“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”- George Santayana
COMPETITION
Who is Competing at the 2023 Madrid Championship?
The Madrid CrossFit Championship, an event that’s on every CrossFit enthusiast’s bucket list, is poised to once again captivate the Spanish capital from September 7th to 10th. (Learn more about the event itself and be sure to check out the livestream coverage this weekend.)
The Caja Mágica in Madrid has become synonymous with elite CrossFit competitions ever since it hosted the 2017 Meridian Regional. This year marks the fourth occasion when athletes from around the world will grace its hallowed floors.
Let’s delve deeper into the elite athletes who will be commanding attention in their respective divisions:
MEN
Adrian Mundwiler: Renowned for his extraordinary endurance and unwavering consistency, this Swiss-born athlete has consistently ranked among the top contenders in various CrossFit competitions. His prowess in gymnastics tests is particularly impressive.
Giorgos Karavis: Hailing from Greece, Karavis is a rising star whose explosive power and agility make him a formidable competitor. After withdrawing from this year’s Semifinals, his return to competition is eagerly anticipated.
Jonne Koski: Frequently found among the top global CrossFit athletes, Jonne secured an impressive 6th place at the 2023 CrossFit Games.
Lazar and Luka Djukic: This dynamic brother duo from Serbia packs a powerful punch. While Lazar is celebrated for his strength and prowess in Olympic weightlifting, Luka’s speed and agility promise to bring a fresh dimension to the competition.
Travis Mayer: Returning to competition after recovering from an injury and with an unofficial spot at the Rogue Invitational, Mayer is poised for a comeback this weekend.
WOMEN
Andrea Solberg: A seasoned CrossFit veteran from Norway, Solberg is renowned for her impressive gymnastic abilities and exceptional endurance. She’s expected to excel in the 5k test.
Anikha Greer: Representing the next generation of elite CrossFit women, Greer has shown her prowess with heavy barbells, setting the record for the heaviest snatch during this year’s Semifinals.
Elena Carratalá Sanahuja: A local favorite and 2022 Games athlete, Sanahuja will be determined to keep the championship prize on home soil.
Thuri Helgadottir: A seven-time CrossFit Games athlete and one of Iceland’s powerhouses, Helgadottir’s strong weightlifting background often places her on the podium at major CrossFit events.
Victoria Campos: The lone Latin American athlete competing individually in Madrid, Campos boasts two CrossFit Games appearances and holds the title of fittest in South America.
The bottom line: As the 2023 Madrid CrossFit Championship approaches, these athletes are primed to showcase their A-game on the competition floor. Expect intense competition, awe-inspiring demonstrations of strength and endurance, and a thrilling celebration of the CrossFit community’s spirit, dedication, and athleticism.
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Retirement Announcement: In a recent IG post, Danish athlete Andrew Houdet wrote “After almost a decade of pursuing elite fitness as an athlete in CrossFit, I’ve decided it’s time for my next chapter.” Houdet is a Games veteran, both as an individual and with his team No Shortcuts CrossFit.
“My next chapter will still include daily training to become fitter and stronger, but my main priority is to be there more for my family, and to become the best coach that I can be,” he concluded.
🚨🚨 TYR Wodapalooza Online Challenge and Qualifier (WZAOC): The WZAOC is the first step in earning a spot to compete in Miami at the TYR WZA fitness festival in January, but it’s also a great opportunity to throw down with your gym family, Friday Night Lights-style. Athletes have two options for the TYR WZAOC, individual or team of three. Check it out register now!
The first two weeks are focused on our individual athletes and kick off on Thursday, September 14th, with scores due and registration closing on Monday, September 18th at 8:00 PM ET.
The second week starts on Thursday, September 21st, with scores due on Monday, September 25th at 8:00 PM ET.
Good Read: Check out this paper published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health based on the work being done at our Affiliate of the Month, Vision CrossFit. It’s title is “Non-Traditional Physical Education Classes Improve High School Students’ Movement Competency and Fitness: A Mixed-Methods Program Evaluation Study.”
ICYMI: Catching up with 2023 Fittest Man, Jeffrey Adler.
Have a Speed Read you think we might like? Hit us up.
PROFILE
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Who is Emma Lawson’s Coach? A Look At Josh Woolley and Mammoth Training Methods
The women’s podium at the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games included a mother, a Hungarian, and teen phenom Emma Lawson. Her coach, Josh Woolley, has been with her every step of the way and gives a peek inside his training program, Mammoth Training Methods.
Lawson, who took second place at the Games this year, has moved leaps and bounds in the sport in just a few short years. She took 6th place in the Games in 2022 and won the girls 16-17 division in 2021. Woolley, a fellow Canadian, has been Lawson’s coach since she was 13 and recently brought on 21-year-old Jack Farlow.
Meet the Science Teacher Behind the Flourishing Non-Profit Affiliate in Idaho High School
Jason George felt helpless. He had watched his wife battle and conquer breast cancer only to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) shortly after that, and there was little he could do to help.
That’s when he decided to start CrossFit, as it seemed like it would be “a healthy outlet,” said George, a biology teacher at Vision Charter School in Caldwell, ID.
He was right. Not only did his health and fitness improve, but when he was at CrossFit, “it was so hard that I couldn’t think about the other issues going on in my life,” he said.
Before he knew it, CrossFit became a family affair, as his wife and two daughters started joining him at 5:30 AM CrossFit classes.
“It was a positive thing for my wife to help control her MS, and for kids, it’s rare to get them up that early, but they wanted to go,” he said.
Seeing what a difference CrossFit was making to his entire family, George became a Level 1 coach (and is now a Level 3 coach) and approached the administration at his school in 2017 about starting a CrossFit gym on site to offer CrossFit classes to high school students.
“They didn’t know what CrossFit was, but they were like, ‘sure,’” said George, who is also the men’s basketball coach at the school.
Where he is today: Today, George runs Vision CrossFit, a non-profit affiliate located at Vision Charter School—an affiliate that relies 100 percent on donations—which offers CrossFit classes in lieu of traditional physical education to students.
Specifically, George teaches four CrossFit classes a day that serve 80 students, “which is about one third of our entire High School,” he said.
The program is so popular that there’s a waiting list every year. Further, there’s only one traditional physical education class left at Vision Charter School, and George said he “wouldn’t be surprised if CrossFit becomes the entire physical education program soon.”
Despite its popularity and success today, it has been a long road to establish what the program has become, George explained.
“When we started (in 2017) we didn’t have an actual space. We were outside much of the time and had pull-up bars welded to shipping containers, and I made a lot of the equipment,” he said.
Eventually, George was able to negotiate to use part of the existing gym, but he still had to keep all the CrossFit equipment in his science lab and haul it back and forth.
Three years ago, though, the school built a new gym and George convinced the school’s administration to give his CrossFit program part of the space. At the same time, he was able to secure a few grants to purchase things like a Rogue rig and an adequate number of barbells.
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Misfit Athletics coach Austin Spencer, together with friends and family, has organized a Go Fund Me account on behalf of his brother Dillon, who just recently was involved in a car accident and is subsequently in critical condition. Follow the Go Fund Me link to make a donation to help Dillon and his family at this time.
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