Who Is This Year's Arielle Loewen?

July 15th, 2024

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • With no “Dóttirs” in the 2024 CrossFit Games field, we took a moment to reflect on the Icelandic women’s influence on the sport over the past 15 years.

  • Who are this year’s CrossFit “Doppel-Gamers” — athletes whose performances thus far in 2024 remind us of remarkable performances last season?

  • The CrossFit-licensed event, METCON Rush is one of the fastest-growing competitions in the U.S., and it’s coming this week to Hagerstown, MD. Learn more below.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We put a lot of effort into the experience for the athletes. Regardless if you are a Games athlete or someone traveling from down the street, you feel like you're at a high-level event and experience.” - Tim Kellinger, owner of CrossFit 301 Elite on his goal for the athlete experience at METCON Rush

CROSSFIT GAMES

Credit: @flsportsguy, @crossfitgames, @sarasigmunds / Instagram

15 Years of Fitness: A Tribute to the “Dóttirs” of CrossFit

Since 2009, at least one Icelandic “Dóttir” has competed at the CrossFit Games. 

It all began with Annie Thorisdóttir throwing down in Aromas, CA, at the third CrossFit Games, competing before achieving her first ring muscle-up. 

  • She came back to win the Games in 2011 and 2012. 

Katrin Davidsdóttir joined the CrossFit elites in 2012, later earning the title of Fittest on Earth in 2015 and 2016. 

  • Fellow 2012 rookie Thuri Helgadóttir went on to compete seven times as an individual and one time on a team. 

Sara Sigmundsdóttir burst onto the scene in 2015, taking third place at the Games then and again in 2016.

Others, like Eik Gylfadóttir and Sola Sigurðardóttir, peppered the leaderboard over these 15 years, building a reputation for their small island as a breeding ground for tremendous CrossFit athletes. 

With no Dóttirs headed to Texas this year, we hope that instead of this being the end of an era, it’s just a momentary respite in this tremendous legacy. 

Let’s look at some of the women who played such a role in building our sport:

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SPEED READS

🚨💪Affiliate Roundtable: Mark your calendar on July 31 at 2-3 p.m. ET, Morning Chalk Up contributor and Scaled Nation CrossFit Owner, Athena Perez will be providing insight and expertise on modifying for larger-bodied athletes at an upcoming virtual affiliate roundtable. The roundtable and coaching forum is open to all affiliate owners and coaches. Register now!

🎟️ 🏋️ Spots Available at Pit Teen Throwdown: Held Aug. 27-30 in Kalamazoo and Three Rivers, MI, the Pit Fitness Ranch will host 150 athletes on top of the 120 already qualified for the Teen CrossFit Games. Learn more and get signed up.

🏆🚨 Fourth Athlete Announced for TYR Wodapalooza SoCal: Lazar Djukic was announced on Saturday as the fourth athlete in the mix for the inaugural TYR Cup, a battle between North America and the World.

  • Jeffrey Adler, Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr, and Danielle Brandon were announced last week. Djukic will join Tomey-Orr on Team World.

📋 ✅ CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course Upcoming Schedule: Interested in earning your CF-L1? Check out the worldwide schedule of upcoming seminars and get signed up now!

ICYMI: Some familiar faces are missing from this year’s CrossFit Games roster. Find out who they are and get the lowdown on why.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Credit: @arielleloewen / Instagram

Who is This Year’s Arielle Loewen, and 4 Other CrossFit “Doppel-Gamers”?

The beauty of competitive sports is its unpredictability. The CrossFit Games are no different. 

We are surprised every year by new faces who prove they belong, veterans who exceed or fall short of expectations, and athletes who cement themselves in the history books. 

Today we’re looking at some of the individual stories from 2023, and which athletes appear to be following in their footsteps in 2024. 

  • We found some powerful parallels between last year and this year, which will animate the storylines leading into the 2024 CrossFit Games.

So who are the 2024 “Doppel-Gamers”?

Who is this year’ Arielle Loewen?

What we’re looking for: An athlete with two to three Games appearances who has not placed in the top 10, did not win their Semifinal and could deliver an unexpected podium finish. 

Our pick: Emma Tall

Tell me more:

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COMPETITIONS

Credit: Icon Imagery, @theiconimagery / Instagram

METCON Rush Flourishes in its 9th Year as Elite Athletes Flock to Maryland Competition

What started on a whim has turned into one of the most popular fitness competitions on the East Coast. 

METCON Rush is in its ninth year and hosting its biggest roster yet, including former Games athletes and notable Semifinalists. 

Tim Kellinger, the owner of CrossFit 301 Elite, started METCON Rush as a small, Tough Mudder-style event for his gym alone. But during the third year of the event, rain forced Kellinger to host the event indoors at his affiliate and the rest is history. 

  • “It was never meant to be a competition, had it never rained that day maybe I never would be where I’m at today, honestly,” Kellinger tells Morning Chalk Up, in an interview. 

The details: The CrossFit-licensed event takes place July 20-21 at Hagerstown Community College in Hagerstown, MD at the college’s indoor facility. 

This year METCON Rush has 310 athletes and a completely sold-out event. 

The vision for Kellinger is to run the competition at a high level and continue to grow in all aspects; competition roster, prize money, workout variability, etc.

  • “We put a lot of effort into the experience for the athletes. Regardless if you are a Games athlete or someone traveling from down the street, you feel like you're at a high-level event and experience,” said Kellinger. 

There are no qualifier workouts for the event, instead, Kellinger uses the CrossFit Open and Quarterfinals as a qualifier and is a starting point as he seeks out individual athletes he’d like to see compete in the elite division. 

All other divisions' athletes can freely register.

HIGHLIGHTS

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

  • 🎂Happy birthday to Freddy Camacho and Meredith Root.

  • Happy birthday to Morning Chalk Up's Teaganne Finn.

  • Happy belated 88th birthday to Nancy of CrossFit Indestri in Canada.

  • Great work to the kids of Sawed Off CrossFit in College Station, TX, for getting after this tough Metcon. 

  • 😮‍💨Nice job to Team Peak 360's members, Noah Ohlsen, Tola Morakinyo, Lena Richter, and Matilde Garnes for the big deadlift numbers they're putting up.