Why Some Adaptive Divisions Aren’t at the Games Yet

November 18   |   POWERED BY

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• WODProof gets acquired by another company and plans massive AI improvements to the app.
• 🎁🎁🎁 The 2021 ultimate guide to Black Friday and Cyber Monday is here.
• Tommy Marquez breaks down the changes to adaptive divisions, specifically why some divisions are not competing at the Games yet.
• We interview Jacqueline Dahlstrom, 17th Fittest Woman on Earth.

“You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” - Zig Ziglar

WODProof Acquired by Tech Company Sency: Adding Revolutionary Motion Analysis Capabilities for Real-Time Feedback

The popular CrossFit community workout recording app WODProof was acquired by Tel Aviv based software company Sency, the Morning Chalk Up has learned. As a result of the acquisition, which took place back in March 2021, WODProof founder Adam Grinker moved over to Sency as co-founder and Chief Business Officer, and in the coming months will be introducing new AI technology to track and analyze motion while recording workouts.

Some details: Grinker wasn’t able to share a lot of specific details at this time, but said that in the next four months they would introduce real-time motion analysis that analyzes human movement using deep learning and human pose estimation.

• Grinker did say the new AI technology would “change the way you move, analyze and learn from every training session, with a potential to impact and help millions of people worldwide”
• “The next phase of how we are involved in fitness activities will use the advantage of AI technology to bring people real time feedback as a standard.”
• In the meantime, new designs will begin rolling out in the next two to three weeks that will overhaul the user interface and introduce new community features like unlimited community size, expanded group chats, and unlimited workouts and challenges.
• WODProof currently has approximately 400,000 users worldwide.

Some background: In 2016, WODProof founder Grinker had recently finished serving as a special forces commander when he discovered CrossFit. Later that year during his first CrossFit Open he and his coach were struggling to figure out how best to record the video and he thought to himself there’s got to be a better way; and the inspiration for WODProof was born.

One year later, WODProof was featured on the update show as Thuri Helgadottir crushed Open workout 17.1 Over the next couple of years, WODProof became more and more popular with athletes like Kara Saunders, James Newbury, Noah Ohlsen, Jeffrey Adler, and Pat Vellner being a part of their growth at different times.

The next big step came in 2018 when WODProof evolved from a single-feature mobile app to a community driven app with accompanying social media aspects including profiles, the ability to share scores, and a live feed. From there, additional integrations including the ability to monitor heart rate and sync up with Concept2 ergs have pushed the technology further.

Over the past three years, WODProof has increasingly grown in popularity especially for recording online qualifiers due to the unique timestamp technology that is watermarked on each video. As a result they signed partnership agreements to be the official online qualifier video recorder for several Sanctional events during the 2020 CrossFit Games season.

Cold Showers, Chris Hinshaw, and AIRWAAV

Rich Froning sat down for an exclusive chat with AIRWAAV to discuss the benefits he’s found in giving specific attention to his breathing in training and competitions.

Check out the interview to learn:

• What led Rich to add specific breathing training into his routine.
• How breath training influenced his preparation for the CrossFit Games.
• And, why he takes cold showers and plunges every day.

Check out the exclusive interview now and see why Rich Froning made the change in his training.

In case you missed it…yesterday, we reported that CrossFit’s CEO Eric Roza is currently undergoing treatment for depression, news which he himself revealed first in an email to employees and all affiliates worldwide. The news started a broader dialogue to destigmatize mental health. Here are two other recent stories we published shedding light on the everyday struggles of two prominent CrossFit Games athletes.

• “My Postpartum Fall: Speaking Up” by Annie Thorisdottir.
• “An Uncomfortable Conversation” by Khan Porter.

Worth 10 minutes of your morning…catch up with Jacqueline Dahlstrom, 17th at the 2021 CrossFit Games.

Jamie and Elliott Simmonds and the YAS Crew to launch a new training program? A new Instagram account called Quintessential Health and Performance Training (QHP) popped up a day ago.

• According to a post by Jamie Simmonds, QHP will “aim to provide a variety of resources for all things health, fitness & performance.”

Born Primitive raised $75,000 to support four military non-profits: The Navy SEAL Foundation, The Best Defense Foundation, The Adaptive Training Foundation and Tunnel to Towers.

• Bear Handlon, Founder and CEO: “These charities are doing incredible things for our Veteran community, and we are proud to have a platform that allows us to give back in such a meaningful way.”

Future of CompTrain? Sydney Michalyshen, 25th at the 2021 CrossFit Games, signaled that she’ll be joining CompTrain for the upcoming season.

• FWIW, Ben Bergeron made a post about making off season plans with Chandler Smith, signaling that Smith plans to stay with CompTrain for the next season.

PAINKLLR has partnered with the US Air Force for a series of limit testing workouts (called QRFs) with some huge prizes (including $1000 cash). You have 72 hours to complete each workout and the first one drops tomorrow.

• Free to sign up.

The 2021 Ultimate CrossFitters Guide to Black Friday and Cyber Monday

The biggest shopping day of the year kicks off next Friday and we’ve curated the best deals from the biggest brands in the community, including special savings from 2POOD, Ascent Protein, beam, Bear Complex, Blonyx, Born Primitive, Serus Performance, Element 26, Fit Boxx, King Kong Apparel, Unit, Reebok, Reyllen, RPM Training, Sidekick, Spartan, UCAN and Wodapalooza.

Bookmark this page and set your calendar reminders so you don’t miss out.

Adaptive Discussion: The Path For All Divisions in 2022 And Beyond

The announcement of the 2022 CrossFit Games season schedule more than three months prior to the official kick off of the season was a welcomed sight to the community. The announcement laid out the dates, and structural flow of the season that included some key additions and changes to streamline the calendar for all divisions.

Not everyone was content with the full extent of the changes however, and despite the addition of an additional qualifying stage, members of the adaptive community were vocal in their disapproval of not including more divisions into the live competition schedule at the CrossFit Games.

• As was the case in 2021, three adaptive divisions will compete in-person at the CrossFit Games – Upper Extremity, Lower Extremity, and Neuromuscular – with the remaining divisions gaining an additional competition stage to crown their fittest at the Semifinal level virtually.

What’s being said: Mike Witous, third place finisher in the men’s short stature division in the 2021 Open and Steph Roach (formerly Hammerman), longtime advocate in the adaptive community and the first level 2 CrossFit trainer with cerebral palsy, took to social media to share their thoughts about the changes

• Witous: “(Dave Castro and Eric Roza) Do Better if you truly care about adaptive athletes. Learn from them in how they put on events for all adaptives, not just the ones who need the least modifications for equipment. Not including Seated, Visually Impaired, intellectual and short stature is an embarrassment to the sport. Then giving us a “Virtual Semi-Final/Games” just seems like the ultimate cash grab.”
• (in a separate post) “We aren’t looking for handouts, and never would ask for one. I just want an explanation as to how Crossfit thinks we can grow a division that isn’t in-person at the games or even showcased on their media pages in any way. I don’t know how they expect it to grow past where it is currently without assistance.”

Roach: “I applaud (CrossFit) and its staff for opening there doors to this idea, but if you’re going to give people an opportunity to compete for a spot at your event that opportunity needs to be available for all divisions and not just the divisions it’s easier to setup for, prepare for or navigate equipment around.”

• “To be clear NO ONE is asking for a handout and I certainly would not be at the level to compete but, these RX Seated athletes, visually impaired athletes and short stature athletes should have the opportunity to EARN their spot to compete.”

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A New Pair of The Nano X1 for $89.97

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This Drill To Fix Your Posture

Ever caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and immediately adjusted your posture? If you suffer from rounded posture, or experience lower or middle back pain, it could stem from your lower traps being weak. Give this drill a try and see if it makes a difference.

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A Free WHOOP Strap 4.0 And First Month's Membership

Start tracking your body's performance with a free WHOOP Strap 4.0 and first month's membership. WHOOP measures your body's data over 100 times a second to provide personalized feedback on your recovery, strain, and sleep. Giving you the data you need for your top performance.

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The Legless Rope Climb

Legless rope climbs don't have to be the bane of your existence, especially if you practice moving fast and coming down the rope in a hurry. Time under tension kills in a movement like this one, so check out this Misfit athletics masterclass and get the low down on climbing high.

Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise. Send us a tip.

• 🎂 Happy birthday Harriet Roberts.
• 🎂 Happy fifth anniversary to CrossFit Elipsis in Alford, England.
• Congratulations adaptive athlete Michelle Burnette on the 300 pound/136kg deadlift PR.
• Amanda Fischer ties her lifetime back squat PR with a 335 pound/152kg unbelted lift.
• Boutaina Azalmad from Casablanca, Morocco hits a 220 pound/100kg hang clean + two front squat complex.
• 🔥🔥🔥 CrossFit Games teen athlete Paulina Haro hits a 198 pound/90kg snatch and a 264 pound/120kg clean and jerk at a weightlifting competition down in Mexico.
• Congratulations Destiny Cook from Ann Arbor, MI on the 320 pound/145kg back squat PR.

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