Dani Speegle Joins American Gladiators Reboot

June 26th, 2025

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • Speegle goes Gladiator.

  • Sweat smarter, train harder.

  • Could travel bans sideline Games athletes?

QUOTE OF THE DAY
❝

The original Gladiators were iconic, so our search…had to be exhaustive. Every Gladiator in this [new] lineup embodies what it means to be a modern warrior.”

Barry Poznick, general manager MGM Alternative, Evolution Media, and Big Fish Entertainment, in The Hollywood Reporter.
INDUSTRY

Dani Speegle Joins the New Cast of American Gladiators

Credit: @gladiatorstv / Instagram

In June of last year, The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Amazon had ordered a reboot of the competition series American Gladiators following successful reboots of both the Australian and UK versions. 

  • The show originally premiered in 1989 and was considered one of the first reality competition series, pitting amateur athletes against each other as they battled a cast of “gladiators” through various physical challenges and events.

Get ready for the next generation of American Gladiators as the show has now released its cast, including a name well-known to CrossFit athletes.

Five-time CrossFit Games competitor Dani Speegle will join the new cast of 16 gladiators, including five professional wrestlers.

  • Worth noting: This isn’t Speegle’s first run on a physical competition show for a major TV network or streaming platform. In 2020, she and fellow CrossFit athlete Matt Chan won NBC’s hit show The Titan Games.

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SPEED READS

🔁🔥 Crossovers Are Back: In a post yesterday, the CrossFit Games team teased the return of crossovers, not seen at the Games since the “Speed Skill Medley” in 2022. Have you been practicing?

🏋️‍♀️ 📅 Catch Up: Did you miss Dave Castro’s Week in Review from 6/23? Catch it here to learn about the ongoing CrossFit Games testing.

❤️‍🩹🌏 Support for Grayson: Organized by CrossFit legend Annie Sakamoto, this GoFundMe was established to support Grayson Greco, a long-time member of the CrossFit Santa Cruz Central community who was diagnosed with a brain tumor while vacationing in Australia. Support Grayson and the Greco family here.

💪⚠️ Protein Peril?: You probably don’t need foods with added protein. This article explains why.

🏁👟 PUMA X HYROX Collection: HYROX and PUMA just dropped their third co-branded collection — now available globally via the new HYROX WORLD Shop. The line features updated apparel and the latest Deviate NITRO™ 3 race-day shoes, engineered for speed and comfort.

🚀🏋️‍♀️ Breaking Barriers: Record-breaking deadlifter and historian Jan Todd may be the reason you lift weights. Check out her trailblazing story here.

ICYMI: The G.O.A.T. 🐐 goes for eight.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

The Summer Sweat Guide Every Athlete Needs

Credit: Frank Nguyen

Summer’s here, and if you’re pushing yourself on the pavement, trails, or at the gym, sweat is your constant companion. 

  • But it’s not just the annoyance of wet shirts or chafing – it’s your body’s cooling system working, and it can reveal a lot about your fitness, hydration habits, and even your sweat composition. 

Let’s dive into why we sweat, how it impacts performance, and what heavy vs.. light sweaters can learn from their drips.

POLL

How do you stay cool training in the summer heat ☀️?

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CROSSFIT GAMES

Could Current Travel Bans Affect the CrossFit Games?

Credit: Scott Freymond

The Trump administration proposed additional travel ban restrictions earlier this month, which could affect CrossFit Games athletes coming from outside the U.S. later this summer. 

Remind me: The 2025 CrossFit Games will take place in Albany, NY, from Friday, August 1, to Sunday, August 3, at MVP Arena. It’s a new venue for the Games, which has relocated a few times in recent years. 

The Games mark the conclusion of the official season and gather the fittest athletes worldwide to compete for the title of Fittest on Earth. However, recent actions by the U.S. federal government could threaten at least one athlete's ability to participate. 

According to the Associated Press, the travel ban is currently in effect for the following countries. 

  • Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

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HIGHLIGHTS

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

  • 💕Happy anniversary to Josh and Hayley Murillo.

  • Check out this plate plank challenge from strongman Mitchell Hooper. How many plates do you think you could hold?

  • Take a look at Henrik Haapalainen’s balancing skills. #goals

  • Does anyone have a strict bar muscle-up in their toolkit? Bayley Martin makes them look easy.

  • 👏These three take teamwork to another level. Well done to Team TTZ at the Turf Games last weekend.