CrossFit Community Connects With Athletes Following Games Tragedy

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• Charting the growth of athletes’ Instagram followings during Games Week is usually a lighthearted discussion. However, this year's numbers represent something much more important as community members and athletes grieve, look for answers, and call for action.

• While nutrition coaches advise against eating it directly before exercise, fiber is an important and underrated nutrient, especially for recovery. Learn more below.

• Lazar Ðukić Support Funds have been set up here and here for those who are able to give. If there are other memorial funds or fundraisers in the works, please contact us.

• Support the Professional Fitness Athletes’ Association here.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“In the coming days I ask that you turn your questions from ‘should the athletes have continued or not’ to ‘should the CrossFit Games have continued the way they did or not.’ This is the public conversation we should be having.” - Coach Caroline Lambray via Instagram

CROSSFIT GAMES

CrossFit Community Looks to Athletes on Social Media, Aims to Connect With Ðukić Family

Every year after the CrossFit Games, we take a look at who picked up the most Instagram followers throughout the competition.

Usually, it’s a lighthearted look at the biggest stars and fan favorites from the Games.

This year, however, in light of Lazar Đukić’s tragic death during the swim portion of Event 1, it feels a bit trivial to even bother talking about Instagram followers.

Then again, the entire community is hurting, and we all want to know how the athletes are feeling, grieving, and healing. 

In this sense, Instagram provides a platform for athletes to express themselves and provide us with some insights into what happened in Fort Worth. 

Perhaps, most importantly, it’s a platform where they can, and are, now demanding change.

• Further, livelihoods are also at stake, and social media followers are important when it comes to pursuing a career as a real professional athlete who can earn a significant living from their sport. Followers can mean sponsors, and sponsors equal money.

In light of this, let’s take a look:

The athlete who picked up the most followers between July 29 and August 8 was Lazar Đukić’s brother, Luka, with 63,059 (a 411 percent increase). Luka withdrew from the competition immediately after Event 1 and took to social media on August 9 to post a tribute to his brother, Lazar.

Lazar Đukić's account picked up 47,732 followers (a 143 percent increase) and quickly became a place for fans and fellow athletes to post tributes in the comment section of his most recent posts.

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SPEED READS

Fikowski/PFAA Statement: Professional Fitness Athletes’ Association President, Brent Fikowski released a statement yesterday. We will have a full story breaking down the statement and providing additional context today. Read the statement here.

Kettlebells and Cocktails: On Monday night, John Wooley and Niki Brazier hosted a live discussion about the CrossFit Games and answered viewer questions.

• Tonight on Constantly Varied Conversations, Wooley will host a live discussion with Sean Woodland at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Talking Elite Fitness Discussion with Chris Hinshaw: Sean Woodland, Tommy Marquez, and Lauren Kalil invited Aerobic Capacity expert Chris Hinshaw for a live discussion about the events on Day 1 of the CrossFit Games.

• Among other things, Hinshaw provided details about Jeff Adler’s Garmin data from the lake swim and reminded viewers of events that occurred in Lake Monona in 2017 when Masters athlete Will Powell and eventual five-time Games champion Mat Fraser had scary moments in the water.

ICYMI: Now that the CrossFit Games are over, under the cloud of tragedy, athletes and outside observers increasingly called for accountability from CrossFit HQ. Take a closer look.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Can You Guess the Most Underrated Nutrient?

In the athletic world, you have probably heard talk about how important protein is for building lean muscle mass and how helpful carbohydrates are for workouts and replacing glycogen stores. 

They are so right, and those nutrients are so valuable, to be honest — all of them are. 

However, some get more hype than others. One of the most underrated nutrients out there that not only athletes need, but for the general public is fiber.

What Exactly is Fiber?

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that we can’t physically digest.

What are the different types of fiber?

• Soluble fiber: This kind of fiber “attracts water and turns to gel during digestion. This slows digestion.” 

• Insoluble fiber: This type of fiber “adds bulk to the stool and appears to help food pass more quickly through the stomach and intestines.”

• Worth noting: Most foods contain more than ONE kind of fiber.