Reps Ahead Pro 4 Brings Excitement and (a Little) Controversy to SoCal

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• Games athletes showed out during Reps Ahead Pro 4 at TYR WZA SoCal, as Jayson Hopper and Anikha Greer proved victorious (despite Hopper’s match with James Sprague going to a tiebreak decision). Get all the details below.

• Can you make $1 million a year running group classes alone? Odin CrossFit in Frederick, MD, did. Learn how they did it.

• October Affiliate of the Month: Rogue River CrossFit in Rockford, MI, has raised over $60,000 for charitable causes.

Think your gym should be featured as an affiliate of the month? Send us a note explaining why.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Never in a million years did I think that was going to happen.” - Reps Ahead Founder, Phil Thomas, on the Hopper/Sprague Pro 4 tie and “Tie-gate controversy”

COMPETITIONS

Reps Ahead Pro 4 Results: Jayson Hopper and Anikha Greer Victorious

TYR Wodapalooza SoCal set the stage for Reps Ahead Pro 4 — and the pros certainly put on a show. 

Three of four matches ended in knockouts, all of which took place in the second round. The only match to go the distance was the men’s main event. 

The drama of the head-to-head matchups was palpable as the sun went down over the Pacific. (We also got a little controversy along the way.) 

The Results:

• Ryley Humrighouse (2-0) defeated Malachi Bennett (1-2) at 2:33 in the second round.

• Jayson Hopper (1-0) defeated James Sprague (2-2) by decision after three rounds ended in a tie.

• Lauren Stallwood (1-0) defeated Devyn Kim (0-1) at 2:40 in the second round.

• Anikha Greer (1-0) defeated Kyra Milligan (1-1) 49 seconds into the second round. 

Sprague, the defending CrossFit Games and Reps Ahead champion, took on fourth-place Games finisher Jayson Hopper on Saturday night.

On Sunday afternoon, the floor was prepped for Games rookie Kyra Milligan to battle her friend and Reps Ahead rookie Anikha Greer. 

Patrick Clark brought the UFC-style energy, calling the action from the floor, with Sean Woodland and Brian Friend on the live stream. 

Woodland noted Clark’s hype: “I don’t know what you [Brian] gave Patrick before this, but we need some of that in the booth.”

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SPEED READS

Want to Run a Fitness Competition? Check out this new online course from the International Functional Fitness Federation (iF3), “Running a Functional Fitness Competition.” The course is live now and open for enrollment.

• According to the iF3 description: “This course is an introductory level course, aimed at teaching new or less experienced event organizers about the nuances of running a functional fitness competition under iF3 rules.”

⚕️💪The CrossFit Medical Society at Coaches Congress: The Coaches Congress is holding its annual two-day event from October 5-6 in London, England. The event, an amazing education opportunity for owners and coaches, includes leaders in health, training, and fitness.

• The CrossFit Medical Society will be there leading roundtables and breakout sessions, as well as speaking on both days. Check out the schedule here.

💪 🙌 Working with Larger Bodies Seminar: Athena Perez and Scaled Nation Training will be delivering the Working with Larger Bodies seminar at CrossFit HSN in Pompano Beach, FL on Saturday, November 9. This will be the last Working with Larger Bodies seminar of the 2024 season. Register now.

ICYMI: By all accounts, the TYR Cup at TYR Wodapalooza SoCal was a smashing success and may pave the way for future spectator-friendly CrossFit team-style competitions. Check out our on-site review and highlights.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

High-Ticket, Individualized Memberships? Odin CrossFit Has $1 Million Revenue Year With Just Group Classes

“You need more than group classes to succeed as a gym owner.”

It’s a message many gym business mentors and successful gym owners put out there, and they have data to back it up.

The 2023 State of the Industry Report published by Two-Brain Business that looked at more than 13,000 gyms—more than 50 percent of which were CrossFit gyms—showed the average monthly revenue per month at gyms in the United States was $12,490. 

• Two-Brain Business gyms, on the other hand, which are mentored to diversify and offer higher-ticket membership that goes beyond group class memberships, had an average monthly revenue of $21,040.

Further, the average group class membership price in 2023 was $165 a month, whereas those who offer hybrid memberships have an average client value of $337. 

• This suggests that hybrid memberships—which include other services such as personal training, individual design, and nutrition coaching in addition to group classes—are an effective way to increase average client value and overall revenue.

Well, Odin CrossFit in Frederick, MD, is proving all of the above wrong, at least as far as what works for them goes. 

• Owners Allison and Jason Jachowski are set to hit $1 million in revenue this year, selling almost exclusively group class memberships.

AFFILIATES

October Affiliate of the Month: Rogue River CrossFit Raises $60,000+ for Charitable Organizations

When Amy Klobucher opened her gym, Rogue River CrossFit, in Rockford, MI, almost 11 years ago, she said one of her goals was to “strengthen the [greater] community and give back. “

More than a decade later, Klobucher has lived up to her commitment. 

Through their annual in-house competition, her community has raised almost $60,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and for West Michigan Veteran’s Coalition, which provides resources and connections to resources for veterans and their families.

The Details

Over the weekend of Sept. 21, 2024, the gym’s annual “Rumble at the Rogue” competition raised $8,000 for the West Michigan Veteran’s Coalition, and Klobucher told us there’s still money coming in.

Before this year, their charity of choice was the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, as one of Klobucher’s members had a child with the condition. 

• In the last seven years, the gym raised $50,000 for the organization.

This year, however, those parents suggested that since the gym has done so much for juvenile diabetes already, it might be a good time to spread the love to another worthy organization. 

HIGHLIGHTS

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

• 💪Congratulations to Morning Chalk Up’s Teaganne Finn and her team from CrossFit Union Square in New York, NY, on their second-place finish at Fight for the Fittest last weekend.

• Congratulations to Kelly Stone and her partner on their engagement.

• Check out Aaron Helmly from Peak 360 CrossFit in Miami, FL, rep out 542 unbroken double-unders.

• 🔥Amazing job to Pame Gutierrez on this 113-kilo/250-pound clean and jerk.

• Summit CrossFit in Asheville, NC, suffered severe damage due to Hurricane Helene. They have a GoFundMe account set up for anyone who has the means to help them recover and rebuild.