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The Teens Aiming to Conquer Granite Games

 
Morning Chalk Up

June 2   |   POWERED BY

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • Three teenagers headline the women’s division at the Granite Games.
  • Gabriella Migala prepares for the 2021 Semifinals.
  • Sam Kwant reveals years-long battle with chronic illness to explain disappointing showing at the MACC.
  • The CrossFit Games reveals a new (also old) schedule for Games week in Madison.

We love seeing your story tips, quotes and PRs roll in. Keep sending them to [email protected].

 
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“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” - Mahatma Gandhi

 
CROSSFIT GAMES
  Three Teenagers Headline Women’s Field at the Granite Games this Weekend  

Three Teenagers Headline Women’s Field at the Granite Games this Weekend

For the first time in history at a CrossFit Games qualifying event, three of the top six ranked athletes are teenagers.

The details: Leading the way at the Granite Games Semifinals in Eagan, MN this weekend are the clearcut frontrunners, 17 year-olds Emma Cary and Mallory O’Brien. Joining them is 18 year-old Paige Powers.

  • O’Brien placed third overall in the Quarterfinals, Cary was just behind in fourth, while Powers finished 23rd. All three also had impressive performances in the Open, placing 5th, 2nd and 68th respectively.
  • O’Brien, who won the Age Group Online Qualifier, will also have the chance to compete at the Games this summer in the 16-17 year-old division should things not go her way this weekend.

One big thing: Although all three teenagers have proven themselves to be among the fittest women in the world in two competitions already this season, the obvious question to consider is whether their young age and lack of experience could get the best of them this weekend.

Continue Reading...
 
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SPEED READS

  • This week on The Clydesdale, Fitness & Friends podcast, Kelsey Kiel talks about how she’s flipped the script on managing body image while training for bobsled vs. CrossFit, and what her off-season training entails.
    • Kiel, on her new training experiences: “It’s been kind of amazing to be surrounded by other, like just solid athletes and by solid I mean, [Kelsey grunts and does a “most muscular” pose] athletes. But also…I’m not trying to shrink down so that I can do 15 unbroken ring muscle-ups or something like that. So, it definitely has been almost like a breath of fresh air.”
  • The Morning Chalk Up caught up with PRVN Fitness Head Coach Shane Orr at the end of the MACC on Sunday:
    • Orr: “There’s so many moving parts to this season…with our roster getting a lot deeper…it’s forced us to expand as a brand.”
  • Sara Sigmundsdottir has extended her contract with Volkswagen for another year.
  • The West Coast Classic, one of the four North American Semifinals, which will be held in Las Vegas, June 18-20, announced its first individual workout, “Legless 2013“:
    • For Time:
      27 Thrusters (95, 65 pounds)
      4 Legless Rope Climbs
      21 Thrusters
      3 Legless Rope Climbs
      15 Thrusters
      2 Legless Rope Climbs
      9 Thrusters
      1 Legless Rope Climbs
      Time Cap: 10 Minutes
  • Tickets for the West Coast Classic are available now.
  • For those heading to the Granite Games in Eagan, MN this weekend, here are a few gyms to drop in at to get a sweat.
  • Tickets are still available for the Granite Games.
  • The Fittest in Cape Town gear is being unloaded and set up for competition right now.
 
PROFILE
  Poland’s Gabriela Migala on Her CrossFit Life in Spain and Where She Sees Herself at the 2021 CrossFit Games: “My Goal is to Be on the Podium.”  

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Poland’s Gabriela Migala on Her CrossFit Life in Spain and Where She Sees Herself at the 2021 CrossFit Games: “My Goal is to Be on the Podium.”

Before the pandemic swept across the globe, Gabriela Migala was on a white hot tear through the CrossFit competitive landscape.

The 22-year-old came in fourth at the end of 2019 at the Dubai CrossFit Championship, then second at Strength in Depth in January of 2020, then first at the Norweigen CrossFit Championship shortly after.

Continue Reading...
 
PROFILE
  Sam Kwant Reveals Years Long Battle with Chronic Illness, Explains his Disappointing Showing at the MACC  

Sam Kwant Reveals Years Long Battle with Chronic Illness, Explains his Disappointing Showing at the MACC

While the biggest question fans were asking last weekend at the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge in Knoxville, TN was “Who is Jayson Hopper,” the second most asked question might just have been, “What happened to Sam Kwant?”

Remind me: Kwant, last year’s second fittest man in the world, was a clear cut favorite heading into the MACC. More recently, he placed a solid 16th overall in Quarterfinals, suggesting he was nearly a shoe-in to qualify to Madison, WI this summer.

Last weekend’s details: To those who have watched Kwant compete since he first qualified to the CrossFit Games in 2016, it was easy to see he didn’t look like himself.

  • His best two events were the first two on Day 1, where he placed 10th and 8th respectively, but after that Kwant — who ended up 14th overall — was never really even in contention to qualify.
  • It was hard not to speculate what was going on: “Maybe his priorities have shifted since becoming a dad last year?” Or, “Maybe his move to Boston this season to train with the CompTrain crew and his coach Harry Palley wasn’t the best move, after all.”
Continue Reading...
 
CROSSFIT GAMES
  New Verse, Same as the First: Reversion to Old Games Schedule, Reduction of Number of Competition Venues, Both Set Up For Increased Accessibility to Age Group Divisions for Fans  

New Verse, Same as the First: Reversion to Old Games Schedule, Reduction of Number of Competition Venues, Both Set Up For Increased Accessibility to Age Group Divisions for Fans

There are two important updates to what the week of the 2021 CrossFit Games will look like, both of which are representative of CrossFit’s continuing effort this year to make the sport more inclusive and rewarding for the community as a whole.

Only Two Arenas for Competition

Remind Me: Since moving the Games to Madison in 2017, there have been at least three “areas” dedicated to competition. One of those has been the Age Group Pavilion; a separate and distinct arena for the Masters and Teenage athletes to compete.

Prior to the relocation, Masters and Teenagers, Teams and Individuals, all competed at the same venues, in Carson those were the Soccer and Tennis Stadiums. CrossFit was able to accommodate the lack of space and extra competition floors by having certain divisions start earlier in the week (more on that below.

This year at Madison there will, for the first time in Madison’s Games history, only be two locations for competition: North Park and the Coliseum. This means all divisions will get to compete on the same competition floors. It also means there will be more eyes on the Masters and Teenage athletes, something they most definitely deserve.

Continue Reading...
 
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HIGHLIGHTS...

Chalk Up Highlights is our section dedicated to celebrating our community’s wins in the gym. Follow @ChalkUpHighlights and submit your highlight to [email protected] to be featured.

 
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