Meet CrossFit's Lovable, Four-Legged Friends

October 14th, 2024

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • The Venn diagram of CrossFitters and animal lovers has a lot of overlap. Today, we take a look at some of CrossFit’s lovable, four-legged friends.

  • How can the CrossFit Hierarchy of Development help affiliate owners grow their businesses? Find out below.

  • Masters athlete Jolene Quirke qualified for the 2024 CrossFit Games, but her second cancer diagnosis kept her from making the trip. Learn more about her story and how you can help.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I think once I get moving and doing what I love, I'll be better off mentally. No matter what's happening, I feel like I need that and haven't been able to do it. That tears your spirit down. I don’t need a carrot to chase, I just want to train.” - Masters athlete Jolene Quirke on her mindset following her second cancer diagnosis

CROSSFIT GAMES

Photo Credit: @colten_mertens / Instagram

Meet CrossFit’s Cutest Four-Legged Friends

We here at Morning Chalk Up (like many other fans) love getting to know CrossFit athletes behind the scenes and getting a glimpse of their daily lives outside of the gym. 

  • We enjoy seeing how the athletes live, what they do in their off-time, and who they enjoy spending time with at home. But we especially love learning about their animals. 

That’s partly because the staff at Morning Chalk Up is filled with animal parents. Writer Teaganne Finn is raising Bruce, Burger, and Yogi. Scott and I, meanwhile, have a house full of cats: Frida, Ongi, and Pico. 

If you follow any of the athletes on social media, you’ve probably seen them, but if not, meet CrossFit’s cutest four-legged friends: 

Noah Ohlsen and Max 

If you’ve been following Noah Ohlsen for any time, you’ve gotten to know Max, his golden retriever. 

  • With 35,000 followers of his own, he’s definitely the most popular CrossFit dog, at least as far as social media is concerned.

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SPEED READS

☀️🥇 Dubai Fitness Championship 2024 Online Qualifier Update: The Dubai Fitness Championship online qualifier is now closed, and the leaderboard has been populated on Competition Corner. We expect the leaderboard to shift — the video review process is currently underway.

  • The Dubai Fitness Championship is coming to the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Stadium from December 6-8, 2024. The total prize purse is approximately 1.3 million AED or just over $350,000 USD.

😎🌴 TYR Wodapalooza Miami Qualifier Starts Next Week: The team at Loud and Live Sports announced the move to Miami Beach a few weeks ago on Instagram. Check out the details below for the TYR WZA Online Challenge & Qualifier (OCQ). Get registered here.

  • TYR WZA Online Challenge & Qualifier

    • Week 1: Indy - October 17-21, 2024

    • Week 2: Indy - October 24-28, 2024

    • Week 3: Teams - October 31-November 6, 2024

  • TYR WZA OCQ Divisions

    • Individuals

      • Elite/Rx | Intermediate/Open

      • Masters 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60+

      • Teens 13-15, 16-18

    • Teams of Three (MMM or FFF)

      • Elite/Rx/Intermediate/Open

      • Masters Rx/Open

🤕💪 Khrennikov and Raptis Out for Rogue: Mayhem athlete Roman Khrennikov, who placed ninth at the 2024 Games, announced this week that he would sit out of the Rogue Invitational and Dubai Fitness Championship this offseason due to injury. Additionally, Alexis Raptis was replaced by Dani Speegle.

  • From Khrennikov’s post: “I sustained an injury during the semifinals and aggravated it while preparing for the Games. As a result, my training didn’t go as planned…I knew my chances at the Games were slim, but I still chose to compete, and you saw the result….[W]hen I resumed training [after the Games], it became clear that my injury hadn’t healed.”

📺👂Hear Their Stories: CrossFit’s new video series, called Hear Their Stories, brings viewers into the heart of the CrossFit community. Episode four is out, focusing on Jon Levell, owner of CrossFit by Overload in Murietta, CA. Watch now.

ICYMI: The inaugural TYR Cup was a rousing success, and in our final analysis, we break down some key numbers from the team competition.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Credit: @thecrossfitbook / Instagram

The Fitness Pyramid Approach to Building a Strong CrossFit Affiliate

The key to building a thriving CrossFit affiliate lies in understanding and applying the principles from something you already know: CrossFit’s Theoretical Hierarchy of Development.

  • The fitness pyramid is a model that outlines the essential components for developing a well-rounded athlete. 

Nutrition is at the base of the pyramid, followed by metabolic conditioning, gymnastics, weightlifting, and sport-specific training at the apex.

Why Does the Fitness Pyramid Matter for Affiliate Owners?

Just as the fitness pyramid guides athletes in their training, it can also serve as a roadmap for CrossFit affiliate owners.

By building strength at each level of the pyramid, you can create a business that helps your members achieve their health goals and positively impacts your staff and the wider community.

PROFILE

Credit: @jolenequirke / Instagram

Masters Athlete Jolene Quirke Works to Beat Cancer A Second Time

Athletes who qualified for the 2024 Masters CrossFit Games were front and center, as this year’s competition was held completely separate from the elite individuals. The event itself was hosted by Legends and took place in Birmingham, AL, from August 29 to September 1.

  • Athletes qualified for this new version of the Masters CrossFit Games in multiple age groups and traveled from all corners of the globe to celebrate fitness. 

It should have been the highlight of Jolene Quirke’s CrossFit career. 

But Quirke didn’t make it to Birmingham. Instead, she was at home fighting cancer for a second time.

How It All Began

Quirke has been training in CrossFit since 2009, when a college rugby teammate introduced her to the sport. 

She took to it quickly, opened an affiliate, and became a mainstay at Regionals starting in 2012.

  • “I was a gymnast, and I loved training more than anything,” Quirke told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview. “I was good enough to compete, and that was great, but the training was more important to me.”

After five years of competing as an individual at Regionals, Quirke finally punched her ticket and qualified in the 35-39 age group for the CrossFit Games. She finished ninth in 2019. 

Unfortunately, then her life took a turn.

HIGHLIGHTS

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

  • 💪 Great job to Jack Farlow and Emma Lawson, who competed at Hyrox in Toronto, Canada.

  • Congratulations to Brittany of Czech Republic, on the 110-kilo/243-pound hang squat clean PR.

  • Congratulations to Charlotte of CrossFit Conation in Happauge, NY, on the 90-kilo/200-pound split jerk PR.

  • Check out Agustin Richelme snatching 125 kilos/275 pounds.

  • 🙌 Watch James Newbury bust out a casual set of 40 unbroken bar muscle-ups.