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The True Cost of a Ticket to Madison

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is brought to you by Prospera Supplements.



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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“And can it be that in a world so full and busy, the loss of one creature makes a void in any heart, so wide and deep that nothing but the width and depth of eternity can fill it up.” — Charles Dickens

AGOQ.

What are the Effects of the Age Group Games Season Changes?

By Chad Schroeder

When the changes to the CrossFit Games season were announced in August 2018, teens and masters athletes were left wondering whether age group divisions would return. Once the official 2018-2019 CrossFit Games season rulebook was released in January it revealed that the age group divisions would remain mostly intact but with a two key changes.

2019 Open By the Numbers:

  • 172,388 teen and masters athletes registered the Open.
  • 65,042 teen and masters athletes completed all five WODs RX.

The first change: An athlete’s overall Open placement will no longer contribute to an athlete’s overall score in the Age Group Online Qualifier (AGOQ).

  • Context: Take a look at the 2018 AGOQ leaderboard for Male 35-39. You’ll notice the first scored event of five is an athletes’ Open Finish. At the top of the list, Kyle Kasperbauer finished 7th in the Open and so received 7 points. That accounts for 20% of his overall score.
  • Going forward, all 200 athletes who qualify for the AGOQ start from zero. If an athlete wins their divisions in the Open they don’t start with a leg up. Starting in 2014, Open placement accounted for 20% of an athletes overall AGOQ score which is pretty significant.
  • Scoring an athletes’ Open placement essentially eliminated 75% of the age group field from earning a qualifying position to the CrossFit Games. There are a handful of exceptions but very few
  • Similar to Regionals, the AGOQ workouts are heavier and more skilled. It’s designed to be a more advanced test to see who’s ready for the big show. Removing the Open score will allow athletes who are stronger and more skilled a chance to prove their fitness on a more even playing field.

The second change: All age group divisions have been reduced from 20 spots to 10.

Taking a look back at some of the previous years, this change has the potential to have some significant changes in the outcome for masters divisions, less so for Teens.

Continue reading…

Things To…

 

WATCH: CompTrain Comes to Visit Cole Sager

Christine Bald from CompTrain came to visit the Sagers and film them doing a few CompTrain workouts in their garage. Watch Cole and Genasee Sager do Waterlogged, hear how Cole and Genasee work with CompTrain together, and a secret about Ben Bergeron.

A GREAT PAIR.

 

HEAR: Michael and Adee Cazayoux on Finding Motivation

On this episode of the Working Against Gravity podcast, hosts Michael and Adee Cazayoux discuss why motivation isn’t constant, how motivation works and three things we need to feel motivated.

MAXIMIZING MOTIVATION.

 
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NICE JEANS, BRO.

 

EAT: Cobb Egg Salad

This recipe for cobb egg salad gives you something to do with all those hard boiled eggs next week. With bacon, blue cheese, avocado, and tomatoes, and you’ve got a lunch that you’ll be dreaming out for days. The red wine vinegar-yogurt dressing is amazing and works well in regular cobb salad, too.

BRING IT TO BRUNCH.

 

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is brought to you by

Chalk Up Community

 
  • AFFILIATE GRAND OPENING — CrossFit Hydrogen in Fishers, IN is holding a grand opening on Saturday, May 4. Take a tour of the new box, get samples from vendors, and enter to win a raffle with prizes from Ascent, HelloFresh, FITAID and others. 
  • LAW ENFORCEMENT UNITED FUNDRAISER — On Saturday, April 20 CrossFit Chesapeake is holding the Law Enforcement United Fundraiser to benefit the 2019 Road to Hope bike ride from Chesapeake, VA to Washington, D.C. May 10 – 12.
  • DOG SHELTER FUNDRAISER — CrossFit Asphodel in Hong Kong held a fundraiser for Catherine’s Puppies, a dog shelter that was devastated by last year’s typhoon. The funds raised will help fix the shelter’s roof, pay off vet bills and improve the conditions for its dogs.
  • USAW LEVEL ONE COURSE — Beyond Parallel Strength and Fitness in Cranberry, PA is hosting a USA Weightlifting Level One coaching course on May 4 – 5. 

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

Chad Crow benches 315 pounds for a PR • Jessica Griffith back squats 300 pounds for three reps • Tommy Vinas high hang snatches 285 pounds • Congratulations to Scott on his first bar muscle-upRachel Garibay hits a paused front squat at
250 pounds
• Alanna Fisk Colón does 500 pound yoke holds • Alyssa Ritchey back squats 277 pounds and then back squats 242 pounds for two • Vicky Caruso front squats 300 pounds.

…and if CrossFit isn’t your Nana’s thing maybe take her to Zumba.

Granite Games 2019 Open Workouts — The second week of 2019 Granite Games 2019 Open WODs were announced yesterday: Workout four and workout five. Registered athletes have until Monday, April 22 at 5:00 PM PT to submit their scores.

CrossFit French Throwdown Online Qualifier — The online qualifier WODs for CrossFit French Throwdown will be announced tomorrow. Registered athletes will have until May 1 to complete the workouts. 

Alexis Johnson Defends Dissertation Days After MACC — Yesterday, CrossFit Games athlete Alexis Johnson successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation in Mathematics at Rice University. This is a feat alone, but is extra impressive considering that Johnson spent last weekend competing at the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge with team MisFits, who placed second overall.

Meg Reardon On Winning the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge — Meg Reardon, owner of Wags & Weights, took first place for women at the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge, earning her ticket to the 2019 CrossFit Games and also a heck of a cool sword.

— “This weekend was nothing short of incredible. I am so grateful I get to do what I love every day, and it’s moments like these that help you remember your why,” she wrote.

The Finance Games: The true cost of a ticket to Madison — In an article originally written for BoxLife Magazine, Audrey Carson breaks down what it really costs for the average Games athlete, like Sean Sweeney and Meredith Root, to get to the CrossFit Games.

— “Unlike many professional sports, these athletes receive no regular compensation to do so, save for the occasional event win. And for most events, you have to at least podium to receive any kind of payout. Really, you have to win to even come out ahead, with the cost of travel and lost wages eating into your winnings.”

— “The crazy thing about CrossFit is that we’re expected to perform and train and everything like professional paid athletes,” said Sean Sweeney, two-time Games athlete. “But we’re really just enthusiasts. We make zero dollars doing CrossFit.”

— “There are individuals who need Regionals to qualify for the Games, and I fall into that category of athletes,” Root said. “It’s unlikely that I’ll win a sanctioned event. I’m not going to pay to travel to a bunch of these things. I’m not going to pay to go to five sanctioned events. I can’t afford it, I don’t want to. But these athletes who have these big-name sponsors, if they mess up and they miss qualifying, they get to go to another event, whereas the beauty of Regionals is that you get one opportunity to perform at your best.”

Reads

CHALK UP READS

“Distortion: How Poor Early Nutritional Experiences Set Us Up For Failure,” by Shane Trotter, Breaking Muscle

Ace holds up the cupcake ceremoniously. He takes his first bite which, in his little two-year-old mouth, is mostly just blue frosting. His eyes light up and he starts dancing from side-to-side. The table of adoring family erupts in laughter. He continues to rapidly devour the treat, dancing and laughing all the while. With all eyes on the two-year-old birthday boy, no one even notices grandpa holding Ace’s six-month-old baby sister. He’s swiping frosting off a cupcake and feeding it to her.



As my eyes finally scan over to see blue baby lips, I come out of my seat to stop the madness. My little baby girl’s immaculate palate just got its first introduction to non-formula food and this was what was chosen for her. The helpless little girl, incapable of controlling any ounce of her environment, was subjected to died blue sugar cream. As the table turns to scold grandpa, he protests, “But she likes it!” “Yes and she’d really love cocaine,” I retort.

Clearly, I could have reacted better. Having adopted her and her brother, she was unable to breastfeed and now I feared her palate was being distorted by what could be seen as a controlled substance.

Still, I felt bad for my outburst. It was the cumulative frustration of raising kids in a world I deem insane—where parenting my children according to my vision of strength, supported progressive self-sufficiency, and harmony with their bio-evolutionary needs is constantly met with resistance.



The “but she likes it,” set me off more than anything. It is the standard response from anyone who disagrees with my parenting approach. It is why kids are allowed to watch TV all day, eat only junk, and why as teens they are addicted to their smartphones. Our inability to recognize an environment full of temptations engineered for optimal human addiction and then to set boundaries is leading millions to lives of mental and physical poor health.

Reads

CHALK UP CALENDAR

4/10 – 4/24: Granite Games Online Qualifier (Online)

4/15 – 4/27: Top Of The Box Online Qualifier (Clarksville, TN)

4/19 – 5/1: CrossFit French Throwdown Individual Online Qualifier (Online)

4/20: The Wodfather VII 2019 (Keller, TX)

4/20: Rookie Rumble at Bucktown CrossFit (Chicago, IL)

4/20: Barnyard Throwdown (Ohatchee, AL)

4/26: Rookie Rivalry at CrossFit Nashua (Nashua, NH)

4/26 – 4/27: Gameday Competition (Mankato, MN) 

4/26 – 4/28: CrossFit Italian Showdown (Milan, Italy)

4/26 – 4/28: The Sun Coast Fitness Festival (Kwa-Zulu Natal, SA)

4/27: 4th Annual Spring Fever Partner Masters Comp (Souderton PA)

4/27: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit KOA (Cranford, NJ)

4/27: The Gnardog Challenge (Reedley, CA)

4/27: Festivus Games (Worldwide)

4/27: Raising the Bar for Charlotte (Medina, OH)

4/27 – 4/29: Asia CrossFit Championship (Shanghai, China)

4/27: Autism Rocks and Rows (San Clemente, CA)

4/27: Garage Games Xs and Ys (Hiram, GA)

4/27: The Explode Individual Classic (West Chester, PA)

4/27: Fast Times at West Tech High (Las Vegas, NV)

4/27: Tyler’s Voice CrossFit Competition (Jefferson City, TN)

4/27: SWFL Sharks Semi-Pro Grid Combine (Cape Coral, FL)

4/27: Explode’s Independent Classic (West Chester, FL)

4/27: Festivus Games at Crossfit Sav-up (Petaluma, CA)

4/27: 4th annual Apple Town Throwdown (Cornelia,GA)

4/27: Kettlebells for Cojones (Montgomery, TX)

4/27: Spring Fever Partner Master Competition (Souderton, PA)

4/27: Best of the Midwest Team Series Part 1 (Westfield, IN)

4/27: Officer Christopher Goddell Memorial WOD (Walkdwick, NJ)

4/27: Pose Method Run RX Course (Lake Havasu City, AZ)

4/27: Battle of the Boxes (Newport,KY)

4/27: Festivus Games at Camel City Crossfit (Winston-Salem, NC)

4/27: Festivus Games at CrossFit LaCrosse (LaCrosse, WI)

4/27: 2019 Growler Games (Lexington, NC)

4/27: The Spring Fling (Knoxville, TN)

4/27: Stepping Into Summer (Fairfield, OH)

4/27: REDLINE.Venice A PAINKLLR Competition (Venice, CA)

4/27:  One Mind 1 Force (West Deptford, NJ)

4/27- 4/28: 2019 Pensacola Beach Brawl (Pensacola, FL)

4/27: Liftoff by Brigade Barbell Club (Chattanooga, TN)

4/28: David Vs. Golitah (Mansfield, MA)

5/3 – 5/4: Tough As Nails (Lubbock, TX)

5/3 – 5/5 The Fittest Experience (Austin, TX)

5/3 – 5/5: Appalachian Games (Asheville, NC)

5/4: 2nd Annual Heavy Day Morgan (Oak Ridge, TN)

5/4: Battle at the Lab 2019 Cinco De Mayo (Clarksville, TN)

5/4: Border Open Part V (El Paso, TX)

5/4: Desert Warrior (Scottsdale, AZ)

5/4: The Jurassic Classic (Kennewick, WA)

5/4: Lifto De Mayo 2019 (Eagan, MN)

5/4: Rookie Rumble Pittsburgh at Arsenal Strength (Pittsburgh, PA)

5/4: Girls Gone RX Delaware (Middletown, DE)

5/4: Girls Gone RX DC (Alexandria, VA)

5/4: Black and Brewed 2019 (Huntsville, AL)

5/4: Row for Wishes (Telluride, CO)

5/4: The Locomotive Games IV (Youngstown, OH)

5/4: Breaking Boundaries Competition (Greer, SC)

5/4: Battle of the Boro (Goldsboro, NC)

5/10: Beast Mode Games 2019 (Greenville, SC)

5/11: 2019 Moco Throwdown (Bethesda, MD)

5/11: Butchertown Cleaver Classic (Louisville, KY)

5/11: Girls on Girls X (Bridgeport, PA)

5/11: Battle of the Gulf Coast (Port Neches, TX)

5/11: Femme Royale So Cal (Orange, CA)

5/11: Squat for Guate (Hickory, NC)

5/11: Left Coast Classic with 5.11 Tactical (Laguna Niguel, CA)

5/11: Southside Showdown (Jenks OK)

5/17 – 5/19: ACA Throwdown 2019 (Johannesburg, SA)

5/18 – 5/19: Big Impact Games (Kaukauna, WI)

5/18: 2019 Barbells in the Burbs Team Comp (Carol Stream, IL)

5/18: 2019 Tough Temple CrossFit Super Total (Bethseda, MD)

5/18: Mad Hatter Games (Danbury, CT)

5/18: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit Chester Springs (Chester Springs, PA)

5/18: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit PTV (Redmond, WA)

5/18 – 5/19: Shred Fest (Orlando, FL)

5/18: Cindy-a-Thon (San Leandro, CA)

5/18: Fallout in the Falls (Wichita Falls, TX)

5/18: East Coast Battle ( Hanover, MD) 

5/18: Meshugge CrossFit Summer Melee 2019 (Overland Park, KS)

5/18: Backstreet Brawl 3 (West Bend, WI)

5/18: The Shootout at S3 (Fort Mill, SC)

5/18: Backstreet Brawl 3 (West Bend, WI)

5/18: Fire & Ice Competition (Phoenix, AZ)

5/19: Heroes and Heroines Team Throwdown (Pawtucket, RI)

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