This Is How (Rogue) Legends Were Made

October 17th, 2024

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • The Rogue “Legends” exhibition is an annual fan-favorite event at the Rogue Invitational. Check out the roster of athletes below and reminisce about their elite accomplishments in the sport of CrossFit.

  • Paid advertising is an important but sometimes polarizing topic among CrossFit affiliate owners. Learn what marketing experts think works best in 2024.

  • Jenn Powers made a huge physical transformation, from 325 pounds to becoming a Masters champion weightlifter. But the most important changes happened between her ears. Check out her story below.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“There was a CrossFit gym in our small town, and I walked in and saw everyone with barbells. I was amazed at how strong everyone looked. I loved it.” - Jenn Powers on one of the first steps in her journey from a sedentary life to elite weightlifting

COMPETITIONS

Credit: @rogueinvitational / Instagram

This Is How (Rogue) Legends Were Made – Celebrating the 2024 Rogue Invitational "Legends"

The Rogue Legends event is back for another year at the 2024 Rogue Invitational. 

The 2024 Legends include 16 of the greatest ever in the sport of CrossFit, featuring five athletes who have been crowned Fittest on Earth. 

This year’s Legends made a total of 94 appearances at the CrossFit Games, and at least one participated in every CrossFit Games from 2007-2021. 

  • Among the 16 athletes, all but three have stood on the CrossFit Games podium.

During 11 of the first 15 years of the CrossFit Games, at least one of the 2024 Rogue Invitational Legends finished on the podium.

Let’s take a closer look.

The Women

Annie Sakamoto 

In her only appearance as an individual at the CrossFit Games, Annie Sakamoto, one of the original “Nasty Girls,” finished ninth in 2011. 

  • As a Master’s athlete, Sakamoto has finished on the podium three times, including a first in the 45-49 division in 2021. She is also the namesake of the CrossFit benchmark workout “Annie.”

Kari Pearce 

Kari Pearce qualified for the CrossFit Games for seven straight years from 2015 to 2021. 

  • She had five top-10 finishes in those years, including a memorable third-place finish in 2020, thanks to her dominant event win in the final event, “Atalanta.”

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SPEED READS

💪🥇 Taylor Williamson’s Journey to Rogue: PRVN athlete Taylor Williamson is no stranger to elite competition, having been part of multiple podium and Games-winning teams over the years. But in 2024, as the Rogue Invitational heads to Scotland for the first time, Williamson will take the floor as an individual. Check out her story here.

🤕💪 Khrennikov to Have Surgery: In an Instagram post yesterday, Roman Khrennikov announced that he would have surgery to repair an anterosuperior acetabular labrum tear on his left side (essentially a tear in the upper and front parts of the hip labrum). Last week, the Games podium athlete announced he would not compete at Rogue or Dubai.

  • He concluded his post by saying, “But don’t worry, I’ll be back in the race for the title by February. See you all soon. Stay tuned! And remember, nobody cares.” (Likely a reference to the phrase “nobody cares, train harder”)

😎🌴 TYR Wodapalooza Miami Qualifier Starts Today: Check out the details below for the TYR WZA Online Challenge & Qualifier (OCQ), which starts today for individuals (The Team OCQ is Oct. 31-Nov. 6). Get registered here. And the TYR WZA Miami rulebook was released yesterday. Find it 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 Individual Divisions

    • Elite/Rx | Intermediate/Open

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

    • Teens 13-15, 16-18

ICYMI: The Dubai Fitness Championship qualifier leaderboard is locked, meaning we now know 28 of the 30 athletes who will compete for one of the biggest paydays in the sport in December. Topping that list? Luka Ðukić.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Credit: @the_fitstop_sa / Instagram

Free. Discount. Transformation. 

  • Those are three words to avoid when it comes to paid advertising in 2024. 

At least, that is according to Sherman Merricks and Blake Ruff, the founders of LASSO, a sales and lead optimization company that specializes in working with small gyms to bring in high-quality leads and turn them into high-paying clients.

In reality, Ruff said free trials and discounts have never been a good idea because “free brings people who are looking for free,” but there was a time when gym owners were having short-term success putting out bold ads that promised a transformation.

  • But those ads and offers — the ones that said, “Hey, I’m looking for five people to transform in six weeks” — have “really gone by the wayside,” Ruff said. 

He added that today, people sniff out that type of offer in an ad and look the other way. 

So what does work? 

We sat down with Merricks and Ruff to learn about digital advertising best practices for gym owners in 2024.

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COMMUNITY

Credit: @rogueinvitational / Instagram

Back on Track: How Jenn Powers Went From 325 Pounds to Becoming a Masters Weightlifting Champion

Like so many others, Jen Powers’ experience with CrossFit started with a profound need to get healthy and change her life. 

  • At her heaviest, she weighed 325 pounds, was in the ICU, and was on countless medications. 

Like those who find themselves at a crossroads with their health, Powers was left addressing what had brought her to that point in life.

And, spoiler alert, she’s now helping others through a local fitness-themed TV show (also streaming) called Back on Track with Jenn Powers.

From College Softball to Sedentary Life and the Road Back

Powers was a softball player growing up, but with her on-field days behind her, she started gaining weight.

  • “I lost track of myself,” Powers said in an interview with the Morning Chalk Up.

The day finally came when Powers decided to make a change — she wanted to return to the fitness she had loved when she was younger. 

She initially lost 75 pounds by making better food choices, but then things got a little more complicated.

  • “I suffered from Lupus, and I wanted to get that under control because I was sick and tired of being sick and tired,” Powers said. “Even though I had lost some weight, I just couldn’t beat the fatigue.”

HIGHLIGHTS

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

  • 🎂Happy birthday to Morning Chalk Up’s Scott Freymond.

  • Nice work to Tom of the UK on this 165-kilo/363-pound squat clean PR.

  • Great job to Alec Smith, who competed last weekend with Grid League’s Daytona Beach Venom.

  • Julia Hannaford is getting all prepped for the Down Under Championship with this 100-kilo/220-pound snatch.

  • 🏋️Check out the teamwork on the 120-kilo/264-pound snatch at the Strength in Depth Origin Qualifiers from CrossFit Bristol North athletes.