t mean you’re a failure…Learn from them. Be inspired by them. And use it as fuel to work harder, be smarter, and train better.” — Justin Su’a

YOUR BONE BROTH PROTEIN POWDER JUST GOT SOME SERIOUS FUNDING.

The story.

If your ear is to the ground in the paleo or whole foods world, you’ve probably heard of Ancient Nutrition (and maybe their bone broth protein powder). Maybe you caught them at Expo West two weeks ago. Well, the Nashville-based health food company just landed a $103 million minority investment.

Whoa, that’s some cheddar.

Yup. But that’s not a huge surprise considering Ancient Nutrition was co-founded in 2016 by Jordan Rubin, who actually sold his last company (also focused on nutritional health products) to Nestle for over $2.3 billion just last year. I guess you could say they’re pretty seasoned when it comes to selling health products.

The company also makes collagen protein, essential oils, and other products that adhere to the keto diet. Over the last 52 weeks their sales are up 270% — we’re taking over $13 million, y’all. Maybe ancestral nutrition isn’t old’s news after all.

So what’s next?

The company plans to expand their options for products like essential oils, medicinal mushrooms, and probiotics thanks to this fresh new investment. Keep your eyes peeled and your bellies ready.

COFFEE BREAK CONVERSATIONS

What to tell your friend who loves watching people at globo gyms misusing equipment (scroll down for LOLz )…

That’s not what that’s for. Ever wonder where the king of all barbell lifts, AKA the bench press, came from? No, your high school football coach who can rep out 4 plates did not invent it. The guy at your first construction job who used to pick up palettes of cinder blocks with his bare hands did not invent it. Thor also did not invent it. #Shocker. Here’s how it actually came out. 

THINGS TO…

WATCH: From Suck to Summit

In this WAG Original Series, watch how WAG Alumni Member, Anastasia Allison, trail-hiking, summit-seeking adventure-preneur, helps inspire others to courageously design their own path toward happiness and fulfillment.

MEET ANASTASIA. 

HEAR: Beach-cationing in Venice, CA

Joy and Claire from Girls Gone WOD Podcast escape Colorado to Venice, CA for some sunshine, beach boardwalks and ice cream. They bring you along for the ride.

TIME FOR SOME R&R.

EAT: Zucchini Pancakes

It definitely sounds a little out there but Bon Appétit food editor says they’re so good she wants the recipe engraved on her tombstone. That’s pretty intense so probs…

WORTH A SHOT.

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is powered by

CHALK UP COMMUNITY

• CONTEST TIME — CrossFit HQ’s annual video contest is back, but this time there are three: one if you live in Mexico, one if you live in Brazil, and one on the topic of diabetes. First
  place prizes in each category will receive $10,000.
• YOUR FOOD IS READY — The owner of CrossFit Goldsboro opened a Goldsboro, NC franchise of Clean Eatz, a restaurant especially for customers who follow meal plans and want to eat clean. 
• MASTER’S PROFILE — Newswire profiled 63-year-old Crescent City CrossFit Masters athlete who finished the Open last year 187th in the 60-64 age bracket. He’s got his sights on the CrossFit Games. 

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

Saw something from 18.4 that we just have to highlight? Shoot us a link • FNX will be hanging out at Live In Victory CrossFit in North Salt Lake this Friday to do 18.5 •  And everyone except five of you need this reminder: supplements are only as good as the diet they are supplementing. P.S. Thanks Dr. Julie Foucher.

18.3 Early Leaderboarding — We’re going to ignore the worldwide leaderboard for a minute and focus on where top athletes are on Regionals qualifications. These rankings are as of 8:00 PM PT. 

DUDES — 

— Inside: Looks like Khan Porter decided not to retire after all; he’s 3rd • Benjamin Garard, brother to Ricky Garard, is 9th • James Newbury has managed to climb his way back into qualification, now 25th • Paul Tremblay is just inside the bubble at 15th • Brent Fikowski is tied for 3rd; he needs
to be top 5 • Scott and Saxon Panchik are 3rd and 8th. Nick Paladino is 17th. All three Smith brothers are inside for the Atlantic Regional • George Sterner, the 2016 2nd Fittest Teen, is 4th • Aaron Hanna is 7th • Jared Enderton is 2nd • Ben Stoneberg is 4th, who injured his pec last year • Malachi Bennett is 24th.

— Outside: Spencer Panchik is 22nd in Central East; if he can qualify all three brothers will be competing at the same regionals • Dakota Rager is 34th, that’s 14 spots outside of qualification with one more event to go • Chandler Smith, who’s currently deployed with the U.S. Army in Poland, is 23rd; he needs to be 20th • Jordan Troyan is 25th • Kyle Kasperbauer, the Fittest 35-39 year old is 26th
• Elijah Muhammad is seven spots back, at 27th • Neal Maddox, the 2nd Fittest 35-39 year old who is now 40, is 36th in the West, just one spot outside. 

LADIES — 

— Inside: Tia Wright is 3rd • Becca Voigt is 6th • Carleen Mathews is 14th • Camille Leblanc-Bazinet is 1st • Colleen Fotsch is 4th; she went team with NorCal last year • Margaux Alvarez is 8th • Alison Scudds is 5th, she failed to qualify for 2017 Games • Kaela Stephano, who is the Fittest 16-17-year-old, is 18th and she’s also 17-years-old • Stacie Tovar is 18th even though she’s retired • Anna Tobias is 7th • Annie Thorisdottir is 1st • Sara Sigmundsdottir is 3rd • All four of CrossFit Mayhem’s female athletes currently qualify as individuals • Tia-Clair Toomey is 3rd •
Rebecca Koch, formerly of 12 Labours CrossFit, is 20th. 

— Outside: Annie Sakamoto is 69th • Teresa Trojanowski, who is 36, is three spots outside at 23rd • Tori Dyson, Katrin Davidsdottir’s training partner and 2017 qualifier, is 42nd; she needs to be 25th • Haley Adams, the second Fittest 16-17-year-old, is seven spots outside at 27th; she’s also 17.

Matthew Kolozsvary, owner of CrossFit Unmatched’s must read thoughts on the new HSPU standard…“I must admit after I measured for my first attempt at 18.4 and my feet didn’t even reach the line when I was fresh I was frustrated. Then just out of curiosity I measured using last year standards. I was pissed to find out that last year standards and this year standards are off by 3 inches exactly. After an almost 6 minute Diane on my first attempt I was doing a lot of bitching. After a day of observing others and seeing that I was not the only one having this problem I came to realize. The true problem
was not the new standard it was the old standard.

Three ways this new standard will make all of us better for next year. Most likely a combination of all 3:

1. Your hands were too wide because of poor shoulder mobility.

2. Too far off the wall because your erratic kipp always makes you fall.

3. Over extended spine/ closed hips, could be weak midline or tight shoulders.

None of those things are Castro’s fault….If the new standard is punishing you, you know what you need to work on. Most likely one of the 3 things I listed above.”

“Earned Organic Armor Withstands 40 MPH Car Strike” by Andréa Marie Cecil, CrossFit Journal

Rileigh Denis’ husband believed he had just watched his wife get killed.

“I pretty much instantly arrived at the point where I was convinced she was dead.”

Seconds earlier, he had been walking no more than 2 feet behind Rileigh, to her right, while they crossed a 15-mph street in Siesta Key, Florida. The couple was in town from Fayetteville, North Carolina, to celebrate Fourth of July with friends. At that point, it was just after midnight on Independence Day. As the group of four walked, Rileigh turned her head over her right shoulder to smile at her husband. That’s when a car traveling about 40 mph swerved around a stopped car and into the crosswalk.

“I very distinctly remember the sound of the impact and of her hitting the ground about 20, 30 feet down the road,” her husband recounted. “I literally thought I was in a dream. I didn’t think what I had just seen (was real). Then I remember thinking, ‘There’s no way she could have lived through that.’”

3/15: CrossFit Open 18.4 (Worldwide)3/22: CrossFit Open 18.5 (Worldwide)

3/23: The Redeemed and the Dominant: Fittest on Earth is released (iTunes)

3/24: 4th Annual St. Paddy’s Day Competition (Norwood, MA)

3/30: Last Day to Sign Up for Northern Italy w/ VoyEdge RX

4/7: Battle of the Badges (Anaheim, CA)

4/7: The Revolution (San Antonio, TX)

4/7: GenX Masters Comp (Salem, MA)

4/7: Lt Col William “Wild Bill” Schroeder Memorial Competition (San Antonio, TX)

4/13 – 4/15: The Railyard Games (Albuquerque, NM)

4/14: Battle for the Mountain (Dawsonville, GA)

4/14: Appalachian Games (Asheville, NC)

4/14: Deuces Wild by Warrior Affiliate League (Baldwin Park, CA)

4/14: Atlas Blarney Stone Competition (Denver, CO)

4/14: RISE of the Masters (Statesboro, GA)

4/14: CrossFit Forte FORCE For Families (Nashville, TN)

4/14 – 4/15: Mid-Atlantic Affiliate Challenge (Columbia, MD)

4/14 – 4/15: WOD Wars Fitfest (Dunedin, FL)

4/14 – 4/15: Funky Town Throwdown (Ft. Worth, TX)

4/19: Teens and Masters Qualifier (Invitation Only)

4/20 – 4/22: Athens Throwdown (Athens, Greece)

4/21: Festivus Games (Nationwide)

4/21: Mayhem for MSR (Cookeville, TN)

4/21: Loganville Lockdown (Loganville, GA)

4/21: FoxWOD (Panama City Beach, FL)

4/21: Swamp Challenge (Gainesville, FL)

4/21: Mucctown Throwdown (Winnemucca, NV)

4/28: Battleground SoCal (Wimington, CA)

4/28: Girls Gone Rx (Cincinnati, OH)

4/28: Salem Slaughterfest (Salem, OR)

4/28: 3rd Annual Appletown Throwdown (Cornelia, GA)

4/28: Beastette Bash at CrossFit Ananda (Arlington, TX)

4/28 – 4/29: Walter’s Cup Throwdown (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

4/28 – 4/29: Battle of the Bluffs (Council Bluffs, IA)

5/4 – 5/5: Tough As Nails (Lubbock, TX)

5/4 – 5/5: No Gutz No Glory (Denver, CO)

5/4 – 5/6: European Masters Throwdown (Budapest, Hungary)

5/5 – 5/6: Tribal Clash (Quarteira, Portugal)

5/5: Cinco de Mayo Classic (San Antonio, TX)

5/5: The Locomotive Games III (Youngstown, OH)

5/5: Granite Games Throwdown (Southaven,  MS)

5/5: Battle of the Boro (Goldsboro, NC)

5/5: New WODs on the Block (Grand Rapids, MI)

5/11 – 5/12: Beast Mode Games (Greenville, SC)

5/11 – 5/12: Midwest Monster (Joplin, MO)

5/11 – 5/12: Reebok’s Ready for Action – Fittest in Israel (Israel)

5/12: Barbells for Bullies (Danbury, CT)

5/12: The Mountain Meltdown (Park City, UT)

5/12: The 5th Element (Bedford, NH)

5/19: Raising the Bar for Recovery (Medina, OH)

5/19: East Coast Battle (Hanover, MD)

5/19: Barbells in the Burbs (Carol Stream, IL)

5/19: Gladiator Games (Concord, NC)

5/19: The Pillage of Palm Harbor (Palm Harbor, FL)

5/19 – 5/20: GameDay Mankato (Mankato, MN)

5/26: Beauty is a Beast 2 (Indian Rocks Beach, FL)