Rogue Rookie Dana Paran Surprises Herself

October 15th, 2024

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • Following her asthma diagnosis, Dana Paran found that placing less pressure on herself resulted in stronger performances, evidenced by her qualification for the 2024 Rogue Invitational. Learn her story below.

  • Our hydration and nutrition needs evolve and change as we age. Today, check out three keys to optimizing how you eat and drink as a Masters athlete.

  • In the first of a three-part series, The Progrm founder, John Singleton, talks about integrating CrossFit and HYROX training in your gym.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I hope I can show my strengths, which is strength.” - Dana Paran, Rogue Invitational qualifier, on her hopes for the event next month in Aberdeen, Scotland

PROFILE

Credit: @m_akbaar / Instagram

Dana Paran Surprises Herself, Qualifies for 2024 Rogue Invitational

When Dana Paran signed up for the Rogue’s online qualifier, “The Q,” her goal wasn’t to go to November’s Invitational in Aberdeen, Scotland.

After submitting her scores, the 28-year-old didn’t think she had qualified, as she finished sixth overall. 

She wasn’t sure whether this was enough since the number of invites from the online qualifier depends on how many CrossFit Games athletes accept their invitations.

  • Further, Paran didn’t know if her scores would hold up, “because we all know how strict Rogue’s video review is. I just hoped I recorded everything correctly,” Paran said. 

But once everything was finalized, Paran was shocked to see her name as a qualifier on one of Rogue’s Instagram posts.

Paran now joins Tayla Howe and Taylor Williamson as the women on the roster without individual CrossFit Games experience. (Though Williamson is a multiple-time Games champion and podium athlete in the Team Division.)

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SPEED READS

💪⚕️2024 Donor Games Names Champions: The National Kidney Registry held its annual in-person Donor Games in which elite athletes who have donated a kidney or liver or received a living donor transplant compete in a grueling set of workouts. The event took place on September 14 at Affinity Athletics in Stamford, CT.

  • Men’s Podium

    • Mike Ramsey (donated his kidney to his wife in 2023)

    • Justin King (donated his kidney to his friend and fellow church member in 2020)

    • Brandon Cullen (donated his kidney to a friend in 2023)

  • Women’s Podium

    • Mimi Mahon (donated a kidney through the National Kidney Registry’s paired donation program in January 2017 on behalf of her mother)

    • Roni Hayes (donated her kidney to her mother in May 2019 at age 22)

    • Radley West

😎🌴 TYR Wodapalooza Miami Qualifier Starts Next Week: The team at Loud and Live Sports announced the move to Miami Beach a few weeks ago on Instagram. Check out the details below for the TYR WZA Online Challenge & Qualifier (OCQ). Get registered here.

  • TYR WZA Online Challenge & Qualifier

    • Week 1: Indy - October 17-21, 2024

    • Week 2: Indy - October 24-28, 2024

    • Week 3: Teams - October 31-November 6, 2024

  • TYR WZA OCQ Divisions

    • Individuals

      • Elite/Rx | Intermediate/Open

      • Masters 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60+

      • Teens 13-15, 16-18

    • Teams of Three (MMM or FFF)

      • Elite/Rx/Intermediate/Open

      • Masters Rx/Open

📺👂Hear Their Stories: CrossFit’s new video series, called Hear Their Stories, brings viewers into the heart of the CrossFit community. Episode four is out, focusing on Jon Levell, owner of CrossFit by Overload in Murietta, CA. Watch now.

ICYMI: The Venn diagram of CrossFitters and animal lovers has a lot of overlap. Today, we take a look at some of CrossFit’s lovable, four-legged friends.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Credit: Frank Nguyen

3 Nutrition Keys for Masters Athletes

Held separately for the first time, the 2024 Masters CrossFit Games by Legends was such an epic event that we were inspired to think more about Masters athletes, nutrition tips, and optimizing performance while promoting recovery. 

Three topics to consider that will give you the most carryover into your training and competitions are hydration, prioritizing the right nutrients to support the aging process, and knowing/managing your daily total caloric intake.

Hydration 

As a friendly reminder, water is more essential than carbohydrates. 

  • So, if you’re focusing on your intra-workout Gatorade powder and your carb mouthwashes, but aren’t starting your day off with water, we’re not quite sure you’re doing it right. 

TRAINING

Credit: @hyroxamerica / Instagram

CrossFit Meets HYROX, Part 1 — John Singleton and the Progrm on How to Integrate HYROX in CrossFit Gyms

  • Note: This article is the first in a three-part series on the topic of integrating HYROX and CrossFit training. Stay tuned for parts two and three.

The worlds of HYROX racing and CrossFit have been intertwined over the past two years, raising the question of whether or not you should integrate the two training methodologies. 

  • John Singleton, founder of The Progrm and a veteran CrossFit Games coach, was recently chosen to lead the official HYROX training program and shared some expert insights in a recent interview with the Morning Chalk Up. 

To start, he asked, “Should HYROX be in your gym?” and explained why CrossFit gyms are actually the perfect place for HYROX training integration. 

Membership retention is (and has always been) an important topic for CrossFit gym owners worldwide. So, how can a box owner improve on their current services without investing in more equipment while appealing to a larger swath of their target market? 

Singleton suggests learning what your gym members prefer: 

  • “Perhaps you have noticed a trend in your own gym: many CrossFit box owners have seen that some of their clients have an enthusiastic appetite for training, but don’t want to attend the more ‘skill-based’ classes featuring gymnastics or Olympic weightlifting,” Singleton said. 

HIGHLIGHTS

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

  • 🙌Nice work to Keziah from Australia on this 95-kilo/209-pound three-rep hang clean complex. 

  • 😮‍💨How fast can you row 200 meters? Check out this rugby athlete from team O2 UK who completes the distance in 29 seconds. 

  • Check out this world record strict ring muscle-up attempt from 7-year-old Emika. Amazing job!

  • Great job to Ellia Miller, who hit a five-rep shoulder-to-overhead PR at 97 kilos/215 pounds.

  • 💪Congratulations to Odin from CrossFit Lake Travis in Travis County, TX, on his squat clean PR.