Morning Chalk Up's Favorite Stories of 2024

January 3rd, 2025

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up premium subscriber edition.

In today’s edition:

  • The Morning Chalk Up staff shares our favorite stories of 2024.

  • With an online qualifying process in place for 2025, which CrossFit athletes have an advantage?

  • TYR WZA Miami Beach — the premier fitness festival — is kicking off at a new location and venue in a few weeks. Today, Nicky Freymond talks about why she looks forward to it all year long.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It’s not easy to articulate everything that makes TYR WZA so special…So I guess I’ll just say it’s loud. It’s live. It’s bright. It’s a party. It’s our community at its best, and it’s the greatest weekend of the year.” - Nicky Freymond, MCU Social Media Manager, on what makes TYR WZA Miami Beach the highlight of her year.

INDUSTRY

Credit: @alexgrodriguez4 / Instagram

Morning Chalk Up Staff Favorite Stories from 2024

It’s an annual tradition here at the Morning Chalk Up to gather our staff for a roundup of their favorite stories of the year — and, of course, 2024 was no exception. 

Below, each of our staff members picked one story they loved from last year and shared some insight into why it topped their personal list. From community spotlights and stats-based deep dives to inspiring profiles and competition results, here’s the best of the best, according to our staff.

Joe Genetin-Pilawa, Managing Editor

Through the 2024 season, Dave Charlton wrote some really insightful, analytical stories, breaking down historical data to provide a clearer look at some key questions in the sport – in this case, charting the career stats at the Games from an athlete’s rookie through second year.

  • In another story, he charted how many years it takes an athlete to make it to the Games (of course, that one included a lot of caveats and definitional questions.) 

Presenting data in an easy-to-grasp and compelling way is Dave’s talent, so these stood out to me.

Emily Beers, Senior Writer

My favorite story of 2024 was Athena Perez’s multi-part series called “My Hiller Challenge,” where Perez documented her journey working with CrossFit YouTuber Andrew Hiller, who acted as her coach.

Perez—the owner of Scaled Nation CrossFit, which caters to larger-bodied athletes—has struggled with her weight her entire life. She even wrote a book about it, Lifting the Wait, a few years ago.

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SPEED READS

🌎🏆World Fitness Tour: Over the holidays, the team behind the World Fitness Project began announcing the inaugural class of “signed” athletes for the 2025 season. Get caught up here.

Pro Card athletes already announced (more to come):

  • Chandler Smith | Alex Gazan

  • Pat Vellner | Brooke Wells

  • Jelle Hoste | Alexis Raptis

  • Travis Mayer | Emma McQuaid

  • Roman Khrennikov | Emma Tall

  • Victor Hoffer | Manon Angonese

  • Justin Medeiros | Aimee Cringle

  • Dallin Pepper | Sydney Wells

  • Jayson Hopper | Emma Lawson

  • Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson | Bethany Flores

  • Saxon Panchik | Maddie Sturt

  • Ricky Garard |

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏋️ The 2025 Rogue Invitational Dates Announced: Get ready, the Rogue Invitational returns to Aberdeen, Scotland, October 31-November 2, 2025. Check out the IG post here and sign up for email updates here.

🎟️💪 Velites Sports x TYR WZA Ticket Giveaway: The official jump rope brand of TYR WZA Miami Beach is giving away five pairs of festival tickets and two pairs of VIP tickets for the celebration of fitness later this month. Winners will be announced on January 10; sign up now!

😎🌴 2025 TYR WZA Miami Beach: Get your tickets for the premier fitness festival of the year now!

ICYMI: We are privileged to work with many talented photographers and videographers at CrossFit events. Here’s a look back at their favorite images from 2024.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Source: @NoShortcuts_Training/Instagram

Which Athletes Have an Advantage in CrossFit’s Online Semifinals?

CrossFit has announced that the 2025 season will include a virtual, in-affiliate (read: online) Semifinal that will advance athletes to the CrossFit Games. 

  • While most fans and athletes would like to see in-person competitions, some athletes could benefit from the online format.

Why is it such an advantage for some athletes? 

  • Maybe it’s due to the comfort of their home gym. Using their favorite pull-up bar or favorite barbell could take away some competition anxiety. 

  • Maybe it’s being able to focus in a quiet environment instead of the energy of a live competition. Whatever the reason, some athletes just perform better in online formats.

Jeffrey Adler, 2023’s Fittest Man on Earth, used to be an example of such an athlete. 

In 2019, Adler finished 26th worldwide in the CrossFit Open but ended up 33rd at the CrossFit Games. 

  • In 2020, Adler finished fifth in the CrossFit Open and the online portion of the Games but eighth in Dubai in person. Then, in 2021, Adler won the Open, finished third in North America Quarterfinals, and second in the Online Atlas Game, but closed out the season with a 13th at the CrossFit Games. 

It wasn’t until the 2022 season that Adler was as strong in person as he was online.

Going into an online qualification system in 2025, who could we see benefit from the new format?

OPINION

Credit: Enrique Villaseñor

TYR Wodapalooza: A Love Letter

Working in CrossFit media, we have an obligation to remain as unbiased as possible when reporting on breaking news, amplifying community stories, profiling athletes, and covering competitions. 

That said, we’re only human, and the truth is that we are biased and can’t always be 100% impartial. We have friends in the CrossFit space, we have athletes that we root for, and we look forward to certain live events above all else. 

For me, every single year, it’s TYR Wodapalooza. 

The Spectacle

Before I began working in CrossFit media, I was a CrossFitter and avid spectator. 

  • There wasn’t a streamed event that I didn’t watch on my laptop before I began attending them in person. The draw of each competition, for a spectator, is different. 

One comp may have innovative programming with workouts that incite drama and tight finishes, challenging athletes with new movements and testing them with heavy lifts. 

Another comp may draw in headline athletes with a roster packed full of fan favorites. And yet another could be held in a unique setting that serves as the main character in the story. 

TYR Wodapalooza is the entire package.

HIGHLIGHTS

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