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We cover the sport of CrossFit from all angles. We talk with athletes, coaches and celebrities that compete and surround in the sport of CrossFit at all levels. We also bring you Breaking News, Human Interest Stories and report on the Methodology of CrossFit. We also use the methodology to make ourselves the fittest we can be.
It's lunchtime, everybody.
What is going on?
Lunch with Clydesdale live every day.
Twelve fifteen Eastern Time.
Here we are.
I'm going to throw a dart.
I've been missing it a
little bit for the last couple of days.
I might throw a couple
because I'm tired of missing.
So I'm going to I'm going to hone it in.
Let's see what we got.
Weak sauce to the right.
Oh man, it's getting worse.
I need to give it up.
That just needs to be a Dave thing.
I need to give it up.
I used to be good at darts.
I used to be good at darts.
I was a bouncer.
I was a bartender.
We played darts all the time.
I, uh,
yeah I don't know there it
is jay birch live from okc
and tfx uh sarah cooper
says do we know if tfx is
streaming anywhere if not
I'll call jay birch he'll
take out his cell phone uh
he can get the live shot
from the lane he's judging
in and uh we'll stream that
how about that I have not
heard about streaming um
TFX does not stream ever.
So... Yeah,
why would you have... Why would
you have Chase and Angelo
commentating if there's no stream?
They'd just be talking into air.
So I'm assuming there's got
to be some kind of stream somewhere.
But yeah, I don't know.
You got to hope...
You wouldn't waste getting.
And I know Lauren Khalil is
going to be doing it as well.
So there's three people
they've hired to do the announcing.
I would hope that they have
a stream to at least for us to hear them.
Maybe it's a radio broadcast.
Maybe that's something new and innovative.
We're going to try.
Jay Birch says the camera in
the lane might be frowned upon.
Yeah, yeah.
would say so we actually had
a problem at my old
affiliate uh during the
open where a judge the
judges would pull out a
camera and um video or take
pictures of the athlete
they were judging uh
because it was their friend
or or whatever because it's
in the affiliate none of
them are going to the games
but we actually had to have
like a sit down and say listen
if you want to take pictures
and video maybe don't judge
when your friend's going
and uh because it's really
hard to keep count while
you're videoing or taking a
picture so um yeah
There is supposed to be a
stream from what I hear.
There we go.
Jay Burch has heard it.
It makes sense there has to
be if they hired those
three to do commentating.
Why would you hire them if
there's not going to be
anything going on?
Sarah says we can ask GWTP later today.
Get with the programming?
Sure.
Chase would know, I'm assuming.
And Corey's saying the same.
They'd bet damn well better be streaming.
They got Chase and Angelo.
So, yeah, I hope so.
I'd like to know what's going on there.
I'm going to circle back
around to that for a second.
But first thing I want to
let you guys know is I'm
going to have Justin Kotler
on tonight at six p.m.
Eastern time to talk about
what it was like for the
coaches at the World Fitness Project,
plus his plans with Alex
and Mano Anganese and what
their plans are going forward.
So we're going to have Justin on tonight,
six p.m.
Eastern time.
To see what that was all about.
I did watch the training
think tank review of the WFP as well.
And I thought they brought
up some really good
insights and some good suggestions.
So I might use some of what
they were saying to talk to Justin.
I don't even have show notes for tonight.
And I have some appointments
this afternoon.
So it may just be a conversation.
We'll see where it goes.
And if people are in the chat,
we'll let them ask
questions as well of Justin
as to how it goes.
But Alex won.
His athlete won the first WFP.
Mano Anganese is still trying to qualify.
Alex is still trying to
qualify for the CrossFit Games.
Alex is putting all of her
eggs in the NorCal basket.
So it's going to be
interesting to see what
happens over the course of
the next few weeks for them.
Yeah.
Yes.
Those usually turn out to be
the best interviews.
I actually, I, I pretty regular,
like I don't,
I can probably on one hand
have the number,
the number of interviews
I've done without show notes.
And really I just have them just in case.
my plan going into an
interview is just to have a
conversation and then I
have the show notes just
just in case just in case
there's a lull in the
conversation and I've got
to go look for something
else to talk about but
generally my best
interviews are when I never
ever have to look at them
and we just kind of chat
about what's going on
So again, tonight, six PM Eastern time,
Justin Kotler underdog athletics.
We will chat with him a little bit.
So I've got a couple of things I want to,
I want to talk about a
little bit and I think I'll
do it this way.
TFX is this weekend.
We've got some people hunting for their,
their tickets to the CrossFit games,
but this,
this is what I kind of want to ask.
Um,
Uh, I don't, this is where I,
I lean a little bit to the
WFP and some comparison
stuff is because of the way
that the season structure
is built in CrossFit.
I don't feel like we're
getting the best athletes
to the games this year.
Now you can go to mayhem and
you can see Austin and
Colton and Abby and fee, um,
and and those are those are
games caliber athletes for
sure but you go to like the
french throwdown you go to
um wadland fest you go to
brazil uh copa sir I'm not
sure we're getting the best
uh to the games and um I
think it's the way the
season is structured
that we have all these
multiple ways of people
kind of getting into the CrossFit games.
And I just don't think it's
turning out to be a system
that's working.
When you cut the field down
to thirty people,
you need the best thirty
people at the games.
You need people who can
impact the leaderboard from
all thirty positions.
to make it a good competition,
to make it fun to watch,
to make it interesting.
And I just don't think that's happening.
I love Bronislaw Alinkowitz.
I think he's a really cool dude.
I think he's super strong.
But you can't tell me he's
one of the best thirty men in the world.
And he won the French Throwdown.
So...
I just think it's muddying
the waters a little bit,
the way the season is structured,
because you can get in by A,
you can get in by B,
and we'll talk about that
you can even get in by C now.
So I don't... I just...
And it's part of the reason
that I think that the WFP
actually has a chance
because CrossFit keeps
messing around with all
these ways to qualify and
making it more and more
complicated and convoluted.
And now at the end of the day,
I don't think we're getting
the best thirty athletes to the games.
And so if we're not getting
the best thirty athletes to the games,
then there's something
wrong with the design of
the system in qualifying.
And yeah, I mean, and then,
then you have things like
Guy is going to Torian for what?
He's not, he,
he can't qualify for the games.
He chose not to do the
CrossFit game season yet.
He's going to go to Torian
and mess up the leaderboard
with a couple of good heavy lifts,
a couple of good events and
jack up the leaderboard at
Torian for what?
For what?
I don't understand.
Elisa Fuliano podiums at two.
Both the European events
would have qualified for
the games out of both of them,
but because she's not doing the season,
she just mucked up the
leaderboard so that the
people who are trying to
qualify can't do that.
It just...
I don't know.
This whole thing of, like,
allowing these third-party
entities to make up their
own rules and keep them
regional and all that stuff
is just preventing the people,
the best people,
from making it to the games.
Yeah.
I think those events, Andrew Stan,
I think those events are
getting the best athletes
from those regions.
Unfortunately,
those athletes are not the
same level as athletes from
the U S Europe, Australia,
for whatever reason.
I also think like the
European semifinals have
been very biased to heavy lifting.
And that's why Bronislaw
Alinkowitz is going to the
CrossFit games.
Um,
Andrew follows up,
I left a comment for Dave
on his week in review about
constantly changing
qualification process.
His answer was not satisfying.
Yeah, I watched that, Andrew,
and his answer was
something to the effect of, well,
the reason we change it is
to make it better.
And I don't think this year
is better in any way.
Now,
is it better fiscally and financially
because you have given up
control over everything in
the qualification process?
No.
That may be better,
the financial fiscal bottom line,
but I don't think we're
going to get the best
athletes to the games.
And in a year where there's
other competition,
this is the year where
people need to compete.
CrossFit needs to compete.
They need to put their best
foot forward to show they
are the dominant entity in the sport.
It doesn't matter if he doesn't go.
He chose not to for financial reasons,
but now he is making it to
Torian somehow.
I know.
Ah,
did some of the top athletes choose not
to do the season?
Maybe that's why there's a
handful of people who chose
not to do the season.
And I,
but I don't think that's why we're
not getting the best.
Um,
The names out of Brazil,
I can't even tell you what the names are.
They're not even the typical people.
Other than Kalen Souza,
who qualified on the men's side,
I couldn't even name the
other three at all.
It's not even the typical
people that are the best
from that region.
It's just a weird,
wacky process this year
that I just don't think is
working at all.
thought he wanted to compete
in brazil wasn't that the
whole post of his about
being at home and he didn't
compete at brazil so he
competed at he competed at
mayhem and he's competing
at torian um but I don't
know uh those events should
have a separate leaderboard
for the money and the
game's qualification
one for the money one for
the games qualification I
think is what Andrew's
saying I don't disagree
with that but man make talk
about complicated now we're
really getting complicated
in the way the season looks
uh uh from what I heard
Ricky and Jay are also doing Torian
because they're allowed, like I get it.
That's their home country there.
And they can,
they can compete in front of
their home fans.
I still don't like it.
If,
since they already have a spot to the
games, they don't need to qualify.
But I, I'm,
I'm sure they're going to be
allowed because they're
going to be a draw.
I just wish, I just wish it would,
the season would make more sense.
Corey says,
who are the people you think
should be going that aren't?
I don't know yet.
I don't know what the field is.
But I'm telling you,
if spots are being taken up
by three people out of South America,
they don't know their names.
And someone like Braun,
who is thirty seven years
old and who hasn't been
able to make the games for years.
We're not sending the right people.
So those spots are being
taken up by people that are
qualifying when there are
other people that,
that should be able to be,
to qualify instead.
Uh, Andrew says, no,
you exclude the people who
can't qualify for the games
from the one leaderboard.
That way their scores don't
affect the athletes who are eligible.
I understand what you're
saying completely.
It's just,
you have two leaderboards and
you have to explain it.
Um, that's all it just,
it adds a complication.
Um,
I mean, I just miss the days of a clean.
These are the people going
for their shot at the games,
and either they qualify or they don't.
The top X number do.
Now we don't have that anymore.
We have, well,
this person didn't finish top one percent,
or this person didn't even
sign up for the Open,
or this person chose not to
do the season.
And then whatever's left,
they're down here mixed in.
Yeah, it's a mess.
The other topic I wanted to
throw out to you guys today is all week.
I've heard people comparing
WFP to the CrossFit games,
which I think is completely,
completely unfair.
The WFP tour stop one was
the first step of their
season and the way their
season is structured.
You don't know the story of
the season until it plays out.
So people were like,
I didn't see the emotion.
I didn't see the blood that
I see when people qualify
for the CrossFit Games.
Well, no,
because the qualification for the
championships hasn't even
happened yet with the WFP.
They're building that
storyline up with a system
of points that then will
qualify people for the
championships of the WFP.
Now, do I think in year one,
the WFP is going to hold a
candle to what the CrossFit
Games means to athletes?
No, but it's year one.
It's year one.
We have to see it play out.
We have to see what the
points leaderboard looks
like in the future.
And even through a full season this year,
if they add more events,
it's going to make it even bigger.
more crucial about the
points race throughout the season.
And you're going to see
storylines play out that
you don't see in this weird
convoluted CrossFit game season.
And I'm not putting my money
behind either horse.
I just think that we have to
let them have their
opportunity to show the
entire thing and how it's
going to play out and how
the storylines are going to
play out before we start
making final decisions as
to this one is way better than this one.
there's no way that an
entity coming in in year
one is going to hold the
prestige and the honor that
the CrossFit Games have
established over fifteen
years or twenty years now.
We need to see what happens
through a couple seasons of
the WFP and see if that
actually becomes something
a little bit more
fun to watch and makes it um
easier to understand and
that people are excited
about playing in the
championship like the fedex
cup and golf didn't happen
until a handful of years
ago and now it is like the
biggest thing you're trying
to earn your points to
qualify for the fedex cup
so you can play for the
championship of championships um
And that's I think what
World Fitness Project is
trying to accomplish.
But you can't see that until
it's played out over a couple of events.
Halpin says, this is a sanctional model.
There were athletes
competing and winning
competitions from two
thousand nineteen and
twenty that had no way of
going to the games.
I agree with you.
I am not.
I did not like the only
difference about the sanctional model.
And this is a sanctional model.
I qualified more athletes to
the games so they could be
weeded out through cuts.
So you had the better
athletes at the end of the weekend.
i.e roman qualifying year
over year after with no
shot at a visa I get it
okay but but by that same
logic those dudes at the
french throwdown had every
opportunity to beat braun
and they didn't he won
seventy eight years old or not
My issue with the French
throwdown is they
restricted who could sign
up for the event.
They had to have X number of
French athletes.
It had to have X number of
European athletes.
And so when the field is
taken up with all of that,
it's hard to get people who may deserve,
who may be better athletes at football.
better athletes could not
jump into that lineup to do
that plus it was the same
weekend as wfp and that was
a competition um but brazil
was not and brazil was
restricted just to south
american central and south
american countries d reed
says corey don't hate on
the old guys uh it was me
it was me doug I'm the one
who uh hated on the old
guys first he's just
jumping on my bandwagon
Andrew Sten,
my biggest worry with the WFP
is they are trying to be too big,
too quick, and they flame out.
They need to build and not
just expect people to show
up because the people that are there.
I don't think that they...
I would hope that they don't
think that that is the case.
I think they're just trying
to show what is possible
and they're trying to do
things in a way that are
different and better and in their,
in their eyes.
And maybe some of this stuff
that we saw this weekend
was just a trial and maybe
we're not going to see it
at tour stop too.
I don't know, but, um,
But to me,
if you don't have storytelling
with what's going on,
you're not going to get
people showing up.
So people are going to have
to start understanding the
point system and what
stories those are telling
for people to show up and
to spectate those events.
T-Bird, it is media,
not you and people comparing the two,
not CrossFit or WFP.
It doesn't have to be one or the other.
I'm just happy to see more
competitions and know the
difference between the games and the WFP.
Where I disagree with you a little bit,
T-Bird,
is that I want it to be a competition.
I want it to be between the two of them.
I want them to get better
because they have to
compete against each other
and things get better.
When CrossFit has had no competition,
they have not made changes
that make sense to make a
better product that goes
out on the floor.
I am hopeful that with these two competing,
that it will force both of
them to put their best foot
forward to make the best
product that they can out on the floor.
That's what I want.
And either the strongest
survives or they combine
and decide to do something together.
Andrew Sten says,
they did such a bad job
with the community event there.
This was a bad look for them.
Again, it was their first attempt.
But I do agree,
hiding them in the back
corner probably isn't the
best way to go about things.
Uh...
I don't think they had the
expectation that people
were going to show up.
They were excited.
They sold a few hundred
tickets two days before the comp started.
To try to guess what their
expectations are is unfair to them.
We don't know their budget.
We don't know the money source.
We don't know what their expectations are.
We need to see it play out.
And that's all I'm saying is
let it play out before you
start making comparisons.
But to compare like Tour
Stop One to the CrossFit
Games isn't even comparing
apples to apples.
Denise Moore,
I almost want to travel to
Arizona to watch it in person.
I am with you.
I'm actually...
thinking about trying to get
out to Mesa for that one
but it's right around the
same time as the age group
CrossFit games and I'm not
going to give up the age
group CrossFit games for
that um so there you go uh
t-bird did anyone see tef
review of WFP I think Sean
was way off on some things
seems to have changed his
tune on CrossFit all of a sudden
Yeah,
I help in first attempt and not to
compare,
but what did age groups coverage
look like at the games in
twenty twenty three?
Pathetic.
Last year, the age group did great.
He also says Denise,
it's amazing in person.
James,
criticisms of WFP after a single
event are wild.
CrossFit has been putting on
the games for nearly twenty
years and have constant
issues that should have
been worked out by now.
Let's give WFP some time.
Amen, brother.
I've been saying that all week.
For years,
I have been critical of what the
games has done.
And that they need to improve,
and they've done nothing to do that.
And now they need someone to
compete against them to
push them in the right direction.
And either they're going to
change or they're going to die off.
That's just the way the
things work in this world.
Blockbuster Netflix.
Blockbuster refused to
change with the times.
So instead of comparing to other sports,
I'll do that.
I'll compare it to a business situation.
The WFP deserves every ounce of criticism.
The way they went about
things pissed off CrossFit supporters.
I don't understand why you
have to pick one side or the other.
I don't get it.
Like, they can learn from one another,
and they can get better,
and maybe one outlasts the other, but...
I've said on the show thousands of times,
CrossFit saved my life.
Without it, I'd be dead today.
If you don't know my story,
I started at five hundred
pounds in two thousand eleven.
I am weighing under five
hundred pounds now and I'm
still alive and I owe
CrossFit all of that.
what is but when it comes to
the sport crossfit has been
screwing the pooch for
years they don't have a
system that is easy to
explain to my friends or to
show people or to um make a
viewable attempt at things
they don't change year
after year and they need
competition to push them in
a more creative and better situation
maybe people mean because
WFP stole some athletes
from the CrossFit game
season Laura Laura and Emma
Tall I think is I think
those are the only athletes
that that chose just to do
the WFP season oh Pat
Vellner I don't know
Nothing gets better if it's
not looked at critically.
There's nothing wrong with
critiquing an event.
I agree.
We've been critical of
CrossFit and it seems like
WFP came around and we
forgot about all the
criticisms we've been
saying about CrossFit.
And now we're just saying
they're always the best and they are like,
did we not forget?
Eighteen months ago,
we've been we were bitching
about the seasons that
CrossFit was putting together.
that's what's,
that's what's boggling my mind.
Sarah Cooper.
I don't think Elisa Fuliano
would have done, or she's not doing WFP.
Like she's not doing any of them.
Uh,
Emily dropped out because she's hurt her.
She hurt her back and it's
either rested or she's not
going to have a shot at anything.
Um,
and she's going to try to do NorCal to
qualify for the CrossFit games,
but she needs to rest it
for a few weeks to be able to do so.
Um,
Alex is risking it, but I know that she,
and maybe I'll get this out
of Justin tonight,
I know she was fighting
with a shoulder injury
earlier in the season.
She won this weekend,
and maybe her shoulder
isn't up to being able to
take back-to-back weeks,
and that's why they had to
go with NorCal and the WFP.
So I don't think she's
picked anything yet.
So I don't know.
uh meredith yeah I don't
know for the overt
negativity or refusing to
even mention the name wfp
seems immature uh and we
can't uh control what
people assume or perceive
yeah I in all honesty I
want crossfit to get better
I have followed this sport.
I've been a volunteer in the
sport since two thousand thirteen.
I've been to regionals and
sanctionals and all of the
stuff up to through the
games for years and years and years.
I don't want to stop doing that.
But I but they're not
changing and they're not getting better.
We need something to push them.
So, Doug, I care about both.
I don't think the
methodology is going anywhere.
Um,
it's it's the greatest way
of fitnessing in my opinion
that's out there and I
don't think it's going
anywhere but when we're
talking about the sport I
know a lot of people say
word salad I don't think that
I think word salad is the
new way of speaking for
people in this day and age.
I work for state government.
I hear directors and
senators and congressmen and governors.
It's all word salad, man.
Every single day of my life is word salad.
It's just the way the world
is working now.
And I don't think that
The public persona of Will
and Jackson are maybe the
best faces of what WFP are.
I don't think they have a
lot of experience in front
of a camera or on a live
show doing interviews.
And so I think they get
nervous and confused at times.
Just my opinion.
So.
Yes, Halpin.
Hiller showed up at WFP on
Sunday at some point.
I didn't know the day.
I guess it was Sunday.
But he actually said in
person it was really well done.
His only thing is it had to
have cost a lot of money
with what they had done and
doesn't see that it can be
sustainable at that level.
And he may be right.
I don't know the money
they're working with and I
don't pretend to know.
I would just assume if
you're putting this forward,
you're not doing it to lose
money year over year and
you're trying to find a way
to make money.
So you got to trust that they have a plan.
so yeah corey and that's a
number that gets thrown
around but I don't know
that for a fact I have no
idea if that's true or not
and if I'm a private
company and I'm doing
something the last thing
I'm showing the public is
my are my books so
Sarah says exactly Corey
Saxon didn't seem to give
straight answers.
I think he has a tougher job
than the other two.
I think what they're doing
with the affiliate model,
their affiliate model and
their community outreach is
much more... I don't know.
Much more...
across the line shady than
what the sport is doing I'm
just talking about the
sport I don't know what's
going on with this
community piece that
they're doing in affiliates
and I don't know enough to
talk education educated
enough about it to make any sense
potential buyers of the book.
I'm talking about WFP.
WFP is not up for sale.
So nobody has seen those books.
Nobody really knows what's going on there.
And if I'm the WFP,
I'm not showing it to anybody.
Nobody needs to know what my
financials are.
I'm just putting forward this sport,
this thing,
and it's up to me to budget it
and make sure that the money lasts.
T-Bird asks, aren't they like High Rocks?
You can still be CrossFit, High Rocks,
et cetera, and a WFP affiliate.
You don't have to choose.
I wish there was a straight
answer to this question
because I believe Saxon was
asked this outright,
and I believe he said you could.
I just,
it didn't seem like a complete answer.
Back to what Sarah and Corey
are saying earlier in the chat.
And again, I am for supporting the sport.
I don't know what the
affiliate piece means for them.
So, last thing I want to talk about,
and then I have to get
going because I have some
appointments this afternoon,
and that is...
Last chance qualifier was announced.
We finally have the details
of the last chance qualifier.
They're happening June
twelfth to the sixteenth.
Final opportunity to get a
spot at the CrossFit Games.
Who's in the top fifty non
games qualifying athletes
from the in affiliate
semifinals and the top ten
non games qualifying
athletes from each in person qualifier.
That is a lot of people.
Exact leaderboard positions
may vary depending on
previous qualifications.
All athletes must have
placed in the top one
percent of the twenty
twenty five open to be eligible.
Eligible athletes will
receive an official email
invitation from Hustle Up.
No second chances, no excuses.
Earn your place.
what I don't understand with
this is we've already had an open,
we've already had an in
affiliate semifinal,
and now we're having a
third online competition to
get the last one person into the games.
Like just rinse and repeat,
rinse and repeat.
They've already competed
against each other two times.
And now we're going to ask
them to compete against
each other for a third time.
That makes absolutely no freaking sense.
And these are the things
that I'm telling you that
we have bitched about for
years and seem to forget
about now that WFP is
around and we want to be
full on support of CrossFit.
They've got to start doing better.
They've got to start doing better.
This is absolutely absurd.
And yes, it's about the money.
You got to sign up.
You got to pay your fee for one op.
If that's going to be like a
hundred and some athletes
and they're going to have,
and they're going to have
one open spot to, to compete for.
It's absurd.
It's absurd.
And speaking of no community coverage,
it's the same week as a community cup,
which is also an affiliates.
They just overshadowed their
own community event.
There it is.
That's what I'm saying.
People, if WFP didn't exist,
we would be bitching about
the way this season looks
that CrossFit has put forward.
Now WFP is here and all of a
sudden we're going to defend the gates.
How about look in the mirror
and get better?
I want CrossFit to get better.
I'm not saying I want WFP to
take over the world or
anything like that.
I want CrossFit to get better.
I want both to be good.
On that note,
Time to get back to work,
you knuckleheads.
We'll see everybody next time.
Well, join me tonight, Justin Kotler,
six p.m.
Eastern time on the show,
talking about the WFP, Alex Kazan,
Mano Anganese.
And then I'll be back
tomorrow with another lunch show.
With that, guys,
we'll see everybody next
time on Lunch with the Clydesdale.