“Starting small, working tirelessly, and caring deeply for clients are all essential components of coaching, and most importantly, having great communication.”- Mark Whitener
COMPETITION
TYR Wodapalooza Qualifier Leaderboard Finalized: Who Made the Cut?
The 2024 TYR Wodapalooza qualifier leaderboard has just officially been finalized and we now know who will be joining in on he action this January.
Within the 20 elite men and 20 elite women who qualified, we have some big names, along with many new faces.
Here’s a quick look at the official qualifier results:
Women’s Leaderboard
Grace Walton
Lexi Neely
Rebecca Fuselier
Elena Carratala Sanahuja
Stacy Lerum
Elizabeth Wishart
Ro Scott
Emily Rethwill
Freya Moosbrugger
Christee Hollard
Sara Alicia Fernandez Costas
Briony Challis
Julia Hannaford
Keara Napoli
Jessica Androsik
Margaux Masset
Nicollette Torreggiani
Becca Merritt
Ashley Cope
Allison Weiss
Right away we can see that the women’s side of competition is going to be exciting to watch, as we have multiple athletes who competed at the 2022 CrossFit Games (Rebecca Fuselier, Freya Moosbrugger, Elena Carratala Sanahuja).
All three of them have likely been training with a chip on their shoulders, upset that they missed out on the 2023 Games.
Along with them, the winner of this qualifier Grace Walton will no doubt also be looking to prove herself after missing out on qualifying for this year’s Games by just 35 points at the Oceania Semifinal.
Men’s Leaderboard
Austin Hatfield
Juan Ignacio Sforzini
Antonios Makaronas
Harry Lightfoot
Francis Pelletier
Kevin Jurs
Jack Rozema
CJ Gerald
Travon Benton
John Wood
Alexandre Caron
Drake Lewis
Connor Voltz
Tanner Balazs
William Bennett
Nikita Yundov
Guilherme Domingues
Lucas Heuze
Evan Rogers
Joshua Hong
As we can see from this list, this group doesn’t have many big names besides four-time individual Games athlete Alexandre Caron.
This however, gives an opportunity to some lesser-known athletes who will be eager to make a name for themselves in the sport.
Can this group’s leader, Austin Hatfield prove on-site that he is just as capable in live-competition as he is online?
With a 58 point lead over second place in the qualifier, he seems to definitely be in the best shape at the moment, but will he still be next year?
Final Thoughts
Since the athletes from the 2023 Games who will compete in Miami have not yet been announced, we don’t yet have a full picture of the field of athletes that will be competing, but until then there is a question to be asked.
Can any of these athletes who earned their invitation through the qualifier crack the top five when live competition comes around? Have these athletes done enough in training to beat the very best of the sport?
We’ll just have to find out in January.
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The Rogue Invitational announced on Friday that Paige Semenza, who placed 18th at the 2023 CrossFit Games, would replace Alexis Raptis who withdrew earlier in the week due to her ongoing battle with Colitis. The event comes to Dell Diamond in Round Rock, TX on October 27-29, 2023.
🎙️ 🎙️ The Weekly Buzz: Check out the new collab between the Morning Chalk Up and Kettlebells and Cocktails and get caught up on some of the top community, affiliate, and sport stories of the week.
On this episode: The Rogue Invitational gets a backfill, the TYR WZA individual qualifier leaderboard is locked and loaded, two new documentaries dropped highlighting the CrossFit community, Noah Ohlsen and Miami Mayor team up, Mayhem newsletter raises eyebrows and starts an interesting conversation, and more.
New Equipment Alert: AbMat unveiled the U-Bell last week. A training implement that is essentially a split kettlebell and acts like a chambered dumbbell. It’s ideal for overhead movements because the bell doesn’t rest on your wrist. the U-Bell is currently available in 18-53-pound sizes.
Devyn Kim and Playtex: Member of the 2023 Affiliate Cup-winning CrossFit Invictus team, Devyn Kim partnered with Playtex to advertise Playtex Sport.
Have a Speed Read you think we might like? Hit us up.
CROSSFIT GAMES
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Three Interesting Supplements Currently Trending Online
Crossfitters are always looking for an edge–new equipment, new training protocols, new recovery aids, and especially new dietary supplements. We love our creatine, protein powder, and fish oil.
At the Morning Chalk Up, we keep an eye on supplement trends for performance, recovery, or just simply overall health?
Below are some of our observations about three interesting, and trending supplements that have not yet made a splash into the CrossFit world. And while, they may never find their way into CrossFitters gym bags, at least one of them could provide some benefit for recovery.
Gateway CrossFit and the Power of Personal Training
When someone enters Gateway CrossFit, they find themselves in an unfamiliar scenario.
Instead of the stereotypical group of people gasping for breath after a high intensity workout, they will likely see just a coach and an individual in personalized training session. Instead of a big whiteboard full of names and times along the wall, one would see folders filled with clients’ information, times, personal bests and training programs.
Mark Whitener, founder and owner of Gateway CrossFit Personal Training in Clayton, Missouri, can definitely call himself an “unconventional” CrossFit Coach.
Back to Basics
Whitener’s success lies in his commitment to CrossFit principles. CrossFit’s emphasis on constantly varied, functional movements, performed at high intensity resonates with every training program he writes.
“The scalability of CrossFit workouts ensures that anyone, regardless of age or fitness level, can benefit from this approach,” he said.
Whitener’s journey began in 2007 when he decided to affiliate with CrossFit, a decision born out of a personal quest for a fitness regimen that combined intensity and functional movements. After experiencing the mundane routines of traditional gyms, CrossFit offered a refreshing approach. This affiliation led to the birth of their gym in 2011.
Starting Small
With just ten clients and a passion for CrossFit, the gym started as a small operation. They opted for personal training sessions rather than group classes, believing that individualized attention would ensure clients understood and executed movements correctly. This approach proved successful, resulting in a remarkably low injury rate among their clients.
It’s worth noting that Greg Glassman developed the CrossFit methodology while training athletes and first-responders in one-on-one settings, or in very small groups.
The growth of Whitener’s gym was gradual, with a focus on quality over quantity. Over the years, the client base expanded to a consistent 50-60 clients. The gym offes a mix of one-on-one, two-on-one, and three-on-one personal training sessions, providing a blend of personalized attention and the camaraderie of a small group atmosphere.
A key to Whitener’s success is tailoring workouts to each client’s unique goals and needs.
Recognizing that no two clients are the same, he creates well-balanced programs that address specific fitness objectives. This individualized approach ensures that clients stay motivated and make progress.
Opinion: Three Big Takeaways from Attending an Olympic Weightlifting Seminar
As a CrossFitter for almost a decade and a CrossFit coach more recently, I decided it was time to tackle one of my many weaknesses— Olympic Weightlifting. And why not dive head first with a weightlifting seminar on the other side of the U.S.?
Oregon is the home of Catalyst Athletics–a mere 2,800 miles from my home base of New York–but a worthwhile trip to meet and train under two of the most recognized Olympic weightlifting coaches in the sport, Greg and Aimee Everett.
The camp was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had and I want to share my feedback to hopefully encourage other crossfitters to attend a Catalyst Athletics or other weightlifting seminar.
Remind me: Aimee is the head weightlifting coach for Mat Fraser’s training program HWPO and is the coach to Olympian Mattie Rogers. Greg has coached more than 40 national and international level lifters, and is known for his library of videos showing technical Oly movements.
The camp was four days total from Thursday afternoon until Sunday morning. In that span of time we were being coached by Greg and Aimee and we had the pleasure of also being coached by a Catalyst athlete Lily Salisbury.
There was no CrossFit to be had, just lifting.
I won’t lie…my thumbs still hurt. I went into the seminar knowing I wanted to work on my own technique, but also learn how to be a better weightlifting coach to my athletes.
Some of the key takeaways I list below can apply to both, and no, this is by no means a complete list, because everyone’s experience will be different. But I think these three can apply to almost everyone:
Bid on Some Amazing Prizes for Chalktober: Proceeds Benefiting Compete for a Cure
Want to win signed swag from Dani Speegle, Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr, Fee Saghafi and more? How about a pink barbell or a full set of sandbags? Check out the Chalktober auction for new prizes to be released up until the 15th. Bidding is LIVE.
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⭐️Congratulations to coach Karli from CrossFit Lake Travis in Spicewood, TX for winning workout 24.3 of the Fittest Experience qualifiers.
🙌Congratulations to Cameron of CrossFit Murrayfield in Edinburgh, UK for committing to CrossFit and inspiring his community.
As October 11th is National Coming Out Day, the Out Foundation 🏳️🌈will be hosting a Burpee-a-thon at the Puma Flagship store in New York City. Anyone can participate throughout the world, but the live event is open and available to anyone interested, sign up now, and start training those burpees!
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