Who were the 2024 CrossFit Games "Quiet Qualifiers?"

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • CrossFit Games veteran Bethany Flores earned her seventh ticket to the big show at this year’s West Coast Classic. She shared with us what this one meant to her.

  • Do you need to time your protein intake perfectly? EC Synkowski, owner of OptimizeMe Nutrition and host of the Consistency Project podcast, breaks down some current studies on nutrient timing.

  • Every season, a few “Quiet Qualifiers” secure their Games spot without the highs and lows typical of the battles surrounding podium positions and the cutline. Today, we profile six of these athletes—including a few surprises!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I’ve never shed a tear over this, but I was crying. It’s been a journey and a half. But honestly, I don’t feel like it’s over; there’s so much more for me to give.” - Bethany Flores upon hearing her name announced as a 2024 CrossFit Games Qualifier

CROSSFIT GAMES

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Bethany Flores Reflects on Past 7 Years: “It’s Been a Journey and a Half”

Having just qualified for the 2024 CrossFit Games, Bethany Flores is filled with gratitude and contentment.

  • “It’s been such a journey since 2021, with COVID and then with my back, I’m still not 100 percent. I was just able to train for three weeks in a row,” she laughed as she told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview. “But looking back at the past seven years, this one has been the most rewarding.”

Remind me: Bethany Flores (Bethany Shadburne at the time) won the 2021 West Coast Classic, held in Las Vegas, NV, qualifying for the CrossFit Games. 

Fellow Underdogs athletes Kari Pierce and Danielle Brandon also finished on the podium and qualified. 

  • As COVID-19 regulations continued to limit social gatherings, public events, and professional sports, Flores fell ill, tested positive for COVID-19 days before the Games, and was thus unable to compete. 

Once Flores recovered from her illness, and while training for 2022’s TYR Wodapalooza, she suffered multiple setbacks, including a high ankle sprain, nerve pain, and chronic back issues. 

She pulled out of the 2022 season amid Quarterfinals when her back flared up again. 

Flores’ comeback: Upon finding a new doctor that she trusted, Flores embarked on new training protocols with a new mindset. She built herself back up mentally and physically, competing at the North American West Semifinals last season and taking fifth place. 

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SPEED READS

🧑‍💻👩‍💻 Upcoming CrossFit Webinars: Check out these two upcoming events from CrossFit and The Professional Coach:

🏋️‍♀️ Masters CrossFit Games by Legends: Last week, the Masters CrossFit Games by Legends announced that supplement company 1st Phorm will be the 2024 Presenting Sponsor.

🎟️🎫TYR Wodapalooza SoCal Update: Tickets for the inaugural TYR Wodapalooza SoCal, September 20-22 in Huntington Beach, CA, are live! Grab your seats now.

ICYMI: So far this season, the 40 men and 40 women who qualified for the CrossFit Games have completed the same 13 workouts. How do they stack up using the CrossFit Games scoring table at this point in the season?

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

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Maximizing Muscle Growth: Do You Need to Time Your Protein Intake Perfectly?

You've probably heard that you need to consume 20-30 grams of protein every 3-4 hours to maximize muscle growth. 

But is this the optimal way? 

In a recent episode of the Consistency Project podcast, I broke down some new research that suggests our bodies might have a greater capacity to utilize protein than previously thought.

Debunking Common Beliefs

Many people believe we can only absorb about 30 grams of protein at a time. 

This is simply not true. Your small intestine is 22 feet long and designed to absorb the nutrients you consume. 

Very little undigested protein ends up in waste.

Another common notion is that 20-25 grams of protein maximizes muscle protein synthesis (MPS). 

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CROSSFIT GAMES

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6 Athletes Who Quietly Cruised to a 2024 CrossFit Games Spot

The top of the leaderboard and the bubble. 

For the second year in a row, those were the places we focused most of our attention during the seven 2024 CrossFit Games Semifinals.

But in the three most competitive regions in the world—North America West, East, and Europe—eight to 11 spots to the CrossFit Games were up for grabs. 

As a result, it was easy for some qualifiers to get lost in the shuffle: 

  • Namely, the athletes safely in the middle, between the podium and the bubble.

The “Quiet Qualifiers,” we call them. 

These athletes put forth quiet yet consistent performances that went nearly unnoticed, overshadowed by the drama unfolding above and below them on the leaderboard.

A little bit of context: Having so many spots available at three Semifinals is still a new feature in the sport of CrossFit.

  •  In the earlier Regionals days, and at Semifinals in 2021 and 2022, only five spots were available in each of the North American and European regions. 

Last season, however, the CrossFit Games team reduced the number of Semifinals from 10 to seven, so the number of invites in the most competitive regions has essentially doubled per event.

The new format heightens the competitive level of each event, but it also makes it a little tougher for spectators and fans to keep track of all the athletes who earn their Games spots. 

So, in case you missed them, here are six athletes who flew under the radar in their journey to qualify for the 2024 CrossFit Games in Fort Worth, TX.

HIGHLIGHTS
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  • ❤️Happy anniversary to Rich and Hillary Froning.

  • Congratulations to Lisa Andersson, who competed at the Swedish Nationals in Functional Fitness over the weekend.

  • Nice work to Semifinal athlete Katharina Isele on the 1:03 strict, slow toes-to-bar.

  • Great job to Claudio of Costa Rica on these weighted handstand walks.

  • 💪Congratulations to Kristina, who PRed her deadlift over the weekend with a 170-kilo/375-pound pull.