A CrossFit Year in Photos: 2024

January 2nd, 2025

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Good morning, Happy New Year, and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • We are privileged to work with so many talented photographers and videographers at CrossFit events. Today, we look back with them at their favorite images from 2024.

  • Does your affiliate offer a punch card option? We talked with gym owners, business mentors, and others about the pros and cons.

  • In case you missed it over the break, we got a chance to sit down with the founders of the World Fitness Project: Will Moorad, Jackson, and Isabella Terry. Check out what we learned about the World Fitness Tour below.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It supports the athletes, it supports the brands to have multiple events to showcase their stuff, and it supports the community to rally around these incredible athletes more than one time a year.” - Will Moorad, Director of Sport, WFP, on why the World Fitness Project’s tour is a win-win for the CrossFit ecosystem.

INDUSTRY

Credit: Scott Freymond

2024: A CrossFit Year in Photos

We have all the respect in the world for the photographers and videographers who bring us closer to the CrossFit action that we cover every year. 

Our words come alive with the images they create, and the moments they capture evoke emotions that resonate with us and help us build connections.  

I also started my photography journey in 2024 and received invaluable advice, instruction, and support from many of these generous, creative people. 

  • And we have bonded in the trenches of many media rooms. 

The support I have experienced from photographers truly represents why we all got involved in this passionate world of competitive fitness. 

There are many awe-inspiring photos out there from this past year, so we asked some of our friends who have worked with us to choose their favorite photo they took in 2024. It’s a tall task to narrow it down to just one, but the results below speak for themselves. 

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SPEED READS

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏋️ 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. Sign up now, and winners will be announced on January 10!

🌎🏆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.

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

  • So far, the TYR WZA Elite athlete roster looks incredible! Stay tuned as more athletes and teams are being announced weekly.

ICYMI: Known and Knowable’s Mike Halpin circulated a survey to the top athletes on CrossFit’s Worldwide Rankings, asking about the state of elite, competitive CrossFit. We break down the results here.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Credit: @klementovich / Instagram

Are Punch Cards Hurting Your Business?

Originally published July 15, 2024

Zia Rohrbaugh offered punch cards for years at CrossFit Counter Culture in Encinitas, CA.

But she decided to stop when she realized they were doing more harm than good.

  • “The people never bought into the community. They were half out but got all the benefits [of other members], and usually they needed more of the coaches' time,” Rohrbaugh told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview.

Further, Rohrbaugh noticed some of her punch card purchasers started doing her programming at Globo gyms in the area, so she abandoned them.

  • “When we got rid of them, we converted the good ones and it has been great. [Now] I focus on the members that pay monthly memberships,” she said.

For Rohrbaugh, it came down to confidence and to standing up for what made sense for her business.

  • “I think gym [owners] sometimes are too accommodating. It can hurt them. I always say have the confidence to set your worth,” she added.

The big picture: While most gym owners strive to sell recurring monthly memberships, as they bring predictable income, many affiliate owners also continue to offer punch cards, which provide people with the flexibility to come to a class periodically and at their own convenience, and without having to commit to a monthly recurring fee.

  • Although punch cards provide the client with flexibility, the gym owner never knows if and when the punch card user will decide to punch in, not to mention whether they’ll purchase another card when they run out of punches.

COMPETITIONS

Credit: @worldfitnessproject / Instagram

World Fitness Project Launches "World Fitness Tour" for 2025

The World Fitness Project (WFP) is here.

You may have seen a slow trickle of information on social media about the new organization recently, including announcements of athletes who “signed” with them and an overview of qualifying for the WFP’s “World Fitness Tour” roster.

  • We got a chance to sit down with the WFP founders — CrossFit Games veteran Will Moorad and Isabella and Jackson Terry, who also co-founded GoodLyfe — for an interview to learn more. 

One big thing: The WFP, an organization with the goal of creating “an ecosystem of the fitness world,” is launching a new competitive tour for fitness athletes with a pro card system and guaranteed contracts for cardholders.

  • This is important because it gives athletes who wish to avoid the CrossFit Games season or supplement their incomes an opportunity to earn money and compete against the best fields in the game.

  • Additional details are forthcoming, but we can report having heard separately that current contracts are in the upper-five-figure range for three in-person competitions and are based on ranking.

For fans, the World Fitness Tour format will be exciting to follow as there are races both for Tour Event and Finals podium positions. There will also be a cut line to qualify for a pro card and guaranteed contract.  

Here’s the team behind WFP: 

  • Isabella Terry, Executive Director (co-founder, GoodLyfe)

  • Jackson Terry, Director of Operations (co-founder, GoodLyfe)

  • Will Moorad, Director of Sport (Six-time CrossFit Games veteran)

  • Jason Ansley, Event Director, North America (1st Phorm Monster Games)

  • Roger Nilsson, Event Director, Europe (WODLA Group)

  • Ryan Husband, Director of Business Development (founder LRX Apparel)

  • Maggie Husband, Director of Logistics

HIGHLIGHTS

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