Why Lukas Esslinger is Getting the Italian Invite

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“Show yourself as you are, not how you want to be seen. You prove your intentions and abilities by showing them in your attitude and action. You don’t earn credibility by presenting yourself. You earn credibility by being yourself.” — Brian Kight

THAT SANCTIONAL SLIDE.

Why Lukas Esslinger is Getting the Italian Invite

The CrossFit Italian Showdown wrapped up last weekend in Milan, Italy. Roman Khrennikov and Erin Vandendriessche won the elite division. While Vandendriessche will receive the invite for the women’s competition, things are not so straightforward for the men.

• The top 5 at CrossFit Italian Showdown: 1). Roman Khrennikov, 2). Scott Panchik, 3). Noah Ohlsen, 4). Lukas Esslinger and 5). Stefano Carosso.

Why this is so complicated: There are 15 Sanctionals and athletes are competing at multiple Sanctionals. Coupled with qualification scenarios from the Open and athletes declining invites to go team and we’ve got quite a few balls up in the air right now.

• Roman Khrennikov is already getting an invite from his fifth place finish at the Dubai CrossFit Championship. While Khrennikov didn’t qualify through the Open, his finish in Dubai is good enough for an invite because the four athletes above him on the leaderboard (Fraser, Gudmundsson, Georges, and Mayer) all qualified through the Open.
• Khrennikov’s fifth place at Dubai trumps winning in Italy. This is outlined specifically in section 4.04 of the rulebook: the backfill process “will follow the chronological sequence of the Sanctionals. For example, if an athlete wins multiple Sanctionals, CrossFit Inc. will backfill to the second-place athlete from the second Sanctionals win, not the first.” Don’t think of it in terms of “winning” but rather, from which Sanctional did the athlete first receive the invite.
• Scott Panchik qualified through the CrossFit Open so he’s all set.
• Noah Ohlsen is (fingers crossed) now getting an invite for his third place finish at Wodapalooza. With Devin Ford declining his invite and assuming that Rich Froning also declines, which is a very good assumption, then Patrick Vellner will sneak in opening the Wodapalooza spot for Ohlsen.
• That leaves Lukas Esslinger as the next athlete without an invite.

And there you have it.

A BUZZ ABOUT COMPETITION.

Athletes Control Time in Shanghai

Athletes and spectators, both in person and online, might have noticed something different at the finish line at the Asia CrossFit Championship last weekend in Shanghai — buzzers more similar to those on the finish line of American Ninja Warrior than a CrossFit competition.

How they work: Athletes crossing the finish line have to tap the buzzer for the timer to stop. Their official time ends when that buzzer is tapped.

What they’re saying: “The margin of error with the buzzers is much lower compared to the chip timers, and it’s much cheaper too. I got the idea from Ninja Warrior, we thought if we leave it up to the judge, or even the machines, it’s not as good as leaving it up to the athlete, and it gives it a fun game show feel,” said Max Max, founder and event organizer.

• Patrick Clark, head judge: “I think it lets the athlete take some control over their finish, we keep two separate times, we keep the stopwatch and the buzzer time, but it gives an athlete a better idea when they hit the button instead of just looking at a running clock as they finish.”
• Rich Froning: “I think it’s one of the coolest things that’s been added to competition, it gives us some ownership over the finish. The chip timers can be a nuisance sometimes and it’s more convenient to have the buzzer and the individual lane clocks to see your time right there on the floor immediately.”
• Chyna Cho: “I hope it shows up in more competitions, the chip timers were tough with trying to make sure you put the right foot across first, but I think it could be cool to do both just as a backup.”

Tommy Marquez, who was on the ground in Shanghai, mentioned he never saw a single athlete forget or miss it.

• “The buzzer provides a physical, tactile piece to the finish that allows for some emotion and excitement and it’s a great visual cue for the audience to see and look for at the finish line.”

The bottom line: They’re a lot less expensive than chip timers, more accurate than hand timers and you don’t need one for every athlete, just one for every lane. Back-up timers are still necessary in case the buzzer malfunctions, but this is a very innovative introduction to competition.

Things To…

WATCH: The Great Grip Dispute of 2019

In the great CrossFit grip dispute, Jacob Heppner did the research for you, diving into eight different tests to find the best CrossFit grips out there. This test spanned weeks, entailing hundreds of pull-ups using over 25 different CrossFit grips.

AND HE WINNER IS…

HEAR: Top Trends Inside the CrossFit Community 

On this episode of Chasing Excellence with Ben Bergeron and Patrick Cummings, they explore some of the common trends they’ve seen come and go within CrossFit over the years, including all the different diets out there, things like post-workout chocolate milk, subscriptions to mobility programming and SME certifications.

IS IT IN OR OUT?

BUY: Just Right Jeans

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NICE JEANS, BRO.

EAT: Easy Cilantro Lime Chicken 

Cinco de Mayo is this weekend but you can start celebrating now with the bright fresh flavors of cilantro and lime with savory chicken thighs. Cook it quickly in a skillet or throw it on the grill for a fast dinner outside.

CINCO DE MAYO.

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

Chalk Up Community

• LIMITED EDITION TEE — You’ve only got until Friday to get a limited edition Morning Chalk Up tee or tank for all your summer shenanigans. 
• MURPH FOR MUTTS — CrossFit Zanshin in Peachtree Corners, GA is holding the 6th Annual Murph for Mutts on May 18. All proceeds go to the Bullpen Way Station Sanctuary, an organization that provides a home to giant breed dogs that have been abused or abandoned by owners. 
• 12 FOR TOBY — On Saturday May, 11, CrossFit Three Flow will be hosting a special event called ‘12 for Toby’ who was diagnosed with a rare form of pre B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Box owner Craig Woolham will be completing 12 CrossFit benchmark WODs over 12 hours to raise funds for Toby and his family.

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

Vanessa Zingaro front squats 226 pounds for two • John Anwanwan deadlifts 572 pounds • Bronislaw Olenkowicz snatches 308 pounds • Jaz Cherayne back squats 281 pounds • Suzan Dallagnol back squats 292 pounds • Heber Cannon and Diono are giving away a car seat • Kirk Gibson snatched 305 pounds • Logan Aldridge gets a 3 rep clean PR at 205 pounds • Colleen Fotsch does a push jerk triple at 245 pounds • Rory McKernan joins the FITAID team • Jamie Hagiya gets a 44″ box jump • Craig Richey cleans 353 pounds.

Mayhem, Fikowski and Holte Win in China, Gylfadottir Earns Invite — Athletes and teams from 26 different countries flocked to Shanghai, China to compete and after six scored events Brent Fikowski, Kristin Holte and Mayhem Freedom stood tall amongst their peers and were crowned champion, earning an invite to the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games.

— Team Mayhem Freedom won all six events.

— Kristin Holte already having a spot locked up from the Open means that the invite is passed down to the second place finisher, Iceland’s Eik Gylfadottir.

— Brent “The Professor” Fikowski won four of the six events before taking his spot atop the podium.

Brazil CrossFit Championship — The Brazil CrossFit Championship announced Individual event 2: March of Pain. 

Online Qualifier for CrossFit Cascade Classic — Registration is now open for the 2019 CrossFit Cascade Classic online qualifier. The qualifier begins June 19 and the main event will take place in Seattle September 21 – 22.

Online Qualifier for Age Groups to Begin May 2 — The top 200 age group athletes worldwide in each age division in the Open qualified for the Age Group Online Qualifier. The top 10 in each division will continue to the CrossFit Games. The Age Group Online Qualifier begins Thursday, May 2. Athletes will have until Monday, May 6 to enter their scores. 

— Make it to the Next Age Group Online Qualifier: If you didn’t quite make the cut this year, start training for October now with the Invictus masters online program.

The Joy of Being a Woman With Muscle — Emily Beers writes in Breaking Muscle how she changed her mindset from feeling like the only way to be seen as attractive was to be thin to instead embracing the joys of being a muscular woman.

— “The idea that I was too big to be sexy to men was so deeply ingrained in my head that this myth was probably the most powerful one that got debunked from my CrossFit experiences.

— “I remember a moment when I was competing at the 2014 CrossFit Games. There I was, totally terrified amidst the best CrossFit athletes in the world…feeling intimidated and uncomfortable, I reverted to old beliefs about size. I was 5’9” and 160lbs and felt like the giant, unattractive woman competing at the Games.



— “I had always been embarrassed that my thighs were bigger than those of the men I dated, but suddenly I realized there are tons of men out there who found them super sexy. Where had these men been all my life? They had probably always been there, but I never realized it because I never saw myself as sexy.”

“Never Fear Shins, the RPM Exobox is Here,” by Jessica Danger, Morning Chalk Up

We’ve all been there. You get off the assault bike wobbly legged, teeter on over to start your box jumps, bound up there to land and the next thing you know half of your shin is dangling from the edge of the box.

Enter RPM Training’s newest product, the RPM Exobox.

It’s got an aluminum frame with rounded edges: “Exobox’s patent-pending aluminum frame reduces box jump misses, has no sharp edges, and can handle in excess of 10,000 workouts, as shown by our prototype that has been in use in at our HQ gym for 3+ years,” the website reads.

It’s super durable: “You kind of notice these pain points as an affiliate owner. The jump rope was one of them and the box is another one of them. It’s that one injury that kind of creeps up on you, so we started thinking about it in those terms and it was the one piece of equipment we started replacing so much, so it was a durability factor, and a risk factor, but also fear motivated for some people,” Co-Founder Shane Rogers told us.

You’ll be able to choose a design to cover your panels or, for affiliate owners,  you can personalize them with your own design. “At RPM, design and expression through art is at the core of everything we do, and we just uncovered the biggest unused canvas in the industry… completely reinventing an outdated, inherently flawed tool in the process,” said Co-Founder Josh Rogers.

You can reserve yours now with a $100 deposit. Then, as you get closer to the launch late summer, you’ll be able to choose your panel or send in your custom design for your affiliate. Save your shins and pretty up that home gym.

5/2 – 5/6: Age Group Online Qualifier (Online)

5/3: Lift For Lee (Williamston, MI)

5/3 – 5/4: Tough As Nails (Lubbock, TX)

5/3 – 5/5 The Fittest Experience (Austin, TX)

5/3 – 5/5: Appalachian Games (Asheville, NC)

5/3 – 5/5: Reykjavik CrossFit Championship (Reykjavik, Iceland)

5/4: 2nd Annual Heavy Day Morgan (Oak Ridge, TN)

5/4: Battle at the Lab 2019 Cinco De Mayo (Clarksville, TN)

5/4: Border Open Part V (El Paso, TX)

5/4: Desert Warrior (Scottsdale, AZ)

5/4: The Jurassic Classic (Kennewick, WA)

5/4: Lifto De Mayo 2019 (Eagan, MN)

5/4: Rookie Rumble Pittsburgh at Arsenal Strength (Pittsburgh, PA)

5/4: Girls Gone RX Delaware (Middletown, DE)

5/4: Girls Gone RX DC (Alexandria, VA)

5/4: Black and Brewed 2019 (Huntsville, AL)

5/4: Row for Wishes (Telluride, CO)

5/4: The Locomotive Games IV (Youngstown, OH)

5/4: Breaking Boundaries Competition (Greer, SC)

5/4: Cura Sapulpa Fundraiser (Sapulpa, OK)

5/4: Bow Wars 4 (Columbus, GA)

5/4: NYC Heart Health and Nutrition Seminar (New York, NY) 

5/5: Cupid’s Spring Fling (Medina, OH)

5/10: Beast Mode Games 2019 (Greenville, SC)

5/11: 2019 Moco Throwdown (Bethesda, MD)

5/11: Butchertown Cleaver Classic (Louisville, KY)

5/11: Girls on Girls X (Bridgeport, PA)

5/11: Battle of the Gulf Coast (Port Neches, TX)

5/11: Femme Royale So Cal (Orange, CA)

5/11: Squat for Guate (Hickory, NC)

5/11: Southside Showdown (Jenks OK)

5/17 – 5/19: ACA Throwdown 2019 (Johannesburg, SA)

5/17 – 5/19: Down Under CrossFit Championship (Wollongong NSW)

5/17 – 5/19: Brazil CrossFit Challennge (São Paulo, Brazil)

5/18 – 5/19: Big Impact Games (Kaukauna, WI)

5/18: 2019 Barbells in the Burbs Team Comp (Carol Stream, IL)

5/18: 2019 Tough Temple CrossFit Super Total (Bethseda, MD)

5/18: Mad Hatter Games (Danbury, CT)

5/18: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit Chester Springs (Chester Springs, PA)

5/18: Rookie Rumble at CrossFit PTV (Redmond, WA)

5/18 – 5/19: Shred Fest (Orlando, FL)

5/18: Cindy-a-Thon (San Leandro, CA)

5/18: Fallout in the Falls (Wichita Falls, TX)

5/18: East Coast Battle ( Hanover, MD) 

5/18: Meshugge CrossFit Summer Melee 2019 (Overland Park, KS)

5/18: Backstreet Brawl 3 (West Bend, WI)

5/18: Flower City Throwdown Women’s Division (Rochester, NY)

5/18: Warriors Hope (Greenwood, IN)

5/18: WODding to Hear (Elizabethton, TN)

5/18: Fifth Annual Guns N Hoses Competition (Anaheim, CA)

5/18: Barbells and Beers (Berkeley Heights, NJ)

5/18: OUTWOD Morristown (Morristown, NJ)

5/18: 2019 Triton Spring Throwdown (Wallingford, CT)

5/18: 6th Annual Murph for Mutts (Peachtree Corners, GA)

5/18 – 5/19: Rogue Invitational (Columbus, OH)

5/19: Heroes and Heroines Team Throwdown (Pawtucket, RI)

5/21: Brady’s Border2Border Ruck March (Beach, ND)

5/24: 24 Heroes in 24 Hours (Ardmore, PA)

5/30 – 6/2: Granite Games (St. Cloud, MN)

5/31 – 6/1: The Rockwell Championship Series Main Event (Woods Cross, UT)