“Every failure is a step to success.”- William Whewell
PROFILE
Paralympic Dreams for CrossFit Loving Skier after Life-Altering Accident
Shelby Estocado, 26, has always been athletic with big aspirations and that didn’t change after an accident left her paralyzed from the chest down. Now she’s chasing down dreams to compete on the U.S. Paralympic Alpine Skiing Team.
In 2020, Estocado was snowboarding when she went off a jump and landed on her back. She broke her sternum and T-6 vertebrae and faced two major surgeries to repair her body. She’s had to relearn how to do everyday tasks, along with finding a love for sports once more.
“So February 3rd of this year will be my third-year-alive day, that’s what we call it,” said Estocado.
Many questions were running through Estocado’s head as she came to terms with her new able-bodied life, and she thanked her family, especially her mom for “being an advocate for me, she knew what to say to the doctors and ask the right questions.”
“People see me on a daily basis but they don’t know my daily routines, like morning and at night, so I had to get used to that.”
Estocado grew up in Las Vegas and has always had a love for sports. Softball was a big sport for her and she went on to play at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. Estocado played on the team for four years and then tried out for the USA National Baseball Women’s Team and made it in 2016.
She started doing CrossFit when she was 15 “and I always loved it.” When she moved to Reno after her accident Estocado found a gym named Reno Powerhouse Fitness, which has been a huge proponent of finding her adaptive movements during a workout.
“The coaches are always wanting to learn so much more and I appreciate that because I’m still learning and I didn’t know what to do.”
“The other thing about my gym is that they’re super competitive and if I tell them I want to go and compete they’ll work with me and get me to where I want to go.”
“I appreciate all the learning they want to do with me because we’re still learning and we figured out new ways to do things. And doing CrossFit my brain doesn’t forget I still have legs and getting that movement and that strength up still helps my body too.”
Estocado recently competed in the WheelWOD Games 2022 and placed third overall in her division. She loves to compete and is looking forward to more competitions to come.
Aside from CrossFit, which she uses as part of her “dry lands” training, she recently relocated to Park City, Utah for the winter season to train at the National Ability Center for para-alpine skiing.
“My goal is to make that 2026 Paralympic team and hopefully soon I’ll make the U.S. team to get there,” said Estocado.
Estocado says the High Fives Foundation, a non-profit organization set out to help adaptive athletes, has been an integral part to her development and recovery. The organization has been a driving force in helping get Estocado back out on the slopes and back to doing what she loves.
“I’m happy to be here and where I’m at. I didn’t think I’d be here, like five years ago, so everything’s good,” she added.
She trains five days a week and chose to leave her job at a medical technology company to focus on training full time. Estocado will focus on the slalom and giant slalom while she’s at the training facility.
When asked what she’s learned thus far in this experience, Estado says she always goes back to her family.
“Those are the first people I think of because it is tough for everyone. It’s tough for me to understand, it’s tough for my family because they’re also dealing with it and learning a new lifestyle and taking care of me,” she added.
“We’re the strongest when we’re together and I wouldn’t be here without them.”
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In case you missed it: Morning Chalk Up’s Lauren Kalil caught up with Chase Ingraham and Tim Paulson to discuss their ideas on how to increase Open participation.
Interesting: CrossFit’s Competition Director Adrian Bozman breaks down the classic and memorable Jackie Pro from last year’s CrossFit Games.
Ok this is cool: HitSquad Ninja Gym, a ninja obstacle course inspired by the show American Ninja Warrior, just opened in Arizona.
Super cute: Preggers Tia-Clair Toomey and Mariah Moore share a moment: “Excuse us while we pursue our crafts and simultaneously create human beings.”
Local love: Great piece in the Independent Westmeath about Crossfit Croí in Athlone, Ireland. 🇮🇪🍀
INDUSTRY
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Why did Jason Khalipa’s NCFIT Re-Affiliate with CrossFit?
Jason Khalipa, the founder of NCFIT, 2008 CrossFit Games champion, Spirit of the Games winner, eight-time Games athlete, 10-year plus affiliate owner, and former CrossFit seminar staff member, announced last week that his Bay Area gyms would re-affiliate with CrossFit.
Khalipa: “We are aligned with CrossFit on a shared mission to impact more people’s lives, and we have the same interest and goals in mind, and it makes sense for us to align there,” he said in an interview with the Morning Chalk Up.
TYR Athlete Pat Vellner Added to List of CrossFitters With a Signature Training Shoe
Morning Chalk Up’s Lauren Kalil sits down with CrossFit Games athlete Pat Vellner to discuss the launch of his new Limited Edition TYR CXT-1 training shoe. The two discussed why icy blue goes perfectly with his red hair, what the words on the shoes mean to him, and also looked ahead to the 2023 CrossFit Games season.
Patrick Vellner, who is one of the most recognizable CrossFit athletes of the past decade, has just launched a signature CXT-1 trainer with TYR Sport that he says represents him as an athlete.
“It was kind of conservative and understated from the surface level, but had some pretty cool features on it that pop that are kind of like just below the surface,” said Vellner, during an interview with Morning Chalk Up’s Lauren Kalil.
“And so I think that kind of represents me as an athlete a little bit. I’m kind of understated and sort of, nondescript, but still on the competition floor,” he added.
Vellner, who is a TYR sponsored athlete, said they approached him with the idea of creating a limited edition sneaker and calls it an “awesome opportunity.” The trainers are gray and black with an ice blue sole and words on the heels; one shoe reading ‘persist’ and the other reading ‘prevail’.
“The only real way to prevail is to persist,” said Vellner.
“I think there’s not a lot of athletes in the space that have that chance, so it was super flattering to have the chance to deal with them [TYR].”
“I think in general it’s hard to boil yourself down to a color scheme or an essence or a vibe that you want to put into a show, so that was an interesting challenge and we had some with the team doing that and this is what we ended up with.”
The Canadian athlete has been to the CrossFit Games eight times and has finished on the podium four times. He recently placed third at TYR Wodapalooza 2023 in the individual elite men’s division and took the top spot in the elite men’s team division with fellow Canadians Brent Fikowski and Jeffrey Adler.
Vellner adds, he enjoyed doing the team events more given the format and “the stress and pressure is pretty low.”
“You try to do your best for the guys when you’re out there, but nobody I think is taking it really harshly if something doesn’t go well or like really defining themselves by the successes of their team of three.”
“I mean my team with Brent and Jeff we all train by ourselves so it was a fun way to just kind of have training partners for a weekend and sort of profit off and hangout.”
Vellner, along with most elite CrossFit athletes and affiliates around the globe, are preparing for the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Open set to begin February 16. Velner says he’s excited to get the season underway and for people to try out his trainers. They come in mens and womens sizes.
“We’re pumped that we’re able to get these out in time for the Open,” said Vellner. “I think that’s a really good thing to be able to do, have your own shoe out there and see people wearing them.”
CROSSFIT GAMES
Breaking Down CrossFit’s Worldwide Ranking System as First Top 100 is Released
On January 31, CrossFit HQ released an article titled “The Worldwide Ranking System: How it Works,” diving into the specifics regarding the new worldwide athlete ranking system that was announced back in November. Today we’ve broken down the article for you to get a quick understanding of how the system works and what it’s going to look like for the 2023 season. CrossFit has also released its first edition of the rankings, the top 100 men and women, with of course, Tia-Clair Toomey and Justin Medeiros on top.
How it works: Points are assigned based on the previous two years of competitive results for the four stages of the CrossFit Games season (the Open, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Games).
2023 Initial Rankings: The first set of worldwide rankings will be calculated with performance data from the previous two years.
2021: Open, Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Games
2022: Open, Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Games
Sliding Window: After the close of the 2023 Quarterfinals, scores will be recalculated, sliding the two year window forward to include the new 2023 Open and Quarterfinals scores. The scores from the 2021 Open and Quarterfinals will no longer be considered when calculating rankings.
2021: Semifinals and Games
2022: Open, Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Games
2023: Open and Quarterfinals
The two year sliding window operates as a living overview of an athlete’s current fitness and assigns the rank accordingly. The rankings will be updated three times in 2023, following the finalization of scores at each major stage of the season (Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Games).
Open
1,000 points are awarded to the male and female winners.
Remaining athletes will receive points for their finishing percentile x 10 (990 for 99th percentile, 980 for 98th percentile, and so on).
Quarterfinals
2,000 points are awarded to the male and female winners.
Remaining athletes will receive points for their finishing percentile x 20 (1,980 points for the 99th percentile, 1,960 for the 98th percentile, and so on).
Live Events: Once the season moves from online (Open and Quarterfinals) to in-person competition (Semifinals and the Games), points will be earned based on rank-order finish.
Semifinals
4,000 points are awarded to the male and female winners of each Semifinal.
The remainder of Semifinalists will have different point-earning opportunities based on the Semifinal that they are competing at.
Each Semifinal will have a different points table, being dictated by the final number of Games-qualifying positions and the size of the field at that specific Semifinal.
Qualifying for the CrossFit Games creates the largest points-earning opportunity for an athlete during the season.
Games
10,000 points are awarded to the male and female winners of the CrossFit Games.
Remaining athletes will receive points based on their placement/finish.
The bottom line: The new worldwide ranking system is a step towards a more consistent and stable foundation for the sport of fitness. This creates an objective, performance-based way to rank athletes based on current data. CrossFit will be releasing more information on how the worldwide ranking system will be used to determine strength of field soon, which will reward the strongest regions with additional CrossFit Games-qualifying spots.
LIFESTYLE
Gift Guide for Your Swolemate: For Him
Wondering what to get your man for Valentine’s Day? We are making your life easier this year with some must-have men’s fitness products to show him just how much you care, and/or subtly improve his workout wardrobe.
Editor’s note: Some of these deals are exclusive to Morning Chalk Up. Order fast while supplies last to ensure delivery beforeValentine’s Day.
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Whenever we feel tight during a squat, we stretch our quads, our hips, even our backs. But what about our ankles? Tight ankles can hold you back big time!
🙌 In two years, Tiago Oliveira from CrossFit Endurance in Lago Sul, Brazil increased his snatch by 97 pounds (44kg) for a new PR of 295 pounds/134kg.
Congratulations to Laura and Isabella from ChalkDust CrossFit in Powell, OH on their first rope climbs.
Congratulations Ben Sondgeroth and Jared Reed from Babylon CrossFit in Babylon, NY on the 4th place finish at Fight for the Fittest.
Congratulations to Ron from CrossFit 845 in Wappingers Falls, NY on his inspiring story of addiction recovery, and going on five years sober.
Power Valley CrossFit in Buckhannon, WV hosted the “I Don’t Have Much Quit In Me” fundraiser WOD last Saturday, January 28th, with more than 150 athletes from eight different CrossFit gyms in attendance. Proceeds benefitted The S.E.T.H. Project, a nonprofit founded by Buckhammon native, Seth Poling, that supports ALS patients and their families.
Mitchell Shaw, a PVC member and a former football teammate of Seth’s said, “This is just one small, little token of showing that we are fighting along with him, mentally and spiritually. We are coming out to inflict a little self-pain, but nothing near what he’s going through, and we all realize that. We’re all pulling for him.”
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