“Before you act, listen. Before you react, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you criticize, wait. Before you quit, try.”- William Arthur Ward
INTERVIEWS
CrossFit Community Rallies Around 3-Year-Old Fighting Cancer
On December 3, when Halie and Kyle Fox took their son, Landon Fox, to the emergency room, a nurse noticed a lump on his abdomen.
Determined to be a large, stage-three Wilms tumor, the diagnosis sent the entire family down an unexpected path. Landon, who is nearly 3 years old, had surgery to remove his kidney and, when he fully recovers, will be on chemotherapy and radiation for the next six months.
About the Foxes: Halie and Kyle Fox are both avid CrossFitters and coach athletes at CrossFit Q in Quakertown, PA. CrossFit Q is a family affair: Halie Fox’s father, Mike Mangiaruga, owns the box, and her sister, Brianna Mangiaruga, also coaches.
Landon has a twin brother, Everett, who Mike Mangiaruga says is “wondering where his brother is,” as Landon’s hospital stay extends. Halie Fox is currently five months pregnant with the family’s third child.
Landon’s Recovery: Mike Mangiaruga says Landon’s cancer is “favorable” and has a “good cure rate.” Landon was born with a genetic issue, which Mangiaruga says could make things a bit more complicated while remaining optimistic that there is a path for everything to work out well.
If his recovery continues to go well, Landon will receive his first chemo treatment in the hospital and return home soon.
Calling on the Community: To care for her son as he moves through chemo and radiation, Halie Fox has taken an undetermined length of medical leave from her job. Normally a two-income family, the Fox household is now down to one.
To help the family with upcoming expenses as they prepare for a new baby and handle massive medical bills, Brianna Mangiaruga created a GoFundMe.
“Our entire family is heartbroken but ready to support Landon and his family in any way we can, and any small donation will help them in this unfair journey with their little fighter Landon,” Brianna Mangiaruga wrote on the GoFundMe page.
“This is going to be a long-term financial crunching blow, so we told people in the interim, if you really want to help while we figure things out, we can help split some of [their] expenses,” Mike Mangiaruga said.
He added that their CrossFit community has already reached out in more ways than donations, with a meal train, plans for a gift-wrapping party, and more.
At the time of publishing, Landon Fox’s fundraiser has reached almost $25,000.
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PRVN Fitness Update: The PRVN Fitness team revealed the location of their new headquarters and announced that membership details and more will be released on December 26.
🎟️ Oslo Throwdown Location Change: The Oslo Throwdown is moving to Norway’s largest indoor arena, the Telenor Arena. Special Early Bird tickets for the event are available now.
💪 🔥The Street Parking Vault 2024: Year five of the Street Parking Vault kicks off on January 5, and this year the workouts are all named after famous pirates or pirate legends. The Vault is one workout per week for six months with the goal of focusing on consistency.
The Most Read Stories of 2023 and What They Tell Us
As 2023 drifts to a close, we are taking a look back at a year packed full of inspirational stories, high sports drama, and occasionally surprising news from HQ. Throughout the year, the Morning Chalk Up staff wrote more than 1250 articles, but those listed below drew the most attention. With a combined 821,108 views (up 7% from 2022), here are the top 20 most-viewed articles of 2023.
Here are a few key takeaways before we dig into the details.
2023 was a year of big announcements from CrossFit HQ, and Morning Chalk Up readers were paying attention. From changes at the executive level to the Games moving to Texas to the affiliate fee increase, headlines charting HQ’s moves attracted a lot of eyeballs this year.
The Open remains relevant, with four of the top 10 most-read articles of the year related to the annual event. This was the second year of the three-week format and another year in the upward trend of Open registrations. In 2023, 321,511 athletes registered across all divisions (up from 293,805 in 2022). Since 2020, Open registration has increased about 10% each year.
Who’s not competing matters as much as who is, as our third most-read article (and first related to a specific athlete) was the announcement that Mal O’Brien wouldn’t be competing in the Semifinals or the Games. Other highly read pieces in this category included Brooke Wells missing out on a Games spot, Rich Froning’s retirement from the Team Division, and Haley Adams’ announcement that she was sitting out the season.
Watching live events remains confusing and inconsistent. While this isn’t exclusive to CrossFit (it’s hard to keep track of which games are on which networks or streaming platforms from week to week in many major sports), viewing elite competition can be difficult. Luckily, Morning Chalk Up always posts “How to Watch” guides!
While every year brings its own interesting events, the 2023 CrossFit season was particularly full of drama and surprises from the very beginning. As the year comes to an end, we can thoroughly review the events of the season and examine the most influential moments by gathering the craziest stats from the year.
The following 50 stats and facts are compiled from each point of the CrossFit season.
Let’s dive in.
The Open
1. 2023 marked the third time in the last four years that a Canadian man has won the worldwide Open:
2023: Jeffrey Adler
2021: Jeffrey Adler
2020: Patrick Vellner
2. Laura Horvath’s placing of 185th worldwide in the 2023 Open is the lowest Open placing of any female Games champion in history.
3. By withdrawing from the 2023 season, Haley Adams broke her streak of top-10 overall finishes at the CrossFit Games. Her record was four straight from 2019 to 2022.
4. Open Workout 23.2a was the first time running was ever incorporated in an Open workout.
5. The heaviest thruster lifted by a male in Open Workout 23.2b was 375 pounds. (170kg).
6. The heaviest thruster lifted by a female in Open WOD 23.2b was 240 pounds. (109kg).
Quarterfinals
7. Six of the top 10 women on the worldwide Quarterfinals leaderboard finished in the top 10 at the CrossFit Games.
8. Only three of the top 10 men on the worldwide Quarterfinals leaderboard finished in the top 10 at the CrossFit Games.
9. Quarterfinals Test Four was the first time V-ups were incorporated in a Games season workout.
Stuck on what to gift the CrossFit lover in your life this holiday season? Look no further! Surprise them with gear that elevates every workout. And guess what? You deserve the gift of peak performance too! Treat them (or yourself) to the latest in fitness essentials – from performance-enhancing gear to recovery essentials, we’ve curated the ultimate gift guide to make every workout merry and bright.
Dietary protein plays a large role in your performance as an athlete. But there are a lot of factors at play, (age, gender, body composition, etc.), when determining just how much is best for you.
Give the gift of strength and versatility with Victory Grips E-gift cards! Ideal for fitness lovers, it's the perfect instant gift, ensuring your loved ones conquer WODS with style and comfort.
A System to Deliver Fitness with Nathan Holiday, The Level Method
Check out this episode of the Box Jumper podcast, where Nathan Holiday explains his "Level Method" of training, where he layers martial arts-style training over the CrossFit methodology.
Choose your own add-on to your Butcher Box subscription. Butcher Box delivers high quality meat straight to your door each month, so you don't have to hassle with the holiday crowds at the grocery store.
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