Coming Full Circle, with Tayla Howe

October 21st, 2024

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • Learn how Rogue Invitational rookie Tayla Howe lost her way, found balance in life, and is now succeeding in her drive for CrossFit greatness.

  • Expecting linear progress? Overemphasizing exercise? What are the top five dieting mistakes CrossFitters make?

  • CrossFit is a data-driven methodology, and right now, the data shows that CrossFit gyms are outperforming others in attracting new members. Get the full picture below.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I definitely have that balance again, where if something happened, I’ve got my life to fall back on. CrossFit isn’t the be-all and end-all. I have a life and I can proceed with that after CrossFit.” - Tayla Howe, Rogue Invitational rookie, on finding balance in her life while pursuing CrossFit on an elite level.

PROFILE

Credit: @taylakalisehowe / Instagram

Coming Full Circle – Meet 2024 Rogue Invitational Qualifier Tayla Howe

In 2019, Tayla Howe decided to go all in on CrossFit and set her sights on becoming a full-time athlete to reach the CrossFit Games.

  • Howe nearly qualified for the Games in both 2021 and 2022. 

She placed 11th at the 2021 CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown Semifinals and eighth at the CrossFit Strength in Depth Semifinal in 2022 (the top five women qualified for the Games in both events). In 2022, Howe was also invited to the Last Chance Qualifier, where she placed 11th. 

  • A year later, Howe finished 20th at the 2023 Europe Semifinals.

During these years, Howe established herself as a serious contender out of Europe, picked up sponsors, and became a professional athlete. 

But it came at a cost. 

Losing Her Way

Somewhere along the way, Howe realized she had lost her love for the sport.

  • “I think in this game, [I] very much feel like you’re doing it for other people most of the time. You know, you’re sponsored, you have to wear this when you’re on the floor, you have to take this supplement, you have to be on this program,” Howe, now 27, said. “It kind of became all a bit too much, and I kind of forgot why I was doing it…I wasn’t doing it for myself anymore.”

She added: “Even in 2022, when I just missed [qualifying for the Games], I can’t really say I took the floor and was thriving or enjoying it. I was just full of anxiety and stress and injuries.”

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SPEED READS

🥇🏆 Down Under Championship Winners: The 2024 Down Under Championship wrapped up over the weekend. Here are the Men’s and Women’s Individual and Pairs Elite podiums:

Individuals, Men | Women

  1. Peter Ellis - 634 | Aimee Cringle - 617

  2. Ben Fowler - 579 | Jessi Smith - 603

  3. Isaac Newman - 570 | Christina Livaditakis - 587

Pairs, Men | Women 

  1. Team Ape (Ricky Garard and Aniol Ekai) - 695 | The Hamster and the Lion (Charlotte Baldwin and Julia Hannaford) - 613

  2. Jakes at Work (Jake Douglas and Jake Marconi) - 595 | Mayhem at the WARC (Daisy McDonald and Hayley Adams) - 607

  3. Training Culture (Calum Clements and Pablo Cazalis) - 527 | Christee Hollard and Briony Challis) - 582

📚🏋️‍♀️ 2025 USA Functional Fitness Collegiate Championships: The individual online qualifier for the second annual USA Functional Fitness (USAFF) Collegiate Championships is open now and scores can be submitted until October 23. Athletes must be current college or university students and 25 years old or younger as of December 31. Register now.

  • The top 10 Rx athletes (five male and female) will be invited to compete in person at the USAFF Collegiate Hypermedley on February 8-9, 2025, at CrossFit Reston in Reston, VA.

ICYMI: The Down Under Championship has already kicked off. Get caught up on all the details and who to watch in Oceania’s biggest offseason competition.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Credit: Frank Nguyen

The Top 5 Dieting Mistakes To Avoid for CrossFitters

There are an endless number of dieting approaches and methods out there. 

  • No matter which approach people decide to take, though, there are some common mistakes they often along the way. 

The more you are aware of these common mistakes, though, the better chance you have to avoid making them, too. 

We tend to forget this part, but productive and efficient decision-making yields the most sustainable and long-lasting results.

Expecting Linear Results 

Many variables play into a person’s body weight and most of them have nothing to do with food. 

These variables include: 

  • Consuming more sodium the night before.

  • Supplementing with creatine monohydrate.

  • Hydration levels.

  • Having not gone to the bathroom yet.

  • Sleep quality the night prior.

  • Recent alcohol consumption.

  • Phase of your menstrual cycle, if applicable. 

  • Muscle fatigue and inflammation. 

A MESSAGE FROM NOBULL

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INDUSTRY

Credit: @crossfit845 / Instagram

PushPress Data Shows CrossFit Gyms Outperforming Others

Nearly 25 years in, skeptics remain convinced that CrossFit is just a fad. That it has a shelf life. That it has, or will, lose momentum. 

But the data doesn’t lie. And recent data put out by the popular gym management and CRM software company PushPress suggests that CrossFit is “outperforming the competition,” according to PushPress founder Dan Uyemura.

The Details

PushPress data, which analyzed 3,500 gyms — 50 percent of which were CrossFit gyms — showed that between January 2023 and September 2024, CrossFit had more new members sign up than non-CrossFit gyms.

  • “CrossFit won 18 out of the 21 months,” Uyemura said. 

More specifically, CrossFit gyms picked up an average of eight to nine members per month, while other types of gyms scooped up an average of seven to eight. 

January 2024 saw the most new members, with CrossFit gyms gaining an average of 11 new members.

HIGHLIGHTS

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

  • 🙌Happy affiliate anniversary to CrossFit Unstoppable in Jefferson City, MO.

  • Happy belated birthday, (10/20), to Jen Dieter and Manon Lesur.

  • Nice work to Teenage CrossFit Games athlete Pau Martin on this 128-kilo/281-pound clean and jerk.

  • Check out this amazing progress from Anikha Greer, over the course of four years. Amazing work, Anikha!

  • 😮‍💨Brazilian athlete Matheus has unlocked a new box jump-over method - something to add to your next WOD?