Shelby Neal’s Sophomore Season Starts Strong

POWERED BY:

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • A CrossFit Games rookie in 2023, Shelby’s Neal sophomore bid is off to a strong start with a fifth-place finish in the stacked North America East field. Learn about how her training has evolved with the help of “The Professor” Brent Fikowski and coach David Spurr.

  • Do you notice your eating habits changing from season to season? Longer hours and hotter temps in the summer can affect our appetite, leading to more post-dinner treats. Check out five tips to keep your nutrition on track and crush your goals this summer.

  • Programmed by Games vet Jacob Heppner and Masters CrossFit Games co-director Jason Ansley, the 2024 1st Phorm Monster Games wrapped over the weekend. Check out some of the cool events they programmed and get all the results below.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Going to the Games was a surreal moment for me and my coach at the time. I was coming from a smaller local gym, and they wanted their athletes to make it to the Games and I had done it for them. It was cool to realize that dream.” - Shelby Neal on qualifying for the CrossFit Games as a teen in 2016

CROSSFIT GAMES

Credit: @shelby__neal / Instagram

Balancing It All, With a Little Help From Brent Fikowski: Shelby Neal’s Sophomore Season

It is hard to be a CrossFit Games athlete. 

Throw in a demanding full-time job as an engineer into the mix, and it seems almost impossible to qualify even once for the Games.

North Carolina native Shelby Neal says, “Hold my beer.”

Understanding the CrossFit Hype

Neal found CrossFit as a teen through her gymnastics coach, who had been using it to train.

She smiles as she recounts the story in an interview with the Morning Chalk Up. Her gymnastics coach came in one day talking about a workout she did that included 100 pull-ups. 

  • “I couldn't fathom how she was doing 100 pull-ups,” Neal remembered. “Even though she was a former gymnast, that's still a lot of pull-ups. I thought, I'm young and supposed to be strong, and she's beating me at pull-ups!”

Neal started CrossFit in January 2015, participating in her first Open that March.

  • Neal: “Once I tried it, I understood the hype, and I accepted the challenge and wanted to see if it would do the same thing to me—push me like it had my coach.”

Spoiler alert: It did. 

Neal took to it quickly, and the timing was fantastic, as that was the first year the Games hosted the Teen Division.

Neal didn’t qualify her first year, but watching the teens at the Games in Carson, CA that year motivated her. “I started thinking about how cool it would be to be out there myself,” Neal said.

A MESSAGE FROM NOBULL

Save up to 60% at NOBULL

NOBULL just added 1500+ new items to their sale so you can save up to 60% off on a ton of shoes, shirts, shorts, and everything else.

Pick up a bargain and keep on taking life by the horns.

SPEED READS

🏆🚨 Sixth Athlete Announced for TYR Wodapalooza SoCal: Seher Kaya was announced as the sixth athlete in the mix for the inaugural TYR Cup, a battle between North America and the World. She was announced yesterday on Talking Elite Fitness:

  • Kaya now joins a growing roster of athletes for the event, including Jeffrey Adler, Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr, Danielle Brandon, Lazar Djukic, and Justin Medeiros. Kaya will compete with Toomey-Orr and Djukic on Team World.

❓❓New Movements at the Games and More: In his interview with Elisa Fuliano earlier this week, Dave Castro revealed that there will be a movement or movements “new to the CrossFit Games.” Check out our full story on the exchange and more.

  • He also confirmed that Friday Night Lights and Run Swim are the only outdoor events in his Week in Review.

🎟️📈 Known and Knowable Games Ticket Tracker: Mike Halpin, the mind behind Known & Knowable, is keeping an eye on the 2024 CrossFit Games ticket resale prices on StubHub, Vivid Seats, and Ticketmaster. If you are still hoping to get your hands on a couple, find the best available deals here.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏋️ The Rogue Invitational “Q” in September: Announced earlier this week, the Rogue Invitational qualifier will run September 6-9. Earn a spot to compete in the individual division in Aberdeen, Scotland. More details soon.

ICYMI: You may have seen 2024 Demo Team captain Scott Tetlow’s UPLIFT shirt at the West Coast Classic last month. Learn about the organization behind the shirt and how it’s using fitness to support suicide prevention efforts in the military veteran community.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Credit: Frank Nguyen

5 Tips to Help With Your Summer Nutrition

We’re officially into the dog days of summer. 

You may not notice, but your eating patterns and nutrition habits can differ from season to season. 

This is for many different reasons, including the availability of fresh foods, how our bodies work, and our environments. 

Luckily, there are some things you can do to make your nutrition plan a lot easier during beach and pool season versus those cold winter months.

Hit Up Your Local Farmers Market

If you are unfamiliar, they range in size from small to large gatherings of sellers of fresh produce, meats, and baked goods. 

  • Obviously, in the colder months, these aren’t typically open due to produce being out of season.

These markets are great for buying ingredients to use for the week and you can create some really great pantry staples out of dropping by your local option. 

The easiest way to find your local farmers market is to do a quick Google or Facebook search. 

They will list the hours of operation and typically which vendors will be there with direct links to their websites. 

  • This can be super helpful when you find one or two items you really enjoy and maybe want to buy in bulk, you can purchase directly through the seller via their website.

A MESSAGE FROM INOV-8

The best (unbelievably) just got better.

With a hugely successful predecessor, INOV8’s new and improved barefoot training shoe, the BARE-XF, features: 

  • A seamless mesh upper for enhanced breathability so your feet stay dry during intense workouts

  • Enhanced stability from the protective MET-CRADLE

  • A 2.5mm thick lightweight INOV8 RUBBER for improved grip in and out of the gym

  • A new anatomical foot-shaped fit that hugs the contours of your feet, locking you in at the heel and widening at the toes, allowing your full foot to grip the ground, making the BARE-XF suitable for wide feet

  • Hundreds of foam beads in the (removable) BOOMERANG footbed that compress, store, and spring back to give you a 40% energy return in every step allowing you to be you, but better

  • Protection from rope climb abrasion with iconic ROPE-TEC, embedded into the midsection of the outsole and around the arch of the foot

  • Zero drop (no midsole) making the BARE-XF a true barefoot shoe for lots of natural feel

COMPETITIONS

Credit: @hughart.photography / Instagram

1st Phorm Monster Games Wrap-Up and Results

The 1st Phorm Monster Games went down in Joplin, Missouri on July 12-14. 

  • With 28 divisions, it has become one of the premier CrossFit events in the Midwest. 

The event was programmed by Games veteran Jacob Heppner and co-director of the Masters CrossFit Games by Legends, Jason Ansley. The two masterminds put together a unique and entertaining test of fitness. 

Having done the online qualifier, I have first-hand experience with their creativity and affinity for pushing athletes to their limits.

  • “We like to have fun,” Heppner told Morning Chalk Up after the online qualifiers. “Jason (Ansley) does a great job. ..He’s the freaking man.” 

But the live event is where they can really open up the toolbox. 

This year’s Monster Games included distinctive movements like “Pogo Box Jump-Overs” and burpee shuttle runs. 

The elite division athletes were also tested with target shooting, mixed with sandbag grunt work to elevate their heart rates. 

  • This was one of Heppner’s contributions (the event was even called “Jacob Heppner”) and something he has become exceptional at since competing in the Tactical Games. 

Lauren Kalil was on site to cover the action.

2023 CrossFit Games Rookie of the Year, Olivia Kerstetter, and 2024 Games Rookie, Chris Ibarra, made a celebrity appearance in the team competition.

HIGHLIGHTS

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

  • 💕Happy anniversary to Jason and Ashley Khalipa.

  • Congratulations to Shannon from CrossFit Inguz in Groton, CT, on the 86-kilo/190-pound front squat PR.

  • Nice work to Julia Hannaford on the five back squats at 115 kilos/253 pounds.

  • Great job to Ida from the Netherlands on the 85 kilo/187 pound clean and jerk.

  • 🙌Congratulations to Games veteran Stephanie Chung and her husband on the opening of their new affiliate, CrossFit Attain.