“It's always too early to quit.”- Norman Vincent Peale
CROSSFIT GAMES
CrossFit Takes Blame as Laura Horvath and Gabriela Migala 23.1 Scores Invalid After Barbells Loaded Incorrectly During Live Open Announcement
The 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Open announcement in Madrid, Spain almost went off without a hitch until Laura Horvath and Gabriela Migala’s barbells were loaded to the wrong weight, making their scores invalid.
The workout (a repeat from 2014): Complete as many reps as possible in 14 minutes of:
60-calorie row
50 toes-to-bars
40 wall balls (20/14 pounds)
30 cleans (135/95 pounds)
20 muscle-ups
The news was first reported by Mike Halpin, a CrossFit analyst, who shared on his Instagram story a photo of the preloaded women’s barbell with a breakdown of the weights.
“That’s not 95# for Laura and Gabi regardless of Kg to Lb conversions,” Halpin wrote in his post.
He went on to explain that the bar is clearly a 15 kg Rogue barbell loaded with 10 kg Rogue plates and 1.5 kg change plates. This would mean the total was 38 kg or 83 pounds—more than 10 pounds less than the prescribed women’s weight.
CrossFit released the following statement concerning the incident:
“CrossFit athletes Camila Granizo, Laura Horvath and Gabriela Migala put on an incredible performance kicking off the 2023 CrossFit Open. CrossFit mistakenly misloaded the women’s barbells during the 23.1 Announcement, which resulted in the weights being lighter than prescribed. The barbells in today’s test weighed 38 kg instead of the prescribed 43 kg.
Despite their efforts, Granizo, Horvath and Migala will not be able to have their scores from this attempt validated.
It was solely CrossFit’s responsibility to load the barbells to the correct weight and we apologize for the error.”
How the workout went down: Prior to the realization that the barbells had been misloaded, it appeared as though Horvath had bested Sam Briggs’ top time in the world from 2014.
Horvath became the first woman ever to reach the second set of toes-to-bar, completing six toes-to-bar in the second round and a total of 266 reps, 10 reps more than Briggs nine years ago.
Meanwhile, Migala’s score of 239 reps in Madrid, including a pulling movement (muscle-ups) that has traditionally been one of her weaknesses, would have been good enough for second in 2014, just ahead of Kara Saunders’ (then Kara Webb) score of 236.
The bottom line: The incident in Madrid is not only an embarrassing start to the 2023 season, but also disheartening to the athletes, who were not responsible for loading their own barbells.
Last week, Migala told the Morning Chalk Up that her plan was to do each Open workout just once, so she could focus on training as normal through these three weeks for her much bigger goals this season.
But it appears that something completely out of her control, something she could never have prepared for and that is in no way her responsibility, means she will be attempting 23.1 one more time before the deadline.
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SPEED READS
The Open is here!: The 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games season is now underway with 23.1, and we’ve got you covered. Keep an eye on our competition hub for regular updates, workout videos and our social media for all the chatter and breaking news. 🤩
Tracking data: Want to see every CrossFit Open movement from 2011 to present, don’t worry we’ve got you covered.
Athlete update: Travis Mayer has announced he will not be competing this season due to an injury.
Get better!: Noah Ohlsen says he is dealing with hearing loss in one ear and we are all pulling for him to make a full recovery.
Athlete signing: Mal O’Brien has inked a deal with Reign Body Fuel.
PROFILE
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Former NFL Linebacker Curtis Maggitt Ready for His Next Challenge: The 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Open
Curtis Maggitt admits that after being an elite football player, the idea of competing in the CrossFit Open without any kind of performance expectations has been an adjustment.
“As a competitor, I want to win,” he said. And while he’s very fit for the average person, he knows he’s not going to be competing with the best in the world in his first CrossFit Open this season.
It has taken a mindset adjustment, but he has realized there’s more to the Open than being at the top.
“Something I have acknowledged, too, is I don’t quite want to specialize in something to the level that I did with football, where you eat, breathe, sleep this one thing, and there’s honor in starting from the bottom,” said the 30-year-old Maggitt, a NOBULL sponsored athlete.
Haley Adams Will Not Compete in 2023 CrossFit Games Season
On the day of the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit 23.1 announcement, a leader on the elite women’s side, Haley Adams, announced she will not be competing in the 2023 CrossFit seasons, citing personal reasons.
Adams, 22, started CrossFit at the young age of 14 and has made a name for herself in the sport, training under the watchful eye of Rich Froning the last couple of seasons, with her best finish as an elite individual being fourth place in 2020.
Details: “It’s been my everything for a very long time,” said Adams in a post on Instagram.
Adams cited focusing on her mental health as a primary reason for her season off: “I’ve battled with an eating disorder, and have struggled with my mental health ever since. I’ve suffered in silence, and because of the pressure to make everything seem “okay”, I kept a smile on my face. It’s been a hard few years, when every single day is a battle,” she said.
“But now, it’s time to put me first. I will be stepping away from competing this season, and as sad and difficult as it is to make this decision, I’m equally excited to find who Haley is again.”
“I will be using this time to work on myself, as much mentally as physically, so that I’m no longer holding myself back. This isn’t just a new chapter, it’s a new book. The 2024 comeback is going to be big.”
Adams adds, she has faced “immense pressure” that started to impact her in negative ways and she no longer enjoyed the sport, leading her to this decision.
Remind Me: At just 22 years old, Adams has racked up seven CrossFit Games appearances between the teenage and individual divisions.
Adams placed fourth in the 2020 COVID CrossFit Games and has stood on the teenage podium three times, in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
As an in-house athlete at CrossFit Mayhem, Adams has become a key part of the culture in Cookeville, with training partners like Gui Malheiros, Rich Froning, and Baylee Rayl. She is coached by Tasia Percevecz
The bottom line: Adams is part of a growing list of athletes to call themselves out for the 2023 Games season, including Kara Saunders, Tia-Clair Toomey, and Lucy Campbell. The women’s field especially is shaping up to be a completely different beast than ever before seen.
CROSSFIT GAMES
2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games 23.1 Affiliate Class Plan
The 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Open kicked off with a repeat workout from 2014. Today we’re providing you a lesson plan to run 23.1 at your affiliate, in the hopes of making life a little easier for coaches and gym owners during the craziest three weeks of the year.
Logistics
Two heats: If your class size outnumbers the rowers available, you can run heats back-to-back with a five minute break in between. If you print out scorecards and have athletes judge each other to make the Open more official than a regular class, this is the option you can use. In my experience, this model is great for building community and creating an atmosphere that makes the Open feel special.
Delayed start: If you have equipment limitations, but want more time to teach/review the movements, you can use a delayed start to account for equipment/space limitations. You can have the first group start their workout at “0:00” and the second group start at “6:00.” With this model, you free up 13 minutes in your class timeline.
One heat: If you have the space and equipment to accommodate all of your classes in one heat, you’ll have plenty of time after the workout to cool-down, clean-up and offer some optional assistance. If athletes are too tired from the workout intensity, encourage them to do additional stretching and/or rolling during this time.
How to Program 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Open Workout 23.1 for Kids
With the entire CrossFit world taking on 23.1 this weekend, even the smallest athletes in our space should get a chance! While they might be too little to throw around 135 pounds for 30 cleans, kids can take part in the “fun” all the same. Here are some ways you can adapt the first installment of the 2023 Open for the littles at your gym:
For Preschool and Elementary
At this age, it’s all about fun! Anything you can make into a partner workout, game, or other challenges will make your little athletes more motivated than Mat Fraser. Plus, when counting isn’t yet a strong suit, game-based workouts can help keep kids on track.
23.1 – Bowling Edition
Set-up:
Put up three foam rollers on the opposite side of the gym from athletes. These are your “cones.”
In addition, make space approximately three meters from the foam rollers for athletes to stand when “bowling.”
Last, put five dodgeballs by each athlete’s workout station. These are your “bowling balls” and your rep counters.
2-3 Sets
10 hanging knee raises
10 wall balls or dumbbell thrusters
10 medicine ball cleans
10 jumping pull-ups or ring rows
After the completion of each movement, athletes take one dodgeball from their workout station and bring it to their bowling space, three meters from the foam rollers. At the end of each set, athletes run down to their bowling station and try to knock down all three foam rollers.
We will be updating this page regularly with strategy guides as they come in. Please email [email protected] to submit one we’re missing.
LIFESTYLE
Doing the Open But Worried About A Nagging Injury? Kineon's New Red Light Therapy Device Can Help
Athletes of all levels, especially crossfitters, are oftentimes seeking out new innovations to ramp up recovery and heal quickly from an injury. A new technology from Kineon called ‘The MOVE+ LED & Laser’ is used by some of the top CrossFit athletes in the field and is now available to purchase.
The device is painless and non-invasive using enhanced light therapy that is specially engineered to enhance movement and relieve joint pain. It can be used for injuries all over the body, including the knees, back, shoulders, ankles, among others.
Travis Mayer, an eight-times CrossFit Games athlete, says he spends 6-8 hours inside of the gym and is always looking for ways to recover.
“With the work I put in on my body, how I take care of it in the down time is so important. Using the Kineon Move+ red light therapy unit has shown me new ways to recover faster, speed up the injury process, create better joint health and it’s super easy to use,” said Mayer.
“The results speak for themselves and that’s why I always use the Move+,” he added.
The way the Move+ device works is it uses “low-angle emission LEDs and Infrared (IR) lasers to penetrate joint tissue, reducing pain and inflammation and improving long-term recovery for chronic and acute conditions,” according to a blog post from Kineon on the benefits.
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