2023 Bubble Athletes Look to Break Through in 2024 Games Season

POWERED BY:

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• Bubble athletes from 2023 start the 2024 CrossFit Games season strong

• Our 20 favorite stats from the 2024 Open

• A CrossFit program in Ohio that provides an outlet for kids in juvenile detention just received $200k in state funding and plans to expand

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“These kids fell in love with CrossFit from the get-go. It gave them an outlet, it gave them something to look forward to.” - Matt Shindeldecker, co-owner of CrossFit Crave, on working with kids in the juvenile detention system

CROSSFIT GAMES

Potential CrossFit Games Rookies Gear up for a Big Season in 2024

At the 2023 CrossFit Semifinals, amid the excitement and celebration of Games qualification, some athletes fell just short of punching their ticket to Madison. Crestfallen and discouraged, stuck watching and training, they would have to wait another year to fight for the chance to test themselves against the fittest. 

While many athletes fit into this category, a few stood out as perennially on the bubble.

Now that 2024 CrossFit Open scores have been submitted, some of these athletes are looking to finally break through this season. Here are four to look out for.

Anikha Greer: This 21-year-old Canadian athlete has had a very successful off-season, taking second place at both the Madrid Championship and the Down Under Championship and third place on a team at TYR Wodapalooza. Greer barely missed the cut at the 2023 North America East Semifinal, finishing in 12th place, one spot out.

The year prior, due to technical issues, Greer’s fifth and final workout of the 2022 Quarterfinals failed to upload, ending her season unceremoniously. 

Greer officially bounced back at the 2024 Open, finishing in third worldwide and in first place in the North America East region. This could be a strong season for the young competitor. 

Luka Vunjak: The Progrm’s Luka Vunjak is on everyone’s radar, as he just finished fourth overall in the Open and second in his region (Europe). The Serbian athlete took 14th at last year’s Europe Semifinal with two top-10 event finishes. The previous year, he similarly missed the cut by a narrow margin, taking ninth place at the Lowlands Throwdown. 

FROM TIEGE HANLEY

The best addition to your bathroom counter

It's time to upgrade your everyday routine with high-quality, effective, and simple skin care products.

Whether you’re new to skin care or fed up with complicated sets that nobody can keep up with, Tiege Hanley has got you covered.

With this 4-piece skin care system, you'll get great skin without the hassle. Each box contains a daily face wash, exfoliating facial scrub, moisturizer for day and night, and an instruction card so you know exactly what each product is and how to use it.

Discover why over 10,000 Tiege Hanley customers have given their kit a 5-star rating. Use our exclusive link to receive 30% off your first box, plus a free gift, then 20% off for life.

SPEED READS

2024 Team Quarterfinals Begins…Now: CrossFit released the 2024 Team Quarterfinals workouts yesterday. Check them out now.

👟👟 Reebok Revives the Nano UKNWN: Reebok launched the Nano UKNWN in 2020, and now it’s back by popular demand.

• Check out the design and pre-order on April 5.

West Coast Classic Suite Contest: Affiliate owners — learn how you can enter your gym for a chance to win a private suite in the "Tennis Stadium” at the West Coast Classic in Carson, CA.

• From the post: “1️⃣ Shoot us a DM from your gym’s or coach’s account and we’ll hook you up with an exclusive code. 2️⃣ The gym that purchases the most tickets with their code get access to an exclusive suite for all 3 days of the West Coast Classic. With seating for 15, and standing room for up to 30, the whole crew is invited!”

💪✍️ Cigar City CrossFit is Hiring: Are you a full-time fitness professional in the Tampa area? Veteran-owned and run Cigar City CrossFit is searching for a full-time, in-person coach for CrossFit classes and individual training. Learn more.

✍️ Now Hiring: PRVN Fitness is growing and wants to hire a new coach with a background in online programming and community building. The hours and location are flexible. Want to be part of the PRVN Team? Send your application now.

🎥🥇 Chasing the Podium: Check out Finnish CrossFit Games veteran and endurance master Jonne Koski’s new YouTube series, “Chasing the Podium.” The episodes will follow Koski as he attempts to qualify for his 10th Games.

🚨🚨 Affiliate Owner Quarterfinals Database: With a tip of the hat to Morning Chalk Up contributor Mike Halpin at Known and Knowable, here’s a super useful tool for affiliate owners heading into the Quarterfinals.

• Simply search your affiliate name in the drop-down menu to access a full list of all your athletes who qualified for the next stage of competition.

ICYMI: Athena Perez details a new phase in her journey to 300 and why coaches need coaches.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

20 Standout Stats From the 2024 CrossFit Open 

Before we officially move on to Quarterfinals this month, we wanted to take a brief look back and catalog some of the interesting stats that came out of the 2024 CrossFit Open.

Reviewing the top 100 men and women on the Open worldwide leaderboard reveals all sorts of fascinating information, but we narrowed it down to our 20 favorite stats from this year.

Below, we have included these stats organized by category:

FROM REEBOK

Save Big On The Reebok Nano 2.0

Training outdoors is amazing, sunlight on your way to the 5am class is refreshing, but the best part of summer? It’s an excuse to throw out the old dingy sweatpants and put together a fresh new wardrobe. And Reebok is helping you do it without breaking the bank with 30% off full priced items and 50% off markdowns with code “MIDSZN”. Even better, the sale includes the awesome Nano 2.0’s. Stock up for summer now.

COMMUNITY

Ohio Department of Youth Services Expands CrossFit Program to Three Juvenile Detention Centers 

CrossFit DYS The Wolfpack isn’t your typical affiliate. It doesn’t have a website, and you won’t find much information about it elsewhere. 

This is because the gym is located within a juvenile detention center, created by a program that has gained so much traction that it received government funding to expand to two other locations in Ohio. 

The trauma-informed CrossFit program was launched by Matt Shindeldecker and Debbie Wagner in partnership with the Ohio Department of Youth Services and supported by Governor Mike DeWine’s office. Schindeldecker and Wagner are co-owners of CrossFit Crave in Celina, OH, along with the affiliates within the juvenile detention centers.

Remind me: The two have become business partners over the years as their rehabilitation program has gained popularity nationwide. 

The in-facility CrossFit classes first stemmed from a program CrossFit Crave launched for troubled youth called Expanding Horizons, which were court-ordered CrossFit classes at the gym itself. Read more on that program here. 

The program was so successful that it got the attention of the governor’s office after data showed the classes dropped recidivism rates in the county from 60-80 percent to 25 percent. Shindeldecker said he and Wagner were approached by officials from Governor DeWine’s office and state officials who then came to the gym to see the program firsthand. 

• “It took us about a year. We visited all the facilities and the state decided to start with the Cuyahoga Hills Correctional Facility,” Shindeldecker told the Morning Chalk Up.

“We visited there. We worked locally with CrossFit affiliate owners and coaches to decide who would be best fit to run those classes and then we opened an affiliate. Essentially, we own and operate CrossFit DYS The Wolf Pack inside the walls of that correctional facility.”

HIGHLIGHTS

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

• 🎂Happy birthday to Sam Kitching.

• Congratulations to USA weightlifter Hampton Morris, who just set the world record of 176 kilos/388 pounds in the 61-kilo weight class at the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand.

• Great work to Games athlete Alex Gazan on the 285-pound/129-kilo split jerk.

• Congratulations to Nicki of CrossFit Milford on the 330-pound/149-kilo back squat PR.

• 💪Nice work to Games athlete Will Moorad on the 390-pound/176-kilo split jerk PR.