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How Is Australian Rookie Georgia Pryer Preparing for the CrossFit Games?

June 26th, 2024

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • Australian first-time qualifier Georgia Pryer is enjoying the ride as she prepares her body and mind for the 2024 CrossFit Games.

  • Team TTT CrossFit Endure grabbed the eighth and final ticket to Fort Worth at the North America East Semifinal, but that was the “easy” part for team member Chris Knizewski. Learn how he finds balance in his busy life and how you can apply his lessons to yours.

  • Lynchburg, VA, affiliate CrossFit Forged Iron is located in and funded by the Jamerson Family YMCA. Check out how this benefits the gym’s members and coaches below.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I don’t know if this will ever happen again, and it’s a totally different type of training style, and a totally different two months [of training] than I’ve ever had before. So I’m really excited to do that, and to enjoy the ride leading into the Games.” - Rookie Georgia Pryer on her mindset as she prepares for Fort Worth

CROSSFIT GAMES

Credit: @torianpro and @thewodlife / Instagram

CrossFit Games Rookie Spotlight: Former Gymnast Georgia Pryer Is "Enjoying The Ride”

Australia’s Georgia Pryer is gearing up for her first-ever CrossFit Games appearance after securing fourth place at the Oceania Semifinal last month. 

  • The up-and-comer is bringing a “whatever happens is what I deserve” attitude to Fort Worth in the summer heat, she told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview. 

Pryer attributes her success this season to preparation and focus. 

Besides a 19th-place finish in Event 1 (a couplet of running and clean and jerks), she finished no lower than sixth in the remaining five Semifinal events.

  • “I tested all the workouts at home; I knew my rough splits and times,” Pryer shared. “The snatch workout (Event 5) was one of my favorites because usually it would be a huge weakness for me,” 

She took sixth in that event.

Finding CrossFit

Before CrossFit, the Tamworth native spent most of her childhood as a high-level gymnast, beginning at age six and competing through high school.

  • “I made it to the highest level I could in the sport without going elite and training for the Olympics,” Pryer said.

At 18 years old and at a crossroads in her young life — a story that is beginning to sound quite familiar if you’ve been following the Morning Chalk Up’s Games Rookie Spotlight series — she discovered CrossFit. 

Without really understanding what CrossFit was, Pryer began attending classes at Snake Athletic with her best friend, who was also a former gymnast.

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SPEED READS

🎟️📈 Known and Knowable Games Ticket Tracker: Mike Halpin, the mind behind Known & Knowable, is keeping an eye on the 2024 CrossFit Games ticket resale prices on StubHub, Vivid Seats, and Ticketmaster. If you are still hoping to get your hands on a couple, find the best available deals here.

✍️ 📋 Reps Ahead Athlete Breakdown: Brian Friend and B.Friendly Fitness team are at the helm for Reps Ahead Pro 3 coverage this weekend, and as you get ready to watch the live stream this Saturday, check out Brian’s athlete breakdown here.

🤓 📚 Interesting Read: In case you missed it, Brent Fikowski was featured in Men’s Health UK with the splashy headline “9x CrossFit Games Finalist Says CrossFit Needs to Improve or Hyrox Will Take Over.” Check it out here.

ICYMI: We couldn’t decide on a favorite Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr CrossFit Games moment, so we chose 10 and took a deep dive into them. Dig in now.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Credit: Frank Nguyen 

Finding Balance and Qualifying for the 2024 CrossFit Games — How Chris Knizewski Does It All

Anyone following the team competition a few weeks ago at the North America East Semifinal was on the edge of their seat during the final event on Saturday. 

  • Team TTT CrossFit Endure came from behind and did just enough to edge out CrossFit Levis Mayhem and earn the eighth and final ticket to Fort Worth and the 2024 CrossFit Games. 

For TTT CrossFit Endure team member, Chris Knizewski, the stress of the moment was just background noise as for once, he only had to focus on one thing — getting across the finish line.

Most days, Knizewski, a Training Think Tank coach and athlete, has to balance his training against nutrition coaching and coaching in the gym while drawing on years of shift work experience.

Some Background

Knizewski played soccer most of his life until high school, then transitioned to wrestling and distance running in track (he ran the two-mile). 

  • “One of my biggest regrets is that I did not keep playing [soccer],” Knizewski told Morning Chalk Up in an interview, “but I was burnt out.” 

Knizewski went to SUNY Maritime College and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in engineering, then worked as a licensed engineer in the Merchant Marines. 

He worked in that industry for eight years as a Marine Engineer on oil and chemical tankers. 

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COMMUNITY

Credit: @crossfitforgediron / Instagram

How Being a Part of the YMCA Helps This CrossFit Affiliate Flourish

Like many affiliates, CrossFit Forged Iron came from humble beginnings.

The Lynchburg, VA, gym first started operating in a 1,000-square-foot computer room with a low ceiling in 2013. At the time, it was called Jamerson CrossFit.

  • “There was no rig, no dumbbells. Just barbells and your body weight and let’s do CrossFit,” explained Forged Iron coach Brenda Brady. “Doing muscle-ups in there was hilarious.”

But that’s where their similarities with other early affiliates end.

Now, the renamed “CrossFit Forged Iron” is located within Jamerson Family YMCA, and the affiliate is 100 percent funded by the YMCA.

Thanks to some generous donations, the affiliate, which now has 160 members, has moved into a bigger building, nearly three times the size of the old computer room.

Remind me: The YMCA was founded in 1844 in London, England, and grew to be a worldwide organization offering affordable services and programs, including health and fitness. 

  • Today, there are more than 2,700 YMCAs in the United States, with a handful also being home to CrossFit affiliates.

One big thing: Being funded by the YMCA removes many of the financial burdens the small affiliate owner often faces, including earning enough revenue to pay coaches a good wage.

HIGHLIGHTS

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

  • ⭐️Nice work to Karen of Chile on the 95-kilo/209-pound squat clean PR.

  • 🤸‍♀️Check out this new skill unlocked by Antonio from Tribu Box Marbella in Spain.

  • Congratulations to Fabiola of Top Training Club in Panama on her first bar muscle-up.

  • Congratulations to Morning Chalk Up’s Kay Wiese, who just completed the White Mountain Triathlon and took third place overall.

  • 💪Great job to Nick Mathew on his Bella Complex at 161 kilos/355 pounds.