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💰 Who’s Cashing In? WFP’s Top Earners Revealed

September 10th, 2025

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • 💰Who’s cashing in? The WFP has paid out $780K this season; $766K still up for grabs.

  • 🧗‍♂️ Conquer the Rope: Pamela Gagnon’s technique tips every CrossFitter needs.

  • 💸🏋️‍♂️ Passion ≠ Profit — Forging Elite Finance busts gym owner money myths.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
❝

That is the most wrong outlook you can have.”

Ben Beck, founder of Forging Elite Finance, on gym owners who think financial planning is only for people who are already wealthy.
COMPETITIONS

World Fitness Project’s Top Earners – Who’s Cashing In So Far

Credit: World Fitness Project

The World Fitness Project (WFP) Tour Stop II awarded $390,000 in prize money to the top athletes in the Pro Division and $10,000 to the Challenger Division.

  • Through WFP’s two competitions this season – Tour Stop I in Indianapolis, IN, and Tour Stop II in Mesa, AZ – a total of $780,000 has been awarded to athletes.

Key Takeaways

  • James Sprague and Aimee Cringle lead their divisions on the Tour Points leaderboard and in total prize money awarded – $50,000 for Sprague and $40,000 for Cringle.

  • Several athletes have already earned more money on the WFP Tour than from the CrossFit Games season, including Roman Khrennikov, Austin Hatfield, Aimee Cringle, and Brooke Wells. That said, more athletes have earned more money through the CrossFit Games season so far in 2025.

  • There remains $766,000 in prize money to be awarded at the end of WFP’s inaugural season, over $1.5M in total prize money in 2025.

A MESSAGE FROM VELITES

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  • Limited-edition Games T-shirts, hoodies, boonies, caps, crossbody bags, headbands

  • Hybrid 1.0 CrossFitÂŽ training shoes

  • Pro-grade grips, ropes, wristbands

Each piece is individually numbered, crafted in micro batches, and will never return. When it sells out, it disappears—forever. No restocks. No waitlists. No excuses.

Skip the FOMO: elevate your kit, and secure a slice of CrossFit history before someone else does.

*This newsletter relies on our sponsors. Please consider supporting them.

SPEED READS

🧠📋 Build or Buy Programming?: On Varied Not Random, Pat Sherwood & Adrian Bosman weigh the tradeoffs—outsourcing saves time, checks your biases, and adds fresh perspective, but only works if coaches stay engaged, adapt for their members/equipment, and understand the “why.”

👵🏋️‍♂️ CrossFit for 60+: Eric O’Connor & Stephane Rochet turn Lon Kilgore’s playbook into action—start conservative, scale smart, coach the pain-vs-soreness talk, build psychological tolerance, and tap the underserved 50+ market for real, lasting transformations.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏋️ 2025 Rogue Invitational Roster Reveal: The 7th annual Rogue Invitational heads back to Aberdeen, October 31 to November 2, bringing CrossFit’s biggest names and Strongman legends together for three days of competition, history, and community at P&J Live. Find out who’s competing as the rosters are revealed slowly over the next few weeks. Who’s on the list?

🎰💪 Vegas Showdown: The 2025 CrossFit Games season wraps Sept. 12–14 in Las Vegas with the WheelWOD Adaptive CrossFit Games. More than 260 athletes across 16 divisions will battle for the title of Fittest Adaptive Athletes on Earth. Catch the action live in Vegas or stream it on YouTube.

ICYMI: 🏋️‍♂️ Athletes smashed through the 400-pound clean barrier at WFP Tour II.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

The Rope Climb Playbook: Techniques Every CrossFitter Should Know

Photo Courtesy of Pamela Gagnon

Struggling with rope climbs? 

Maybe you keep slipping, lose your grip halfway, or just can’t find an effective way to go up or down. You’re not alone, and the good news is, technique makes all the difference.

  • In CrossFit, rope climbs aren’t just about raw strength – they’re about choosing the proper method at the right time. 

The two most common techniques are the S-Wrap and the J-Hook (or Military Wrap). Each has its benefits and challenges, depending on your experience, grip, and goals.

Here’s a breakdown of both, plus tips to help you climb stronger, faster, and more confidently.

INDUSTRY

Financial Myths and Mistakes Holding Gym Owners Back, According to Forging Elite Finance

Photo Courtesy of Ben Beck

For most gym owners, opening an affiliate is more than simply starting a business. It’s about following a passion. 

But passion doesn’t always pay the bills. When it comes to finances – both personal and business – many owners feel stressed from working hard and barely paying themselves.

This is precisely the problem that long-time financial advisor Ben Beck aims to address.

  • Earlier this year, his firm, Beck Bode, launched Forging Elite Finance, an educational arm of the business that provides tools, guidance, and accountability to gym owners and athletes, so they can build long-term financial resilience.

Beck and Josh Plosker, who owns five CrossFit affiliates in the Boston area, have already been working with more than a dozen CrossFit Games athletes and an increasing number of affiliate owners.

So, what are the biggest mistakes and myths holding gym owners back professionally and personally? And how can they improve their financial outlook?

Those were the questions we put to Beck.

HIGHLIGHTS

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

  • 🔥Check out Alec Smith’s skill work at his recent Grid League match - amazing job, Alec!

  • Congratulations to Paul Tremblay on this 238-kilo/525-pound back squat.

  • Annie Thorisdottir makes easy work of this 95-kilo/210-pound clean, while 17 weeks pregnant, no less!

  • Congratulations to Chad Mueller, who ran the Georgina Half Marathon in 1:41.

  • 🥇Congratulations to Luka Ðukić and Nici Heer, who won the 2025 Belgrade Games.