Unofficial Top Ten of 19.4

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“If I give my best it doesn’t matter if I’m gonna be the last one, but I will be able to leave with my head held high.” — Sam Briggs 

“Strength never hurt anyone,” CrossFit and Cerebral Palsy

The story.

Thirteen-year-old Kamryn Lawson was born with cerebral palsy. In the seven years since her diagnosis, she’s had multiple surgeries and done different types of therapy to improve her mobility.

Then, she told her mom she wanted to try something new: CrossFit.

We’re listening, we’re listening.

Kamryn was scrolling Facebook when she found Darkside Athletics in Bardstown, KY. She told her mom that was the place, she wanted to go there.

So Milath, Kamryn’s mom, turned to Melanie Booker, a physical therapist and a gym regular.

“I believe that, regardless of a person’s medical condition or diagnosis, at the end of the day that person requires strength and mobility for optimal function,” Booker said. “Strength never hurt anyone, so that’s how I work with Kamryn.”

Getting stronger every day.

Falling in love with CrossFit instantly, Kamryn quickly became a regular at Darkside Athletics. She loves doing ring rows and pull-ups.

Not so much for the sled. “It depends on what mood I’m in,” she said. “And if I’m coming right after school, that’s a little different.”

But any day that Kamrym is in the gym is a good day. “When Kamryn walks into Darkside, she is treated like everyone is treated there: with support and motivation,” Booker said. “People love watching the heart and determination she puts into her work, and it inspires them.”

ONE TO FOLLOW.

From Flips to Fitness, How Dani Speegle Became a CrossFit Athlete

Dani Speegle has been an athlete her entire life. As a child, she was introduced to gymnastics during her preschool years, and was immediately taken by the sport.

Unfortunately, a decade long foray into gymnastics would come to an abrupt end when a miss on the uneven bars led to a debilitating back injury. So, Speegle dedicated herself to team sports. 

“I did volleyball, I did track, I did springboard diving, I mean I just did it all,” Speegle said. “Freshman year of college I was even on a rowing scholarship.”

Then, one fateful day, a friend pulled up some CrossFit videos on YouTube. Speegle was immediately sold.

“I watched those two events and was like ‘I gotta get into this’ and the next day walked into CrossFit Ownit down in Melbourne, Florida, and just took it away from there.”

Continue reading…

Coffee Break Conversations

If at first you don’t succeed…

Just freaking send it. With just ten seconds on the clock and after trying for minutes, Mikayla Pasco got her first bar muscle-up in while her boyfriend and coach Noah cheered her on. 

And if the magic of the Open didn’t get you a muscle-up…

Let the team of Invictus coaches cheer you on when you finally do because you wised up and signed up for their gymnastics program.

Things To…

WATCH: Brute Showdown Episode 4

In this episode of the Brute Showdown we get to see what muscles are for show and which are for go when Maddy Forberg, Dana Linn Bailey, Brooke Ence, Mattie Rogers battle it out in the pose-off and football combine.

AN OLD FASHIONED POSE OFF.

HEAR: Jason Khalipa with the Northern California Classic

Ben Alderman and Blair Morrison have been in the competitive CrossFit space for more than a decade and are also about to launch the largest competition in northern California since regionals. In this episode of the Business of Fitness with Jason Khalipa they discuss the current state and future of CrossFit, trials and tribulations of being a gym owner, and what it takes to host such an event.

AND THEY’RE EXCITED.

EAT: Healthy Kale Egg Cups

It’s not too late to start this week off right with some healthy pre-made breakfast cups. These kale egg breakfast cups are full of flavor and healthy goodness with kale, sun-dried tomatoes, spicy chicken sausage, mushrooms, and feta cheese.

WAKE UP HUNGRY.

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

Chalk Up Community

• SUICIDE AWARENESS EVENT — CrossFit Rio Rancho will host the first annual McLaren Cup Suicide Awareness Throwdown Saturday, April 13 at the Rio Rancho High School football stadium in Rio Rancho, NM. Two high school football teams along with two-person same-sex teams will go head to head in a CrossFit style competition to raise money for Breaking the Silence New Mexico, an organization that raises community awareness about mental
  illness and suicide.
• MEMORIAL FUNDRAISER — Greg Swafford passed away March 4 from Glioblastoma. Secret City CrossFit in Oak Ridge, TN is hosting a fundraiser for his wife and five children May 4. 
• RXBAR HAS THREE NEW FLAVORS — Lemon, Banana Chocolate Walnut and Chocolate Cherry are now available for US purchase online.

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

Happy 30th anniversary to Mark and Marcy Anne Heppner • Kathryn Filer gets her first bar muscle-up • Mad Mare CrossFit recently had their sign installed • Win three cases of Zevia • Allison McKail back squats 265 pounds for two • Megan Mondelli gets a 215 pound clean PR • Kristine Andali snatches 165 pounds for a post-surgery PR. 

19.4 Unofficial Top Ten — As of 9:00 PM PT last night, here are the unofficial top ten 19.4 performances after we removed some of the possibly erroneous scores:

1. Jonne Koski – 8:03 | Anna Fragkou – 8:32

2. Mat Fraser – 8:08 | Kari Pearce – 8:34

3. Noah Ohlsen – 8:13 | Jamie Greene – 8:35

4. Dakota Rager – 8:18 | Emilie Hirt – 8:36

5. Cedric Lapointe – 8:23 | Kyndra Rubio – 8:46

6. Jacob Heppner – 8:23 (Tied for 6) | Christine Bourdon – 8:48

7. Aaron Osborne – 8:28 | Hilary Steele – 8:48

8. Dominic Scalzo – 8:33 | Kristin Holte – 8:49

9. Jonas Mueller – 8:33 (Tied for 8) | McKenzie Flinchum – 8:51

10. Pat Vellner – 8:33 (Tied for 8) | Kristi Eramo – 8:57

19.4 Worth Watching:

— Mathew Fraser – 8:08

— Noah Ohlsen – 8:13

— Kari Pearce – 8:34

19.5 Live Announcements — Here’s who will be hosting the 19.5 announcement events so far. All streams will be available at Games.CrossFit.com.

On Thursday at 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET / 12:00 AM GMT +1:

— CrossFit French Throwdown at CrossFit Silvius Brabo with Lukas Esslinger, Jonne Koski, Carole Castellani and Siri Rohmesmo. 

— Wodapalooza from Miami, FL with Tia-Clair Toomey, Mat Fraser, Brenda Castro, and Lea Schmidt.

— CrossFit Filthy 150 with Travis Williams and Sean Sweeney at CrossFit Bua in Dublin, Ireland.

— P.S. Don’t miss the 19.5 live pre-show and live blog from Ireland with our very own Justin LoFranco and Armen Hammer.  

Official Winners of 19.3 — Mat Fraser and Kari Pearce are the official winners of 19.3. Fraser finished in 7:27 and Pearce in 6:46. Both will receive $2,019 for the event win. 

— Penalties at the top: On the men’s side, Jean-Simon Roy-Lemaire and Jacob Heppner both submitted leading scores at the close of registration but were assessed penalties after their videos were reviewed.

Wondering what’s going on with the leaderboard? Tommy Marquez talked to CrossFit HQ about the penalties being assessed at the top. 

— “We’re reviewing video from more athletes, and further down the leaderboard than in previous years. It’s more time consuming but necessary. This is what top athletes should expect going forward,” said Justin Bergh, CrossFit Games General Manager.

Asia CrossFit Championship First Event — The Asia CrossFit Championship has announced their first individual event. Event one is running and heavy sandbag cleans. 

Teresa Trojanowski on How a Fit Body is Supposed to Look — Teresa Trojanowski posted a recent photo to Instagram with a message about the stereotype behind how a fit woman should or should not look.

“This is me at 177 pounds and 15% body fat according to my recent DEXA scan…often times we equate a certain look with a certain level of fitness. Something I’ve struggled with is feeling like I don’t look the part of a Crossfit Games athlete…I’ve stood on many a competition floor looking at the amazing athletes around me (with all of the washboard abs) and felt like I didn’t belong. Honestly, it made me feel like a failure. What’s wrong with me that I can’t look like that, too?”

–“The thing is: I was trying to make my entirely unique and special body look like someone else’s, which is entirely unique and special to them. Here’s the thing: 15% body fat for women is a healthy level of lean. And there’s nothing wrong with the way my body looks. It may be different than someone else’s….but that doesn’t make it wrong.

— “I’m a work in progress of fully appreciating and respecting my body. I will continue to try and focus on what it can do, and also realize that I’m quick to see the strength and beauty in other bodies, but devalue it in my own. The reality is: I can never be successful at looking like anyone else. God intentionally created only one of ME.”

“‘I don’t find muscular women attractive,’ one wife’s tale,” by Nancy Daniels, Morning Chalk Up 

started my CrossFit journey in late 2016, at the recommendation of a friend who knew of my type A tendencies. (Don’t judge, you know if you’re reading this, you’re at least a B and a half).

Shortly after starting, I dragged my husband to a local fundraiser competition because I wanted to share my newfound passion with him, and (more honestly) because I was hoping he’d see it, drink the Kool-Aid and immediately start looking like Mat Fraser (except taller, darker and bearded like a lumberjack).

I had no idea how badly it was going to backfire.

Later that evening, high on the adrenaline of watching such local badassery, I referenced my awe for one of the female athletes competing that day. But my dear husband’s response was that he doesn’t “find muscular women attractive.”

Um, excuse me?

Is there a magical point where my bicep becomes too defined and you nope on out of here? Is there a defining line where my amazing (and jean filling, hey!) glutes will bring about the downfall of our decades-long partnership and marriage?

My husband is not an awful person. He has a passion for cycling and mountain bike racing, so he’s no stranger to the dedication it takes to achieve goals (as evidenced by the fact that he’s on his trainer in the office right now spinning out a two-hour interval training).

He got me into trying to be healthy in our twenties, by giving me a sip of scotch for every set of whatever it was I was poorly executing with dumbbells in his living room. Needless to say, the efficacy of that approach was not proven over time, although it did result in a lifelong love for scotch.

3/21: Open Announcement 19.5 (Online)

3/23: Down for Donuts (Ocala, FL)

3/24: The Rockwell Championships Series Team Qualifiers (Online)

3/30: Game of Barbells (Houston, TX)

3/30: Row for a Reason 2019 (Nashville, TN)

3/30: Reps For Rescues at CrossFit Hanover (Hanover, PA)

3/30: Crossfit Redoubt Open Competition (Slovakia)

3/30: Cru’s Crusaders Fundraiser WOD (San Clemente, CA)

3/30: Burritt Built Throwdown (Port St. Lucie, FL)

4/5 – 4/7: Iron Sharpens Iron Camp (Nashville, TN)

4/1 – 4/8: Northern California Classic Online Qualifiers (Online)

4/1 – 4/11: The Liege Throwdown Online Qualifiers (Herstal, Belgium)

4/6: Feed, Clothe, Love and Lift (Amarillo, TX) 

4/6: St. Peters CrossFit Fitness Awards (Saint Peters, MO)

4/6: Powerstroke Partner Throwdown 2019 (Fallon, NV)

4/6: Metcon Meltdown (Flemington, NJ)

4/6: Two Peas in a POD Competition (Burlington, MA)

4/6: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit Diversion (Williamstown, NJ)

4/6: Rise of the Machines IV (Austin, TX)

4/6: Bay Area Beatdown 2 (Webster, TX)

4/6: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit Cornerstone (Cincinnati, OH)

4/6: WOD 4 Trent (Phoenix, AZ)

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

4/11 – 4/14: CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown Online Qualifier (Online)

4/12 – 4/13: Capstone Caveman Clash and Cook Off (Lubbock, TX)

4/12 – 4/14: Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge (Washington, D.C.)

4/13: Capacidad De Dos Amigos (San Antonio, TX)

4/12 – 4/14: Athens Throwdown (Athens, Greece)

4/13: The Craic Throwdown (Norwood, MA)

4/13: Warrior Affiliate League Deuces Wild (Chino, CA)

4/13: Battle of the Ages (Pineville, NC)

4/13: 5th Annual Battle for the Mountain (Dawsonville, GA)

4/13: The Requisite Masters Classic (Philadelphia, PA)

4/13: HandSTANDUP for Haiti (Smyrna, TN)

4/13: WOD Wars Fit Fest (Dunedin, FL)

4/13: CFL Loganville Lockdown (Loganville, GA)

4/13: CrossFit Katy Team Classic (Katy, TX)

4/13: Rescue Road: Obstacle Course Event (Alpharetta, GA)

4/13: Quad Wars at CrossFit Adversary (Williamstown, NJ)

4/13: First Annual McClaren Cup (Rio Rancho, NM)

4/14: To Hill and Back 2019 (Albemarle, NC)

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 Rumble 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, AUS)

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)