2025 Open Registration Down More Than 40% Year-Over-Year

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• The Open Report is back for 2025. Check out Known and Knowable’s Open registration insights from the first two weeks of the sign-up window.

• Check out these helpful tips for keeping your nutrition and sleep on track while traveling.

• HWPO Training looks to broaden its scope in 2025. Learn more from CEO Matt O’Keefe today.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We want to give people the resources to accomplish their goals. And I’m really excited about the future…” - Matt O’Keefe, HWPO CEO Training.

CROSSFIT GAMES

The Open Report, Week 1:  Observable, Measurable, Repeatable

The CrossFit Open begins in 29 days. Register here.

“The Open is a Barometer. It tests your fitness and can forecast the year to come.” 

I wrote these words one year ago to start the first Open Report, and It seems like a fitting start for our second year of tracking Open registrations.

Last year’s introduction continued:

• “The Open is also reading the atmospheric pressure on CrossFit HQ. With the last few years of ups and downs, the coming and going (and second coming) of leadership, recent changes in affiliate fees, sponsor changes, re-location of the Games, CEO Don Faul’s stated goal of 33,000,000 CrossFitters, the list goes on… a lot of eyes are the 2024 Open to gauge if the recent changes will continue a positive climb or if a chill is in the air.”

The atmosphere, as it were, was looking good in March 2024. 

Nearly 344,000 athletes had registered for the Open, which equated to 6.34% year-over-year growth and a return to numbers last seen in 2019.

These numbers included everyone, from athletes competing in their very first Open at a brand-new affiliate, like my friends at CrossFit Fairfield, to 462 athletes who had competed in every single Open since the start. 

While the 2024 CrossFit Open showed a slight drop from the approximately 10% annual growth of the three seasons before it, the chart was still moving up and to the right in a positive direction, making what looked to be a second climb back to the peak in 2018.

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SPEED READS

🌎🏆 2025 World Fitness Tour Roster: The highly anticipated competitive fitness tour has now announced 19 men and 18 women, including 2025 TYR WZA winner Lucy Campbell and fan-favorite Dani Speegle. Who will get the remaining pro cards for the 2025 World Fitness Tour’s inaugural season?

🇧🇷🦎 2025 Copa Sur Qualifying Event Dates: The South American Qualifying Event, Copa Sur, announced its dates and location: April 18-20, 2025, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

• From the post: “It’s official! We are thrilled to announce that the Copa Sur 2025 will take place on April 18, 19, and 20, during the Easter holiday, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, RJ.”

🚨🚨 The CrossFit Open is Coming: The 2025 CrossFit Open will take place February 27-March 17, so get signed up now!

• Bundle and save on 2025 CrossFit Open shirts and Judges course registration here.

📊🗓️ Known and Knowable Open Registration Tracker: From now through the Open, Known and Knowable will provide daily numbers and year-over-year comparisons for Open registrations. Follow here.

ICYMI: We talked with elite coaches — Justin Cotler, Adam Neiffer, and Kyle Rolfe — on how they are preparing their athletes for the 2025 season, arguably the busiest in CrossFit history.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

How to Keep Your Nutrition and Sleep On Track While Traveling

Traveling can throw a major wrench in your nutrition and fitness goals, but it doesn’t have to be a roadblock. 

• This guide is to help you make traveling more seamless and to help make the impact of travel on your body less significant. 

I want to make traveling as easy as possible for you, so I have compiled data from years of experience with all different types of clients and all different types of travel experiences to bring you the most helpful information. 

Quick Tips

Before Your Trip 

• Gradually Adjust Your Schedule – Shift your sleep and wake times closer to the destination’s time zone a few days before departure. 

• Prioritize Sleep – Ensure you’re well-rested before traveling. Starting the trip overtired can worsen jet lag. 

• Time Your Flights Strategically – Choose flights that allow you to arrive during the day, giving you a chance to stay awake upon arrival. 

• Plan out meals and snacks – If you have food allergies or sensitivities, research where you are going and what restaurants you might want to try. Also, look for grocery stores close to where you’ll be staying so you can easily stock up on food.

During Travel

• Stay Hydrated – Drink plenty of water to counteract the dehydration caused by airplane cabins. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, as they can disrupt your sleep cycle. 

• Set Your Watch to the Destination Time Zone – Start mentally syncing your schedule with your destination time zone. 

• Sleep Wisely on the Plane – If it’s nighttime at your destination, try to sleep. Use an eye mask, earplugs, or noise-canceling headphones. If it’s daytime, stay awake by moving around, reading, or engaging in activities.

INDUSTRY

Mat Fraser and Matt O’Keefe’s HWPO Training Seeks to Broaden its Reach in 2025

The CrossFit landscape looks much different today than it did back in 2021 when Mat Fraser and his team launched HWPO Training . 

• Athletes at the time were hungry to learn what the five-time CrossFit Games champion had been doing for his training. 

And, while many still are, the brand has since grown immensely and expanded its scope to the larger fitness community. 

Matt O’Keefe, co-founder and HWPO Training CEO, shared some new goals for the company this year and the story behind why some elite CrossFit athletes have recently decided to leave the training camp. 

Remind me: Fraser launched HWPO Training not long after winning his fifth consecutive Games title in 2020. The brand originated as an online coaching platform and has since branched out to offer programming specific to other sports, such as golf, weightlifting, and running. 

• Fraser retired after his 2020 win and has since become the chief product officer of HWPO Training . 

Making the Vision a Reality 

The vision from the start came from Fraser, and O’Keefe said it was quite simple: to help as many people as possible. O’Keefe is Fraser's close friend and was his agent while he was competing. 

• “He really enjoyed his career, the moments where he was able to share what he was doing at that level, with family and friends,” O’Keefe tells Morning Chalk Up in an interview. 

While CrossFit is a business at its core, HWPO Training has broadened its horizons in recent years to reach everyday athletes and individuals who want to start their fitness journey. 

• “We’ve seen that it is effective and we’ve helped a lot of people and want to help more. We want to step past just the CrossFit space and create opportunities and attraction for people to train with us daily that maybe don’t want CrossFit,” O’Keefe said.

HIGHLIGHTS

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

• 🎂Happy birthday to Emily Beers, Sean Woodland, and Lindsey Johnson.

• Congratulations to Jelle Hoste, who won the UAE Storm Games.

• Check out Kelsey Kiel making short work of this 113-kilo/250-pound clean. 

• Congratulations to Alice, owner of CrossFit Giants in France, on this 100-kilo/220-pound clean PR.

• 🙌Well done to Tom of the UK on this monster 153-kilo/337-pound clean and jerk.