Everything You Need to Know About the CrossFit Quarterfinals

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• Everything you need to know about the 2024 CrossFit Games Quarterfinals

• Never Miss a Monday — With ring muscle-ups almost assuredly on deck for Quarterfinals, learn the “science of the swing” from Justin Adams and RXGymnastics

• Australia’s Grace Walton has her eyes on a CrossFit Games berth this season, and she’s off to a great start with a second-place worldwide finish in the Open

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.” - John Wooden

CROSSFIT QUARTERFINALS

Morning Chalk Up’s Guide to the 2024 Quarterfinals

The next stage of the 2024 CrossFit Games season is approaching quickly as qualifying athletes and teams move onto Quarterfinals. The Open brought what felt like a “back to basics” sensibility with three classic CrossFit-type workouts and even gave athletes a chance to get their first bar muscle up. 

Among the changes to the CrossFit Games season was the expansion of the pool of athletes to qualify for Quarterfinals. The top 25 percent of athletes qualify, whereas it was only 10 percent in previous years. 

While CrossFit HQ’s motives on this change have been in question, there’s no doubt the expansion has excited the community as more athletes get to continue their competitive season. 

In this article: 

• Important dates

• Cutlines

• Athlete checklist

• How it works

• Video submission

• Athletes entering multiple divisions

• Qualifying for Semifinals

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SPEED READS

✍️ Now Hiring: PRVN Fitness is growing and wants to hire a new coach with a background in online programming and community building. The hours and location are flexible. Want to be part of the PRVN Team? Send your application now.

🎥🥇 Chasing the Podium: Check out Finnish CrossFit Games veteran and endurance master, Jonne Koski’s new YouTube series, “Chasing the Podium.” The episodes will follow Koski as he attempts to qualify for his 10th Games.

👨‍🎓💪 CrossFit x Educators: CrossFit HQ made two recent announcements that will come as welcome news for teachers at all levels:

• CrossFit will offer 50 $10,000 grants to schools in the first half of 2024. The funds will help teachers and administrators outfit school affiliates with equipment and introduce students to the concept of fitness for health and longevity. Apply here.

• CrossFit Educators Course - Released this week, the CrossFit Educators Course will help educators create and implement CrossFit-based P.E. curricula that are effective and scalable for kids of all abilities, ages 3-11.

🚨🚨 Affiliate Owner Quarterfinals Database: With a tip of the hat to Morning Chalk Up contributor Mike Halpin at Known and Knowable, here’s a super useful tool for affiliate owners heading into the Quarterfinals.

• Simply search your affiliate name in the drop-down menu to access a full list of all your athletes who qualified for the next stage of competition.

👩‍🏫📋 Good Read: Check out BarBend’s recap of a potentially important new study on the effects of intermittent fasting on cardiovascular health.

• From the recap: “On Mar. 18, 2024, the American Heart Association (AHA) highlighted an in-review study with a shocking headline: That time-restricted feeding may increase your risk of cardiovascular mortality by as much as 91%.”

ICYMI: Will Tyler lost 100 pounds with CrossFit and small nutrition adjustments. Learn how he did it.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

The Science of the Swing 

By Justin Adams, RXGymnastics

With Quarterfinals looming, the likelihood is very high that ring muscle-ups will appear in the programming as the competitive field is whittled down from tens of thousands to 40 men and women in each region. For those near the top, efficiency of movement will be the key. For everyone else, becoming more proficient or even achieving the skill in the first place might be the goal. 

The kipping ring muscle-up is an art…but it is also a science. 

Unlike the bar muscle-up variation, the rings swing. By following three rules, we can make your muscle-up so much easier! 

“The Science of the Swing”

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PROFILE

Australia’s Grace Walton Takes Second in 2024 CrossFit Open, Eyes Games Qualification 

Australia’s Grace Walton has finished the 2024 CrossFit Open in second place worldwide. 

• Remind me: Walton was initially sitting in first place following the submission window for 24.3 but received a 10-point penalty due to two reps, "in which her feet rose above the height of the bar during bar muscle-ups," CrossFit announced. This moved Switzerland’s Mirjam von Rohr to the top of the leaderboard, ahead of Walton by four points.

The Open wasn’t a priority for Walton, but her strong performance has given her confidence, as she shares with the Morning Chalk Up:

• “It only assures me that my fitness is getting better, which is what I have been working on.”

• “My team and I decided after being in a good position leading into the final week, we might as well try to win it as there is a cash prize that would help contribute to me hopefully covering the costs associated with heading to the Games later in the season.” 

• Walton’s strategy paid off, as she’ll now take home $10,000 in prize money for her second-place finish.

Although she has not yet competed at the Games, this Perth local has made two appearances at the Torian Pro – the Oceania Semifinal – finishing 15th in her rookie year in 2022, and then an impressive 6th in 2023. She’s hoping to make her first Games appearance this year.

Walton kept busy throughout the 2023-2024 offseason. During this time she competed at the Down Under Championships where she finished 3rd despite nursing an elbow injury as she shares:

• “I hyperextended my elbow…a third of the way in (to the competition). I had to change my goals from winning it to staying in the event.”

• “I’m still extremely happy with the third, but I’m definitely capable of winning it.” 

Walton also competed as an individual at Wodapalooza in Miami, Florida, from January 11-14, 2024. Making the most of the journey to the United States, Walton arrived two weeks before the start of the competition and spent her time in Las Vegas training with Underdogs Athletics and meeting her coach, Kiefer Lammi, for the first time in person.

HIGHLIGHTS

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

• 💕Happy anniversary to Tennil Reed-Beuerlein and her husband.

• Great work to Fairlane and her fit family for getting after it in their garage gym.

• Congratulations to Nordic weightlifter Eyglo on the 108-kilo/238-pound snatch PR.

• Great job to Cam of CrossFit Saint Pierre in France on the 82-kilo/180-pound snatch PR.

• 💪Congratulations to Jon of CrossFit Canvas in Boise, ID, on the 365-pound back squat PR.